Foliage, Flowers & More at the Vancouver Home & Interior Design Show Drinks and appies were on the agenda at the Vancouver Home & Interior Design Show this past Thursday.  As a show opener, Cookworks offered some amazing gourmet appetizers, and a no host bar was set up, to enjoy a nice glass of wine while taking in the sights and sounds at the most recent fall Home Show.   Wendy Casey and I bumped elbows with Glen Peloso (a Canadian design celebrity) and star of “Take This House & Sell It” and “Restaurant Makeover”, while milling around the reception area and admiring all the beautiful arrangements.  Yes, we were hob-knobbing with the best of them!    After stuffing our faces delicately ingesting some lovely hors d’oeuvres, we wandered over to a spectacular green living wall.  This wall... 09/13/2010

  Is 20% Down NOT Enough: Will Higher Down-Payments Be Necessary Soon? At least two reports - such as the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives REPORT this August as well as the CHMC Housing Market Outlook, among others - posit unique long-term projections on Vancouvers (as well Canada's broad) real estate market future.   Overall, "some 7.5 percent of Canadian households could be 'financially vulnerable' by mid-2012 if borrowing keeps up at the same pace"(Globe and Mail, Sep 13, "‘Future shocks’ forecast for housing market") suggesting that, by virtue of Vancouver's prices being among the highest in the Country, an even larger percentage of Vancouver's borrowers might see the same fate.  So, in a nutshell, how should Vancouver buyer's prepare for the worst? One way of minimizing the ... 09/12/2010

Vancouver Home & Interior Design Show This weekend, I attended the fall 2010 Vancouver Home & Interior Design Show.  The show this year was held at the new Trade & Convention Centre, a LEED certified building.    The entrance to this new building is amazing, with a giant replica of the world, alight and floating within a glass atrium-like structure.  The feeling of space and lightness is wonderful, and a great reception to this year’s show.    Talk about great first impressions!   Just outside the doors to the show are several displays by various local furniture and design stores.      Parliament, a relatively new store in Gastown, touts itself as a mecca for anyone who loves modern design.  To quote Parliament:  “It’s a crisp, fresh, modern look with an injection of glamour. Our pieces... 09/12/2010

Vancouver Zoning Changes Whenever I read about the construction of more commercial centres I instantly think about who'll be living around them, how many, and oh-my, how many of clients will want to know this GOOD NEWS.  The possibilities in an event like this are endless.As a consumer I really want to know if my home is zoned for a single family use, a multi-family use or, most importantly, a commercial use. But, aside from my self-interest at heat, what do multiple across-the-board zoning changes mean for a whole city?Every property sits on a plot of land that is legally identified and parcelled in the archives (some of which really are as old as they sound), by this wonderful thing called Zoning. I'm sure you've heart of it! The good news for Vancouver at large is that there are some... 09/11/2010

We've put all the professionals in ONE room just for YOU! Time/Date: September 29 · 7:00pm - 9:00pmLocation: REMAX Crest Realty Westside (Free Parking)Address: 1428 W. 7th Ave., Vancouver, BCCreated by: Jark KrysinskiHere is a workshop about buying real estate you don't want to miss!Given the price "corrections" out there, this workshop comes at agreat time.Buying or selling real estate is a big decision and the more informedyou are, the more successful the process. This interactive workshopgives you an opportunity to meet a great Team of Professionals tolearn the pivotal tips and tricks and ask the right questions (and getknowledgeable answers). The team includes a REALTOR®, Mortgage Broker,Lawyer, Financial Planner and an Accountant - at NO charge to you!Purchasing your home or inves... 09/09/2010

I have read a great economics article at Seeking Alpha and the Unconventional Economist.  It presents some great points on a number of recent reports and I'm going to present a personal summary of these arguments in my own words.  According to this article, and commentary by the Author, Canada's real estate markets are definitely not at their peak bubble, and still have a ways to go because of this spread in disposable income versus critical income.   This concept, however, is counteracted by the fact that we are not equipped for any "correction" or "levelling" of prices because, when push comes to shove, our reserves are inadequate in such circumstances.   I share five favorite points and elaborate on each one respectively. 1. This article does a great job of summarizing the two seemi... 09/07/2010

