Buying a home is an exciting time—whether it’s your first home, a vacation property or a retirement home. The entire process can be easier and less stressful with professionals by your side every step of the way.
Our team here at Sandy Smith PREC* offers you our Buyer commitment. We give you the time and energy that you deserve to find your dream home, to negotiate a great deal and to represent you at closing time. We value clear, honest and timely communications throughout the buying process.
We earn clients’ trust—the company has more long-term clients than one-time sales. Sandy personally has sold hundreds of homes and she still shares in your excitement when handing over the keys.
With over 26 years of combined experience and knowledge, we offer many useful tools to ensure you find the perfect home, including 3D visual tours with Matterport. Using the Matterport camera system, you can take a virtual self-guided walk through houses at your own pace anytime and from anywhere.
If you’re looking for a second-home or a vacation property, there’s a great reason to buy a home in the southeastern corner of B.C.—there’s no speculation tax here. You can buy a great house at affordable prices in the Kootenays.
Two Cranbrook couples bought their dream homes through Sandy Smith PREC*
Kim McCauley and Mike Maloney lived in Cranbrook but were looking for a new home that included a larger lot. In May 2019, they moved into their dream home just outside the city limits.
“Sandy found our home after searching and viewing several homes—she knew exactly what we wanted and found our home,” said Kim. “It checked all of our boxes on our list of must-haves.”
Rachel and Cam Loganberg had lived in Cranbrook for the last 14 years but wanted to upgrade to their dream home as well. Rachel recounted that friends told them that this particular house had just come up for sale that day.
“We were out of town and called Sandy,” said Rachel. “We told her that we wanted to see this house right away. Sandy got us an appointment for the moment we arrived back into Cranbrook. We saw the house and made an offer.
“When a place is perfect, you have to jump on it! Even though it was Friday night, Sandy got the offer done up and sent out.”
If you’re in the market for a dream home in the Cranbrook area, these are two endorsements for Sandy Smith’s real estate services.
“I told friends that having Sandy as our Realtor® for buying and selling was like having a good lawyer,” said Rachel. “You need someone you can trust, someone who will be honest with you.”
“Sandy's knowledge and experience are what make her a top real estate agent,” Kim said.
The Loganbergs love Cranbrook as a regional hub for their passions.
“You can drive to a lake for a picnic dinner in less than 10 minutes or can go windsurfing on a much larger lake in 20 minutes,” said Rachel. “The summer weather is incredible with very few bugs, and the winters are dreamy—lots of world-class ski hills to visit in a day.”
Read the full story of these two couples’ real estate experiences.
Cranbrook epitomizes Rocky Mountain living
Here are some of the abundant amenities in Cranbrook and nearby:
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Canadian Rockies International Airport, a reliable local airport
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Health services and facilities including the East Kootenay Regional Hospital
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Western Financial Place, a multi-purpose recreational facility with an aquatics centre, a stadium and an arena for the Cranbrook Bucks, a “Junior A” B.C. Hockey League team
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Numerous parks, lakes, and walking and biking paths such as Idlewild Park, Confederation Park and Northstar Rails to Trails
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Arts and culture community that includes Key City Theatre and the Cranbrook History Centre
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Local foods at the Cranbrook Farmer’s Market
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The thriving Cranbrook Public Library
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Seniors hall and youth centre
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Numerous clubs and organizations
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Annual festivals and events
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Many restaurants and stores
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8 golf courses within a 30-km radius
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Several ski resorts nearby
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Local breweries and a local coffee roastery
Frequently asked questions
In a tight, competitive real estate market, how do I succeed in finding and buying a house in the Cranbrook area?
We’re in a hot real estate market now and any competitive advantage may help. Sandy and her team will help you sign up to get alerts for new real estate listings in the Kootenays.
The Association of Interior REALTORS® uses Xposure, a fully mobile listing portal. You will receive notifications and alerts as soon as listings are available.
Sandy and her team use Xposure for reverse prospecting so that potential home buyers are automatically notified of specific MLS listings that they might be interested in.
As an example, say a buyer is looking for houses between $300,000 to $400,000. Sandy will set them up and as soon as such a property hits the Kootenay MLS Xposure, that listing will automatically get sent to that prospective buyer.
I’m a first-time home buyer. What’s your process for helping me buy my first house in Cranbrook or Kimberley, B.C.?
Buying your first house is one of the milestones of your life, but it can be a bit overwhelming. You don’t want to make any mistakes or have any regrets, as buying a home does involve many important steps.
Here’s how our team at Sandy Smith PREC* will make this process as easy for you as possible. We can discuss every step with you and offer our professional opinion and advice when you need it.
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Decide on what type of home you want. Which features are must-haves and which ones are would-like-to-haves? Include the number of bedrooms and bathrooms you’d like.
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Decide where you want to live. Do you want to live rurally or in an urban setting? Do you want to live in Cranbrook or outside of town? Do you want to be close to schools or to your place of employment?
