I just sold this Condo at 202 1420 ARBUTUS Street, Vancouver West, British Columbia .
View this recently sold Condo or see all my home sales
I just sold this Condo at 202 1420 ARBUTUS Street, Vancouver West, British Columbia .
View this recently sold Condo or see all my home sales
I just sold this Condo at 1102 2203 BELLEVUE Ave, West Vancouver, British Columbia .
View this recently sold Condo or see all my home sales
I just finished uploading this spectacular 1/2 Island for sale, TOFINO, BC, Vancouver, BC The Island is privately owned and is a short half mile walk off Chestermans beach ( if you have stayed at the Wick INN you would have seen it). well now you can own it! the half that I have listed has 2 cabins and is off the grid with 12 v solar lights and electrical, propane stove and water heater and wood fireplace. Fantastic revenue potential and with 2 homes this makes a great group or family purchase. At your doorstep? fabulous kayaking, surfing, hiking and storm watching. Look out your window and the next stop is Japan- Once in a lifetime opportunity!! call Kim 617-4856
I just sold this Other at 2453 OTTAWA Ave, West Vancouver, British Columbia .
View this recently sold Other or see all my home sales
Town Hall Council Meeting for Secondary Suites is scheduled for next Wednesday, October 7th at the West Van Seniors' Activity Centre (695 - 21st Street, near Marine) at 7:00 pm. This is an important meeting as Council is considering legalizing secondary suites in West Vancouver , BC.
Current market conditions? crazy! back to multiple offers and very quick buyer decisions as the affordability in West Van has not been this good in a long time. East side homes on standard lots are getting a million dollars so our huge green lots with quaint homes are now a bargain. Contact me if you'd like to have an automatic email of new listings as soon as they come out!
I just finished uploading this House for sale, 593 BALLANTREE Road, West Vancouver, British Columbia It is not a drive by and you want to come on Sunday sept 27th I will be there with tea and cookies! from 12- 2pm.
Panoramic postcard views! Beautiful open plan with incredibly versatile floor plan. Penthouse living on top of the world with huge sundeck for city gazing. Full master w/ensuite on upper level with kitchen, dining, living room and cozy fire place in sitting area. Down the stairs (or down spiral stairs in master) you have office, kitchenette and 3 more bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and a glassed in solarium w/adjoining hot tub spa room + sauna. Also on this level enjoy a rec room w/woodburning fireplace. Private entrance to lower level could be used for a suite, home business or teens!
Many Municipalities have set up short term rental bylaws for the upcoming Olympics. Be sure to check with your area if you plan on renting out your house or a portion of it short term.
Some current bylaws:
West Vancouver Council voted on July 6,2009 to amend the Business Licence Bylaw no 4455 to address temporary accommodation for the 2010 games. The proposed amendments are modelled after the CITY of Vancouver's bylaw that addresses short term rentals. Residents will have to purchse a $150 licence and the City will inspect the property and enforce the bylaw.
Vancouver A Zoning and Developement Bylaw no 3575,1956 covers short term rentals. It includes a " 2010 winter games by-law" which will allow rentals of suites, homes, condos and even single bedrooms. A $150 license is necessary for all rentals except single bedrooms provided there are no more than 2 guests. If more than 1 bedroom is rented a B and B licence is necessary. Check out the Citys website for guidelines regarding minimum bedroom size, smoke alarms, night lights and emergency contact information. There are also guidelines as to the eviction of exisiting tenents, which the City has requested the BC Government to limit. Current fines for illegal renting are $2000 but they plan to amend that to $10,000. more info at www.vancouver.ca
Whistler Zoning and Parking bylaw no 303,1983 permits rentals only if the property is considered tourist accommodation and located in a zone that allows residential and tourist use.Whistler is considering allowing homeowners not currently in the tourist zone to rent beds nightly through a temporary use permit
Thank you for all the positive feedback about my custom branded gardening gloves! If you didnt receive a pair just send me an email and I will drop them off. To read the full article in the North Shore news, check out the Sunday, May 31 st edition. They have now been used to change oil in a car and muck out a horse barn but they come with fabulous reviews! I prefer my advertising, as well as my service, to be useful. So instead of flyers to promote name recognition, I had the gloves made.
the market?
Rates are low and prices are still low. Sales of North Van detached homes increased by 19% and West Van over 8% compared to last month. With the threat of inflation, its a perfect time to invest your dollars in the safety of real estate. The markets have shown that they too can bounce back. Although we haven't seen the speculators back out there, there is confidence in the market as we see a large number of custom homes being built. Call me for a tour of some great buys out there, cheers Kim
I just finished uploading this Condo for sale, 25 ac Frank Isalnd, Tofino, BC
25 acres off Chestermans beach. 4 cabins with propane cooktops, composting tyilets, solar electrical. west Coast splendor and life off the grid. Presently used as vacation rentals. Fabulous storm watching and peacful eagle viewing- listed as one of "the places to see before you die". This is the island you see from Wikaninnish. Walk on at low tide.
With current mortgage rates available at 3.69 % for 5 years through Origin , no wonder the first time buyers are jumping in. Sales are picking up briskly and prices are stabilizing. Bank of Canada will meet tommorrow and may reduce bank lending rate to .25% Its a great time to look for your new home, investment. If the dollar devalues , a rentable asset can carry you through this cycle...
