5 Reasons why Buyers should have

an Agent!1) Save TimeAs your Buyer Agent, I can show ANY co-operative MLS® listing to my buyer. So long as the listing is NOT an exclusive listing, buyer agents may show it. 2) ConvenienceBy working their own Buyer Agent, my buyers enjoy direct access, quick call-back and convenient showing scheduling. 3) I Represent My BuyerDid you realize that the Listing Agent works for the Home-Seller. Doesn’t it make sense to have your own Buyer Agent working for you? 4) Get ResultsThere are ways to win these “Bidding Wars”, and yes, even ways to avoid them in the first place. Let me show you how. 5) My service is included in the sale price of the houseThat’s right. No gimmicks. In cases of co-operating listings, the Home-Seller has already set aside the amount for a Buyer Agent, and a buyers agents fees are included in the sale price of the house.

So if you are looking to buy your first (or next) home in Winnipeg, please call me anytime. We will schedule a very informative meeting which will answer many of your questions!

Direct Cell: (204) 333-2202

Winnipeg Real Estate Market Forecast for Spring 2014

As they do each year, Winnipeg REALTORS® have announced the Medallion Winners for 2013. Gold Medals go to the top 1% of real estate agents, while Silver Medallions go to the top 5% and Bronze is awarded to the top 10%. Given the fact that there are approximately 1,700 real estate professionals in the Winnipeg area, receiving any of these awards is a great honour.

I wish to thank my clients, family and friends for helping make 2013 a great year, resulting in a Silver Medallion for ‘yours truly’. The majority of my business comes from referrals by past clients, and it is always a joy to receive business this way.

What will 2014 bring? The Winnipeg real estate market is poised for a hectic spring. In mid-February we have just under 800 houses and about 320 condos available, numbers which (in my opinion) will increase in the near future, giving buyers more options than spring markets of the past. Interest rates are low and employment is high, all indicators of a continuing strong market in Winnipeg.

So if you are looking to BUY a house or condo in Winnipeg, please call me right now! Lets get started on finding your next dream home!

And if you’re looking to SELL your property, please remember this: You hire a real estate agent for only one reason: To market your home! My marketing plan includes print and non-stop internet advertising, and is second-to-none in the industry. List your home with me to get maximum dollar!

Are You Selling Your Home? Get My Free Guide

Page 1

Spring 2014

First impressions count. So if your home isn’t looking its best, you could fail to get the best price for it.

Put that problem right by requesting the free report, “Great Ideas for Quick, Easy Fixes That Will Help Your Home Sell.”

Just call me at 204-333-2202 and I’ll send it right out to you.

Page 2

A recent CAA article by Stephanie Sinopoli lists some of the products we are (or soon will be) riding in: Recycled denim dashboards, sugar cane-based plastic components and trunks lined with coconut fibre are adding to the greening of the auto industry. A newcomer called kenaf, which works like cotton and was originally used for making twine, is reinforcing roofs on GM autos.

More green products are on the drawing board, but designers also haven’t left style behind. Take the North American car of the Year, GM’s 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray: It gets great mileage, thanks to its new aluminum frame, and looks, as Chris Paukert noted on AutoBlog: “fresh, modern and habitually aggressive.” Your ride is going green, but you may be too taken with its looks to notice.

“Green” has taken on a new meaning in the auto industry, and even Corvettes and pickup trucks are getting into the act. Take Ford’s F-150. Many of its gaskets and seals now contain 25 percent recycled tires and 17 percent bio-renewable content from soy, according to Ford.

“Green” now means that vehicles are re-using all sorts of products in the manufacturing process. To the slogan, “Reduce, Reuse and Recycle”, the auto industry has added “Re-invent.” From Ford’s soy foam seat cushions to the recycled water bottles used by Nissan for sound insulation, the industry has become conscious of the value of “green” parts. Companies are spending big research dollars and/or partnering with leading companies in the recycling industry in the race to be environmentally on trend.

Wondering How Much Your Home Is Worth?How has the price of your home changed in today’s market? How much are other homes in your neighbourhood selling for?

