40 - Wednesday, June 28, 1995 — North Shore News “ty pee By cota 4 eae” lysis Watt SP weenrstaemreeonven rene PRES IOY ANCL EMUDEEn BCE EEIESRO SG fran COMPUTER : onsauaaeT Bring In your old computer for : | consignment - BUY PROPERTY No appointment ONLY 1E You | ff NO DRE PREPARED] og “ChAT TO KEEP IT 10 MIKE GRENBY'S MONEY TOON WIS HOUSE 15 A BEALUT— | LOVELY NEIGHBORS... FOR, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PC. GALORE CONSIGNMENT ETD. \ VANCOUVER'S FINEST COMPUTER CONSIGNMENT STORE , 119 Lonsdale Ave. 2744 W. 8th Ave. 990-0547 732-7816 10 - 95 Sat. 710 - 5:50 EVERYBODY ALWAYS tells you the three most important things to check when you buy your own home or investment prop- erty are location, location. and location. “Do you find steak or chicken bones? Is it a transient popula- tion, with stuff thrown out as peo- ple move? Is there drug-related paraphernalia? Lots of empty booze bottles?” :’ Because you can’t count on home prices rising steadily, you -need as much information as pos- sible to help make the, right buy- #5, 35, or 99 year site membership - * Fully serviced site up to 2300 sq. ft. .*.Phone and cable availability -.. ° Tennis & volleyball courts. ® Beachside pool & deck , * But what exactly should you "* Fabulous oceanfront clubhouse - be checking — especially now in ‘the buyers’ market in many areas and you have the time to do prop- er research?. . “Neighbors have told me of numerous social activities, from low- to high-rated crime,” said Ed Witzke, of Witco Building : Inspection Services Ltd. “In one area: “See those Harley. Davidson motorcycles over there? They . usually start up at three in the 66 Because you can’t count, _ rising steadily, you: need as much infor- - mation as possible to” «help make the right buying decision. 9% morning and the police show up at 6 a.m.; it’s something to see and it can really gel wild around here. “In another place: We often wonder about that house. At night, we see sparks and hear grinding noises coming from the inside of that garage. It almost seems they are doing something to those expensive unlicenced cars parked in the yard.’ “T once heard about “that fel- low over there — you know, he raises alligators in his basement. He also has exotic snakes he sells from time to'time’.” Once you have found the g gen: on home prices and sense eral neighborhood in which you'd like — or can afford — to buy ° your own home or an investment property, drop by the local munic- ipal hall. The tax, engineering and par- ticularly planning departments can often give -you helpful infor- mation about the area’s past, pre- sent and future. Relatively few people do such research so the municipal employees in these - departments are usually quite obliging. From municipal records or realtors, find out about prices. --Have they been rising or failing? Why? What is the high-low range at present for homes in the area? Then start your sleuthing in earnest, said Witzke, who's writ- ten one book (The Complete Canadian Home Inspection Guide) and often lectures on inspecting, buying and renovating a home. ; “Take a pad with you to make notes about what you see,” he said. “Are yards filled with weeds or broken-down cars? What shape are fences in? Be sure to walk along any lanes.” Also, visit during different times of the day and night to check the noise level. “If you are keen. you could. . even check out public and resi- dential garbage cans,” Witzke suid. “Are the people wasteful, throwing out items with life left in them, or thrifty, using and reusing things until they are worthless? ing decision. Always be prepared to keep the place for at least 10 years.: That way, if you buy at a price peak, you should be able to hang on long enough to give values a chance to recover. Mike Grenby is a North Shore- “based columnist and independent financial adviser who works with individuals; he will answer your questions in this column as space . allows - write to him c/o 2444 Haywood Avenue, West Vancouver, B.C. V7V 1Y1. z SMITH TUE SMBus & recreation centre. DO WNTO WN PARKS VILLE RV resort 200 North Corfield St., Box 1750, ; Parksville, B, C. Vor 2H5 Peers Noste C.A. CHARTERED ACCOUNTING FIRM « 3.5" disk drive e Database Management program * Much, much more! ws * MS-DOS@ file format compatibility via ASCII conversion , ° Desktop Reference system © Ll-yr. parts, 90- “day tabour warranty “PERSONAL TAX ® ACCOUNTING SMALL BUSINESS PLANNING.® FINANCIAL PLANNING ° COMPUTER INSTALLATION © Ste. A. 7980. Waltham Ave. * Burnaby, B.C..© V5) 4Vvs - 432-9066 °: Fax 432-7612 Llive on the North Shore and will travel to you at no charge.