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Your Island Realtor originally from Montague, PEI - now living in Summerside
& ready to assist when you want to buy or sell.
Direct: (902) 439-4165
Email: tanya@century21pei.com
Toll-Free: 1-888-701-0021
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Welcome to PEI!
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Some Facts about PEI
- PEI is located on the Gulf of St. Lawrence on Canada's east coast in an area known as the Maritimes.
- PEI is separated from the rest of Canada by 13 km of the Northumberland Strait.
- The Island is 224 km long and up to 64km wide in places with a total of 5,660 sq. km.
- You are always within 16 km of the sea
- There are three counties, Prince, Queens and Kings.
- PEI is in the Atlantic Time (AST) zone which is one hour ahead of Toronto.
- The population of PEI is estimated as 140,402
- There are two cities in the province - Charlottetown (capital city) and Summerside as well as 7 towns, Alberton, Cornwall, Georgetown, Kensington, Montague, Souris and Stratford.
- The major industry in the province is agriculture, tourism, fishing and manufacturing.
- You can get on and off the island by the 12.9 kilometre Confederation Bridge between PEI and New Brunswick, daily air services (in season) from Charlottetown Airport, and the Woods Island Ferry (in season)
- Total GDP (2006) $4.32 billion
- Annual Income per capita $31,278 (13th)
- The official flower is the Pink Lady's Slipper
- The official tree is the Red Oak
- The official bird is the Blue Jay
PEI or Prince Edward Island is Canada's smallest province located 13 km off the east coast of New Brunswick. PEI is known for its rolling, English-style landscape, Anne of Green Gables, famous malpeque oysters, clams and the lobster supper. Islanders are recognized as friendly, laid-back folk and this reflects in the island way of life. You can choose PEI as a place to come and holiday or a place to put down roots. As a place to live PEI provides a relatively low cost of living, particularly in the case of home buying, and a safe environment to raise a young family or retire.
For those at retirement the difference in equity between the home you currently own elsewhere and a similar property purchased here on PEI could mean an increased standard of living during your retirement in an amount up to 2000 dollars per month, based on the average home in PEI selling around $136,000 and the average home in BC selling around $450,000. Talk to me about taking advantage of the equity in your current home to increase your monthly retirement income or to eliminate or reduce your mortgage.
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Homestaging can add $$$ to your Home!
Home staging means taking time and investing some money into making your home an inviting, marketable product before putting it on the residential real estate market. In this way you expect to realize a return on your investment of time and money with a faster sale and a higher price. The assumptionis that most buyers are looking for a home in "move-in" condition, so the goal is to make your home appeal to the maximum number of buyers.
Home staging involves presenting the home in such a way as to reducing the home's less desirable features while focusing buyers' attentions on the benefits of living there. Methods used to achieve this include depersonalizing, decluttering, cleaning, general repair and landscaping.
There are many skills involved in a properly managed home staging and while I can not provide all these skills personally, I will determine with you the undertakings required to bring your home to its best and plan with you how these can be accomplished. Some you may feel that you can do yourself - others you will need professional help for.
- Curb Appeal
Curb appeal is supreme. Make sure that the lawn is cut and flower beds neat, tidy and ideally well planted or, if winter, that the snow is cleared. Make sure that gutters are cleared so there are no unsightly downpours from the roof, that stairs and railings are clean and painted as well as house trim such as shutters etc. make sure that anything that could be considered unsightly, such as garbage bins, are secured out of view.
- Declare War on Clutter
Empty closets, store extra clothes in a rented storage locker or your friend's or parent's place. Same advice applies to shelves; clean off and store everything that you can possibly live the next few months without. You are going to have to box and move when your home sells anyway - so start now, get a head-start on moving and ensure that you get the best possible price for your home.
- Make a "Clean" Profit
Go the extra mile to get your home ready for viewing by cleaning everything. Pressure wash outside, walls, walkways, paths, and driveway - do a complete "spring cleaning" inside, behind appliances, light fixtures, windows, valances, and your home should pass the 'white glove' inspection. Taking this care makes your home look more loved and cared for and this translates into a more positive response from potential buyers.
- The Sniff Test
You may not know it - but does your home smell of pets, smoking, or anything else that means it appears less than fresh? Leave windows open daily and you may want to try the oldest trick in the book. Baking before a visit may add that little bit of homeliness that helps buyers see themselves living there. Worst case, you will gain a few extra pounds from all that great food!
- Not so Intimate, Please!
Take down family pictures, remove sentimental accessories, and clean away personal belongings of all types. No one wants to know what types of shampoo you use. When they look at your home they are trying to imagine that you don't live there - please help them achieve that!
