Real Estate News & Articles

Housing market is on track for soft landing

2006-12-20

Decline in U.S. to slow Canadian economic growth in 2007 Province TORONTO -- The Canadian economy will grow by 2.2 per cent in 2007, down from 2.7 per cent this year, as weakness in the U.S. economy slows demand for Canadian exports, TD Ban…

Uranium price projected to reach $115 per pound

2006-12-20

Sun SYDNEY, Australia -- Uranium spot prices will continue to rise into the new year , hitting $90 US per pound by mid-2007, according to a report by Resource Capital Research. Over the past three months, the price climbed 23 per cent to $6…

Downtown office vacancy rate tightens

2006-12-20

New projects makes workspace in suburbs more readily available than in city centre Derrick Penner Sun Downtown Vancouver office space was even harder to find in the fourth quarter of 2006 while suburban workspace became easier, according to…

Real estate: Laid back in Los Angeles

2006-12-19

Noelle Knox USA Today The most expensive Rancho San José de Buenos Ayres, the owner of record, has put this 3.2-acre estate in Bel Air up for sale. The property has a main residence and five guest facilities. Price: $43 million. Bedr…

High quality the secret of Wickerwerx gift baskets

2006-12-18

Province Names: Wanita Pettenon and Tracey Ashbury Business: Wickerwerx, Burnaby Contact: 604-421-0050; www.wickerwerx.com Number of employees: Two, plus three helpers for the holidays Time in business: Four What do you do? We create gift b…

What do we do with these unwanted pets?

2006-12-17

CONDO BYLAWS: People bought pets for their children but the bylaw says "no pets" Tony Gioventu Province Dear Condo Smarts: Our building has a bylaw that says no pets. Last year for Christmas, several families bought cats or dogs for their c…

Vancouver's most socially afflicted neighbourhood to get make-over

2006-12-16

Four blocks of Hope? Derrick Penner Sun Property developer Marc Williams sounds more like a community activist when he starts talking about his company's plans to restore the historic Pantages Theatre at 150 East Hastings in the heart of Va…

Kitsilano's former Black Swan building to be demolished by developer

2006-12-16

Cheryl Rossi Sun Attenuated pulls will prvide acces to a Black Swan apartment storage space. Buyers will chose between two laminate finishes on the doors, a dark Wenge or a lighter brown. The OrcaWest development company will install kitche…

Location matters as a choice of lifestyle

2006-12-16

Keep in mind that where a property is situated will dictate your quality of life, realtors advise Pedro Arrais Sun 'Proximity to the arts and theatre' Put Julie Swain and husband, Harry, in their home in the Victoria neighbourhood of Rockla…

Georgia hotel to retain character

2006-12-16

John Mackie Sun Early 1930s postcard of the Hotel Georgia by Leonard Frank. The Georgia is in the foreground, with the Hotel Devonshire and the Georgia Medical Arts building behind it. The grand old dame of Vancouver hotels, the Hotel Georg…

Home prices rise; vacancy rate falls

2006-12-15

Gap widens between cost of owning and renting home Province TORONTO -- Immigration and rising home-ownership costs strengthened demand for rental housing this year, a trend that may continue as home prices are expected to maintain their upw…

Chili extract makes diabetes go away

2006-12-15

Tom Blackwell Sun TORONTO -- Scientists at a Toronto hospital say they have proof the body's nervous system helps trigger diabetes, opening the door to a potential near-cure of the disease affecting millions of Canadians. Diabetic mice beca…

It's a 'place of miracles,' Zajac says

2006-12-15

Humanitarian creates ranch for kids with chronic or life-threatening illnesses Gerry Bellett Sun Josh Somers, 12, and mom Shelley. Josh, who was born with Alpert's Syndrome, has an incredible time at the Zajac Ranch. Photograph by : Peter B…

Vancouver low vacancy rate, 28,000 people moved here in 2005

2006-12-15

High price of apartments forces tenants to dig deep Gillian Shaw Sun Francois Tremblay recently moved to Vancouver from Quebec and is devastated by how much he must pay in rent for a tiny room just off Fraser Street in east Vancouver. Photo…

The lazy guide to Christmas dinner

2006-12-14

There are plenty of places to get your seasonal food fix Mark Laba Province It's beginning to cost a lot like Christmas. So, as you deck the halls with boughs of holly and wreaths of shmaltz herring, put out your manger scene and hook up yo…

80-year-old Hotel Georgia will be reborn as a luxury boutique hotel

2006-12-14

New Year's Eve send-off planned for Hotel Georgia Ashley Ford Province A "grande dame" of Vancouver hotels will dim its lights early in the new year . But fear not, within three years or so, the elegant, 80-year-old Hotel Georgia will be re…

Home cooking on chefs' Christmas menus

2006-12-14

Most stick to the traditional favourites when it comes to cooking for members of their family and friends Mia Stainsby Sun Dennis Green (second from left), a chef at Bishop's Restaurant, takes cookies from the oven as wife, Sandra, and son …

Christmas dinner preparation secrets from the experts

2006-12-14

Mia Stainsby Sun We called on the experts to pull us through hosting Christmas dinner. Here are a few pointers from some of Vancouver's best and brightest. DENNIS GREEN Bishop's Restaurant - Cut down on turkey roasting time by cutting out t…

So smooth -- that's Gastropod

2006-12-14

Angus An's dishes balance lovely food that blurs the lines between European and North American cuisine, with just a dash of Asian Mia Stainsby Sun Chef /owner Angus An of Gastropod restaurant presents lamb loin with candied butternut squash…

When advertising real estate, words like beautiful are better than good value

2006-12-13

Ann Brenoff Sun Words matter. Wars have start ­ ed over them. Civilizations have collapsed because of them And it would appear cha t . the speed with which a house sells might be determined by them. As listings grow old on the vine in a…

Uranium prices could reach a record high this week

2006-12-13

Mestena, a private mine in Texas, is set to auction 260,000 of the metal CHRISIOPHER DONVILLE Sun Uranium prices, after surging this year because of concerns, may top a record high this week when a private mine in Texas auctions 260,000 pou…

Building boom goes sonic

2006-12-12

If you think B.C.'s construction industry has been busy, you ain't seen nothing yet, Credit Union Central predicts Paul Luke Province B.C.'s non-residential construction sector is surging into a white-hot future, says a new report. The alre…

Calgary & Victoria's markets are seeing some price easing

2006-12-12

'Inching to a balanced market' Ashley Ford Province New-home prices keep edging up in Greater Vancouver but the high-flying markets of Calgary and Victoria are starting to see some price easing, Statistics Canada said in its latest new-hous…

Construction set to pack bigger punch

2006-12-12

Derrick Penner Sun Construction in the industrial, commercial and institutional sectors will pack an ever bigger economic wallop in the coming years totalling $17.3 billion in 2008, up from $11.4 billion in 2005, according to Credit Union C…