Real Estate News & Articles

Housing market defies slump predictions

2008-09-10

Construction starts last month rebounded by 13.1 per cent -- more than expected, CMHC reports Eric Beauchesne Sun OTTAWA -- Despite a lot of huffing and puffing, Canada 's housing market seemingly refuses to be blown down by the slumping do…

RIM launches first flip-phone BlackBerry

2008-09-10

Wojtek Dabrowski, Reuters Sun A BlackBerry Pearl smartphone is seen in an illustration released to Reuters by Brodeur Partners September 10, 2008. Research In Motion Ltd is launching a flip version of its popular BlackBerry Pearl smartphone…

Vancouver market put at 11 per cent over the top

2008-09-09

City house price shock Paul Luke Province A University of B.C. study suggests that a house priced at $754,000 in the second quarter has been overvalued to the tune of $85,000. Gerry Kahrmann file photo - The Province Brace yourself, Vancouv…

Prepare for home prices to drop

2008-09-09

Vancouver houses overvalued by 11 per cent, according to a UBC study of real estate Derrick Penner Sun With Metro Vancouver past the peak of its current real-estate market cycle, more discussion is emerging about what the cycle's downside w…

B.C. building permits value plunges 19 per cent in July

2008-09-09

Bruce Constantineau Sun The value of B.C. building permits fell 19 per cent in July to about $861 million -- with residential permits dropping 7.1 per cent and non-residential permits plunging by more than 37 per cent from June levels. Anal…

Google cuts how long it stores users' personal data

2008-09-09

Eric Auchard, Reuters Sun Photograph by : Getty Images MOUNTAIN VIEW, California - Google Inc has halved the amount of time it stores personal data gathered from its users' Web surfing habits, a move aimed at improving its privacy policies,…

Apple's new iPod shuffles when shaken

2008-09-09

Jefferson Graham USA Today The new line of iPod Nanos -- By Justin Sullivan, Getty Images SAN FRANCISCO — Shake, shake, shake that iPod . Apple Tuesday introduced new iPod digital music players, highlighted by a redesigned Nano that p…

Most Canadian housing markets overpriced: UBC study

2008-09-08

'Decade-long boom is over,' be prepared for declining values Sun VANCOUVER - Homeowners in the majority of Canada 's urban centres should be prepared for the possibility of housing price declines, according to a news release by researchers …

Personal safety, insurance jeopardized with illegal suites

2008-09-07

Tony Gioventu Province Dear Condo Smarts: Is there a way to enforce the illegal rental of part of a strata lot? Our strata in Esquimalt has 45 townhouses. Three of the owners in our strata have decided to sublet their basements and set up i…

U.S. to take over mortgage giants Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac

2008-09-07

USA Today WASHINGTON (AP) — The Bush administration, acting to avert the potential for major financial turmoil, announced Sunday that the federal government was taking control of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Officials a…

B.C. marinas see fewer bookings as high fuel costs keep cruisers away

2008-09-06

Gillian Shaw Sun It was troubled waters up and down the B.C. coast this summer, with escalating fuel prices and a strong Canadian dollar erasing the discount that American boaters had long enjoyed. Unsettled weather... The weather was still…

Keyboard doubles as scanner

2008-09-06

Sun KeyScan KS810, Keyscan GrooveTooth Talk, Cygnett W350 Walkman, Sony Ericsson DS-61 digital voice recorder, Olympus 1. KeyScan KS810, Keyscan , $160 Clear some of the clutter from your desk with a keyboard that incorporates a full-page c…

Lumen 1675 W. 3rd Ave.

2008-09-06

Lumen's lures: Much to stay home for, much to go out for Sun The Lumen building is a Hywel Jones Architects design. It is a departure for the neighbourhood, a residential insertion into a commercial strip achieved by the developer by promis…

The why and how of a unique purchase incentive

2008-09-06

Morgan Crossing value pledge signals both buyer caution and developer certainty, exec writes Jim Nesbitt Sun Mayor Dianne Watts of Surrey and Larco executive Mansoor Laiji view a model of Morgan Crossing, what fellow executive Jim Nesbitt c…

City hall panel asking Vancouver residents to consider what sort of buildings are needed to meet anticipated needs

2008-09-06

Keeping a bit of the past for the future Bob Ransford Sun This photograph of downtown Vancouver glowing late into an August evening, by sun photographer Mark van Manen, also illustrates a Vancouver reality: The earlier city has been little …

Shangri-La Vancouver Hotel & Residences to be ready Fall 2008

2008-09-06

Living beyond six-star service Sun There is nothing humble about the luxury hotel living concept as this photo of the island Shangri-La in Hong Kong illustrates. Living Shangri-La, Vancouver’s first luxury-hotel residency, will open i…

Home buyers 'sitting on their hands' in buyers' market

2008-09-05

Data firm finds lower sales, slower price gains, but 'no panic' Derrick Penner Sun It's a buyer's market in real estate around British Columbia , according to a new Landcor Data Corp. report, although company president Rudy Nielsen reckons …

Real Estate Auction in the Sunshine Coast "Sakinaw Ridge" nets Developer David Milne less than he hoped

2008-09-05

Property auction nets less than hoped Derrick Penner Sun Developer Dave Milne admits it was a gamble to auction off five building lots in his Sakinaw Ridge project on the Sunshine Coast . And the prices those lots fetched were 20 per cent b…

Archos 5 Internet Mobile Tablet Featuring a 5 Inch Touch Screen that plays music, Video Files, WIFI Capable & Flash Player with 120 GB of Storage - www.archos.com

2008-09-05

Cool tablet, flashy Bluetooth and a microwave for your car Lowell Conn Sun Archos 5 Internet Mobile Tablet Funkwerk America's EGO Flash 12V In-Car Microwave 1. Hubba , hubba , says the gadget geek inside: Like any good consumer electronics …

Damper on home sales as economy cools off

2008-09-04

Prices crash in sharper August slowdown Paul Luke Province A cooling economy combined with the summer doldrums to hammer real-estate activity across the Lower Mainland last month. Residential property sales in Greater Vancouver plummeted 53…

A culinary foreign policy

2008-09-04

The best lunch I've had . . . go ahead, just ask Peter Lorre! Mark Laba Province At Robbie Kane’s Café Medina, they do what they do with aplomb and exquisite flavour. CAFE MEDINA Where: 556 Beatty St. , Vancouver Payment/reserv…

Buyers see hope as home prices decline

2008-09-04

August saw property markets continue dramatic turn Derrick Penner Sun Heidi Samuda realizes she needs to stay realistic about selling her west-side townhouse in a declining market. Photograph by : Ian Lindsay, Vancouver Sun The turn of the …

Virus protection crucial to prevent intrusions

2008-09-04

Steve Makris Sun Laptops are an easy target, both from thieves operating nearby and others on the Internet. Portable cable locks can protect you from computer theft, and software tracking devices can be purchased that broadcast their presen…

Home & Apartment Security – How Safe are you?

2008-09-04

How secure is your apartment? Sun Installing a peephole in your entrance door is a good security measure. Putting a note on your door saying you are away is an open invitation to a burglar. Most apartment and condominium buildings are secur…