Raj Dhaliwal - Abbotsford BC real estate agent

4 more days to donate blankets, beds and clothing.

Raj Dhaliwal (MyAbbotsford.Com) (Landmark Realty Corp.) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 09:24:46 -0600

The 15th annual Realtors Care Blanket Drive is underway until Dec. 7 throughout the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley. Blanket drive started on November 30th and we got 4 more days to go.

This year local charities are asking for new blankets, sheets, sleeping bags and comforters. Slighly used winter clothing and coats etc are also nedded. Thousands of bags of collected items are distributed to local homeless shelters every year.

In Abbotsford you can drop of your donations at the following real estate offices:

Century 21 Ace Agencies 2-33555 S. Fraser Way 604-853-3374

RE/MAX Little Oak Realty 9-2630 Bourquin W.604-859-2341

Hallmark Realty 201-2580 Cedar Park Place 604-864-0666

Landmark Realty 100-32555 Simon Avenue 604-855-0800

Keller Williams Valley Realty 102-32544 Geo. Ferguson Way 604-852-2234

RE/MAX Aldercenter Realty 26641 Fraser Highway 604-857-1100

home inspector ordered to pay for negligence

Raj Dhaliwal (MyAbbotsford.Com) (Landmark Realty Corp.) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:11:35 -0600

home inspector ordered to pay for negligence

Last April it became mandatory for anyone offering house inspection services in BC to be licensed and this week a home inspector was ordered by a BC supreme court judge to pay nearly $200,000 in compensation to his client. The BC supreme court's decision will have long term implications for newly organized home inspection industry.

The B.C. Supreme Court has ordered a home inspector to pay $192,000 in compensation to... . .. .>> Read More >>

Google Juice + Caffeine = More Visitors To Your Web Site

Raj Dhaliwal (MyAbbotsford.Com) (Landmark Realty Corp.) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:46:33 -0600

Google is launching its new search engine (Called Caffeine), according to a post on its "sandbox" test site http://www2.sandbox.google.com. According to Google engineer Matt Cutts, Caffeine the new engine has been in development for months and is designed to be fundamentally a rewrite of Google's indexing system. Google's webmaster central blog calls it the next-generation infrastructure.

Caffeine won't change the look or feel of Google's popular search engine but it is intended to improve its performance delivering faster, better, and more flexible results.Caffeine is the first major enhancement to Google's search indexing since 2006.

It looks like Caffeine is going to be good for real estate websites. Some report suggest that there will be more competition in single keyword search results. But that is unlikely to affect any of the Realtor® sites. Long-tail (four-word searches) will becomes more relevant and Social media listings will increase. (YouTube anyone?) That is good for real estate websites and Activerain blogs.

So get ready folks, Fine tune your SEO strategy and get more visitors with Caffeine.

Below is the video interview of Matt Cutts of Google.

McCallum Road and Highway 1 interchange upgrade coming soon

Raj Dhaliwal (MyAbbotsford.Com) (Landmark Realty Corp.) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:03:54 -0600

Upgrading is underway for the interchange at McCallum Road and Highway 1. The upgrade plans include more lanes over Highway 1, longer deceleration on both sides of the highway and changes to the traffic pattern to ensure that peak volume traffic does not back up onto the highway. Bike lanes and sidewalks are also included in the plans, along with a new park-and-ride lot to encourage car pooling. Total project cost is estimated at $25 million shared by Government of Canada ($8.3 million), Government of British Columbia ($8.3 million), City of Abbotsford ($8.3 million). Construction is expected to be running from Spring 2010 – Spring 2011.

Existing interchange was built in 1960 as part of Highway 1 freeway project. Current traffic volume exceeds the capacity of this 50 year old bridge.

Similar plans were announced for improvements to the Clearbrook Road Interchange but that project seems to be on the back burner for now.

