Real Estate News & Articles

Claims on 'betterment' damage divide insurers

2010-05-16

Tony Gioventu Province Dear Condo Smarts: How are the following terms defined? A) " fixtures " in a strata lot and B) "fixtures built or installed by the owner developer as part of the original construction"? We are a newer strata (five yea…

B.C. houses on the move

2010-05-16

Province Home sales in B.C. rose 21 per cent to 8,385 units in April from the same month a year earlier, the B.C. Real Estate Association said. But, on a seasonally adjusted basis, provincial sales fell four per cent between March and April…

Olympic legacy goes up for sale

2010-05-16

Thousands view athletes’ condos after key to village is passed to city LENA SIN Province Thousands of potential buyers and those just curious gather for the official opening of the Olympic Village to the public, as the condos in the c…

Nokia brings music to a hearing aid

2010-05-15

Gillian Shaw Sun The LPS-5 PEN E-PL1 portable camera Cerulean wireless stereo Bluetooth transmitter and receiver The iRig 1 The LPS-5 lets people connect a Bluetooth-enabled phone or music player to a hearing aid. The loopset fits around yo…

Why I lined up to tour Vancouver's first laneway home

2010-05-15

McGill Street addition a demonstration of how to accommodate population growth and preserve neighbourhood character Bob Ransford Sun After the lineup, visitors to the home toured an interior that suggests modest - as in modest addition to a…

Millennium Water's Olympic Village campaign launched by Bob Rennie

2010-05-15

Barbara Gunn Sun A singular address doesn't end at the front door. It continues in the front hall, as in the Millennium Water home decorated by Mitchell Freedland. 'You can picture the CEO of a company living here and entertaining and showi…

The Villas at Crown Mansion 292 Crescent Road East, Qualicum Beach

2010-05-15

Apartments are attached to restored mansion that has been converted to a hotel on the water Shirley Culpin Sun Men and women of means, and the royalty of Hollywood and Southeast Asia, were among the earlier visitors to the Crown Mansion pro…

B.C. home prices to remain flat for 2010: economist

2010-05-15

Derrick Penner Sun Expect British Columbia's property prices to remain flat for the balance of the year, which will be good news for buyers again being squeezed by the province's sky-high values, according to the B.C. Real Estate Associatio…

Buntzen Lake faces summer closure as BC Hydro replaces turbine

2010-05-15

Doug Ward Sun Lisa Sherman (right) and friends enjoy the sun at Buntzen Lake on Friday. Rising water levels at the summertime hangout due to a BC Hydro construction project may cause the lake to be closed to the public until November. Photo…

German carmaker BMW experiments with avant-garde 'auto-art'

2010-05-14

Sun Blending their creative and technological expertise, the German carmaker BMW and the Danish textile manufacturer Kvadrat and Flos collaborated to create a unique sculpture called “ The Dwelling Lab”. German carmaker BMW and …

Buyers look to take charge in recreational property market

2010-05-14

The wild card in 2010 will be the introduction of the HST Derrick Penner Sun With spring offering the promise of sunshine and thoughts of summer cottages, the performance of British Columbia's recreational real estate market will depend on …

Owners of leaky condos face 'double whammy'

2010-05-14

Repair bills will include HST while PST rebate disappears Doug Ward Sun Trudy Lancelyn is strata council president at a Burnaby highrise undergoing repairs for leaks. The residents in the building are about to get hit with an unforeseen tax…

Hart wrestling family mansion for sale for $5M - including historic 'dungeon'

2010-05-14

Dungeon still intact after renovation Mario Toneguzzi, Calgary Herald Sun Bret Hart (front) with Rooney Cronin Valentine associates from left to right, Donna Rooney, Warren Cronin, Gary Cronin and Sue Anne Valentine, outside the Hart House …

Home foreclosure rate posts first annual decline in five years

2010-05-13

Stephanie Armour USA Today A sign advertising an auction is posted in front of a foreclosed home in Oakland, California. By Justin Sullivan, Getty Images Foreclosure filings dropped 2% in April from a year ago, the first annual decrease in …

Milano modern Giovane Cafe is a fine destination for coffee and a treat

2010-05-13

Chic sweets and savory Italian Mia Stainsby Sun Giovane at the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel boasts an array of both sweet and savoury items, from doughnuts, scones and cakes, to pizza, paninis and salads. Photograph by: Bill Keay, PNG, Vancou…

Vancouver prices drive up home index

2010-05-13

Financial Post Province Prices for new homes in Canada rose 0.3 per cent in March, following a 0.1-per-cent increase in February and extending gains that began in July 2009, Statistics Canada reported. StatsCan said its new-house price inde…

60 Minutes Story On Walking Away From Underwater Houses

2010-05-13

Dan Nunley Other The increasing phenomenon of homeowners who can afford to make their mortgage payments but instead are walking away from their house because it has depreciated in value to the point where they owe far more than the house is…

Home prices could sink without tax credit

2010-05-12

Stephanie Armour USA Today Real estate signs are posted in front of housing development in Larkspur, Calif., in May. By Justin Sullivan, Getty Images Home prices are widely expected to fall now that a tax credit for home buyers has expired.…

In-ear headphones offer a serious listening experience

2010-05-12

Gillian Shaw Sun PowerDuo for iPad, Griffin, $40 US: Available for pre-order now, the PowerDuo combines Griffin's PowerBlock and Power Jolt for the iPad in a bundled package. Photograph by: Handout, Vancouver Sun 1. JH|10X3 PRO in-ear audio…

Median home prices up in 60% of cities in 1Q

2010-05-11

USA Today A sold sign is posted outside a home recently listed for sale, in Mariemont, Ohio. By Al Behrman, AP WASHINGTON (AP) — Home prices rose in nearly 60% of U.S. cities in the first quarter of this year, the National Association…

Vander Zalm takes advantage of Campbell's terrible ratings

2010-05-11

Vaughn Palmer Sun One year after Premier Gordon Campbell won a third term by promising to make the economy the No. 1 priority, he can point to some encouraging news on that front. "B. C. and Ontario will lead all other provinces in economic…

Criminals find a gold mine in stolen debit card numbers

2010-05-11

Unlike other gangs, the thieves who want to rip off your debit card information prefer to keep a low profile. Matthew Claxton, Langley Advance Sun Fighting gangs: The Langley Advance continues its look at gangs and the effect they have on t…

Housing market forges ahead amid mortgage concerns

2010-05-11

Garry Marr Province A new report from the country's mortgage brokers suggests up to 375,000 Canadians with home loans are "challenged" by current rates and that figure would more than double if interest rates climb to 5.25 per cent. The rep…

Computing in the clouds

2010-05-10

Eric Taub Other