Canadian Mortgage Rates, Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) and Canadian/US Dollar Exchange. June 3, 2014 Canadian Bank Prime Rate is currently 3.00%. The Mortgage Group is offering 2.97% APR on a 5 year fixed closed mortgage. The Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) was up 69.67 points closing at 14,734.69. Canadian/US Dollar Exchange Rate dropped 10 points to close at 0.9166 USD. 1 Canadian Dollar = 0.9166 US Dollars. 1 US Dollar = 1.0910 Canadian Dollars!  US citizens--your dollar goes further when buying property in Canada! 06/04/2014

  to see a list of Townhouses for Sale in the Gulf Islands.  The area includes Saltspring Island, Mayne Island, N. & S. Pender Islands, Galiano Island, Saturna Island and Piers Island. This list represents those properties listed by real estate brokerages in Victoria which have opted in to Reciprocity. The full list of Townhouses for Sale in the Gulf Islands includes all listings by all brokerages.  Please  or my Lighthouse Real Estate Team business partner, Steve Alford to have the full list emailed to you.  04/13/2014

12/21/2010

MLS®.ca and Realtor®.ca - the good, the bad, but definitely not ugly! By Carol Budnyk, Royal LePage Coast Capital, November 4, 2010 For months the public has been hearing and reading controversial reports presented by the media regarding negotiations, and the subsequent consent agreement, between the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) and the Competition Tribunal.  The issue was alleged discrimination on the part of CREA against "mere postings" being allowed in a Member Board's MLS®.  MY OPINION I welcome this change as a great opportunity for true professionals in the real estate industry to showcase their personal services offered to their clients, over and above the basic posting on REALTOR®.ca.  As a dedicated REALTOR®, recognizing the changing face of real estate services avai... 11/10/2010

Ocean Views from 2 Decks • 971 sq. ft., 2 bath, 2 bdrm 2 story - MLS® $299,900 CAD - Priced to Sell Pender Island, Southern Gulf Islands - Priced-right recreational property or starter home on 0.45 acres with ocean views from two west facing decks! Recently renovated 2 BR 2 BA home includes most of the furnishings and features underfloor heating in kitchen, large windows and skylights, carport, and new 8x6 storage shed. Bright and airy on quiet no -thru road, this one is a must see! Please visit HomesOnPender.com for more Property information  Best Regards, Howard Sanders   08/23/2008

AWARD WINNING HERITAGE HOME**. Fantastic B+B Potential. This 4BR 6 Bath home sits on 2.44 acres with Great Ocean Views. Boat Launch and an Amazing walk on beach minutes away. Property adjoins future potential water front development (currently for sale) that could add great value to the subject property. The Driftwood Centre, Pender Islands 'down town hub' in walking distance. Excellent location! Pender Island is situated between world class cities of Vancouver & Victoria. Asking $995,000. For more information, see the listing page on www.HomesOnPender.com ** 2006 President's Award-Hallmark Society Victoria, BC 08/21/2008

Come join all of Pender Island at the fall fair this Saturday! There are tons of activities for the kids, food, a beer garden and dancing...if you're going to be on Pender this weekend, you don't want to miss it... The Farmers' Market opens at 10am Fall Fair gates also open at 10am The Parade is at 10:30am Opening Ceremonies at 11am Beer Garden opens at 12 noon The BBQ dinner is at 5pm Dance to "Big House Voodoo" at 6:30pm The Pender Islands Fall Fair is still a volunteer-run, non-commercial, agricultural fair. And best of all, it's fun! For more information, check out the Farmers' Institute website. 08/21/2008

This gorgeous high bank waterfront home on Pender Island is priced to sell. A great family home or vacation property that has B&B potential. Live your dream in BC's Gulf Islands! View the floor plans here. For more about Pender Island real estate, visit Howard Sanders online @ www.HomesOnPender.com  Contact info: • Email: Howard@HomesOnPender.com • Cell: (250) 222-HOME (4663) • Toll-free: (866) 629-3166 Best Regards, Howard on Pender 08/04/2008