Google Street View In Abbotsford

Raj Dhaliwal (MyAbbotsford.Com) (Landmark Realty Corp.) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 13:06:04 -0500

Yesterday (or was it day before) Google finally launched the "street view" feature in Google Maps in Major cities across Canada including Abbotsford. This is really going to be a cool tool for REALTORS® & people searching for homes. You can check out the neighborhood on your computer screen before deciding whether you want to see homes in the area. I have already added this feature to my website. When you click on Map, you have the option the see the street view.

So go ahead and virtually drive around in the neighborhood before you call to book the showing

Here is the Landmark Realty Office.

View Larger Map .

BEACON DOWNS: Chilliwack Townhouse For Sale - 8533 Broadway St

Raj Dhaliwal (MyAbbotsford.Com) (Landmark Realty Corp.) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 18:39:58 -0500

Corner / End Unit in desirable "Beacon Downs" townhomes complex. 25+ age restricted complex offers a great locations close to all amenities. 2Bed / 2Bath ground floor units has private backyard.

Visit http://41BeaconDowns.TheCondoSeller.Com for more pics and details or click an image below.

Townhouse For Sale in SouthPoint Ridge - 3160 Townline Rd Abbotsford

Raj Dhaliwal (MyAbbotsford.Com) (Landmark Realty Corp.) — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 10:30:06 -0500

Rancher with basement, updated corner unit townhome in SouthPoint Ridge on Townline Rd. Visit my Abbotsford real estate website for listing details and more photos.

House For Sale - Clearbrook Rd - Fairfield Estates Area

Raj Dhaliwal (MyAbbotsford.Com) (Landmark Realty Corp.) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 15:49:27 -0500

House for sale at the corner of Clearbrook rd and Balofour Dr. Legal Suite. Lots of parking.

Visit my website for more details and photos. What a deal at this price...

August Homes Sales in Abbotsford

Raj Dhaliwal (MyAbbotsford.Com) (Landmark Realty Corp.) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 17:44:02 -0500

August 2009 home sales in Abbotsford were higher than August 2008.

view more details on my blog.

Gmail is down Today, September 1st 2009

Raj Dhaliwal (MyAbbotsford.Com) (Landmark Realty Corp.) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 15:33:36 -0500

Gmail is giving me server error for the last 5-7 minutes. Anyone else having trouble using google services?
I need to check my sent listing notifications.

Abbotsford Condo Links

Raj Dhaliwal (MyAbbotsford.Com) (Landmark Realty Corp.) — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 00:43:17 -0500

Condos In Abbotsford

Abbotsford Adventist Villa

Baker view Apartments

Brooklyn

Brio

Central Heights Manor

Fernwood

La Galleria

**Summerset Place

Say NO To HST

Raj Dhaliwal (MyAbbotsford.Com) (Landmark Realty Corp.) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 01:17:15 -0500

Last month when BC govt. announced the plans to implement new tax system HST (harmonized sales tax) in 2010, I wrote a blog post about how it would affect the real estate industry and new home buyers.

Starting July 2010 consumers will have to pay a higher tax on new houses, renovations, REALTORS®' fees and other real estate transaction fees such as notary services, home inspections and appraisals. All of those are currently exempt from the PST and are only subject to the GST.

Just like me most other REALTORS® are concerned that home buyers and sellers, particularly buyers of new homes, will bear most of the burden associated with the proposed Harmonized Sales Tax.

The BC Real Estate Association has launched a new website to provide REALTORS® and members of the public with a >> Read MOre >>

So you wanna be an email marketer?

Raj Dhaliwal (MyAbbotsford.Com) (Landmark Realty Corp.) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 16:25:56 -0500

Hey Abbotsford REALTORS®, this post is for those of you who email their new (and old) listings to others REALTORS® on regular basis. Email can be great marketing tool if you are using is properly. I use Google apps for my email and recently I have noticed that most of your "listings blasts" are landing in the junk mail folder. Google has some of the smartest junk mail filters available and if Google is starting to filter your emails as junk you can imagine whats happening at other mail exchange servers like 1and1, GoDaddy, Shaw & Telus etc.

