Real Estate News & Articles

Metro Vancouver new home prices rise for first time since April 2008

2009-07-11

Financial Post Sun New homes prices rose in Metro Vancouver in May, the first time the region has registered an increase since April 2008, Statistics Canada announced Friday. The prices Metro-area contractors get for their units rose just 0…

Terminus at 36 Water Street - A 'real living space' in Gastown

2009-07-11

Retailer and interior designer turn a newly constructed loft into a Terminus sales-generator Mike Sasges Sun ARCHITECTURAL PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARTIN TESSLER ARCHITECTURAL PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARTIN TESSLER ARCHITECTURAL PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARTIN TESSLER…

The developer of this cabin project in Parksville is 'ecstatic with how we've survived the downturn'

2009-07-11

There's a recession? Nobody told us Douglas Cowell Sun The Oceanside Village Resort cabins will eventually number 140 cabins, either-two bedroom or one-bedroom-and-loft and in five-floor plans. Parksville is a base for some great day trippi…

Heat returns to housing sector

2009-07-10

CMHC notes multiple-unit starts take all credit for increase in B.C. Province The rise in housing starts is not from single-family units, but from multiple units, says CMHC. Photograph by: Ric Ernst file, The Province Home building in urban…

B.C. housing starts jump 25 per cent in June

2009-07-10

Starts in urban areas of the province reached 12,000 last month, compared to 9,600 in May Fiona Anderson Sun Housing starts in British Columbia jumped 25 per cent in June after reaching near record lows in May, a sign the worst may be over.…

More people can afford to buy B.C. houses

2009-07-09

Vancouver costs drop but stay well ahead of the rest of the country Province Housing affordability in B.C. over the past year has improved the most since 1991, RBC Economics says. The percentage of income required for various housing types …

Angus An's Maenam reinvents Thai

2009-07-09

Change of pace for former Gastropod chef/owner provides a dance of flavours Mia Stainsby Sun Customers gather at the bar at Maenam restaurant, the most sophisticated Thai restaurant in the city. MAENAM Overall: 3 1/2 Food: 3 1/2 Ambience: 3…

Housing in B.C. becoming more affordable: RBC

2009-07-09

But prices here are still well above the national average, according to a new report Fiona Anderson Sun Diane Wild decided the time is right to buy a unit in this condominium complex in Vancouver because prices have come down from their rec…

Google to take on Microsoft by launching own operating system

2009-07-09

Gillian Shaw Sun It could be a clash of the titans. Google, a dominant force in the web world with a long-term vision of converting software users to applications delivered online, announced Wednesday it is launching its own computer operat…

Building boom won't last

2009-07-08

Economists dampen hopes of sustained revival Province The value of building permits issued in B.C. jumped 26.4 per cent between April and May, driven by a 69.8-per-cent increase in the non-residential sector, Statistics Canada says. In the …

House prices forecast to creep up in '09

2009-07-08

Province Vancouver house prices have hit bottom and should eke out a tiny increase by the end of the year, Royal LePage Real Estate Services says. Vancouver area house prices, which have averaged $558,893 for the year so far, should crawl a…

Regional resale prices begin to edge upward

2009-07-08

Fiona Anderson Sun Resale home prices in the Vancouver area inched higher in the second quarter and are likely to continue going up, but they still remain well below what they were a year ago, according to Royal LePage's quarterly house-pri…

Regional building permits up by 36% in May

2009-07-08

'Encouraging signs' that construction sector is bouncing back from the bottom, says industry spokesman Becky Rynor Sun The value of building permits issued in southwestern British Columbia soared by more than 36 per cent in May, helping to …

Google takes on Microsoft, sets plans for own operating system

2009-07-08

Jefferson Graham and Byron Acohido USA Today A Google worker rides a bike by a sign at the company's Mountain View, Calif., offices in 2007. By Justin Sullivan, Getty Images file Challenging Microsoft 's grip on PCs, Internet search giant G…

June 2009 Sales Stats from the real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver

2009-07-05

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Housing sales up as prices drop

2009-07-05

Province Lower prices are triggering more real-estate sales in some B.C. communities. The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver reports that June 2009 saw 75 per cent more sales overall compared with last June. A key driver of sales is dro…

Selling presale contract may not be the end

2009-07-05

Tony Gioventu Province Dear Condo Smarts: A word of warning for anyone who is considering or has entered into a presales agreement. In 2005, I was doing business in Vancouver and fell in love with a proposed development on the waterfront. I…

Selling presale contract may not be the end

2009-07-05

Tony Gioventu Province Dear Condo Smarts: A word of warning for anyone who is considering or has entered into a presales agreement. In 2005, I was doing business in Vancouver and fell in love with a proposed development on the waterfront. I…

Cashing in on energy efficiency

2009-07-05

savings: Couple will foot only $1,930 of $4,400 bill for new furnace thanks to ecoEnergy Retrofit program and other incentives Randy Ray Province Thanks to a new high-efficiency furnace, Dave Malcolm and his wife will save about $700 a year…

Good grading key to staying dry

2009-07-05

WATCH THE SLOPE: Make sure water flows away from foundation MIKE HOLMES Province The simplest thing you can do to keep water out of your basement is to control it at the surface. Surface water, like rain or melting snow, or water from irrig…

June housing sales near record high

2009-07-04

Sliding prices mixed with low interest rates offset impact of sluggish economy Derrick Penner Sun Lower Mainland real estate markets saw big gains in June sales, with the Metro Vancouver real estate board posting its second busiest and the …

Paying cash for renovation increases risk

2009-07-04

'You have no comeback if they wreck your house' Garry Marr Sun I don't get why people pay cash for renovations. I understand cash means no paperwork, therefore no GST and likely no income to be reported by the contractor, which translates i…

Get the skinny on the newest tablet PC

2009-07-04

Gillian Shaw Sun Archos 9 PC Tablet, Archos Grace Aqua Sounders Floating Speaker System Archos 9 PC Tablet, Archos , price not announced Look for this new tablet PC to start shipping after school starts this fall. A skinny minnie at a mere …

Vancouver Island real estate sales rebound above June 2008 levels

2009-07-03

Derrick Penner Sun Real estate sales on Vancouver Island in June bounced back from the lower levels of 2008, although prices remain below those achieved a year ago, the Vancouver Island Real Estate Board reported Thursday. Island communitie…