If you're wondering what's happening to prices in your area, or you're thinking about selling your house, I'll be able to help.

Just give my office a call for a no-fuss, professional evaluation.

I won't try to push you into listing with me or waste your time.

I'll just give you the honest facts about your home and its value.

And maybe I'll also give you the “inside scoop” on what's happening in the housing market near where you live!

Just give my office a call at 204-333-2202 to arrange an appointment.

Alternatively, stop by at the office. The address is on the back page of this newsletter.

Quick QuizEach month I’ll give you a new -question.

Just email me at boknowshomes@gmail.com or call 204-333-2202 for the answer.

A stellate object has what shape?

Looking for a Condo in Winnipeg?

To get started, here is a link to ALL REMAX-Listed Condos in Winnipeg. And when you’re ready to go condo-shopping, call me anytime: (204) 333-2202

Condo-Listings

Worth ReadingSharing Information is What Makes Us Uniquely HumanLaurie Santos Big ThinkIt seems debates about the benefits of social media are as plentiful as tweets and status updates. But Yale psychology professor Laurie Santos may have a unique take; social media may be more about our humanity than people would credit. It’s the desire to want to share information with others that distinguishes humans from other primates, Santos suggests. Unlike them, we’re motivated to share ourselves with others. And what could be a better vehicle for communicating all about ourselves than social media.More: http://tinyurl.com/March-read-1

How to Become a Morning PersonAyren Jackson-CannadyReal SimpleMorning alertness begins at night. Ensure you get a good night’s sleep: Act like you have one less hour available to you; you’ll commit to less. And you can be more alert in the morning. Find useful tools in the fridge and even in makeup bags.More: http://tinyurl.com/March-read-2

How I Cut $205 from My Monthly Food Bill Jeffrey BunnLifehacker.comBunn, co-founder of Mealime.com, reduced his food spending big time. His advice: track your spending and identify the key culprit. Then substitute. To replace restaurant meals, he cooked; as he cooked, he learned about waste; to reduce waste, he planned meals. The end result? Bunn reduced his food bill and co-founded a popular meal planning service website. More: http://tinyurl.com/March-read-3

Your Ride Goes Green … but Style Still Sells

Warnings about a housing market on the verge of a U.S.-style meltdown may sell newspapers, but if consumer confidence is any indication, the Canadian housing market is just fine.

According to the 2013 Annual State of the Residential Mortgage Market in Canada report by the Canadian Association of Accredited Mortgage Professionals (CAAMP), mortgage-holders felt comfortable with their mortgage debt last year, seeing it as “good” versus “bad” debt.

“Consumer confidence in the mortgage market remains high, especially among people who have owned homes for a longer period,” said Jim Murphy, president and CEO of CAAMP, in a release on the report. “Consumers are paying off their mortgages faster,

Page 3

selecting five-year, fixed-term rates, and agreeing that real estate is a good long-term investment.”Consumer confidence is so strong, in fact, that fewer than 10 percent of Canadians expect a housing bubble burst.

In one aspect of the report, survey participants were asked to predict changes in housing values over the next five years. While many experts expect rocky times, more than half of the consumers surveyed anticipate a fairly stable environment, with prices that are flat or increase slightly. Only a small group of respondents felt that prices would increase rapidly.

Provincial differencesOf course, the resale housing market in 2013 differed across Canada: Nationally, sales were down by 5 percent, and only

three provinces beat the 5 percent level – Alberta, with an 11.3 percent increase, New Brunswick, which dropped by 2.3 percent, and Manitoba, which experienced a 3.3 percent decline.

What’s also interesting is that older Canadians are more likely to predict stability; younger people are more wary, expecting that a housing bubble burst is a possibility.

Still, wariness is not stopping property virgins from diving into the Canadian housing market. Last year, 57 percent of home purchases were made by first-time buyers. Those buyers join the ranks of the now 9.52 million homeowners in Canada.

Canadians Give Housing Market the Thumbs-Up

Ask the Agent: This Month’s Question

What are closing costs, and how much will they cost me?