Now I'll move your e-mail addresses to my safe list because I don't want to loose your emails if we are doing a deal together or if there is any other important e-mail coming from you guys. But is everyone else out there going to do the same thing for you?

Once your domain name or email address is "blacklisted" at major ISPs you'll have tough time delivering emails to other REALTORS® or even clients. So be careful how many mass e-mails you send from your e-mail address. If you are using email based on your domain name (IE: listings@MyAbbotsfordListings.Com) your domain name will be seen as the culprit by the junk mail filters. Changing email address to something like NewMail@MyAbbotsfordListings.Com will not work.

I usually delete your listing promoting e-mail without opening it if I am receiving 1-2 emails a day from your office, because I know there is nothing special about this email (you know who you are). If you are one of those who send out listing emails once in a while because there is something special to announce about your listing, there is better chance that I'll open it and there is minimal chance of getting blacklisted at internet service providers.

You should also track you emails to see if they are being opened by the recipients. Point2, MLXjet and other software allow you to do that. By using these easy to use programs you can easily tell if your email campaign is working or you are wasting your time.

Here is a screen shot of my junk mail folder:

House for sale, Link Ct, Abbotsford West, Has suite too.

Raj Dhaliwal (MyAbbotsford.Com) (Landmark Realty Corp.) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 01:32:15 -0500

New Listings. Link Ct Abbotsford.

Well kept home in desirable location offers three bedrooms Plus 2bedroom in-law suite. Family room and living room are on the main floor. There is a rec room + full bathroom downstairs for owners use.

Click here for more details and pictures.

New Listing In Fairfield Estates Abbotsford

Raj Dhaliwal (MyAbbotsford.Com) (Landmark Realty Corp.) — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 16:28:33 -0500

FAIRFIELD ESTATES - 2'nd owner of this beautiful home is selling their impeccably maintained custom built 2 storey/on crawl. 3 bedrooms up, plus den (or bedroom) on main.

Check out http://32106BalfourDr.MyAbbotsford.com for more details

Search Abbotsford Homes By Price Range

Raj Dhaliwal (MyAbbotsford.Com) (Landmark Realty Corp.) — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 17:09:23 -0500

Don't want to sort through listings that are not in your price range. We have made it easy for you. Just go to a page within my website that offers homes for sale in your price range. Click on the link below in your price rage and you will see all listings in Abbotsford in your selected price range.

$0 To $350,000

$350,000 To $400,000

$400,000 To $450,000

$450,000 To $500,000

$500,000 To $550,000

$550,000 To $600,000

$600,000 To $700,000

$700,000 To $800,000

$800,000 To $900,000

$900,000 To $1,000, 000

$1,000,000 To No Limit

Once on the listings page, you can select a page number to view more listings in your selected price range. or select another price range from the drop down menu.

The hottest July in Fraser Valley

Raj Dhaliwal (MyAbbotsford.Com) (Landmark Realty Corp.) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 01:52:05 -0500

July was indeed the hottest month in Fraser Valley for both weather and real estate sales. The hot weather and home sales both broke the all time record for month of July.

Fraser Valley saw the highest number of real estate transactions ever >>>> read more

Just Listed: 3345 Ponderosa St

Raj Dhaliwal (MyAbbotsford.Com) (Landmark Realty Corp.) — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 15:11:20 -0500

Rancher with basement
2 Bedroom legal suite
Nice view from the sundeck
Great west Abbotsford Location
Click here for details

Buying a foreclosure home in Abbotsford

Raj Dhaliwal (MyAbbotsford.Com) (Landmark Realty Corp.) — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 11:21:37 -0500

