Chris Proctor

What Every New Home Buyer Must Know

Facing the challenge of buying your first home can be downright scary. There are a multitude of little details that seem to crop up out of nowhere, and it’s not uncommon for some first-timers to suffer from "house hunting fatigue" – which either means tha... Read >

Improve your Home’s Value by Renovating the Bathroom

One of the smartest ways to boost a home’s value – either if you’re selling a home, or if you’re buying and want to find a bargain that you can spruce up once you take ownership – is by renovating the bathrooms. By renovating the bathrooms (or just on... Read >

Debunking Renting vs. Home Buying Myths

Since I have the honour of working with so many of Edmonton’s first time home buyers, I’m frequently asked whether it’s better to rent, or to buy a home. Now, you might expect that my answer is always: BUY, because, after all, I’m a Realtor and not a ... Read >

5 Tips for First Time Home Sellers

Selling your home can be a seamless, smooth and successful transaction – but only if you have the right information to help you make it through the real estate maze. This is particularly important for first time home sellers, who certainly can’t afford to... Read >

Negotiating Tips for Home Buyers

One of the biggest factors that will determine whether you’re happy or unhappy with buying a home is negotiation. And while an experienced Edmonton Realtor like me will do the negotiating on your behalf, you’ll certainly be involved every step of the way,... Read >

Renting out the Basement in your New Home? Consider these Factors

As an Edmonton Realtor, I help buyers -- especially first time home buyers -- select a home that is ideal for their needs, budget and investment goals. And a question that I'm frequently asked is whether it's a smart move to offset mortgage payments by re... Read >

Edmonton Real Estate: Tips for Quick Home Selling

In Edmonton, the average house lists on the market for 59 days (down from an average of 60 days in October). And while 50 days might not seem like a long time, keep in mind that we're talking about the average. Some homes sell much quicker, while others t... Read >

Why Choose a Home Inspector?

As an Edmonton Realtor who helps numerous people in Edmonton and surrounding buy their home in a smart, satisfying and successful way, I’m often asked whether it’s a good idea (or not a good idea) to use a Home Inspector. My answer to that is always the s... Read >

To Open House or not to Open House, that is the Question

As a Realtor in Edmonton, Alberta, I have the privilege of helping numerous clients a year sell their home in a successful, satisfying and stress-free manner. And one of the biggest questions home sellers have is about open houses. Specifically, I’m fr... Read >

Advice for First Time Home Buyers: Don’t (Just) Listen to Mom and Dad

Many first time home buyers are all-too-familiar a refrain from their mother, father or both that starts out a little something like this: "When I was your age, here’s how we bought our first home…" This is invariably followed by a torturous trip down ... Read >

First Time Home Buyers: Are You Ready?

I recently came across a good article in the Toronto Star (no, Toronto can’t make a decent hockey team, but they can make a pretty good newspaper). The article covered five key questions that first time home buyers should ask themselves before they sign o... Read >

First Time Home Buyers: Overcoming 5 Fears of New Home Buying

For most people, buying their first home is a dream come true. But for some people, there's something standing between them and that dream: fear. Indeed, the fear of buying a home is very real and, for some would-be first time home buyers, it's enough... Read >

7 Tips for Making Small Kitchens Big

Here’s a common scenario: you’re looking for a great new home, and after seeing a few you find one that you really like. The location is great, the size is ideal, and the neighbourhood is exactly what you want. It’s all perfect…except for one thing. And i... Read >

Top 10 First Time Home Buyer Mistakes

Buying your first home should be an exciting and enjoyable time in your life -- and it can be, provided that you avoid these top 10 first time home buyer mistakes, courtesy of Investopedia.com by way of MSN's MoneyCentral.com: 1.Not having a budget. Fi... Read >

Good and Bad First Time Home Buying Surprises

First time Edmonton homebuyers want their house hunting experience to be smart, enjoyable, rewarding, inspiring...but surprising? Not so much. However, whenever I'm helping Edmonton first time homebuyers take the plunge into home ownership, they're often ... Read >