DECEMBER 2025 Edition

The real estate market has again been “interesting” to say the least. It seemed like the market was improving in the early stages of the year. But once the “tariff talk” from the US ramped up, it seemed like people this side of the border got spooked, and many potential home buyers took a “wait and see” approach. Since then, we’ve had a few interest rate reductions, and with the current “Buyer’s Market”, buyers are slowly jumping into the market to take advantage of better pricing and more selection in the marketplace. As always, it’s crucial to seek solid, expert advice when considering your real estate options. Our team is here for you and anyone in your circle who has real estate questions. We’re dedicated to helping and guiding you!

THE KLASSEN UPDATE

Cindy: Cindy is still assisting our Team with occasional staging help and consultation. It’s been a busy year with 4 kids still at home and the other “moved out” kids still enjoying the snack food in Mom’s pantry and the occasional home-cooked meal. Cindy enjoyed Osoyoos again this year, but did not achieve her priority summer goal of beating me in mini golf. Running, singing on our Church’s music team, watching the kids’ sports games, “thrifting” at Value Village with Andy and Naldo, and watching Korean dramas on Netflix continue to be interests for Cindy.

Jude and Morgan: Breaking News! After 5 years in the real estate business, Jude decided to make a vocational change. I’m proud of how well Jude did, with many satisfied clients served. Jude has decided to pursue a different career path; likely in engineering. Morgan is very involved in her role as Youth Ministry Coordinator at Northview Church. 

Adi: Adrianna and I ran a few races together this year; the Sun Run 10K and the Vancouver Half-Marathon. For other news, see Adrianna’s section of this newsletter.

Jared: J is still working on his online accounting program while working as a lawn irrigation systems coordinator. Jared recently moved out of the house and to a basement suite in Abbotsford to be closer to the Church he is a part of and volunteers at. He plays guitar in one of the Church bands and helps with youth ministries. Jared still plays goalie for a team in the Fraser Valley Church League. Now that he’s an adult and buying his own goalie gear, and I’m not paying any more registration fees, tournament fees, coaching clinics, or skate sharpening, I’m amazed at how my savings account is actually growing!

Mireya: Beya graduated from the Faculty of Education at TWU this past Spring, and found work as a Special Education Assistant at Surrey Christian School. Mireya is my most faithful hot tub buddy when a nice late evening hot tub helps to relax.

Mireya and Nicole both joined me and my parents on a trip to Paraguay back in May; my Dad is from the Mennonite colonies in the Chaco region of Paraguay. It was great to connect with extended family and enjoy the beauty of the country including the Iguazu Falls in Brazil.

Nicole: Nicole is now working with my Real Estate Team in the dual roles of Marketing Assistant and Staging Consultant. She also got engaged this past summer to Joel Noort, who she met in High School. Fortunately for Joel, he wasn’t disheartened by Nicole’s regular refusals to go out with him. I think he just wore her out and I guess it worked. He put a ring on her finger! Joel’s a great guy, and Cindy and I really appreciate Joel and his family. Wedding Bells will ring May of 2026!

Andy: Andy is now in grade 12 at Langley Christian School. One of his favourite things to do outdoors is to go to the driving range and work on his swing. Andy and I, along with Naldo, recently participated in a Church golf tournament. Andy has also started playing basketball again, and still likes doing workouts in our home gym. Once in a while he’ll go to the gym at our local rec centre. Andy also played soccer with me on the Church soccer team this past season.

Naldo: Naldo is now 15 years old and in grade 9 at Langley Christian. He just finished up school soccer, just started school basketball, and enjoys going to youth group at our Church. This past summer, Naldo learned to waterski! Naldo also recently received his Canadian citizenship!

SEPTEMBER 2025 Edition

I can’t believe September is upon us. I’ll include some summer highlights and memories.

OSOYOOS

Once again we reserved a large room with extra bedrooms at the Coast Hotel, and  our kids came and went as their work schedules allowed. Some kids were only able to stay for a few days, and other kids for longer. My Mom and Dad came up with my sister Rita and her daughter Emma. We celebrated my Mom’s 80th birthday by the lake, and a few days later I drove my parents back to their townhouse in South Surrey. Dad is still, at 84 years old, a good driver, but my sister and I told Mom and Dad that we’ll take over the driving when it comes to them going on longer trips.

