THE JOURNAL / ORIGINAL WRITING BY TIM BANFIELD
Ideas, experiences and stories from my original website. A collection about buying, selling, business and life beyond the city.
37 of 37 archived articles
Many moons ago while attending Dalhousie University, I was in a fraternity, Phi Kappa Pi. Well technically I am still am but the days of partying 6 days a week and resting on Tuesday nights are long gone. Back…
Read archived articleEvery so often, maybe once every month or two I receive an email or a call from someone who’s decided to start in real estate as a Realtor. I recently had someone reach out starting out in the industry from…
Read archived articleYesterday while Andrea and I were making supper the doorbell rang, as per usual Trango lost his mind barking uncontrollably and pretending he was the guard dog of the house. After corralling him into the…
Read archived articleSeveral years ago, while in Ottawa Andrea and I were visiting our friend Wendy and were walking back to her home after grabbing some food at a restaurant on Bank St (it’s a busy street in Ottawa, 4 lanes,…
Read archived articleIn the past couple of years or so I’ve been waking up early to get a head start on the day. I find that by mid-day I’m often distracted or wanting to go to the gym without having accomplished much so I decided…
Read archived articleOften watching a ‘How to video’ things appear to be easy. Typically, when I watch a ‘How to’ video, in the end, I don’t remember how to do whatever was being shown when I actually need to do it. But, when I…
Read archived articleIt seems like I am always getting asked how to get more Instagram (IG) followers. People reach out and say that they have a goal, they want to have 5000 or 10,000 or 20,000 followers. They think that people…
Read archived articleThe Real Data Often, there is a bigger story behind data that is presented to us as factual numbers. Sometimes it is intentionally misleading, but usually, it's just that the provider cannot show the data in a…
Read archived article“Falling”, I yelled to Jas as we were approaching the base of the climb. I was taking cautious steps on the thinly snow-covered glacier ice, then, my next step I was sliding towards the open bergschrund about…
Read archived articleTurn on the TV these days, and you are likely to see something about Donald Trump, it’s hard to avoid. Whether or not you are for him or against him, no matter what station you’re watching, chances are you’ll…
Read archived articleLet's take a look at a tactic in the industry known as "buying a listing". If you're like me and you are passionate about real estate then you probably spend some time watching Home and Garden TV (HGTV). The…
Read archived articleRecently Erica Johnson, a CBC Investigative Reporter for their Marketplace segment has been investigating and looking into the claims of the Big 5 Banks in Canada. She has written three articles in the last…
Read archived articleA Look at my Predictions from 2016 and a March/April Market Update The month of March saw the Calgary and surrounding area begin to move back into balanced territory but only in specific product types. For the…
Read archived articleLast week I saw a report on CBC about a common trick used by the big banks which misleads customers by using the term "Financial Advisor", spelled with an "o" vs the industry regulated term "Financial…
Read archived articleOne thing I want to always recommend to you if you own a website, pay the extra $15 for privacy protection at GoDaddy or your domain provider to protect your registration details. The privacy protection will…
Read archived articleHere's an Insider Secret About Bait-and-Switch Techniques in Real Estate Getting caught up in a bait-and-switch scam can happen to anyone. It doesn't take much and it happens often, many times you do not even…
Read archived articleRealtors Who Give Up Sensitive Information The Movie Snowden In the movie Snowden, a disillusioned National Security Analyst uncovers sensitive information about the United States electronic monitoring program…
Read archived articleClimbing, real estate and emotions Ice climbing and mountaineering are not for the faint of heart. It takes hard work and mental fortitude to enjoy. Everytime we go into the mountains success is not…
Read archived articleOver the last couple of weeks I have ran into a two situations where people have had their property listed for sale and it has been sitting on the market for quite a while. They have been referred to me from…
Read archived articleOne thing that I think the Real Estate Council of BC is doing well is putting an end to double ending real estate transactions. As with most industries there are things that could be improved but in order to…
Read archived articleI hope that everyone had a good month. The last little bit I have been working on creating a real estate investment strategy based around the proposed LRT Green line, Chinese investment in Calgary and short…
Read archived articleAnother example of how working with a buyers agent protects your interests When Matt was first introduced to me I was immediately told that he did not want to work with a buying agent and that he was looking…
Read archived articleI'm an idiot for thinking people should get an inspection...Why wouldn't you get an inspection? I recently got into an argument with someone about the importance of a property inspection when buying a home. I…
Read archived articleAgents not showing homes over reduced commissions Bringing light to another issue that I have seen in the real estate industry, the reluctance of realtors to show a property due to commissions offered by the…
Read archived articleTrango almost died... If you are a dog owner or lover then this post will likely resonate with you in some way. For those that don't know Trango is our Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever. One of my favourite…
Read archived articleHow can you represent both people and double end a deal? A partial report was issued recently by an advisory group tasked with reviewing Vancouver's real estate market. The report is recent, having only been…
Read archived articleShady things can happen in real estate if you are not working with the right realtor. Listen to this story and tell me what you think. The Back Story I am currently working with a couple that is new to…
Read archived articleNext to poor listing photos on MLS, an agent typing in all capital letters has to be one of the next biggest indicators that the agent is not paying attention to detail. Do they know that all CAPS is similar…
Read archived articleI think there needs to be a spot to discuss shady things that happen in the real estate industry so that we can warn others to not let the same thing happen to them. That is what I am going to do today. I was…
Read archived articleIn the past week I have run into so many sleazy realtor situations that I just have to vent about it. I feel that the techniques and ways of doing business that I am about to describe are ruining the…
Read archived articleWhat's happening withCalgary's Strathcona Park Real Estate Market. I spent Saturday morning at 6am looking at the recent sales in Strathcona. What better time to do it? That's a debatable topic but I wanted to…
Read archived articleCalgary Real Estate Foreclosures. Over the past several weeks several of my investor clients have contacted me to discuss the opportunity of buying a foreclosed property inCalgary. Are foreclosures up in the…
Read archived articleWhat's happening with Cougar Ridge Real Estate? I just finished taking a look at the Cougar Ridge Sales numbers for the last month and the list of sold homes is small. We've seen 4 homes sell in the community…
Read archived articleHow is the Cougar Ridge Real Estate Market? I recently took some time to take a look at the detached home sales in Cougar Ridge in comparison to 2014. Since 1 June 2015 we have seen 2 homes over 1 million…
Read archived articleWhen is the best time to sell my home? There is certainly truth to the belief that spring is the best time to sell a property. Often, in early spring it is a great time to be a seller as there is less…
Read archived articleMy home's assessment has a direct relation to what my home is worth. This assumption is a myth. When the city ofCalgary mailed you your property assessment at the start of the year it may have been close to…
Read archived articleAnother summer is upon us and the trails are finally dry at the Eastlands area of Canada Olympic Park. It seems like everyday there are more people on the trails enjoying the long days. I have also started to…
Read archived articleTry a different phrase or choose another topic.
