I loved this article online on Houzz and wanted to share with you all! Decluttering is something that I struggle with... I always think: "oh I'll use that next time", or "I'm definitely going to wear that sweater again" and I never do!

​My closets and shelves are organized but I have hundreds of "things" that are purely dust collectors. This post helps readers declutter one step at a time! I enjoyed it and I plan to try it out! I'll keep you posted! Wish me luck! Good luck to any of you who try it too!

Just recently, the provincial government announced a $2.5 million investment for a new Downpayment Assistance Program (DAP) for first-time homebuyers.

The two-year pilot program, administered by Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation (NLHC), provides first-time homebuyers with low-to-moderate incomes the opportunity to qualify for downpayment loan assistance to purchase a home.Province introduces a new Downpayment Assistance Program for first-time homebuyers in NL.

Want to know the finer details of the program? Follow the below link for more detailed information on the Downpayment Assistance Program.

If you have any questions, comments or concerns, please feel free to comment below or send me an email: sbutt@nfld.net - I'm always up for a coffee meeting (on me of course) to discuss your real estate needs!
 
http://www.nlhc.nf.ca/programs/programsDap.html 

I enjoy a good quote. A good quote draws me in, opens my eyes and sometimes teaches me something new. It can help to me to see things in a new light! Quotes like:

- Change things and things will change - Anonymous
- If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten - Henry Ford
- What other people think of you is none of your business -  Martha Graham
- You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you - Walt Disney

I enjoy using a good, insightful quote to encourage someone or to brighten someones day!

Today, during a RE/MAX webinar a quote was used and I absolutely loved it! I wanted to share it with you, as it's so great! ENJOY and have a BLESSED day! :) 

If you would like to comment with quotes of your own, please do! 

Yesterday was Canada day! A day to celebrate our AWESOME country and being strong, proud and free! I spent a day "on the bay" with some awesome people, socializing, laughing, singing and relaxing! It really couldn't have been better! Thanks to our awesome Captain and his 1st mate/ hostess for a wonderful time and to our super fun and welcoming neighbours! It was the best Canada day I have ever had!

In my reflections on Canada Day, I got to pondering Canadian Real Estate and our Prime Ministers take on it all, I found this small piece on the CREA website ( www.crea.ca ); I thought I'd share it with you all! 

Our Government is a strong supporter of home ownership. We recognize that for many Canadians, owning a home represents both the achievement of a key life goal and the most important investment of their lives. We have a record of providing targeted support to first-time home buyers. This includes the introduction of the First-Time Home Buyers' Tax Credit (Budget 2009) to provide up to $750 in tax relief for first-home buyers and increasing the limit under the Home Buyers' Plan from $20,000 to $25,000 (Budget 2009) to help first-time home buyers cover their down payment.

Our Government also introduced the Tax Free Savings Account (TFSA), which provides aspiring homeowners with the most flexible savings vehicle ever offered. In our most recent Budget, we doubled the amount that Canadian savers can contribute to their TFSA. Our Government has also delivered other landmark tax-saving initiatives, like slashing the GST and introducing the Family Tax Cut. As a result of our Government's action, Canada has one of the best job creation records in the G7, is consistently ranked among the best countries in the world to do business, and the federal tax burden is at its lowest level in a generation. This strong economic management has created a stable and confident environment for both real estate investment and home ownership. We will continue to look at ways to support aspirational homeowners enter the market.

- Prime Minister Stephen Harper
Excerpt from: CREA's " www.News2me.crea.ca "

Waking up to the sunshine gleaming through my bedroom window, with the little birds chirping outside in the trees- it all makes me feel lucky to be alive! I'm so thankful for my family and friends, for my health and the health of my loved ones, for my career, for my pretty little home- and to be selling others pretty homes! Life is so good!

My dad said to me years ago: "Happiness is a choice. Don't let anyone steal your joy." So often that statement comes back to me! I softly remind myself: "choose happiness". There are times when life can get us down... things like a chipped windshield, a flat tire, a broken dish, the flu (all of which happened to me last week)!!! Those are just bumps along the way! Chin up! CHOOSE HAPPINESS! Its a good day to have a good day! :)

Recently, Team Burton took 1st place in Atlantic Canada in over all sales. We placed 8th overall in Canada and 22nd network wide- not too shabby! We have been enjoying our success! Our agents also celebrated individual success'! I, myself was delighted to accept an "Executive Club Award" after less than 8 months in the business!