Highlights of this year’s trip included ice cream at the windmill, Blizzards at DQ,  Cindy’s favourite Mexican restaurant La Marqueza and their awesome food, the Diamond Restaurant, of course, and my morning Tim Hortons runs with Jared. Cindy and I did our usual runs, and most of the family did mini golf.

This year my sister Rita and I hired a boat with driver so we could take a bunch of the kids skiing, tubing, and surfing. As my usual custom, I impressed the youngsters with my slalom water skiing abilities. It’s just one thing I’ll be sad about when I can’t do it anymore. I was able to again get up on 1 ski, put up some nice spray on my cuts, and most importantly not die! Naldo impressed all of us when on his first try he was able to get up on waterskis. Nalo has been with our family for just about 2 years now and watersports weren’t a thing for him back in the Philippines.

NALDO'S BIRTHDAY

Naldo turned 15 a few weeks ago, and we celebrated at home with authentic Filipino food from a local Filipino store/restaurant, and birthday cake. After dinner, I took Naldo and all his siblings to Laser Tag, where they had a lot of fun. Naldo is starting to study the ICBC Learn To Drive book as he’s pretty keen on getting his Learner’s Licence in a year. I’m not so keen as I’ve seen his driving tactics on the go cart track; the little stinker deliberately tried to  spin me out on the track at Rattlesnake Canyon in Osoyoos. Poor kid ate his own medicine when I deftly recognized his strategy as he came up on my rear quarter panel, responded with a brilliant defensive maneuver, and roared out of the turn as Naldo’s cart ended up in the guardrail!

KELOWNA

Some close friends of ours, Derek and Jenn VanRyckeghem, run a missions organization in the Philippines called Hope For The Island. Hope is very active in supporting the needs of kids and youth, widows, and “at risk” girls. Jenn was back in Canada for a bit, and so a group of supporters hosted a fundraiser “dessert night” for the ministry. Our family is very much a part of the Hope family, and Mireya really wanted to go to Kelowna for the dessert night. So we left Langley in the early afternoon, stopped at Rolly’s in Hope for an “all day breakfast”, and made it to Kelowna in time for dessert. After the event, we drove all the way back. It was nice driving with Mireya and Naldo who is always game for a road trip. I was a bit thrown off when Mireya, who was in the passenger seat and thus assuming the role of “navigator” and “systems & operations analyst”, didn’t regularly check my  speedometer for my speed, or evaluate my skills in “gap control”, acceleration on passing maneuvers, decisions on “braking point” before a turn, or general driving safety. I guess I’m just used to having Mrs. Klassen in that seat.

KLASSEN BUSINESS NEWS

This summer has been one of the busiest summers we’ve had in years, so we’ll see if that momentum carries through to the Fall. Expert advice is key. So dear Reader, please let us know if you have any questions we can help with, or if you know anyone who could use some good real estate advice.

APRIL 2025 Edition

SOCCER

One of my fondest memories is of playing soccer as a kid. I started playing when I was around 8 years old, back in the day when they didn’t even have numbers on the backs of the jerseys, and we ate oranges at half time. Let’s face it, back then it wasn’t the Dads cutting the oranges, it was the Moms. And they didn’t cut the oranges into ‘slices’, they cut them into proper 1/8’s so that we could use the peel to make a goofy smile face and try to make each other laugh. Somehow, we all managed without the technology of today including Team Snap, online “health forms”, and email. I remember that each team had a parent who volunteered to be “manager”, and that job meant calling every team member’s household to advise them of game time and location. And for some reason, every one of my coaches either had a Portuguese or English accent. As a kid, I surmised that if my coach had a foreign accent, it meant they had probably played either professionally or for their respective national team, and that I ought to listen when they spoke. And if the accent wasn’t enough, the fact that my coaches always wore some sort of “track suit”, sometimes even velour, validated that they were the authority!