Pender Island Home for Sale -- 38227 Schooner Way Floor Plans for this beautiful Gulf Island waterfront home are now available online. View them here. To see all of my Pender Island real estate listings, visit www.HomesOnPender.com Contact info: • Email: Howard@HomesOnPender.com • Cell: (250) 222-HOME (4663) • Toll-free: (866) 629-3166 Best Regards, Howard on Pender 08/04/2008

The BC Day long weekend is approaching fast, and we expect to have an island full of visitors (we hope!) to enjoy a little fun in the sun here on Pender. If you are planning to come over for a stay, please note that the ferries have been overloaded for the past few weekends, so please make sure to make a reservation if you haven't already. We have some great events this weekend that islanders and visitors alike will love:   Saturday, August 2 9:30am - Farmer's Market - come wander among the tables offering island produce, crafts, baking and preserves. At the Community Hall until 1:00 10:00am - Art Society's Annual August Show and Sale at the Anglican Hall until 5pm. Also on Sunday from 1-4pm. 10:00am - Clay in the Woods Art Show presented by Wendy Dunnet. At the Button Lady's Gallery, 3... 07/29/2008

 It's here -- one of the busiest summer weekends here on Pender. The ferry lineups are long, it's hard to find a parking space down at the Driftwood Centre, and the grocery store will run out of bread by Sunday afternoon. But, all is well...most residents are happy to share Pender's wealth with our summertime visitors. After all, the quiet winter months are not far away, and there will be lots of time for winter walks in the woods with no one else around, and long evenings spent around the woodstove reading and playing cards. But enough about winter. You're here because you want to find out what's happening this Canada Day Looong Weekend. So I'll stop my ramblings and get on with it: Friday, June 27 10:00 - 4:00 - Nu-To-Yu (Pender's thrift store) is having their famous stuff-a-bag day. ... 06/27/2008

Within the Pender Island Guide on my website, you will find a link to the CRD Natural Area Atlas, an interactive map that you can use to get more details about property boundaries, vegetation, water sources, elevation anywhere in the Capital Regional District, including Pender Island and the other Southern Gulf Islands, as well as Victoria and surrounding area. Use it to create satellite-type photos of specific properties, which you can use to view building locations on surrounding properties, community infrastructure, and other features. For more about Pender Island real estate, visit Howard Sanders online @ www.HomesOnPender.com Contact info: • Email: Howard@HomesOnPender.com • Cell: (250) 222-HOME (4663) • Toll-free: (866) 629-3166   Best Regards, Howard on Pender 06/12/2008

As of this month, I have been selling real estate on Pender Island, BC for one year.  I've had a very successful 12 months, with a total of 11 closed or pending transactions.  Please visit my Sales & Testimonials page for more information and photos. Are you considering making a move to, on, or from Pender?  Please consider allowing me to help with your real estate transaction.   I enjoy showing potential new residents around our beautiful island, and introducing them to our unique, vibrant community.  I also find it gratifying to help residents sell their homes so that they can move on to the next stage of their life, whether that is on-island or off.    To find out more about me and my unique blend of traditional and online real estate strategies, browse through my Pender Island Real... 06/04/2008

A quick invitation to visit my site and take my Virtual Tour of Pender Island.  It gives you an idea of where we're located, what the island looks like, the wildlife that live here, and our unique and vibrant community.  Hooked?  Want a piece of Pender Island to call your own?  Come, bring some friends, and kick back on the beach! For more about Pender Island real estate, visit Howard Sanders online @ www.HomesOnPender.com Contact info: •           Email:  Howard@HomesOnPender.com •           Cell:  (250) 222-HOME (4663) •           Toll-free:  (866) 629-3166 Best Regards, Howard on Pender 06/03/2008