I received a few inquiries in the last few weeks from potential buyers of homes in foreclosure. All callers had one thing in common, they were expecting to save a truckload (or a car-load at least) of money in the transaction. Yes, the economy is bad, yes, there are more homes in foreclosure than previous years; but no, lenders can not sell a home for the amount of outstanding mortgage unless market value of the house is same or lower (yes, that happens in this market) than the balance of outstanding mortgage. READ MORE >> >>

The hot spot in Abbotsford

Raj Dhaliwal (MyAbbotsford.Com) (Landmark Realty Corp.) — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 10:24:41 -0500

Abbotsford neighbourhoods scored #8 on the list of hottest neighborhoods in lower mainland in a recent study. This study conducted for real estate firm Century 21 Canada was focused on finding the 21 hottest neighborhoods in Canada for realizing real estate price increases in the past year.

Abbotsford neighborhoods that showed sold home price increases are parts of West, South and Central Abbotsford bounded by the United States border and Downes Rd. on the south and north and by Gladwin Rd. and Mt. Lehman Rd. on the east and west is the eighth hottest neighbourhood in READ MORE>>>>

How much is a picture worth?

Raj Dhaliwal (MyAbbotsford.Com) (Landmark Realty Corp.) — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 10:04:21 -0500

If a picture is worth a thousand words it can be worth thousands of dollars if its a picture of a property you are trying to sell. An image may be more influential than a substantial amount of text or audio description of a property. Many buyers and their Realtors decide to view a home (or not) based on how the picturtes of a house look. READ MORE>>

Propane cannon debate in Abbotsford BC

Raj Dhaliwal (MyAbbotsford.Com) (Landmark Realty Corp.) — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 09:58:12 -0500

Yes, its happens every year. Local newpapers (and sometimes The Province and Vancouver Sun) will publish stories about the propane-fuelled bird scare devices or "blueberry cannons" as we call them. Then a chain reaction of letters to the editor from both proponents and opponents of blueberry cannons will last all summer.

Shrinking rural urban divide and increasing number of blueberry fields make a ceasefire - between residents and farmers - unlikely in the near future. Abbotsford has just over 5,000 acres planted in blueberries which is almost a third of the total 18000 acres covered by blueberries in British Columbia. READ MORE>>>

Times are tough

Raj Dhaliwal (MyAbbotsford.Com) (Landmark Realty Corp.) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 14:51:36 -0500

Drove by this realty office on June 15th

Don't forget to apply for homeowner grant

Raj Dhaliwal (MyAbbotsford.Com) (Landmark Realty Corp.) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 14:24:37 -0500

Property tax due date is coming soon. Owners eligible for the Homeowner Grant must apply for it by the due date of July 2nd 2009. As permanent resident of the Province you qualify for the basic homeowner grant on your principal residence. People over 65 years of age, disabled/handicapped persons and a war veterans you qualify for additional homeowner grant.

For futher information about homeowner grants in BC call Home Owner Grant Administration Branch at 1-250-356-8904 or 1-250-387-8166. In abbotsford you can apply online at abbotsford.ca or complete and submit the application located on the front of the property tax notice. Full payment of taxes is not a requirement to claim the Home Owner Grant. A penalty of 5% will be applied to the grant, in addition to any outstanding taxes after July 2, and a further 5% penalty will apply to any outstanding amount after September 15.

Golden Ears Bridge opening this month

Raj Dhaliwal (MyAbbotsford.Com) (Landmark Realty Corp.) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 13:25:30 -0500

Golden Ears Bridge - the $800 million project connecting Langley and Maple Ridge - will open to traffic on June 16, 2009. The six-lane bridge was originally scheduled to open July 1 but construction finished weeks ahead of schedule. This six-lane toll bridge spanning the Fraser River near the Surrey-Langley and Pitt Meadows-Maple Ridge borders is expected to transform traffic patterns cut travel time between the cities. Mission residents will be able to get to Langley without going throu Abbotsford or Port Mann or waiting hours for the Albion Ferries. First thirty days will be free but after that there will be approximately $4 toll for cars. If you rent a transponder you can be eligible for some discount