Real Estate News & Articles

'This is freezing the market': Once roaring, Canadian home sales brace for 30% drop from coronavirus

2020-04-02

Home sales heading for 30% drop on virus disruptions Doug Alexander The Vancouver Sun Real estate listings are drying up, open houses have been cancelled, and buyers are staying home. One more pillar of the Canadian economy is under threat …

COVID-19 Government Aid for Homeowners and Renters

2020-04-02

What programs are available? Who qualifies for financial assistance? REW In response to the Coronavirus pandemic, the Canadian government has announced a number of new aid policies designed to help people and businesses across the country. …

Canadian housing market recovery may begin by early summer: RBC

2020-04-02

Spring house hunting cancelled this year Sean MacKay Livabl Canada’s spring house hunting season — typically the busiest time of the year for home transactions — will be effectively cancelled this year. The strict social d…

Landlords learn to navigate rent payment uncertainty during COVID-19 crisis

2020-04-02

Tenant and landlords re-thinking rental agreements Michelle McNally Livabl While April 1st has historically been a day reserved for practical jokes and gags, in 2020, there’s little to laugh about, especially when the rent is due. The…

Companies can learn from top firms that survived last recession: report

2020-04-01

Downturn-resilient companies are defined by speed and discipline in addressing problems Western Investor Companies trying to ride out the COVID-19 crisis – an event that may trigger the most severe recession in decades – need to…

Commercial investments poised to weather COVID-19

2020-03-31

A market expert says commercial real estate still active Gerv Tacadena Canadian Real Estate Wealth Despite the uncertainties the COVID-19 outbreak is bringing to Canada's economy, the commercial real estate sector is positioned to weather t…

Properly launches home price predictor in Calgary

2020-03-31

ProperPrice - an online prediction of a home's selling price REM Calgary-based Properly, a real estate technology company and one of the first Canadian ibuyer firms, recently launched ProperPrice, a free online tool that provides homebuyers…

Pent up housing demand during COVID-19 may lead to summer market rebound

2020-03-31

China's private housing market is springing back to life Sean MacKay Livabl As Canada prepares to weather the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, there are already hopeful signs emerging from China where the novel coronavirus originated months …

Big Six banks cut prime lending rates yet again

2020-03-30

Canadian banks slash rime lending rate Duffie Osental Mortgage Broker News Canada’s largest banks have slashed their prime lending rate to 2.45% from 2.95%, matching last week’s move by the Bank of Canada to slash the overnight …

COVID-19: More Support Coming for Canadian Businesses

2020-03-30

Feds setup a wage subsidy program for businesses other To help negate some of the impacts Canadians and our economy will face resulting from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government unveiled additional support through a …

COVID-19 Showing Waiver Form

2020-03-30

Property Viewing COVID-19 Protocol The Vancouver Sun PROPERTY ADDRESS:_______________________________________________________________ Hello! Please understand that with the outbreak of the recent COVID-19 VIRUS, there is a risk associated w…

Meter parking temporarily suspended in City of Vancouver

2020-03-30

Vancouver responding to demands for parking other The City of Vancouver is making changes in its parking restrictions in an effort to support essential workers and frontline staff. In a statement to Daily Hive, the City of Vancouver says it…

The Impact of COVID-19 to the Real Estate Market Vs the 2008 Financial Crisis

2020-03-28

Comparing COVID-19 to 2008's financial crisis can give you some insights Justin Kerby REW The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting markets around the world, including here in Canada. New developments are coming out every day, and it can be hard t…

Vancouver April Market Report

2020-03-28

Canadian businesses will be supported by deferring income tax payments to August 31st other The CoStar Canada Market Analytics Team recently released its April newsletter update focused on Vancouver. Check out the team's assessment of perfo…

B.C. real estate market frozen over COVID-19 uncertainty

2020-03-27

Fears of spreading COVID-19 and less job security are contributing to frozen market Joanne Lee-Young The Province The local real estate market is mostly frozen as fears about the spread of COVID-19 have halted most home showings and there i…

Mortgage Rate Forecast

2020-03-27

The panic sent Canadian bond yields down sharply BCREA HIGHLIGHTS COVID-19 sends interest rates plummeting Canadian recession unavoidable Bank of Canada cutting rates, but how low? Read The Full Report HERE Mortgage Rate OutlookThe growing …

Landlords, renters to get help from British Columbia government

2020-03-27

BC government to support landlords, renters Steve Randall Canadian Real Estate Wealth The British Columbia government has announced support for the province’s landlords and renters during the coronavirus crisis. It is introducing a ne…

Ethics Guy: Doing business virtually in a crisis

2020-03-27

Kim REBGV It goes without saying that we’re expected to look after our clients and not to put them in harm’s way.  I’d think many potential buyers and sellers are sitting things out for awhile, waiting for the risk of…

Bank of Canada enacts another overnight rate cut

2020-03-27

For the third time this month, the Bank of Canada cut to the overnight rate Phil Hall Mortgage Broker News For the third time this month, the Bank of Canada cut to the overnight rate, this time slashing off 50 basis points to a new level of…

B.C.'s new rental support measures leave landlords in lurch

2020-03-27

Tenant advocates are openly wondering if it even makes sense to pay rent Frank O'Brien Western Investor A B.C. emergency-response rental package that could balloon above $1 billion over the next 90 days will leave landlords exposed to huge …

Feds roll out new measures to help small, medium-sized businesses weather COVID-19 storm

2020-03-27

Ottawa is increasing the payroll support for employers to 75 per cent Kirsten Clarke Western Investor The federal government has increased the payroll support and introduced new measures, including loans and tax deferrals, to help small- an…

Mortgage rates to go upward until the market reaches a 'new normal'

2020-03-27

Canadian mortgages will reach a new normal plateau Ephraim Vecina Mortgage Broker News Canadian mortgage rates will likely climb higher until the market achieves relative stability amid the global COVID-19 outbreak, according to James Laird…

COVID-19 is Impacting the Market - Here's What the Bank of Canada is Doing About It

2020-03-27

BoC is adding a third emergency rate cut, bringing it to 0.25% Catherine Musgrove REW In a bold move on Wednesday (March 4, 2020), the Bank of Canada slashed its key interest rate by 50 basis points to 1.25%, in an attempt to keep the econo…

Vancouver luxury condo sales drop 46% in early March data

2020-03-27

Market conditions were less than stellar for Vancouver Michelle McNally Livabl Vancouver’s housing market can’t seem to catch a break these days. Market conditions were less than stellar for the West Coast city for most of 2019.…