Real Estate News & Articles

Cisco's Flip Ultra and Ultra HD a snap to power up

2009-06-06

Gillian Shaw Sun Flip UltraHD Flip MiniHD FLIP ULTRA Pure Digital Technologies (now part of Cisco Consumer Business Group) from $180 for SD, $250 for Flip UltraHD Cisco has locked onto a winner with its recent acquisition of Pure Digital Te…

Web identities all about brand image

2009-06-06

Companies need to develop online behaviour policies that are 'future-proof' Derek Sankey Sun Rod Miller, regional vice-president of Robert Half Canada Inc., says social networking sites are proliferating rapidly. Photograph by: Ted Jacob, C…

500 Blk Robson Street "s'il vous plait" restaurant coming to an end of an era

2009-06-06

The last stand of old Robson John Mackie Sun Vancouver Sun / The S'il Vous Plait diner was one of seven small, independent retailers in the old commercial building on the south side of the 500-block of Robson Street. Photograph by: Jenelle …

Subleasing office space can be a bargain

2009-06-05

It's a way for companies to cut costs in notoriously tight downtown Vancouver Derrick Penner Sun Sometimes business trends converge. In this recession, there is a window of opportunity for a trend towards more self-employment to meet anothe…

Home's curb appeal starts at the top

2009-06-05

A roof keeps the interior dry, but the choice of materials can add to the value of your home Pedro Arrais Sun Gordon Carter of Gord's Infinity Roofing Services says too many layers can lead to leaks or even a roof collapse. Photograph by: B…

Home's curb appeal starts at the top

2009-06-05

A roof keeps the interior dry, but the choice of materials can add to the value of your home Pedro Arrais Sun Gordon Carter of Gord's Infinity Roofing Services says too many layers can lead to leaks or even a roof collapse. Photograph by: B…

Couple wins right to rescind condo purchase contract

2009-06-04

Judge agrees UBC unit not as advertised Neal Hall Sun A Richmond man who bought a new $3.5-million condominium at the University of B.C. can rescind the purchase contract because he was not fully informed about changes to the development, a…

Latin flavours, neighbourhood vibes

2009-06-04

Mia Stainsby Sun Owner Luis Montalvo is all smiles at El Barrio restaurant on East Hastings in Vancouver. Photograph by: Jenelle Schneider, Vancouver Sun EL BARRIO RESTAURANTE LATINO 2270 East Hastings St. , 604-569-2220. www.elbarrio.ca Re…

Massive shopping centre planned for Abbotsford

2009-06-04

Environmentalists say the $170-million project will launch a new era of commercial sprawl in the Fraser Valley Brian Morton Sun An artist's rendering (above and above right) shows the proposed $170-million, 600,000-square-foot shopping mall…

Rising buyer demand has sparked more home sales and eased downward pressure on prices

2009-06-03

Home sales show signs of building up Paul Luke Province The Lower Mainland's housing market showed more signs of regaining its health last month, according to two new reports. Rising buyer demand this year has sparked more home sales and ea…

Prices and sales volume for BC recreational property have fallen 15%

2009-06-03

Cheaper buys attract more of the 30- and 40-somethings John Bermingham Province The soft recreational property market is drawing a slightly younger class of prospective buyer as the baby boomers back away a bit and the 30-to 40year-olds loo…

Drop in home sales levels out in May 2009

2009-06-03

Working people 'cashing in on low mortgage rates' Derrick Penner Sun The decline of Lower Mainland real estate markets, which started with falling sales more than a year ago and saw prices drop as the global recession developed, levelled ou…

Recreational property values in BC drop 10-20% and have helped BenX buyers back to the market

2009-06-03

Prices down 10 to 20 per cent from 2008 Derrick Penner Sun B.C.'s recreational property markets are in the midst of a correction, says a new report from a major realty firm, but a generational shift is occurring in the sales that are taking…

Google launches smartphones in Canada

2009-06-03

Gillian Shaw Sun Rogers Wireless has dramatically dropped data pricing for the new Google Android-powered smartphones released Tuesday, bringing back the promotional six gigabytes of data for $30 a month it offered with its launch last year…

Northeast False Creek development proposal changes coming adding 4 million sq.ft. and housing 7200 more people

2009-06-02

City council to be presented with new proposal for mix of residential development Rebecca Tebrake Sun AREAS AFFECTED BY NEW PLAN: Northeast shore of False Creek, where planners have changed a long-standing development proposal. Photograph b…

Pending home sales rise 6.7% in April

2009-06-02

USA Today WASHINGTON (Reuters) — Pending sales of previously owned homes in April unexpectedly saw their biggest monthly gain in 7-1/2 years, a report from a trade group Tuesday showed, supporting views the recession is easing. The Na…

Prefab homes sprout green designs, improve affordability

2009-06-02

Wendy Koch USA Today Architect Michelle Kaufmann's home in Novato, Calif., is powered by solar panels. "We produce twice as much energy as we use," she says. By Martin E. Klimek, for USA TODAY Michelle Kaufmann sits in the bedroom of the gr…

Increased demand steadies housing market in Greater Vancouver

2009-06-02

Other A continued increase in buyer activity over the last four months has resulted in increased home sales and lessened the downward pressure on housing prices in Greater Vancouver. The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV) report…

Judge orders council to approve unpopular condo complex

2009-06-01

Development plan met city bylaws but council exceeded its jurisdiction in denying the project based on 'vague' public opposition, court finds Kelly Sinoski, With files from Mary Frances Hill Sun A B.C. Supreme Court judge has ordered White …

New database will track Earth's biodiversity

2009-06-01

Amy Minsky Sun Scientists from around the globe are developing a massive online observatory of the Earth's biodiversity. The "comprehensive virtual observatory" will act as a field-guide for professional scientists and citizen scientists al…

Bylaw can define gas use as 'exclusive'

2009-05-31

Tony Gioventu Province Dear Condo Smarts: Back in the '90s, our strata building was an older apartment building in Victoria that was converted to condo units for sale. Our building is well maintained, the owners comply with bylaws and we ne…

Police target cyclists with 'information tickets'

2009-05-30

Critics call the campaign discriminatory, but police say many cyclists don't realize they're subject to specific rules under the Motor Vehicle Act Denise Ryan Sun A Vancouver police traffic enforcement officer hands out information tickets …

Residents near Canada Line face $33 parking fees

2009-05-30

David Karp Sun Residents living near four Canada Line stations in Vancouver will be required to pay $33 a year to park outside their homes if a staff recommendation to city council is approved. A report being presented to council on Tuesday…

Tower concept raises Chinatown's ire

2009-05-30

John Mackie Sun Fred Mah, president of the Chinatown Society Heritage Buildings Association, doesn't think residential towers will improve business or solve social problems. Photograph by: Steve Bosch, Vancouver Sun 300 West Hastings -- bui…