LATEST NEWS
SOLD! WEST END – 2 Bedroom Suite – $549,900
West of Denman! 2 Bedroom & Den plus 2 full bathroom Suite overlooking treed Boulevard. Spacious 1138 SF floor plan – will accommodate house size furniture – window in kitchen – breakfast nook – den is enclosed balcony. Updated kitchen & bathrooms. New gas fireplace & insuite laundry. 2 secure underground Parking Stalls and 1 [...]
SOLD! WEST END – 2 Bedroom suite – $425,000
West of Denman! 2 Bedroom plus 1.5 bathroom Garden level Suite with 150+ SF Patio. Spacious floor plan – good size bedrooms. New blinds, freshly painted, shows well. Gas fireplace & insuite laundry hook-up. 1 secured underground parking stall & 1 storage locker. 1 Pet welcome (additional w/ approval). Gilford Park is a rainscreened 18 [...]
January’s Vancouver Real Estate Market Update
The latest press release from the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver indicates that the local market is continuing on a fairly balanced path, with prices increasing approximately 2% overall during 2010, and sales volume down slightly from December.
Small is beautiful, when it’s home!
Vancouver now has one of the lowest rental vacancy rates in Canada and demand is forecast to increase with 40,000 newcomers moving here during the next year, says Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. In downtown Vancouver, the vacancy rate for a small bachelor suite now hovers at one per cent, and anyone fortunate to find [...]
New mortgage rules
On February 15, 2010, the federal government announced changes to rules for government-insured mortgages. • Borrowers with less than a 20% downpayment must meet standards for a five-year fixed rate mortgage even when choosing lower interest or short-term mortgages. • Borrowers can re-finance up to 90% of the value of their homes instead of the [...]
The 12% HST is effective July 1, 2010
The provincial and federal governments have combined the 7% provincial sales tax (PST) and the 5% federal Goods and Services Tax (GST) into a 12% Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) which began July 1, 2010. As a rule of thumb, the GST rules that applied to residential property will also apply under the HST. You may [...]
Should you sell or buy first?
It can be a balancing act, deciding whether to sell your current condominium and then buy or find your future home first, make an offer (which might be subject to the sale of your current home), and then put your put your home on the market. Both have pluses and minuses. If you sell first, [...]
What does it cost to buy a home?
You’ve decided to buy a home, which is likely one of the biggest investment decisions you’ll make for a while. So it’s vital you understand exactly how much it’s going to cost you. Here is an estimate of potential closing costs you need to factor into your budget (in alphabetical order). Appraisal fee: lenders typically [...]
Is Vancouver real estate a good investment?
In April 2000, the benchmark price of an apartment condominium in Greater Vancouver was about $100,000. As of April 30, 2010, that same condominium is $397,779. Population growth is driving price increases. This growth is expected to continue and by 2040, the population in the Lower Mainland will reach to 4.1 million residents from our [...]
