OKANAGAN REAL ESTATE COMPANY

NEW LISTINGS 654 DEHART ROAD........$434,000.   1101 HILLCREST STREET.......$324,000.   205-315 WHITEHORSE LANE.......$359,000.

Merry Christmas 2007!

A LEADERSHIP PRIMER – LESSONS ABOUT LEADERSHIP   LESSON ONE – Being responsible sometimes means pissing people off   LESSON TWO – The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them.  They have either lost confidence that you can help them or have concluded that you do not care.  Either case is a failure of leadership.   LESSON THREE – Don’t be buffaloed by experts and elites.  Experts often possess more data than judgement.  Elites can become so inbred that they produce haemophiliacs who bleed to death as soon as they are nicked by the real world. 

Deposits have been returned to pre-buy investors in the Kelowna Westin project leading people to speculate that the project is dead. However, Saje Enterprises developer Stanley Yasin, who is in charge of the project, says that it is still in the works. Yasin says the project has stalled but is not dead.

Despite what Yasin says, the fact remains that the development permit for the site has lapsed. Without an up-to-date permit the project will have to go back through the approval process to be able to continue with construction, despite the fact that the pre-load remains on site.

Doug Gilchrist, community develpment and real estate manager

NEW LISTINGS: 2573    Lucinde Rd                    $565,000   2563    Lucinde Rd                    $565,000   2513    Casa Palmero Dr.       $509,000   2503    Casa Palmero Dr.       $509,000   2528    Casa Palmero Dr.        $349,000   2532    Casa Palmero Dr.       

Canada will be lowing it's 6% GST rate to 5% as of January 1, 2008. If you have already purchased a home but will not close and take possession until on or after January 1, 2008 you will only have to pay the new 5%.

Regardless of how easy a home improvement project may appear, there are always snags. Ask people who have completed do-it-yourself projects and they’ll tell you that the projects took at least twice as much time and three times the money they thought they would. The basic reason is that DIYers usually make a lot of mistakes that end up making home improvement projects more expensive and time-consuming. The keys to a successful project are usually the result of things that happen well before you pick up a tool. Careful planning, patience and an optimistic mindset are all that's needed to successfully complete

Bathrooms are one of the most used and abused rooms in your home, yet they are also a serene and relaxing retreat to escape for a few moments each day. With that in mind, it is crucial for your bathroom to be functional, beautiful and enjoyable.

Studies have shown that renovating the main bathroom in a home has an estimated payback of 60% to 65% when the home is resold. But it can cost well over $5000 to complete, not to mention the significant inconvenience. Fortunately, there are many quick and inexpensive solutions to make updating your bathroom a simple day or weekend project.

Determine

  If you're looking to sell your house, "staging" is more important than ever. The idea behind staging is to spruce up your house to make it look less like home, and more like what a prospective buyer wants to see. The age-old observation that "you never get a second chance to make a first impression" certainly applies when it comes to attracting buyers to a for-sale home. 

This means you will need to make the best impression possible. Here are 10 tips for savvy home sellers: 

1. Attitude Before you do anything, you have to stop thinking of your house as a HOME and start thinking about it as an

 So you have decided it is time to buy a home, congratulation, you have made a wise decision. Planning ahead is crucial to buying a home, particularly if you don't have extensive financial resources. Since mortgage lenders will be sizing up your finances carefully, don't give them any reason to reject your application. Here a few things that you should NOT do for at least six month before buying a house.

1- Do not make any Major Purchases If you're buying a home, don't invest in any major purchases. Cars, weddings, jewellery, furniture and electronics can all wait until you're settled in your new home. When you make a