You’ve finally purchased your dream home and budgeted what you think you’ll need for expenses. But some first-time homebuyers forget that closing costs are part of the deal.

Closing costs are expenses outside of your mortgage that you’ll need to pay before you pick up the keys. Here’s a breakdown:

Land Titles Fee - Are calculated on a grade, but expect about 1.5% of the cost of the home. Call me for more precise information.

Lawyer – although many lawyers quote “$299 to buy a home”, be aware that there will be additional fees (something they call disbursement fees). Expect to pay around $800 to $1000 in legal fees to buy a home.

Other fees can include appraisal fees, estoppel certificates, government fees, property insurance, and home inspection fees. As a rule of thumb, know what closing costs apply and ask your agent if you aren’t sure.

Ailing Kepler Spacecraft Is Still on the JobNASA can’t keep the wobbly Kepler spacecraft down, but it can alter its mission.

NASA plans to repurpose the spacecraft by changing how it will function. The spacecraft was designed to monitor a portion of the Milky Way for other planets and discover those that are earth-like, but with only two of four fully functioning wheels, it could no longer do the job – not completely surprising for a spacecraft that’s 40 million miles (65 million kilometres) from earth and more than four years old.

“Fear not”, the scientists at NASA decided, “we have a plan”, and it involves some rocket science. The modified Kepler, known as the K2, would continue the planet hunt, but in a limited fashion. K2 would also gather data about star formations and supernova explosions.

Because of Kepler’s limited stability, even after its wheels were tweaked, NASA managers are looking to keep its planet hunting to fields of stars that lie in a specific path instead of a larger field of view.

For now, however, K2 is a proposal that needs to be tested. The final decision on its fate should come soon.

Scientists have an unlikely helper in their efforts to forecast storms: drones.

Unmanned vehicles have moved underwater to track changes in water temperature and determine the intensity of a storm. Until now, weather forecasters have relied on atmospheric changes to determine a storm’s path but had no way to measure its intensity. With the help of underwater drones, scientists can identify changes in water temperature that predicts storm intensity.

Underwater Drones Help Forecast the WeatherThe technology comes with a comparatively reasonable price tag of $125,000 to $150,000, and its ability to pre-determine intensity goes a long way to buffering what scientists call the “human impact.” Advance notice of storm intensity will allow citizens and response units more time to prepare for storms’ effects.

Page 4

Winnipeg Real Estate Bo Kauffmann

Recipe: Mint Lamb Chops with Pea Mash

Serves 4

8 lamb chopsOlive oil for cookingZest and juice of half a lemonSalt and pepper1 teaspoon dried mint1 teaspoon mild smoked paprika¼ cup dry white wine2 potatoes, peeled and chopped2 cups fresh peas¼ cup whole milk

Place chops in a shallow dish and add a drizzle of olive oil, lemon zest and juice, salt, pepper, mint, and paprika. Rub the ingredients into the chops and set aside to marinate for about an hour. Heat a large non-stick pan over a medium heat, adding enough oil to coat the bottom. Add the lamb and cook for 3 minutes on each side or until medium. Drain excess fat, then add white wine, cover and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, turning once.

Boil potatoes in salted water until nearly cooked, then add peas. Cook until tender. Strain, return to pot, and mash. Add milk, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with lamb chops.

This newsletter and any information contained herein are intended for general informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal, financial or medical advice. The publisher takes great efforts to ensure the accuracy of information contained in this newsletter. However, we will not be responsible at any time for any errors or omissions or any damages, howsoever caused, that result from its use. Seek competent professional advice and/or legal counsel with respect to any matter discussed or published in this newsletter. This newsletter is not intended to cause or induce breach of an existing agency agreement.

Winnipeg Real Estate is brought to you free by:

Bo Kauffmann

Remax Performance Realty942 St. Marys Road Winnipeg Manitoba 204-333-2202boknowshomes@gmail.com

Website: WinnipegHomeFinder.com

Sudoku instructions: Complete the 9x9 grid so that each row, each column and each of the nine 3x3 boxes contains the digits 1 through 9. Contact me for the solution!