Real Estate News & Articles

Assessment values for B.C. condos and townhomes rise in double-digit percentages

2017-01-04

Some condo, townhome assessments leap by double digits Joanne Lee-Young The Province Last month, B.C. Assessment warned owners of “typical” condos and townhomes that their latest assessed property values would increase in the ra…

Supply to continue hounding the national market this year

2017-01-04

Ephraim Vecina Canadian Real Estate Wealth While price increases and sales numbers will continue to command much attention in 2017, industry professionals and analysts agreed that the mismatch between existing supply and growing demand will…

Loonie weakness could stimulate home price growth this year

2017-01-04

Ephraim Vecina REP   The sustained weakness of the loonie-greenback exchange rate might prove most helpful for the Canadian housing sector in 2017, according to an analyst.   Vestcap Investment Management senior portfolio manager …

The Sky Guys Announces $1.2 Million Private Placement

2017-01-04

other The Sky Guys Ltd., Canada's leader in drone and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) enabled services, announce today that the company is undertaking a non-brokered private placement of up to $1,200,000 through the issuance of up to 4,000,00…

New buyers to wrestle with harsher mortgage prospects in 2017

2017-01-04

Ephraim Vecina Mortgage Broker News If 2016 was the year that made it harder for hopeful home owners who were looking to secure mortgages for their purchases, an industry veteran warned that things are about to get even more difficult for f…

Canadian housing prices saw the sharpest rise in 10 years

2017-01-04

Ephraim Vecina Mortgage Broker News Amid crucial political developments worldwide and the passage of federal measures intended to improve affordability, 2016 has proven to be a year of flux for the Canadian housing sector, as was most stark…

More home buyers getting help from parents, notaries say

2017-01-04

'Bank of mom and dad' GLEN SCHAEFER The Vancouver Sun More B.C. first-time home buyers got financial assistance from their parents in 2016 than in previous years, according to an informal poll of the province’s notaries public. The no…

Property assessment increases soar past 40 per cent mark

2017-01-03

Housing advocate worries about Home Owner Grant eligibility John Kurucz Vancouver Courier A pair of single-family homes in Vancouver have higher assessed values than a pristine, 780-acre island off of Victoria.   That’s just one …

Real Estate Industry Girds For New Rules

2017-01-03

Concern federal policy changes will stifle housing market GARRY MARR The Vancouver Sun The head of the Canadian Home Builders’ Association doesn’t come out and say it, but he seems a little concerned that government might be try…

Panasonic skips the beats in its turntable revival

2017-01-03

Silent on hip-hop legacy as it targets audiophiles with latest SL-1200s JONATHAN SOBLE The Vancouver Sun In the sofa-appointed listening room of a factory north of Tokyo, hi-fi fans can listen to vintage vinyl records on a sound system cost…

Homeowners brace as B.C. Assessment 2017 valuations go online

2017-01-03

LARRY PYNN The Province B.C. Assessment property valuations for 2017 are now available online. And while the red-hot Metro Vancouver real estate market has cooled in recent months, a random survey of homes currently for sale in the region s…

Clark's $703 million could build homes, communities

2017-01-03

The Province If Premier Christy Clark’s government believes that investing $703 million over the next three years is somehow going to benefit 42,000 households become homeowners, and in turn help grow the B.C. economy, I have to wonde…

6 Killer Mistakes You Can't Afford to Make When Buying in the Winter

2017-01-02

Jamie Wiebe other   Winter is supposed to be a buyer’s market, right? Fewer buyers =  way less competition. After all, you have no problem trekking through the snow to find the perfect home. Let the others wai…

Vancouver's housing crisis has been four decades in the making

2016-12-31

A look at how the real estate market got here, and where we should take it Douglas Todd The Vancouver Sun Metro Vancouver residents have struggled with housing crises since the 1970s. Four decades ago, even when the gap between local wages …

Home thoughts for the new year

2016-12-31

Michael Geller The Vancouver Sun As Samuel Goldwyn once said, it is not wise to make forecasts, especially about the future. Nonetheless, I am delighted to review my past Vancouver Sun housing forecasts and offer a few more as we enter…

B.C. homebuyer loan may have zero impact

2016-12-29

Program may not change how much capital buyers can access, experts say DAN FUMANO The Vancouver Sun Both the praise and condemnation heaped upon the B.C. government’s homebuyer assistance program this month have been misguided, some B…

Premier Clark goes on the offensive with home-loan ad blitz

2016-12-29

Mike Smyth The Province The B.C. government launches an ad campaign in support of its first-time homebuyers loan program. Would the NDP scrap the program if they win the May election? You can’t turn on a TV set these days without gett…

Volkswagen?s financial arm buys Vancouver startup PayByPhone in scramble for technology

2016-12-29

PayByPhone app to help automaker compete with the likes of Uber ARMINA LIGAYA The Vancouver Sun Vancouver-based mobile parking payment company PayByPhone has been acquired by Volkswagen AG’s financial services arm as the German auto g…

First half of 2016 commercial real estate sales eclipses all of 2015 in Metro Vancouver

2016-12-28

Commercial sales reach new record this year Evan Duggan The Vancouver Sun A small number of big office deals pushed Metro Vancouver’s commercial real estate sales figures to a new record in 2016, with the first-half numbers surpa…

If you own apartments, get out while you still can

2016-12-28

Opinion: Industry expert says sell, sell, sell Larry Jacobson The Province Over my lengthy 45-year career as a financial advisor, I have been a strong advocate of owning apartment buildings. But now, as much as it pains me, I am recommendin…

15 Real Estate Resources That Will Help You Sell More Homes in 2017

2016-12-28

other As we approach the final few weeks of 2016, many real estate agents and business owners are spending time coordinating last-minute closings, sending out holiday cards and gifts to past clients, and maybe even squeezing in one or two m…

BC Home Owner Mortgage & Equity Partnership Program

2016-12-27

other As discussed a month ago, Christy Clark has just announced the details regarding a home owners down payment matching program coming January 2017 to help our first time buyers. We are pumped as the government anticipates this will help…

Asbestos - has been used in BC since 1900's was banned in early 1990's to insulate homes

2016-12-26

Product was a known killer, but low cost made it irresistible Owen Munro The Province Asbestos seemed like a miracle product: It was fire-resistant, an excellent insulator and dirt cheap. Canada’s infrastructure relied heavily on asbe…

Ottawa eyes new drone rules

2016-12-26

LARRY PYNN The Province Transport Canada launched a record 118 investigations into the illegal use of drones this year across the country, including 18 in B.C. The federal department also issued a record 16 fines for drone-related violation…