NORTH VANCOUVER HOME STAGING - LOWER LONSDALE "BEFORE & AFTER" PHOTOS Exit Stage Right Home Staging Vancouver is excited to announce the real estate staging of this newly built condo complex at 1033 St. Georges Street in North Vancouver, B.C.  Our show suite is located in Penthouse 8 and offers buyers a glimpse at how beautiful these condos can look when furnished and accessorized.  The high end finishes make this condo a pleasure to show and the breath-taking views of the North Shore mountains and ocean, enjoyed from two separate balconies, are the icing on the cake.  For more information, please contact Mark Rasmussen with the Rasmussen Group at Sutton Westcoast Realty. The is the view as you enter the condo.  LIVING ROOM BEFORE: LIVING ROOM AFTER: DINING ROOM BEFORE: DINING ROOM AFTE... 08/05/2011

Canada Day Parade - North Vancouver, B.C. - July 1, 2011 This year's Canada Day Parade in North Vancouver, celebrates Canada's 144th Birthday.  Although the weather was dull and overcast, the rain held off, and we spectators were privy to a fun, community event that makes us feel proud to be Canadian and North Vancouverites, all at the same time.  We gave a big round of applause to the motorcycle police.  Heaven knows the police have gone through enough after the antics of the latest and hopefully last Stanley Cup riot.  We also were treated to the blood-stirring sounds of bagpipes, marching bands and ethnic dancers.  The local  firefighters came out in full force, with many of their trucks lined up in the parade.  Here are a few photos captured from this morning's parade. HAPPY CANADA ... 07/01/2011

HAPPY CANADA DAY - JULY 1, 2011 I just wanted to wish everyone a very happy Canada Day on July 1st.  This will be Canada's 144th birthday.  Quite a young country, in the grand scheme of things.  Vancouver will be celebrating with lots of activities.  There will be concerts all day at Canada Place, from 10am - 7pm.  At 7pm, the Canada Day Parade marches from Georgia Street to Burrard & Hastings, complete with marching bands, floats and multicultural dancers.  The evening will culminate with a fireworks display over the Burrard Inlet.  Here's a link for more information. If you are closer to Granville Island, you can find live jazz, activities and fun from 8am - midnight.  What's happening in my neck of the woods, North Vancouver?  Why, a parade, of course!  Starting from 13th and Grand B... 06/30/2011

Lonsdale Quay Market in Lower Lonsdale, North Vancouver:  Something Fishy's Going On The Quay is home to some wonderful seafood shops, and your first stop should be The Salmon Shop.  Located at the south end of the Quay, The Salmon Shop boasts some wonderful, freshly caught salmon and other sundry fish.  This shop looks, feels and definitely smells authentic.  It's the kind of place where you would expect Captain Ahab to wander by, or where the guy behind the counter would hum   "I'se the Bye" under his breath.  There's a fabulous array of fresh, locally caught Digby scallops, wonderfully thick chunks of freshly caught crab, and salmon so large, it could feed an army.  The Salmon Shop offers lots of fresh Salmon, as well as the B.C. Famous Barbeque Sauce I told these fellas to look "sna... 06/29/2011

Lonsdale Quay Market in Lower Lonsdale, North Vancouver The Lonsdale Quay Market, located in the Lower Lonsdale area of North Vancouver, is a mecca for anyone searching for fresh, local produce, freshly cut flowers, fish, meat, delis, arts & crafts, clothing, local wine, and great restaurants.  The Quay came to life during Expo 86, and hasn't looked back.  Located right by the ocean, near a working ship building site, Lonsdale Quay has attracted foodies and latte lovers alike.  This is a wonderful place to hang out in the summer, sit on the deck, and look across at the downtown Vancouver skyline.  Lower Lonsdale is a neighbourhood of condos and townhouses, with everything you'd need within walking distance.  There is a distinct west coast maritime feel all around, complete with brightly... 06/28/2011

WELCOME MP Marketing Properties Sutton West Coast Realty Current Market Stats for North Vancouver. There are currently 604 attached homes for sale in North Vancouver including apartments, townhomes, duplex and triplex properties. The price range is from $156,500 for a studio in Central Lonsdale to $2,498,000 for a three bedroom 1769 square foot ocean view apartment in Lower Lonsdale unit #1008 133 E. Esplanade. The average days on market is 22 days. There have been 10 price increases and 164 price reductions with an average reduction form 1% to 29% with the average reduction of 3.4%. NUMBER OF BEDROOMS IN NORTH VANCOUVER FOR SALE Studio 17 One Bedroom 203 Two Bedroom 278 Three Bedroom 89 Four Bedroom 15 Five Bedroom 2 Attached listings by market area in North Vancouver Blueridge - 1 Cap... 06/21/2011