- Don't Let Money Drip Away
Dripping faucets drain away profit! Get all the small home repairs taken care of before anyone looks at your home. No one wants to pay top-dollar for your unfinished home maintenance projects.
- Not Everyone Loves Fido!
Hard as it is to believe, not everyone likes dogs and cats, and some are very afraid of them. Even if Fido is the sweetest puppy imaginable, make sure that he is well secured before showing the house. Plan ahead where Fido or Fluffy will be kept while you have viewings.
- The Colour of Money
Painting your home will help your home sell faster and for a higher price. Paint the interior in muted shades, accents both inside and out can be brighter.
- Less is More
This is especially true when it comes to furniture. Remove as many pieces as possible and re-arrange the remainder to add space to the room. Nothing makes a room look smaller than too much furniture. If your furniture is old or unattractive, buy covers to improve the overall look.
- Light Me Up
Clean windows, replace light bulbs with the maximum wattage that fixtures will safely handle, make sure that lights are on at night and that windows shades are open by day. Put porch and hall lights on to invite buyers in.
- Security & Safety Issues
Make sure that valuables are removed or secured. Remember that strangers are visiting your home. Every valuable or personal item that you leave in sight could be stolen or used to create a profile of who you are. If you have any safety issues around the house such as a loose step or uncovered wall plugs take care of these now. If you have any hazards around your home such as a gun collection or animals that are not reliably tame make sure that these are secured
- Final Accessories
Well hung art, artfully arranged throw rugs, lamps that add a spot of colour as well as light, a vase of flowers or a plant - these all add personality to a space.
- Location + Value + "Move-in" Condition = Great Price
The formula for a successful real estate transaction
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Relocating to PEI!
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As someone who has relocated for work reasons myself I know what is involved in moving from another city or province, not just from the prospective of a realtor, but from personal experience. Experience is a great teacher and having gone through this process myself it puts in in the position of being able to anticipate as well as empathize with what you are gonig through.
As it is hard for you to become personally familiar with the real estate market here on PEI that is where an informed realtor from the area such as myself can step in and advise. By chatting on the phone or by email I can become aquainted with your needs long before you arrive here and begin to send you information on properties that would meet your needs. In this way I can mitigate the emotional upheaval of moving to a new town, new schools and a new job.I can tell you all about areas, schools, taxes, local housing values and other information that would help you adapt to life on PEI.
Whatever your answers to the above questions I can help you come up with solutions. So contact me today to discuss your plans even if they are in the future or not definate. We can begin the process working through the relocation steps below.
- Determine your timeline?
- Determine where you wish to settle on PEI, what type and size of home you will need and what your budget will be. I can help you with the later through (Centum) our in-house Home Financing group
- Rural or City?
- Size, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, and other features required
- Which recreational, hospital, shopping and school facilities are most important?
- Where will you be working - acceptable travel time to work?
- Public Transport (only available in Charlottetown) and school bus availability?
- Upsize or downsize in the near future? Growing family or kids leaving home?
- How much can I afford? What is the difference between what my home now will bring and the cost of a similar home in PEI? What about cost of living in PEI? Will my new salary be greater or less than current?
- I will do a search to find properties that meet your criteria. I will send information to you to peruse. In this way you will begin to understand the local real estate market.
- As the move becomes definate you should visit PEI and tour possible new homes. I can help you with your arrangements and ensure that you see those properties that best suit your needs
- As mentioned, Centum Financial, our in-house mortgage brokerage can help you find the best mortgage financing
- I can help you with finding movers and provide you with information on the move to PEI
- If you have a home to sell where you currently live I can refer you to a local agent who will sell this home for you. I can liason with this agent to create as seamless a buy and sell experience as possible
- If there is any lag time between arriving and a home being ready, I can help you find temporary accomodation
- Whatever information you need about PEI I can research and provide for you. It is a big event in anyone's lives moving to another province and readily accesible information on your new home can help to make the move less stressful. I suggest that you join the myC21 real estate club, just tab "MyC21" above and create an account. This iwill show you in real time all the listings that match your requirements, provides a downloadable desktop application that will show you new properties, plus over 100 PDF articles and other documents that may come in useful.
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Our Best Buys in PEI Real Estate
We have looked for the best buys in PEI real estate and created a page just for these properties that are priced to create great value. Our office administrator decides the homes and other PEI properties that will be featured on this page based on criteria independant from the financial pressures of being in real estate and making a living as a realtor.
View all PEI Real Estate Best Buys
Helping you in your Search for the Perfect PEI Home!
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