Well, the weatherman says that the sun is coming...it's still a bit gray over here on Pender, but it's definitely warmer than yesterday.  Yesterday, we actually had a fire in our woodstove.  A fire in May! That's the first time I've been able to say that in the five years since we moved here.  Hardly a big deal given the weather related events in other parts of the world, but my wife is getting a bit impatient for the warmer weather -- she has tomatoes and sunflowers bursting out of their seedling pots and ready to go into the garden.  Get it together weather! We have been promised a hot sunny weekend, along with the rest of southern BC, though, so you may want to gather the family together for a weekend of springtime camping here on Pender.  As always, there's lots of stuff to do.  Wal... 05/15/2008

If the last 2 days are any indication, it appears as though "normal" spring weather patterns are reasserting themselves here on Pender.  Our mediterranean climate pretty much abandoned us for the past 2 weeks, but we're tough!  We can handle snow in April!  (As long as there's some promise of sun on the horizon...) If you are planning to make your way over to Pender this weekend, you may be interested in what's on over the next few days.  Here's the schedule: Thursday, April 24 7:30pm - Film Night at the Hall presents Before the Devil Knows You're Dead - starring Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Albert Finney & Marisa Tomei.  When two brothers organize the robbery of their parents' jewelery store the job goes horribly wrong, triggering a series of events that sends them, their fat... 04/24/2008

As you may know it is Earth Day this Saturday, so why not make a plan for a weekend getaway to Pender Island?  While you are here you can take some time to enjoy a walk on one of our many forest trails, or public access beaches.  For a map and some local tips, please drop by my office at Dockside Realty in Hope Bay.  While you're there, you can also visit the Artist Gallery, have some lunch at Hope Bay Cafe, and do some souvenir shopping!Here's the rundown on the events scheduled for Earth Day:Saturday, April 199:30am - Pender Island Farmers' Market - The market continues with locally grown/made food and crafts every Saturday until 1pm.10:00am - Beach Cleanup - Join the Beach Buddy group and help with the BC Coastal Cleanup's 20th year.  Meet at 10am at the Driftwood overflow parking lo... 04/15/2008

I just put the finishing touches on a few new pages on my website. Collectively called the "Pender Island Guide," these new pages give everyone considering a permanent move to Pender, as well as those just coming for a weekend visit, a one-stop-shop for Pender information. You'll find general information such as climate and history, road maps, natural area maps, community information and links to accomodations, restaurants, weather info and community activities here on Pender -  the gem of the Southern Gulf Islands! I have also linked my photos and virtual tour to the Pender Guide -- and of course this blog...but since you're reading it, you've already found it -- no need to point you here! A calendar of events is listed in the guide, but is still in the works.  When it is done, you wil... 03/31/2008

 North Pender?If you are considering purchasing property on North Pender Island, or even if you already live on our great island, you should take some time to browse throught the North Pender section of the Islands Trust's website. Here you will find the Latest News from the N. Pender Island Trust Area, Meeting Agendas and Schedules, information about planning bylaws, the new Official Community Plan, island maps, and tips on how to protect and preserve our unique island culture and habitat.South Pender? What if you are living on or considering a move to South Pender Island?  Well, then check out the South Pender section of course!The Islands Trust is a federation of independant local governments which plans land use and regulates developement in the Trust Area.  The Trust Area covers th... 03/26/2008

My most recent sale on Pender Island: This beautiful, "almost finished" home appealed to the buyers I brought from Vancouver.  Its modern, loft-style feel is highlighted by stunning, south-facing ocean views from the wrap-around deck. Don't let another gorgeous Pender Island home pass you by!  View my listings, then contact me for more information.  I would love to show you your dream home or getaway, and I enjoy touring people around Pender, to show them everything that our unique island community has to offer. Contact info: •           Email:  Howard@HomesOnPender.com •           Cell:  (250) 222-HOME (4663) •           Toll-free:  (866) 629-3166     Best Regards,   Howard on Pender 03/21/2008