Times were different then. Anyone my age who played soccer remembers the “Seattle exchange” where teams would travel to Seattle, the parents would all stay in the same hotel while we players stayed with a “billet family” who were total strangers and for all we knew, were axe murderers or at least likely to fire up their chainsaw while wearing a goalie mask. I’m pretty sure criminal record searches hadn’t even been invented yet. And when I played, the “all weather field” was not the synthetic turf that the spoiled brats play on these days, no, they were gravel! And being somewhat competitive, a gravel field didn’t stop me from employing my signature “slide tackle” maneuver, thus negating an opposition team scoring chance. However, I’d then spend the entire ride to the post-game McDonald’s snack picking gravel out of my thigh. I’m not sure antiseptic had been invented at that time either.

By the time I was about 14 or 15, I decided to focus on hockey, and hung up the cleats.

Fast forward to 2025 when our Church announced they were starting up a recreational soccer team. I knew my 17 year old son Andy would be more likely to sign up if we did it together, and so we did! So 40 years after my last official game, I’m back at it. And I have to say, there have been some advances in soccer. Our jerseys are fancy and even have a number on the back! Shin pads are no longer made out of foam, and no one is wearing knee pads anymore! Andy has been playing soccer for 8 or 9 years, so he’s pretty competent, but I feel like I landed on a different planet. The coach is using a bunch of terminology that I don’t understand, and he’s not even using the 2-3-5 formation that I remember. I think that if you’re trying to score goals, get 5 people up there, not just the 2 strikers they push up these days. And what is coach even talking about when he says “maintain your shape”, “keep the triangle”, and “keep jockeying.” I suppose I’d have to ask Andy what this all means. 

So, while I have been out there playing, and I feel mentally I’m still at my elite “Tsawwassen Youth Rep B” level, perhaps the reliability of my body has left me. I have to spend more time warming up for the game than I probably used to do in a whole season, and even so my hamstrings, calf muscles, and back left heel are begging for mercy. I really should focus on age appropriate hobbies like gardening, lawn bowling, and crossword puzzles.

ADRIANNA BUYS A CONDO!

Adrianna is such a valuable member of the Klassen Real Estate Group, and has had a lot of success in her first few years in real estate. She’s a hard worker and a good saver, and when the opportunity came up for her to buy her first condo. She jumped  on it! Cindy and I are thrilled that Adrianna will be living in Murrayville, close to our house. But if we’re truthful, and as much as we love Adrianna, we’ve become very attached to her dog Princess Leia and are glad that we’ll be able to watch the dog when Adrianna is either at work or out with friends. Cindy has made it clear that Princess is welcome any time.

NALDO RUNS TRACK

Most of the Klassen kids have run track at some point, and now Naldo is getting into it. A few of the kids hold school records in various age group categories, and we even have a High School Provincial Gold Medal in the house. But Naldo is telling anyone who will listen about how fast he is and that he’s going to beat everyone in the family. I admire his confidence, and look forward to the work ethic and dedication he’ll employ in order to reach his goals. Naldo has competed in a few school meets this season and we’ll see how things progress.

February 2025 Edition

It’s been an eventful past few months with lots going on with the family, the “K-Team”.

Best of Christmas Memories

Christmas 2024 was preceded by a family trip to Cancun with me, Cindy, Adrianna, Mireya, Nicole, Andy, and Naldo. The white sand was amazing, and we quite liked our resort. The kids complained a bit that their mom was spending too much time playing beach volleyball and not enough time spoiling them. Well kids, mom still loves  volleyball, and the trip really was for her. We took a fun catamaran trip it Isla Mujeres where we rented golf carts as our mode of transportation to explore the island. 

Back home in time for Christmas, the kids revolted a bit about Cindy’s decision to go for simplicity and put up an artificial tree for the first time! Since the kids never really did help with watering the live tree or cleaning up needles, we didn’t really listen to them.

