A Chocolate Extravaganza in Montreal - Juliette & Chocolat Imagine walking into an adorable restaurant/cafe in Montreal, and being surrounded by an assortment of delectable chocolates, decadent desserts, mouthwatering crepes and sublime hot chocolate, made with real melted chocolate, like your grandmother may have made.  This is exactly what happened on a recent trip to Montreal.  All our senses screamed and cheered as we walked into Juliette & Chocolat.  Not only did this cafe promise a feast of edible delights, but it also offered a feast for the eyes.  Juliette & Chocolat is an interior designer's dream.  Located in a historical building on the corner of Prince-Arthur and Saint-Laurent, this restaurant boasts massively high ceilings, quaint light and airy walls and moldings, and bric... 08/07/2010

What to Expect When BUYING YOUR FIRST HOME By Geraldine Santiago Author, Realtor  Vancouver, BC     What to expect when buying your first home? Attend my home buying seminar in Greater Vancouver and find out what you need to know about buying your home before you buy.  Buyers today need to know about housing market conditions, interest rates, forecasts, trends, market cycles and so on.  Get information first hand from experts in the housing industry.  A mortgage broker, lawyer, certified home inspector and realtor will help provide you with resources, tips and information free of charge. Go to www.vancouverhomes.info for a list of seminars in your area.  Registration is limited, sign up today!   08/03/2010

Forming a New RESA (Real Estate Staging Association) Chapter in Metro Vancouver - and Giving Back Are we ever excited to be working on organizing a new RESA Chapter in Metro Vancouver, B.C.  So Far, we've had 3 meetings, and the energy has been amazing.  It's great to gather with other Home Stagers in Vancouver, and discuss ways to support the real estate staging industry as a whole, as well as each other.  Yes, we're in competition with each other, but we are also collaborating for the better good of the home staging industry as a whole in Vancouver.  To-date, we have about 32 members, and we're growing!  One of the first items on the agenda is to give back to our community.  Our first speaker ever last week was Louise Edwards.  She is referred to as "the Godmother of the Downtown East... 07/31/2010

by Mike Andruff, VancouverPropertyFinder.com      We recently had our 15th customer party. We generally pick a theme, plan around the concept for several weeks in advance and then arrange enough manpower to pull it off.      This party was planned as an Ice Cream Social at a local beach. We had roughly 60 participants. So ice cream and hot dogs for at least 60, with games and prizes to make it nice. Prizes by the way ranged from donut holes for the kids to an $1,100 travel credit with Flight Centre for one of our lucky past clients. Oh, it is extra fun if the sunshines like crazy.      My team of four set up our trademark RE/MAX bolloon, a shade tent, a gas bar-b-que, and served four flavors of ice cream and hot dogs with onions and all the fixings. We had the egg and spoon race, the ba... 07/18/2010

Downtown Vancouver B.C. Home Staging - Before & After My company, Exit Stage Right, was happy to stage a downtown Vancouver condo on the 18th Floor, overlooking a beautiful Marina.  This is the view from the living room window - some days I just love my job.  This condo is located in the heart of Yaletown, an area of cafes, bistros, funky restaurants and great nightlife.  There are also lovely design shops and boutiques for those who love the city life.  This Vancouver condo has been vacant and on the market for quite a while.  The owner is moving back to his home country, and is anxious to sell.  He told me that one of the main reasons he feels the condo is not selling is because potential buyers don't know what to do with the curved windows and how they should place their furniture.  ... 06/30/2010

May 2010 Sales Statistics from the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver Property Transfer Tax (PTT) and Vancouver Real Estate » Vancouver First Time Home Buyers Advice Episode 4 – How to Efficiently Search for Properties View on ExposureRoom So you’ve hired a Realtor in Episode 3: How to Hire a Realtor. Now its time to put them to work! Nobody likes to waste time. In this Episode we will talk about how to efficiently search from a home with the assistance of a Real Estate Agent. Let get started! Get Some Tools! Your Realtor will have some great web-based real estate research tools, like Private Client Services that will notify you of new listings, let you know whats actively on the market, and most importantly, how much properties are selling for. Why is sales data important? Because ... 06/23/2010

"Cypress on a Hill" 36x36 Acrylic on Canvas   Hello All Activerain members! I'd like to invite you to help empower the homeless at a fundraiser event on Friday, June 25th, from 6-10pm in Vancouver, BC at Gallery Gachet on 88 East Cordova Street.   CFFS’s vision statement is to provide opportunity and support for homeless, recovering people (mental affliction and/or physical addiction), and other marginalized or needy groups in Canada; and we accomplish this via donated potted plants and cut flowers. Another successful CFFS program being offered to seniors and people undergoing psychosocial rehabilitation (the MPA Society) is called the Office Floral Outreach Program where our volunteers provide donated flowers and expertise to seniors (floral classes) at their home (group residence) or... 06/16/2010