Success by definition is: 1. The favourable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavours; the accomplishment of one's goals. 2. The attainment of wealth, position, honours, or the like.
3. A performance or achievement that is marked by success, as by the attainment of honours.

A quote that I have often enjoyed relating to success is as follows: Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you do, you will be successful!

We are driven, intelligent and passionate agents at RE/MAX Infinity Team Burton and it shows! Our office is electric, filled with lots of laughs and camaraderie;  it's really true what they say: "team work makes the dream work"! We are a team! We support each other, we help each other and we celebrate each others milestones and achievements. Perhaps thats what makes us so successful?!

Through creating a positive work environment, where is ok to ask questions and seek advice; where we are encouraged to just be ourselves and bring our individual strengths, interests and passions to the table. Its through creating this type of work environment that we are able to successfully connect with clients. Through our our outreach and community volunteering- we achieve success- every day! We love to give back and we have fun while we're at it! Isn't that what its all about? Not working to live but living to work! Thats real success in my opinion!

Our team is pictured below with Mayor Ken McDonald of CBS, accepting these prestigious awards. I thought it would be fitting to also to include a snap of our team cooking up a storm at Ronald McDonald House, as this is one of the things that contributes to our success!

Ladies and gentlemen, we are seeing fantastic things happening for the potential purchaser thus far in 2015! Now may be the time for you to decide, commit and succeed! (one of my favourite mottos).  2015 could be the year you own your 1st home or your new home!




According to our friends in finance:


Lowest 5 year fixed rate on a mortgage is 2.69% and the lowest 5 year variable is PRIME - .85 which will now be 2.00%. I'm truly excited about it! I'm thinking of purchasing again myself!

In addition to fabulous interest rates for potential buyers, current market statistics favour buyers as well.

These stats, as reported by CMHC for our Eastern Region are as follows.
 
1. Sales to Active listing Ratio was 7.6% YTD (Buyers Market).

2. Average MLS sales price is $306, 060 which is up 3.4% when compared to January 2014.

3. There was 2182 Active Listings on the Market last month, up 22% compared to January 2014.

4. Unit sales for the month of January was 165 sales which is up 1.2% compared to January 2014.

It is always difficult to look at one month and establish a trend, however, from the image below we can see we have good demand (slightly higher than January 2014 with 165 sales) with higher Inventory levels. 

I thought this to be great information to share with clients, potential customers and friends!

Have a great day everyone!

HEY...IT'S NOT ALL BAD! HOME SALES UP IN DECEMBER IN NL The number of homes sold in the region serviced by the Newfoundland and Labrador Association of REALTORS® totaled 330 units in December 2014.

This was an increase of 7.1 per cent from the same month a year earlier.  Nationally, home sales were up 7.5 per cent on a year-over-year basis in December 2014.

On an annual basis, home sales in 2014 numbered 4,100 a decrease of 4.7 per cent from 2013.  Residential activity in St. John’s was up 23.3 per cent on a year-over-year basis in December.  This stood in contrast to a one per cent decrease for the rest of the province.

Single detached home sales in St. John’s increase 46.2 per cent from levels recorded in December 2013.  Multi-family home sales were unchanged from a year earlier resulting in the strong overall residential increase.

Transactions in the range from $150,000 to $250,000 increased by 34.8 per cent from year-ago levels, while sales activity priced between $250,000 and $350,000 fell 11.9 per cent.  Sales in the price range from $350,000 to $500,000 were up 5.1 per cent.  Sales priced above $500,000 declined 26.3 per cent from December 2013 to December 2014.

The average price for homes sold across all of Newfoundland and Labrador in December 2014 was $273,769, down 5.4 per cent compared to a year earlier.  The national average price was $405,569 in December 2014, up 3.9 per cent from December 2013.  The dollar value of home sales in the province amounted to $90.3 million in December 2014, falling up 1.4 per cent from a year earlier.

The number of new residential listings on the Association’s MLS® System was up 4.5 per cent from a year earlier to 375 units in December.  The overall supply of homes on the market is currently running at historically elevated levels but appears to have peaked in September.  Active residential listings numbered 2,559 units at the end of December 2014, up 15.4 per cent from the same time a year earlier.

There were 7.8 months of inventory at the end of December 2014, up from 7.2 months at the end of December 2013.  This also stands well above the long-run average for months of inventory at this time of the year.  The number of months of inventory is the number of months it would take to sell current inventories at the current rate of sales activity.


*** Credit goes to Home Styling by Cathy for this great info! Visit Cathy's website: www.homestylingbycathy.com