First Time Home Buyers Guide Episode 5: Comparative Market Analysis for Buyers – What’s your Dream Home Worth? Share In Episode 4 of the First Home Buyers Guide Vancouver, we discussed how to efficiently search for properties in Vancouver. So now you’ve found your dream home and you want to write an offer. Now is the time to take a cold hard look at that property to figure out if it’s really worth what the seller is asking! They Can Ask, But Should You Give It? List price does not equal market value! Price is almost always negotiable. Very often properties in Vancouver are priced above market value, sometimes they are priced at market value, and occasionally they are priced below market value (See Multiple Offer Situations for Buyers). Why does this matter? Because once you find your dr... 09/07/2010

susankeevil.com is proud to present our Downtown Vancouver Attached Market Update for the period August 30 - September 6. Supply conditions continued to moderate this past week as the market reacted to lower-then-average sales figures through August, and a drop in general consumer confidence through the period.  This past week we saw 131 new attached listings (down for the second consecutive week from the 146 new attached listings in the previous week).  The downtown core fell notably with just 28 new attached listings this past week (down from 86 new attached listings in the previous period) with Coal Harbour and False Creek North remaining relatively stable with 16 and 12 new attached listings in each respective neighbourhood. Please click HERE for the full article. 09/07/2010

  What News Means I try to read something newsworthy every day in the media and today there was a gross disparity of Real Estate related thought.  Long weekend?  Perhaps!  So what I learned today was that Homeowners belong to a majority of those who pay their credit card bills on time (65% of the time), compared to non-homeowners who apparent don't as much (45% percent of the time).  Read it for yourself here.After I wet my appetite, I got reading something a bit more serious.  And, on a quest for knowledge and "nerdyness," I picked up the CMHC third Quarter Housing Market Outlook report.  Striking me as a far more reasonable outlook than the budding leaps of popular media, I think it's worth linking to the report below.  Also, I found a little nugget that should be worth reading, namel... 09/06/2010

I found a great way of embedding .PDF's into your publications without requiring Acrobat.  This is a useful way of previewing .PDF documents of all kinds right in your posts and introduction.  Or, as I like to do, on an index html file of all the scanned .PDF's of all my transactions with my clients, all in one place or one page.   For an example, here's a link to a page on my website that will illustrate.   To copy an embedded document that is already embedded do this: Just click on the << embed >> part on the top-right of the embedded .PDF window and click on COPY under the EMBED window, and you can embed this into any post.   To embed something you just found, you'll have to upload it to Scribd first: Of course, if you want to embed your own documents, you have to login to the site, ... 09/05/2010

Clap On... Clap Off!!! Who doesn't remember that infamous commercial - clap your hands, and the lamp will magically turn on!  Well, I found a really neat lamp the other day.  I promise, it's not a "clap on, clap off" lamp, but it does seem magical.  When the lamp is off, it looks like just any other normal, generic lamp.  However, when you turn the lamp on, magically, the image of flowers radiates through the light of the lamp shade.  I was dying to use these lamps for staging, and had the chance the other day.  I used black and white bedding with black flowers on a white background.  It was just meant to be.  With the lamp on, the bed looked stunning, and created quite the focal point in an otherwise rather dull, uninspiring room. Of course, I'm sure you've figured out by now, that the... 09/05/2010

I was contemplating what the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives means by the word “correction.”  I’m no economist, I admit, so what I’m about to say could be fraught with logical leaps.  That said, as my dear reader, let me know if I’ve got entirely out to lunch in this article – I thank you in advance if I have! This happened when I re-read the Financial Post’s article titled “Housing will be banks’ next sore spot.”  The thoughts that came to me weren’t pretty but actually felt like the sub-text or meaning between the lines sneaking through.  Could it be that the near “$495-billion is held by the chartered banks on their balance sheets” for mortgages issues in Canada could be getting passed on and imposed on those borrowers who are closest to their limits? I realized (perhaps fal... 09/04/2010

RE: VANCOUVER SUN'S "Vancouver's home buyers taking their time in August: Lofty house prices fall slightly" I invite debate about the views I've expressed in this article - perhaps they could stimulate some healthy discussion. One of the arguments in the Article is that "one-third of buyers were first timers compared with 40 per cent or more in previous months" and the effects from this are said to be "evidence of the impact that new, tighter, mortgage qualification rules introduced in April have had on the market." I find it problematic to posit the effect of these interest rates (1) considering that, only a few days ago, the interest rates have seen a record-level low; and because (2) July and August are historical low-volume months in real estate not just in the last two years but, ... 09/03/2010