  “Noise Pollution”,  the Good, the Bad and the Ugly by Geraldine Santiago www.vancouverhomes.info   When purchasing a home, it is always good to listen to the noise or various sounds in the area. Yes, you heard me, I said, “noise”. This is easier said than done, as no doubt you are probably more focused on finding out more about the over-all health of the building and not that interested in the noise level in the unit and its surrounding areas. What can you hear from the property you are considering purchasing? Dogs barking? Birds chirping? Music from a next door neighbour? Car or House alarm ringing? Renovations being done nearby? Noise, unfortunately, can detrimentally affect people’s health (sleep disturbance and increased stress). And this, my friend, is an important consideration ... 06/09/2010

  I spent an entire career writing.  I wrote three real estate reference books published with Self-Counsel Press Ltd. not to mention my (countless) articles and blogs on real estate for the consumer. But what many of you don't know is that I used to be a starving artiste.  This is "Luisa", oil on canvas.  My left brain is struggling with my right brain.  What do you think?  Post a comment!  Any thoughts? I'd love to hear from you!     06/02/2010

  Zoning, what is it good for?  (part two)  by Geraldine Santiago Licensed Realtor, Published Author   Go to www.vancouverhomes.info to read part one    The first part of this article addressed the importance of zoning and why it is important for home owners to find out what their zoning district is on their property and its adjacent areas.  I explained where you could find this information yourself, and to do your own due diligence when it comes to knowing your property.  Zoning could be an important part of the sale, so it is important to know what exactly this is.  Recently in Vancouver, BC, there have been changes to certain zoning namely for RS-1 and RS-5 single-family dwelling which were adapted by City Council in July 2009. The City of Vancouver’s Land Use and Development had cer... 06/01/2010

by VancouverPropertyFinder.com      At a recent event sponsored by the Westside Division of the Greater Vancouver Real Estate Board, staff from the Vancouver City planning staff explained the numerous changes to city bylaws that were implemented to achieve an "Eco Densification" of Vancouver. This presentation lead one realtor to quip in the question period if the City was contemplating a change in zoning description from single family zoning to triple family zoning. (Under current bylaws, one can have a basement suite within the residence ad a laneway house on the same lot.)      The following presentation was a video of the event: 05/26/2010

New Listing: Vancouver West 2 Bedroom Townhouse 1151 CORDOVA StreetVancouver WestV6C 3T1 »map »more details Bedrooms: 2 Bathrooms (full): 2 Bathrooms (half): 1 Price: $1,475,000 Year Built: 2008 Yearly Tax: 7581 Living Area: 1,656 sq.ft. Basement: None Description 1151 W. Cordova St. "Harbour Green Two". A rare opportunity to live at the prestigious Harbour Green Two. The lowest per sqft price in the building!!! This luxurious 2-level 2-bdrm/3-bath townhome offers world class interior finishings, including: Snaidero kitchen, Miele appliance package, Sub-Zero fridge, Vitraform sinks, Lutron lighting, and Kohler hardware. Unbeatable location in Vancouver's most prestigious waterfront neighborhoods is truly a thing of beauty! Walk the seawall, enjoy boutique shopping on Robson, tour Stanl... 05/26/2010

Jacob Krause and Jacky Levi - Vancouver Westside Realtors have recently created a website for a new concrete low-rise condo development in Kitsilano. The building is located at 1808 West 3rd Ave and features 1 and 2 bedroom apartments. It's a 6 level building developed by Toyo Development. As real estate agent Jacob and Jacky often have clients who are interested in moving into the Kitsilano region and want to live in a newer concrete building. It's often a challenge to find suites such as this in an area of Vancouver where most of the real estate is older low-rise wood construction. This is a wonderful addition to increase the varity of product available to potential home buyers. Kore has been outfitted with the most modern finishes (List provided below) providing sleek and eligant urb... 05/12/2010

Jacob Krause and Jacky Levi are Westside Realtors selling houses and townhomes in Vancouver BC. They provide residential real esate services in Chinese, Hebrew and English. Their Realtor services and expertise are home sales in Shaughnessy, South Granille, Point Grey, Dunbar and Kerrisdale. If you're looking for a real estate agent to help you sell your duplex, fourplex or luxury house, use Realtors who can market your property to international buyers. Over the last 10 years marketing your estate has changed in many ways. It's no longer enough to advertise to a local market to match a buyer to your home. Vancouver is recognized as a beautiful city offering a great standard of living. Jacob agrees, a large portion of home buyers are now investing in our housing market from other countrie... 05/12/2010