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Figure out your budget. It’s good to be realistic about what you can afford—why look at houses you can’t buy? Getting pre-approved for a mortgage will help you figure out your finances and will speed up the process in a fast-moving hot market.
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Start looking at properties. Our team will set you up for automatic notifications of MLS listings based on your unique situation and desired property types. And we’ll let you know the conditions of the current market so you know what to expect.
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View or visit the houses. You’ll have the option of in-person tours of properties as well as virtual 3D tours using our state-of-the-art Matterport software.
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Make an offer. With Sandy’s expertise, you’ll make a smart, realistic offer for the house you’d like to call home. Sandy is an exceptional negotiator to have on your team for making offers and counter offers, and she’ll advise you on home inspections.
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Move in! If your offer is accepted and all the mortgage details are complete, you’re ready to move in and enjoy your new home.
Top 5 reasons to use a REALTOR® to buy a house
You might be tempted to buy a house without using a real estate agent. After all, we do have the world at our fingertips with the internet. But there are several reasons to reconsider that option.
Here are the top five reasons you can get better results if you do hire a REALTOR®:
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Searches: How much time do you have to look for a new home? All those online searches and drives around neighbourhoods can be akin to a part-time job! Let your REALTOR® know what you are looking for and let them do the bulk of the work for you to find homes that match your budget and needs. These professionals can request and review seller disclosures and know important information about the neighbourhood and schools.
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Avoid trouble spots and navigate home inspections: While you’re happily gazing at the family room in the basement, your REALTOR® is looking at the rust and corrosion on the hot water tank. They can identify trouble that you may not see. Often, the touchiest part of a real estate purchase is requesting repairs, which can make or break a deal. Your real estate agent can recommend a qualified home inspector and then negotiate repairs or credits with the seller. The agent will have a good sense of what's reasonable to request and what's excessive.
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Price: Real estate agents have years of experience to judge whether a specific house is overpriced or underpriced. They will know whether asking prices are justified based on comparable home sales in the area.
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Negotiation: Can you negotiate professionally and unemotionally or are you too attached to the outcome? Having an agent negotiate objectively with the seller saves you from getting overly emotional about the deal. A REALTOR® will negotiate on the price and other clauses and contingencies in the purchase agreement.
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Paperwork and closing: A real estate agent knows the complex jargon of real estate transactions and can help you decipher the reams of paperwork. Your agent will finalize all the loose ends so that the closing goes through without a hitch, and they will be there alongside you at the closing so you have support and advice should you need it.
In summary, real estate agents and REALTORS® are licensed professionals who work on your behalf and advocate for your interests. They're experts in the industry with a wealth of knowledge and expertise that can help you navigate the home buying process with less stress and more success.
I want to relocate to the Kootenays and buy a house. Can I buy a house remotely in the Cranbrook or Kimberley region?
There are several reasons people buy homes virtually. The COVID-19 pandemic certainly increased the demand for remote buying. With the pandemic’s health and travel restrictions, people weren’t able to get out and look at houses in person. But there are many other reasons for buying real estate long distance.
“If properties are staying on the market no more than 24 or 48 hours in this hot market, how is someone going to get here from the Lower Mainland or the Okanagan to have an opportunity?” Sandy explained.
Some buyers are looking for a second home or a vacation home. They typically live in another city, province or country, which makes it more difficult to be there in person for every step of the purchase.
Sandy has also seen the demand for remote buying from parents wanting to buy a house for their child going to school, such as College of the Rockies in Cranbrook.
Other reasons for remote buying include people wanting investment property or those with last-minute job relocations.
At first blush, remote buying might seem intimidating. But armed with the right team of professionals and the right tools, it can be done with ease.
New technology has been a game changer in the real estate world, and that’s especially true for remote buying. Remote buying is easier today than ever before because of helpful technology such as the following:
Matterport is a three-dimensional camera system that creates a 3D virtual tour. The results are so realistic that out-of-town buyers feel they are actually walking through a property. Matterport's virtual tours provide an immersive experience that is not possible with photos or 360 tours. And potential buyers can do their own walkthrough from anywhere at any time.
“With Matterport, we go and scan a property, and our camera can do floor plans from the scans and people can actually click through on little circles on the floor and walk through the house,” said Justine MacDonald, Sandy’s daughter and tech expert. “There really aren’t any hidden nooks and crannies anymore with this program.”
Viewers can explore the house from a variety of viewpoints, use an accurate measuring tool and get a feel for the space without having to travel. “Clients love it,” said Sandy.
“We’ve even had a buyer buy a house in the $900,000 range without even seeing it because they were so confident with the Matterport walk-through video that they were even measuring for their furniture before they moved in,” said Justine.
Both Authentisign and Docusign are extremely helpful tools for remote real estate sales. These digital transaction platforms allow companies to go fully digital with quick, simple and secure eSignatures.