This is my analysis of a CBC Article on the Olympic Village condo sales in Vancouver (available for download here), my home-town and local community.  I quote from the article three times below, with permission, and these quotations are italicized.   I find that my views differ from the authors and find it necessary to include some quotations to indicate my point Let’s do the math here for a second. If the average strata fee is approximately 250 dollars, at 12 months that’s a total of $3,000. For a condo priced at 400,000 that’s less than a 1% discount from the listing price. Would that entice you? The answer to that is all on your perspective of Value, I suppose. Rennie marketing wants to convince you otherwise. “Bob Rennie of Rennie Marketing contemplates absorbing some costs — such a... 09/03/2010

Does Your Home Staging Look Like an Antipasto Platter? - I Hope So! I belong to a cooking website called Rouxbe.  This site was started up a few years ago here in Vancouver, and now has paid subscribers from all over the world.  The cool thing about this site is that instead of publishing recipes, it has very clear video instructions on how to make each recipe.  What that heck does this have to do with home staging, you ask? Well, I was creating an antipasto platter the other day for a party I was invited to, and decided to look up a recipe on Rouxbe.  As I was watching the video, and listening to the instructions, I suddenly thought, hey, this sounds oddly familiar.  I was getting advice like "alternate colours and textures", "overlap and fold to add height and dimension", "build every... 09/02/2010

I have moved recently and, which is often the case, have learned a little bit more about the dread of moving life to a new home.  I’ve done alot of reading about and, if you want to save time and money, here’s some great info for you.  The following three short articles pretty much sum up the logic behind hiring professionals do it for you, and why you shouldn’t be breaking your back by doing-it-yourself. Professionals or DO-IT-Yourself. The second article talks about what renovators would call 3 times as long and twice as expensive.  Give this a read and find out the hidden costs of moving. In order to minimize “hidden costs” in doing everything yourself and maximize the paid help you’ve hired, it’s paramount to make everyone’s job easier: discard, oragnize, pack, and label.   Here’s ... 09/02/2010

Have you made or lost money in mutual funds or registered saving’s plans?   If you have any experience in this market and have you ever wondered who profits from this industry?  Did you know that Canada’s financial markets account for approximately 6% of our GDP (“gross domestic product”).  In fact, there are approximately 600-700 billion dollars of assets held in RSP money in the Canadian markets, which is a profoundly staggering number.  This doesn’t take into account the unused contribution room that can be counted as well.   This can essentially add up to closely to a Trillion dollars in cash sitting on the side lines in a market that is designed to disappoint people, as most people are not actually gaining money on this money, they are not looking for return on their capital but a... 09/02/2010

Here are summary comments on what is known as the Whistler Report ("A Winning Bid, A Winning Buy), from January 25, 2010, by Landcor Data Corp (a report you can download by following the link below) This news report sums up what is otherwise dubbed as a "123 per cent increase in assessed values" over the very short period of 2000 to 2010, and presents some great details and price comparisons over the last 10 years of Real Estate values in the region. The highlights of the report are its look at Condominiums, Town-homes and, the finale, the detached properties or otherwise known as freehold non-strata properties.  In a nutshell, this is what I've walked away with by reading the report: 1. Condomiums changed from an average price of 189,000 in 2000, to 380,000 in 2010 - a 101 percent inc... 09/02/2010

Here is the summary and critique of a Vision Vancouver report on the very contested Property Tax issue from early this year. The reported property tax increase figure is officially 2.26% – but the figure, as we know it, does not reveal whether this change shall be a broad increase spanning both residential and commercial properties, if they should be lumped up into one rubric or not.  In fact, commercial and residential properties tax shifts and responsibilities differ so much that they should rather no be lumped into the same category.  For instance, as any property owner knows, Property taxes from commercial units pay a far higher % of municipal taxes and levies than Residential properties, simply because the commercial properties are worth much more per square foot than the resident... 09/02/2010

There are reports from CREA and Metro that Canada’s economy is poised to receive more international investment than expected.  The Feb 12 Metro article “Canada seen as a safe investment: CIBC” (linked below) argues that “the country has sound banks and a solid AAA credit rating [with] expectations that it will lead it speers in growth over the next few years.”  I have scanned a few of these reports for you to read, if you're interested, namely: “China’s Latest Export: ‘Home Buyers’”“Canada Ranks Third for Chinese Tourism”“Real Estate is Silver Bullet During Recessions” We’re also expecting to have a decreased corporate interest rate, in that “Canada is primied to become a lowtax zone for business with a combined federal-provincial corpoprate rate of 25 per cent after 2012″.  So far our... 09/02/2010