Marites Pineda

Conditions in the Greater Vancouver housing market continued to favour buyers in August. Since April, prices have edged down slightly as the number of sales and the number of properties coming on to the market have been declining.

The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV) reports that the number of residential property sales in Greater Vancouver totalled 2,202 in August 2010. This r ...

Recently moving and realizing you have excess furniture, houseware, kitchenware etc? These organizations provide furniture and fixtures to families who often own nothing but the clothes on their backs. Maybe you can help? Check out these websites for more info: HomeStart foundation and Gather and Give.

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VANCOUVER - July housing starts that showed an easing from earlier levels is another sign that British Columbia's real estate markets are in transition from the post-recession rebound to something more subdued.

B.C. saw builders started work on 1,817 new homes in July, down 13 per cent from June, Canada Mortgage and Housing reported Tuesday, with starts of single-family homes showing the sha ...

August Market Update (click for full version)

For those of you thinking about selling, it is important to realize how vital the Art of Pricing is to the sale of your home.

All sellers want the highest price possible for their homes, but the strategies to get there are not always intuitive. In certain circumstances, pricing low can be more effective than pricing high, while in others, pri ...

The Federal Government First Time Home Buyer's Tax Credit is still in effect for 2010. This is a non-refundable tax credit for qualifying first time home buyers who are purchasing their primary residence after January 27, 2009.

The maximum amount of credit is $750.

For more detailed information on qualifying for this tax credit, visit:

http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/gncy/bdgt/2009/fqhbtc-eng.html

May Market Update:
http://www.macrealty.com/macnews/newsletter.aspx?agent=marites_pineda

This morning, Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty announced prudent changes to mortgage insurance rules intended to come into force on April 19, 2010. CAAMP was actively engaged in the discussions around these changes which are as follows:

1. All borrowers must meet the standards for a five-year fixed rate mortgage even if they choose a mortgage with a lower interest rate and shorter ...

February Market Update

Despite the recession, BC's luxury home market remained strong in 2009. Based on the Greater Vancouver Real Estate Board MLS stats, 31 homes priced over $5 million sold in 2009 versus 25 that sold in 2008. What's more remarkable is that none of these sales occurred in the first 1/3 of the year, when the world's financial markets were seemingly in freefall. Take that pe ...

Diverse selection and favourable interest rates continue to drive demand in the Greater Vancouver housing market.

The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV) reports that residential property sales in Greater Vancouver totalled 1,923 in January 2010, an increase of 152.4 per cent compared to January 2009 when 762 sales were recorded and a 23.5 per cent decline compared to the 2,515 sa ...

Rental Restrictions no more! Well, not exactly.... here's the latest update regarding the Strata Property Act (SPA) provided by Spagnuolo & Company:

There has been a shortage of rental units for years in British Columbia. In order to address this, the Provincial Government recently passed legislation dealing with the rental provisions of the Strata Property Act ("SPA").

Under the old se ...