Welcome to my blog post : MP | Marketing Properties on the North Shore, BC, CANADA. Real Estate is very local by nature, and every economy is different. Vancouver, British Columbia is experiencing an influx of buyers in some areas such as North Vancouver, West Vancouver, Richmond and the West Side. Some of these places are seeing multiple offers and sold signs in hours! Having said this, there are always creative ways to improve your chances and getting top dollar for the sale of your property! Marco Pontillo : Marketing Properties believes there are secret tips that can gain you more money in your pocket! MP: Marketing Properties has 7 ways to make it easier to sell your home and make a smooth transaction from one owner to the next. Maintain Neutrality Less Is More That New House Smell... 06/20/2011

Home Evaluation & Pricing  My goal is to achieve the maximum selling price for your home within a reasonable short period of time on the market.   Get maximum value for your home with MP's 5 point selling plan   Precise Evaluation MP| Marketing Properties unique home value analyser is based on current market data, trend analysis and knowledge. By combining a comprehensive property evaluation and my in-depth comparative market analysis, then adjusting for current trends and price factors, I can establish an exact market value of your property.    Aggressive Promotion Marco Pontillo|Marketing Properties is based on a unique selling system to gain top dollar for your home. It is essential to ensure to my clients that I will gain the most exposure to the market as possible.  My website is o... 06/19/2011

WELCOME : Buying a home with Marco Pontillo : Marketing Properties ! Proudly Marketed : LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION 2 Bedroom 918 sf Outdoor Patio This centrally located two bedroom apartment has incredible value. Over 900 SF of living space with a private large walk out patio from both the main living room and the master bedroom. Take advantage of this fabulous opportunity to own this apartment at an unbeatable price with a exterior facelift at no cost to you. Steps to all of the conveniences of the Lonsdale corridor offers...this will not last long! Endless possibilities and priced to SELL! Pets are welcome : FANTASTIC INVESTMENT IN NORTH VANCOUVER Call me 604 551 8986 $339,900 Buying a home is a big decision, that's why I am here every step of the way 1)      Prepare -your home wish l... 06/15/2011

Home Staging Vancouver, B.C. - AN EXPLOSION OF MELLOW, YELLOW SOFAS! Is there a full yellow moon out lately?  I can't quite explain it, but recently we've been faced with staging several properties, all with yellow sofas.  Yellow!  The sofas have actually been in very good shape; it's just that they are very yellow, rather than a nice, neutral cream or beige.  Since our brief has been to work with the existing furnishings, rather than bringing in rental furniture, we decided to solve the problem of these dominant coloured sofas.  Our solution?  Bring in another colour to compliment and actually tone down the yellow.   In this particular case, we brought in a nice, soft blue, in cushions, accessories and artwork.  The cushions are from Pottery Barn, and have wonderful texture and a lovel... 05/27/2011

MP| Marketing Properties | Marco Pontillo Real Estate Advisor Sutton West Coast Real Estate Marco Pontillo is proudly marketing a new listing on 13th in Central Lonsdale : Please visit www.marcopontillo.com - listings to see current photos This central located two bedroom apartment has incredible value. Over 900 SF of living space with a beautiful walk out garden patio from both the main living room and the master bedroom is extraordinary. In this well maintained building, this unit has a pantry in the kitchen for extra storage, a wood burning fireplace, a underground secured parking space and a storage locker.  Take advantage of this fabulous opportunity to own this apartment at an unbeatable price with a exterior facelift at no cost to you. Steps to all of the conveniences of the Lons... 05/25/2011

Give the Home's Architecture a Voice When Selling Your Home Our particular area in North Vancouver has a fair number of west coast contemporary homes.  These homes were built with specific criteria in mind.  One element of west coast contemporaries is to blend in with nature.  Therefore, many of these homes are built with cedar paneling, and large windows that overlook gardens with huge, evergreen cedars.  There is a coziness about these houses.  You can smell the warm aroma of the cedar paneling, and feel enveloped in the atmosphere, as if you were wrapped up in a warm, cozy blanket.  Although this style of home is not everyone's cup of tea, there is certainly a fan base out there.  The problem in this particular west coast contemporary living room, was that a huge, taste specific pain... 05/24/2011

The Sky is Falling, The Sky is Falling! I felt like quoting our favourite fowl, Chicken Little, when I laid eyes on this Master Bedroom.  My company, Exit Stage Right, had been hired by the owners to stage this home for sale, and I was just getting a preliminary tour.  The style of the home was west coast contemporary, pretty normal for around this area.  Everything seemed pretty run-of-the mill.  Not too many surprises.  But then we entered the Master Bedroom... Normally, when you enter a bedroom, the focal point should be the bed, but in this case, my eye skipped over the bed and headed straight for the ceiling.  Oh my.  The ceiling had been painted blue.  Not fluffy cloud white with a hint of blue, not robin's egg blue, but a vibrant, dark, electric blue.  Wow!  Not that there's real... 05/22/2011

