PROPERTY TAX REMINDER

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tax

It’s everyone’s least favourite time of year – property taxes are due! For property owners, you should have already been mailed your property tax notices. In BC, there is a $570 grant available for property taxes if the property you are paying taxes on is your principal residence.

 There are two categories for grants: 

  1. Basic (principal residence) grant of $570
  2. Additional/Seniors grant to a maximum of $845

To claim your grant, you must have your FOLIO NUMBER and ACCESS CODE. These are provided on your property tax statement.

Claim your Home Owners Grant Online: 
Vancouver  |  Burnaby  |  Richmond  |  Surrey  |  North Vancouver  |  West Vancouver
New Westminster  |  Coquitlam  |  Delta  |  Langley  |  Maple Ridge  |  Pitt Meadows
Port Moody  |  White Rock  |  Kelowna

Once you claim your grant, you can then pay the reduced property tax amount online or at any bank.

Chris Lambert | 604.340.6457 | chris@chrislambert.ca

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Buyer Preparation Part 5: Final Steps

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Buyer Prep Series

Introduction

Insufficient buyer preparation when searching for a property is a recipe for disaster. If you fail to prepare, the process will be long, frustrating, and filled with disappointment. Much of the work I do is with first-time buyers because it gives me great satisfaction to help people achieve their goal of home ownership. Unfortunately, many buyers make the same mistakes which prevent them from achieving their goals. I’ve created this educational series to help my clients improve their chances for success, and to better prepare them to navigate the highly competitive Vancouver real estate market. The real estate industry is evolving, and I will continue adding to this series as necessary.

PART 5 – Final Steps

Over the last four weeks I’ve taken you through the process of buying a home in Vancouver’s competitive real estate market. This week I’ll review the process so far, as well as your final steps as you prepare to receive possession of your new home. The previous sections of the blog series are below.

PART 1 – The Importance of Working with a Realtor is available HERE

PART 2 – Financing Your Home is available HERE

PART 3 – Needs Analysis is available HERE

PART 4 – Preparing the Offer is available HERE

The move to your new home can be a challenge. In my opinion, professional movers are well worth the expense, but beware of hidden fees. If you choose to hire professional movers then do your homework – ask for referrals from friends, read online reviews, and be sure that you read the fine print in your agreement. Disreputable companies will hide extra fees that can end up costing you a lot of money. You also want to hire a company that you can trust with all your possessions.

If you want to keep your moving expenses down then it’s time to start bribing your friends with free beer and pizza! Call in all the favours you’ve saved up by helping others move over the years – the more people helping the better.

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Real Estate 101 – RRSP Home Buyers’ Plan

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It’s tax season and Canadians are thinking about investing some of their hard-earned money into their Registered Retirement Savings Plans (RRSP). I’ve put together this quick blog post today to let you know how you can use your RRSP savings to help you buy your first home.

One of the biggest hurdles that first time home buyers face is coming up with the funds for a down payment. Many Canadians are unaware that they can access the savings in their RRSP to put towards the down payment on their first home.

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Property Taxes, Assessments, and Grants

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It’s property tax season – don’t forget that your Vancouver property taxes are due to be paid by FEBRUARY 02, 2017. In Vancouver, we pay our property taxes in two installments – once in February, and again in July. There’s been a lot of talk recently about increased assessments and the property tax grant threshold so I thought I would write a quick blog to break it down for you.

I’m going to focus on a few topics to hopefully provide some clarity to you on how property taxes are calculated in Vancouver, property assessments, payment options, and the grant that may or may not be available to you.

How are my property taxes calculated?

In Vancouver property taxes are calculated using the mill rate – follow this link for a detailed breakdown of the rates in Vancouver. Basically, the amount you pay is tied to the assessed value of your home. You pay a specific rate for every $1,000 in assessed value of your property.

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