Real Estate News & Articles

B.C. building permit values soar to new high

2010-07-07

Metro Vancouver recorded a 78-per-cent increase over last year, but fears of a fallback remain Brian Morton Sun B.C. has recorded one of the country's largest increases in the value of building permits over the past year, according to a Sta…

'The Garage' rolls out a new name

2010-07-07

GM Place now called Rogers Arena after Canucks strike sponsorship deal with Toronto-based telecommunications giant Brad Ziemer, with a file from Fiona Anderson Sun A worker begins the job of taking down the old signs at the home of the Vanc…

Metro Vancouver home prices to ease: Royal LePage

2010-07-07

Derrick Penner Sun A rise in inventory in Metro Vancouver should see prices come off highs, Royal LePage says. Photograph by: Reuters files METRO VANCOUVER - Expect a slowing of property sales in an environment with more inventory over the …

GM Place becomes Rogers Arena

2010-07-07

Telecom giant seals naming rights to downtown stadium for undisclosed fee Andy Ivens Province It’s all change at GM Place as the letters spelling out the arena’s former name are removed Tuesday. Canucks owner Francesco Aquilini …

B.C. bucks downward building-permits trend

2010-07-07

Province The value of building permits fell by a much-larger-than expected 10.8 per cent in May from April, slipping to $6 billion, Statistics Canada reported Tuesday. Analysts polled by Bloomberg had called for a two-per-cent month-over-mo…

Metro housing market holds steady in June, survey reports

2010-07-06

Vancouver sales down, Fraser Valley sales up Brian Morton Sun Metro Vancouver's housing market experienced steady activity in June despite sales that were 30 per cent lower than the same time last year, according to the Real Estate Board of…

First-time buyers in B.C. more likely to buy a condo than a house

2010-07-06

And they do their financial homework Fiona Anderson Sun First-time homebuyers in British Columbia are opting for condominiums, not houses, unlike their counterparts in much of the rest of the country, according to a report by TD Canada Trus…

Metro Vancouver housing market steady: real estate board survey

2010-07-05

BRIAN MORTON Sun According to data released Monday, residential sales in Metro Vancouver totalled 2,972 in June, a decline of 30.2 per cent compared to the 4,259 sales in June 2009, the highest selling June on record. Photograph by: Glenn B…

HIGHLAND VISTAS, PHASE 2

2010-07-04

Nestled against the mountains, the homes come in three styles Province The show home at Highland Vistas, a new-home development by Epic Homes. The second phase is comprised of 45 single-family residences. Photograph by: Wayne Leidenfrost, P…

What's seen as a nuisance in a strata?

2010-07-04

We all agree late-night parties are a pain, but consensus can be an issue with other concerns Tony Gioventu Province Dear Condo Smarts: Our strata corporation is constantly dealing with complaints about noise, smoking, barbecue smoke and od…

Vancouver hotels' 'green' program takes toll on housekeeping staff

2010-07-04

When guests skip on daily service or clean towels, staff get fewer shifts and work harder Cheryl Chan Province The Bayshore hotel in Vancouver has a 'green' initiative that invites guests to go without daily housekeeping in return for vouch…

Why a good contract may not be the right contract

2010-07-03

As objections to the standard property-management agreement demonstrate, fair is an eye-of-the-beholder conclusion Suzanne Morphet Sun Recently I wrote about StrataWatch , a website that monitors companies which manage strata properties. Th…

First-time purchasers pursued at Quattro 3 in Whalley

2010-07-03

Proximity to Simon Fraser's Surrey campus, affordable entry-level suites all part of the developer's plan to attract young buyers Mary Frances Hill Sun In the Quattro kitchens, marble will top counters and porcelain tile the floors. Ceramic…

Cactus Club wins bid to open at Vancouver's new convention centre

2010-07-02

High-profile 500-seat location to feature two patios with 'spectacular views' Mia Stainsby Sun Cactus Club president Richard Jaffray promises a 'unique nemu.' To Richard Jaffray , being a restaurateur is a lot like big-wave surfing. And the…

May pending home sales drop even with low mortgage rates

2010-07-01

Stephanie Armour USA Today A real estate sign at an Idaho development. By Troy Maben, AP file The number of buyers who signed contracts to purchase homes tumbled 30% in May, as low mortgage rates do little to motivate home buyers. The Natio…

Home prices keep rising, but contractions lie ahead

2010-07-01

Province Home prices in some of Canada's biggest cities rose 0.8 per cent in April, according to the latest Teranet -National Bank house-price index released Wednesday. That followed a 0.3-per-cent rise for March, and marked the 12th-straig…

Internet is the top medium for consumers

2010-06-30

Canadians spend 16.6 hours a week online, compared to 12 hours watching TV Gillian Shaw Sun The Internet is king in Canada, where consumers say it is twice as important to them as any other medium. That's among the findings of the Fleishman…

Home price index rises 0.8% in April from March

2010-06-29

USA Today NEW YORK (AP) — A key home price index in April rose for the first time in seven months as government tax credits bolstered the housing market. But the rebound may be short-lived now that the incentives have expired. The Sta…

Businesses urged to be ready, because new tax can be complicated

2010-06-29

Fiona Anderson Sun Some go up; some go down. And some taxes won't change at all. Check out this clickable chart to find out if the tax on the goods and services you buy most often are changing. Photograph by: Screengrab, Tableau on vancouve…

Stay safe online

2010-06-28

Take a minute to think about how much of your life relies on the Internet. Sun Think about school (enrolling in classes, paying tuition), work (sending/receiving e-mails, making payments), transportation (booking flights, requesting quotes …

The rise of cloud computing

2010-06-28

Question: What is Cloud Computing? Answer: It's the methodology of processing something over many machines spread across a network. Boyan Tsolov Sun STOP, STOP, BLOCK, TELL. Cloud Computing is the methodology of processing something over ma…

Protecting yourself against the web

2010-06-28

Cassandra Alexopoulos Sun HELP KIDS BE SAFE - Question: When you're shopping online for the perfect Father's Day gift, is your credit card information safe? When you're accepting a friend invitation on Facebook from a person you've never he…

How to talk to your kids about internet safety

2010-06-28

Cassandra Alexopoulos Sun We've come a long way since 60s' parenting scare tactic " It's 10:00 pm. Do you know where your children are?" The reality is that you're probably quite trusting of your children if they have their own computer wit…

Phishing, pharming and bots

2010-06-28

Sun MALWARE "Lions and tigers and bears--oh my!" Dorothy and her companions chant to ward off their fears in The Wizard of Oz. Internet users might try, "Trojans and rootkits and bots!" Dorothy's fears were mostly imaginary, but the threats…