A Head-Banging Experience - Up on the Roof We bought our home 10 years ago, and had a home inspection done at the time.  Our home inspector advised us that we'd need to replace the roof in about 5 years.  Fast forward to present.  Every year we'd have the roof inspected, and each time, the roofer would say we were good for one more year.  Well, I'd finally had enough.  Everyone needs a good, solid roof over their heads, and I was tired of worrying about possible leaks etc.  It was time.  I bit the bullet, and hired Absolute Roofing to replace our tired roof.  Actually, I've never really liked our roof.  It was light grey, flat, and didn't seem to go with our turn of the century home.  I chose a black tile that looks like shingles, but is really made of Fiberglass Laminated Shingles: To ... 05/19/2011

 Marco Pontillo is proudly marketing a new listing in North Vancouver.... www.MarcoPontillo.com           141w13thstreet.needstosell.com This central located two bedroom apartment has incredible value. Over 900 SF of living space with a beautiful walk out garden patio from both the main living room and the master bedroom is extraordinary.  In this well maintained building, this unit has a pantry in the kitchen for extra storage, a wood burning fireplace, a underground secured parking space and a storage locker.  Take advantage of this fabulous opportunity to own this apartment at an unbeatable price with a exterior facelift at no cost to you. Steps to all of the conveniences of the Lonsdale corridor offers...this will not last long! Endless possibilities and priced to SELL! Please Visit... 05/17/2011

 Why invest  and live on the north shore?  Marco Pontillo Marketing Properties North Vancouver British Columbia Canada   North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada has it ALL !!  "The community is buzzing, and everyone loves it" might be the perfect way to describe the North Shore. The community of North Vancouver and West Vancouver are indeed desirable places to live, work and raise your family.  From the wonderful backdrop of the North Shore mountains and the pacific ocean, it really offers a beauty like none other.  How can you beat the magnificent natural attractions surrounding your property? From skiing, hiking, snowboarding, boating, kayaking, canoeing, mountain biking, fishing, golfing and the list goes on, the opportunities are really endless.    What's more, you are only a 12 m... 05/11/2011

Home Staging Tip - Space Planning is Important - Home Staging Vancouver My company, Exit Stage Right, was hired recently to prepare this cute bungalow for sale.  This home has a lot of great features, including beautiful, refinished, hardwood floors with inlay, and a wood-burning fireplace. When I first visited the home, it was clear that two young children had invaded the space with all their toys, bouncy chairs, cute baby pictures, sippy cups etc.  This is life with young children, and completely understandable.  However, when selling the home, the "day care" look had to go! The other item that immediately struck me upon entering the living room, was that the focal point, the fireplace, was almost completely covered by a big, leather lounge chair.  It was almost as if the most importa... 05/06/2011

Marco Pontillo Marketing Properties Presents : Real Estate News for March 2011 in British Columbia, Canada, Your safe real estate haven! British Columbia Home Sales Surge up 34.16% in March 2011 British Columbia MLS residential home sales continued their upward climb in 2011 by increased 34.16% to 8,600 units in March 2011 from February's 6,410 unit sales. This follows February's 54.94% sales increase over January's 4,137 unit sales on an actual month-over-month basis according to figures released today by the British Columbia Real Estate Association (BCREA). The 8,600 residential home sales in March 2011 were 20.96% higher than actual year ago figures of 7,110 sales in March 2010. In fact, March 2011 sales surpassed every monthly sales figure from last year. The highest recorded Britis... 04/29/2011

Thursday, April 21, 2011 Purchasing Real Estate With Marco Pontillo : North Shore CANADA BC   Welcome to Marco Pontillo Blog about real estate on the North Shore !It is the spring market, and you want to get into Real Estate, and you are thinking of upgrading, downgrading, investment etc? Marco Pontillo details the first step in purchasing a property: How much can you afford?MP Marketing Properties Marco Pontillo STEP 1The calculation below can give you a general idea of costs associated to home buying :Cost of home buying = on time costs + monthly costsMortgage - amount a bank will lend you is determined by two lending principles:1) Gross debt service ratio- this lending principle says that your monthly housing costs can not exceed 32% of your gross monthly family income2) total debt s... 04/21/2011

Good afternoon everyone !  My name is Marco Pontillo, I am a fully licensed Real Estate Advisor with Sutton West Coast Realty on the North Shore. Just before a huge extra long weekend approaches, I want to mention a few trends that are emerging in the Real Estate Market in Greater Vancouver, especially in my farming area- North Vancouver and West Vancouver. I want to touch on a few things I have learned in my life time with real estate - LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION ! If buyers are confident in the location of the property, they are more likely to buy over a competitive home in another area because of that specific location. Yes, of course, it includes pricing, the actual house etc....but I am being vague here and making a point ! Well, now we can add something to this....You have a home,... 04/21/2011