Some of my favourite Christmas family memories:

• Christmas Eve service at Church                                                                                                                                                                           • Christmas morning gift opening                                                                                                                                                                            • Lots of chocolate                                                                                                                                                                                                   • Great food and great company                                                                                                                                                                             • Relaxation and down time

Naldo Skis

Other than Cindy, everyone in our family skis. However, up until a few months ago, Naldo had never skied, mostly because ski hills in the Philippines are non-existent. So, Andy, the big brother and self-proclaimed “ski expert” and I decided to take Naldo to Cypress Mountain, skip the formal ski lessons, and push him down the hill to see what would happen. The first run down the bunny hill was pretty slow, and Andy had a few chuckles watching Naldo fight physics. But the next few runs were better and before you knew it, Naldo was ready for a full green run. By the end of the night ski session Naldo was doing great and was talking the talk about trying a black diamond run some day. I had to settle the young lad down and tell him, like I’ve preached to every other kid, to work on form first and then speed. However, out of 7 kids, a grand total of 0 have taken this advice…

Canucks Game With Jude

Years ago, I had seasons tickets to the Canucks and enjoyed taking the kids to the  games. One of my most memorable Canucks games ever was when Jude and I watched the Canucks be the Dallas Stars in the 4th overtime period during the 2007 playoff run. Finally ending at 12:32 am, the game went very late, so late that a bit earlier, a young Jude was heard to say he didn’t even care who won, he just wanted to go to bed 😊  Fast forward to last month when it was Jude’s turn to take me to a game. It was a great father-son outing with Jude suppling some great tickets to a Saturday “Hockey Night In Canada” game versus the Edmonton Oilers. The best part of the Canucks winning the game was how disappointed the Oilers fans sitting on either side of us were. I loved it! Go Canucks!

DECEMBER 2024 Edition

The real estate market has been quite “interesting” this year. Active inventory of listings has increased in 2024, while overall sales in our local real estate board have declined compared to 2023. However, with recent interest rate cuts and further reductions anticipated, buyers are closely monitoring the market.

As always, it’s crucial to seek solid, expert advice when considering your real estate options. Our team is here for you and anyone in your circle who has real estate questions. We’re dedicated to helping and guiding you!

The Klassen Update

Jude and Adrianna, who are both part of the Team, will be including their own submissions to this newsletter, so I’ll let them write about themselves.

Cindy: Cindy has been busy this past year keeping the Klassen family running. With 4 kids still at home, and an additional 2 kids in our suite, there is never a dull moment. Cindy’s favourite part of the year, other than Christmas, is our annual family trip to Osoyoos when finally there is a chance to relax, enjoy the beach and sun, and not have such a regimented routine. Cindy still enjoys running, beating me at badminton, singing at church, and watching her Korean drama shows on Netfilx.

Jared: Jared is working towards his accounting designation through online courses while he continues to work as a lawn irrigation systems coordinator for the company he started working summers with while he was at TWU. Jared still enjoys getting better at guitar and has really improved as a goaltender for his hockey team with the help of my unsolicited tips and advice!

Mireya: Mireya is in her final year at TWU and has been doing some practicums in her education studies. She worked this summer in food service at Redwoods Golf Course and even drove the “beverage cart”! Unfortunately, her car was the victim of a hit and run while parked at work. Mireya enjoyed her summer travel trips to Osoyoos and Vancouver Island.

Nicole: Back in April, Nicole finished up her 6 month program at Capernwray in Germany with many travel opportunities. It was a great experience for her, and she made some great friends. A bunch of her friends, many from other countries, have been to our house a few times, and Nicole recently travelled to Texas to visit one of her Capenrwray friends. Nicole is working at the Red Velvet Café in Langley City and plans to attend BCIT in the fall of next year to learn marketing.

Andy: Andy is in grade 11 at Langley Christian School (LCS) and is enjoying soccer once again. In the summer, Andy spent a lot of time on his scooter. He’s learned some cool tricks but decided to not follow my advice on how to perform a certain trick after I face planted during poor execution and broke my glasses. Andy also likes to annoy all of us at home by claiming to be an Edmonton Oilers fan and not a Canucks fan! As a dad, this is my worst nightmare!

Naldo: Naldo just turned 14 and is in grade 8 at LCS. Since joining our family just over 1 year ago, Naldo is settling in well, and is really involved in any sport he can. Naldo will play basketball again this year, is in his first year of soccer with Langley United, and back in spring he ran track for his school. With both Andy and Naldo in soccer, it keeps both me and Cindy hustling as we get the boys to games and practices.

So there you have it. A busy but very blessed life. Cindy and I really believe children are a blessing from the Lord, and I’d have to say my quiver is full!