Real Estate News & Articles

Real estate bodies react to BC budget

2018-02-21

Steve Randall Canadian Real Estate Wealth The British Columbia government announced its 2018 budget Tuesday but real estate bodies are not impressed with some of its measures. While the budget sets out schemes to make certain aspects of lif…

Re/Max launches home value estimate tool for B.C. properties

2018-02-21

Remax.ca gives home value estimates for BC homes REM Re/Max of Western Canada, in partnership with Landcor Data Corporation, has launched a web tool that allows remax.ca visitors to look up estimated values of homes thro…

Government Needs Transitional Rules for All Transactions Impacted By Taxes Introduced in Budget 2018

2018-02-20

BCREA The British Columbia Real Estate Association (BCREA) calls on the government to introduce transitional rules for all transactions impacted by the new tax measures introduced in Budget 2018. The new tax measures come into effect on Feb…

Government Announces Immediate Changes to Property Transfer Tax

2018-02-20

other Budget 2018 announced changes to Property Transfer Tax that come into effect on February 21, 2018 , including: Property transfer tax rate on the value of residential properties above $3 million increased. Additional property transfer …

Hillcrest at Sullivan Ridge 29 single family homes of five to six bedrooms by Marathon Homes

2018-02-17

Living large at Hillcrest at Sullivan Ridge Simon Briault The Vancouver Sun Hillcrest at Sullivan Ridge Project location: 6119 146 Street, Surrey Project size: 29 single-family homes with five or six bedrooms, ranging in size from 3,119 to …

Atira signs agreement with the Sahotas to take over operations at crumbling Regent Hotel

2018-02-16

Nonprofit Atira Women?s Resource Society to manage Regent Hotel The Georgia Straight Impoverished residents living in one of the worst hotels in Vancouver will soon see conditions there improve. On February 13, Atira Development Society, a …

Sharp fall for Canadian home sales says CREA

2018-02-16

Steve Randall REP The number of homes sold nationwide in January was down sharply from the previous month. New figures from the Canadian Real Estate Association show a 14.5% decline month-over-month (39,609) from December’s record hig…

Retroactive fees wrong way to pay the bills

2018-02-15

Purchaser shouldn?t have to pay retroactive fees Tony Gioventu The Province Dear Tony; We just purchased a condo in Langley and within a week of becoming owners, we were sent an invoice from our property manager that we owed back strata fee…

Bristol Heights by Polygon Bristol Heights homes 195 townhomes at 30930 Westridge Place Abbotsford

2018-02-15

Bristol Heights' display spaces designed with the buyer in mind Mary Frances Hill The Province If the display spaces at the Bristol Heights new-home community in Abbotsford proves anything about Polygon’s design team, it’s the p…

City passes Northeast False Creek plan

2018-02-15

Approved 20-year proposal will create neighbourhood for 10,000-12,000 residents John Mackie The Province The northeast corner of False Creek has long been something of a no man’s land. Pre-Expo 86 it was largely industrial; post-Expo …

Existing home sales slump in January as B20 rules bite

2018-02-15

Canadian Existing Home Sales (January 2018) Michael Dolega other Canadian existing home sales slumped 14.5% m/m in January, ending a five month streak of increases and erasing all the gains seen during this time.  Only five of the twen…

Hensley 430 Westview Street Coquitlam 264 units in a 35 storey tower by Cressey Development

2018-02-10

Panoramic views, amenities aplenty big pluses to new West Coquitlam community Kathleen Freimond The Vancouver Sun Project: Hensley Project address: 430 Westview Street Project city: Coquitlam Developer: Cressey Development Group Architect: …

IMPORTANT UPDATE ON SUPERINTENDENT'S RULE CHANGES

2018-02-10

BC Government other In November 2017, the Superintendent of Real Estate approved new rules to come into force on March 15, 2018. The new rules focus on two major areas: prohibiting the practice of dual agency, except in remote and under-ser…

Housing starts stable as 2018 began

2018-02-09

Steve Randall Canadian Real Estate Wealth There was little change in housing starts in January with the 6-month trend at 224,865 compared to 226,346 in December. "The national trend in housing starts held steady for a third consecutive mont…

CMHC says policy should tackle supply not demand

2018-02-08

Steve Randall Canadian Real Estate Wealth The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation has published a new report on housing affordability in Canada’s biggest cities but admits it doesn’t have all the answers. The agency found th…

Even the simplest easements can have long-term consequences

2018-02-08

Easement deals require shrewd negotiating Tony Gioventu The Province Dear Tony: Our strata council presented a series of agreements to our owners at recent annual general meeting that raised a number of serious questions. Our manager had br…

Semiah a 14 storey midrise at 1439 Grorge Street White Rock by Marcon

2018-02-08

Semiah takes design inspiration from its White Rock location Mary Frances Hill The Province Semiah What:  14-storey mid-rise residential tower in White Rock Town Centre, with 88 residences Where:  1439 George Street, White Ro…

B.C. government announces tax agreement with Airbnb

2018-02-08

Airbnb deal with B.C. Canada?s first Matt Robinson The Province Airbnb will collect provincial sales taxes on all short-term rentals in B.C. in a new agreement that amounts to a Canadian first. Finance Minister Carole James said Wednesday h…

Five things about the CMHC report: Lots of bidding wars for condos, big price hikes

2018-02-08

Half of homebuyers got in bidding war Susan Lazaruk The Province   It’s what CMHC is calling the “most thorough examination of house price patterns” ever done of the housing market in the country’s five largest …

Realtor alleges 'blatantly unethical' practice in New Coast Realty lawsuit

2018-02-06

New Coast Realty 'vehemently' denies allegations in $435K civil claim from Wendy Yang Jason Proctor other A Richmond real estate agent claims she is owed more than $435,000 in lost commissions by a realty firm at the heart of a controversy …

Open houses will never be the same

2018-02-05

Virtual reality home viewing will be the norm Neil Sharma REP Technology has become a great disruptor in too many industries to count, and the argument can certainly be made that real estate is perhaps the most susceptible. The reason, says…

Hillside East 4880 - 4890 Lougheed Highway Burnaby two towers of 55 and 45 storeys with 900 units total by Concord Brentwood

2018-02-03

Balconies at Concord Brentwood?s Hillside East will significantly enhance residences? living space MICHAEL BERNARD The Vancouver Sun An artist?s rendering depicts a courtyard area at Hillside East, the second phase of the 26-acre Concord Br…

Most buyers won't delay despite rate rises

2018-02-02

Steve Randall Canadian Real Estate Wealth The recent increases in interest rates appears not to have dampened the intentions of most Canadian home buyers. Just 1 in 4 surveyed for CMHC’s 2018 Prospective Home Buyer Survey said that an…

Why sold data matters

2018-02-02

Neil Sharma REP Although the courts ruled against the Toronto Real Estate Board in its years-long litigation against the federal Competition Bureau, the former is appealing the case, once again relegating sold data to purgatory. But, by pro…