Mold and Indoor Air Quality in Vancouver with Brian Mackenzie of ABM Environmental By Vancouver Realtor, Mike Stewart View on ExposureRoom I recently had the pleasure of meeting with Brian Mackenzie of ABM Environmental to talk about mold (mould) and indoor air quality.  I was working with a client who was buying an older house in the Grandview area of Vancouver and had concerns about mold. We brought ABM Environmental in to test indoor air quality in the basement. Their analysis let us know there was  a mild mold problem. Brian was able to give us some great advice to fix the problem inexpensively. Why Worry About Mold and Indoor Air Quality? Mold is everywhere. Whenever you have moisture and warmth, you get mold. Sometimes mold results in great things like cheese and penicillin, BUT s... 05/11/2010

First Time Home Buyers Guide Vancouver – Episode 3 How to Hire a Realtor! View on ExposureRoom In Episode 2 of the Vancouver First Time Home Buyers Guide we talked about how to figure out where to buy. Once you have decided on neighbourhood, it’s time to select a Realtor. Google it, Baby! To get started, Google the names of the neighbourhoods you are focusing on in combination with “Real Estate’ or “Realtor” to get an idea of which Realtors are putting effort into their web-marketing. Chances are, the more effort they’re putting into their online presence, the more effort they’ll put effort into your search. Interview Time! Meeting a Realtor in action is very good way to interview. Visit an Open House held by Realtors you’re interested in working with is a great low pressure way to meet... 05/11/2010

First Time Home Buyers Guide Vancouver – Episode 2 – Where to Buy! By Mike Stewart, Vancouver Realtor View on ExposureRoom So You Know What you Can Spend, Where Are You Going to Buy? SO you’ve gone to the bank or met with your mortgage broker and you’ve been pre-approved as we discussed in Episode 1 of First Time Home Buyers Guide Vancouver. Now you know what you can spend, now you need to decide where you want to look. For most people in Vancouver, budget will be a major consideration as to where they look. Simple online options such as Realtor.ca can help narrow down the areas that work for your budget. These sites have limits though, they only show whats listed on the market right now and tend to update very slowly. Take a Walk! Once you’ve narrowed down the list of areas you’re inte... 05/11/2010

First Time Home Buyers Guide Vancouver – Episode 1 – Getting Started! By Mike Stewart, Vancouver Realtor View on ExposureRoom This is the first post in a series of tips for First Time Home Buyers in Vancouver’s property market. So you’re thinking of taking the plunge and buying your first home in beautiful Vancouver! How much can I spend? Get Pre-Approved! If you have several hundred thousand dollars in your bank account, great! If not, you should speak to your bank or a mortgage broker to find out how large of a mortgage you can get. The bank or broker will give you a mortgage pre-approval which is a rough estimation of what you can borrow. This mortgage pre-approval is based on the information you provide the bank or mortgage broker. Remember, the more accurate and detailed the inform... 05/11/2010

Vancouver mortgage broker Mark Fidgett's answer may surprise you! Having said that, history shows that a missed credit card payment would be reported to the credit bureau, whereas a missed mortgage payment would not. I’m not saying don’t make your mortgage payment, as this is a secured debt, but as much as credit cards are NOT secured debt, the SHORT term impact of not paying can be much more damaging to your credit. You may want to call me to discuss 604-273-2002 Mark Fidgett | 604-273-2002 “Your Personal Mortgage Consultant….For Life!” PS – Please Don’t Keep Me a Secret A REFERRAL is when you INTRODUCE someone you care about to someone you TRUST! T 604.273.2002 | F 604.522.2072 W http://www.notapennydown.com An independent Mortgage Specialist associated with the Verico Mortgage Netwo... 05/07/2010

Home Staging in Vancouver, B.C. - Spring has Sprung in this Condo! I just received some very good news today.  A condo we staged near the Vancouver General Hospital about a month ago has just SOLD!  The condo had been on the market since January and was looking a little sad.  We were called in last month to see if staging would help move this property.  The rooms seemed to be drab and lifeless.  Dominating the living room, was one of the ugliest sofas I've ever seen.  Ok, maybe in its day it was beautiful, but time had not been good to this dreary chesterfield! Another complaint by potential buyers was that the rooms looked too small to house a proper sized bed.  How many times have we heard this?  Not only that, but one of the bedrooms was painted a sickly yellow.   The solution?  Brin... 04/28/2010