Real estate transactions involve many extremely important documents. These platforms let users send, sign and manage legal documents securely in the cloud. For example, DocuSign eSignature automatically generates and stores a complete, time-stamped history of every send, view, print, sign or decline action.
Top reasons to buy real estate in
Cranbrook, B.C., and area
Cranbrook is a great place to live and work. The city consistently appears on lists of the best places to live in Canada. For example, Cranbrook was Number 52 out of 415 communities ranked as best places to live by Maclean’s a few years ago.
The biggest draw of the Kootenays is the fabulous outdoor lifestyle and outstanding scenery. The region includes a huge diversity of lakes, parks and trails for four-season recreation. There are eight golf courses within a 30-kilometre radius and several are within city limits as well as several ski resorts nearby. Even at the peak of the pandemic, Kootenay folks went outside for exercise, fresh air and solitude.
In 2021, BC Business ranked Cranbrook Number 41 on its Most Resilient Cities in B.C. Formerly called the Best Cities for Work, the annual ranking was revamped to reflect the COVID-19 pandemic and a shift toward broader economic health. The Cranbrook area includes many employment opportunities and low commute times, a real selling point of the region.
“How many people have said I don’t want to travel and be in a vehicle for an hour going to work and an hour going home—I don’t have to do that anymore,” Sandy said.
Other amenities of the region include a regional hospital, a multi-purpose stadium with a local hockey team and an entrepreneurial spirit that creates many unique small businesses, including a local brewery and a local coffee roastery.
For folks who like to travel, Cranbrook is only 80 kilometres from the Canada/U.S.A. border. Not only does Cranbrook have a regional airport on the outskirts of the city, but there are three additional airports nearby: both Calgary, Alberta, and Spokane, Washington, airports are 3.5 hours away, and Kalispell, Montana, is close too.
“If you want to fly to Las Vegas, you can drive an hour and 40 minutes to Kalispell and get a direct flight to Vegas,” Sandy said.
Cranbrook and its surroundings are rich in historical, cultural and artistic amenities as well as restaurants and farmers markets offering local food and drink. (See sidebar above for a list of amenities.)
Want to live in a beautiful Rocky Mountain landscape? Kimberley, B.C., is a great place to live
At an elevation of 1,120 metres, Kimberley is literally a little mountain city of 8,000 down-to-earth people. As a designated resort municipality, it’s a year-round playground and recently came out on top of CBC’s Search for BC’s Best Small Town! After almost 7 weeks of voting, Kimberley beat out 127 other municipalities to claim the title.
Hiking, mountain biking, whitewater rafting and fishing are common pursuits of residents and tourists alike. Within the city are three public golf courses and a large nature park.
Kimberley receives an average snowfall of 13 feet of snow in a season. For downhill skiers, there are 80 named trails and glades at the Kimberley Alpine Resort. Cross-country skiers enjoy trails at the Kimberley Nordic Club.
Kimberley also boasts two indoor arenas, complete with regulation-size ice surfaces, and the Kimberley Aquatic Centre.
The pedestrian-only city centre, called the Platzl, is full of unique shops and restaurants. There are even two local breweries and a local distillery in the city besides all the great little coffee shops. A thriving arts community is supported by Centre 64, which includes an art gallery and a theatre.
Essential services are available in the city, including a wide array of health and social services and a medical centre.
Kimberley is off the beaten track, as Highway 95A is a 55-kilometre-long alternate route to Highway 95 that passes through the city of Kimberley. Hence, Kimberley offers small-town charm, while affording big city amenities 25 minutes away in Cranbrook or a four-hour drive away in the metropolis of Calgary, Alberta.
Services and products offered by Sandy Smith PREC*:
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Marketing expertise—real estate industry
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Free home evaluation—a Comparative Market Analysis
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Buying a home, commercial building or rural property
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Selling a home, commercial building or rural property
Social Media Marketing
Your property will be featured on multiple websites both locally and internationally, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube PLUS automatic new listing email alerts, instantly sending potential buyers to your property.
Digital
Virtual Tours
Our quality virtual tour videos allow buyers to view your home instantly online from the comfort of their own home. Whether they are looking for themselves or someone else, your home will be on the top of their mind.
Custom Drone
Videos
Bring the buyers to your property without an appointment. Allow buyers to view your land, views, neighbourhoods and amazing Rocky Mountain location with full force.
Sandy & her Team use modern marketing
methods to buy your home
Associate Broker/REALTOR® SANDY SMITH
Email: smith@ekrealty.com
Phone: 250-421-0835
Social Media JUSTINE MACDONALD
Email: justine@ekrealty.com
Phone: 250-464-5577
Areas Served: Cranbrook, Kimberley, Marysville, Moyie, Wasa, Wycliffe, Fort Steele, Gold Creek
Hours of Operation: Always available. Contact me on my cell or email to set up an appointment.