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The Psychology of House-Hunting
With house-hunting season upon us, author Collin Ellard re-evaluates the psychology of buying a new home.
It's house-hunting season. The FOR SALE signs are everywhere. The weekend Open Houses are beginning to heat up (even though the weather isn't), and anyone thinking of moving house in the summer knows that now is the time for action. But in today's tight economy we're all working with a new set of unknowns. Gone are the days when we could treat a mortgage number as an abstract entity, assuming that somehow or other our wages would go up, the value of our properties would appreciate, and all would be well. Now, more than at any time in the lives of those currently in the housing market, we must think very carefully about our living arrangements. But it's not all doom and gloom. In fact, there may be some good that comes at a time when, rather than feeling pushed to buy beyond our means, we're being asked to reflect carefully on what we really want and need out of a home. Here are some points to ponder.
1. Avoid simplistic square foot equations.
Compared to people in many other parts of the world, we in North America have grown up in an age of rock-bottom real estate values. This has encouraged large building lots, houses whose size far outstrips our needs, and low-density suburbs that extend outside of a city's core. There's no denying the allure of having lots of elbow room and views of nature, along with all the conveniences of modern living, but we'd do well to remember that there's not much evidence of a connection between the size of a house and its psychological value as a home. In fact, ongoing scientific studies suggest that how we use our living space is much more important than how much living space we have. It's time to jettison the old-fashioned idea that the size of our home is a measure of our success and think instead of what we need to be happy.
2. Distinguish between what you want and what you want to be seen to have.
We each have many different selves and they can be difficult to keep straight. We have our inner, private selves, the selves we present to our partners and other loved ones, and the public faces we present to co-workers, acquaintances and strangers. When choosing a home, make sure that you are thinking of the person you really are rather than of the image you might want to convey publicly. This can be an exceptionally difficult distinction to make, but it is worth taking the time to do so. It's not your image of yourself that has to live in your home, it's you!
3. Value shared spaces.
When assessing whether a house will suit your needs, think of creative ways to combine functions within rooms to save space. Do you really need a separate dining room? Will a craft room ever be used? Does each child actually need a separate bedroom? Think carefully about how you use your current spaces and consider how you could consolidate, re-purpose and rationalize their various uses. Doing this properly can not only save you a fortune; it can transform the patterns of your life in ways that will increase your comfort and satisfaction.
4. Think creatively about outdoor play.
Most of us would like to have a giant backyard big enough for a play set, a pool, a garden and a small forest of trees, but building lots large enough to accommodate all of these wishes can constrain our house search and stretch our budget beyond the comfort level. If you have children, look for opportunities to stretch play areas by utilizing often-unused front yard spaces. Can neighbours join together to knock down some fences and make a shared yard? It can take some time to overcome our psychological resistance to such measures -- when it comes to home spaces, we're not used to sharing -- but evidence suggests that such communal outdoor arrangements promote physical and mental health in both children and adults.
5. Buy for yourself and not for the next person.
When times are uncertain, it's hard to resist the urge to try to plan for every eventuality, no matter how unlikely it might seem. This can mean that we begin to assess potential homes as investments as well as living spaces. To a point, there's nothing wrong with this approach, especially if it helps our psychological comfort levels. But once we start looking at houses as if we are potential sellers rather than potential buyers, our perspectives can shift and we can lose sight of our own wants and needs. Think carefully about how to protect your own interests, but remember that right now you are the one who needs a home and your needs should come first.
So everyone is asking, is NOW the time to buy? Well that depends on your situation. If you are selling your home and buying another you have currency in this market. If we drop another 10%, yes you can buy that house cheaper but you will sell for less as well. If you have the nerve you could sell now with a long closing and wait a few months if we hit bottom. BUT they dont ring a bell when we do. Generally you won't know where the bottom was till you are looking back at it. No one expects the smoke and mirrors escalation of the last 4-5 yrs to return anytime soon. So if you see the house that you absolutely want to have, think long term!! Unless you are buying to try and speculate and make a quick dollar- a little early for that..., prices today are good for long term holders, or those who plan to sell to rebuy ( currency again)
Personally, I like to have investments that I can touch and see rather than an online account that is dwindling.
Some further points:
For sellers the current list prices sometimes dont reflect the market. There are huge discrepancies where some areas are down and others haven't caught up. In alot of cases North Vancouver is now higher than West Vancouver!! Its a great time to shop on the North Shore, and in West Vancouver particularly. The recent sale of the lovely Dundarave 2 bedroom plus full basement cottage with 57 frontage and pool in the back yard for $850K is testimony to that! We sold a house in Chinatown for more than that!!
Many buyers are looking at the tax assessent ( which is 2 yrs behind right now due to Gov't freezing of the assessment roll values and are offerring that or a little less.
Many incentives for home buyers as well to do a little fixing up. $5000 grant in addition to others already out there to promote energy efficiency. And also a 15% up to $1350 max rebate for any type of reno, landscape, painting etc...
Excellent deals on older post and beams that have a classic west coast feel but need some updating, and also large spec homes that were built when values and labour were higher, and now builders need these things OFF their books.
Enough for today, happy shopping!
kim
Well we have been hearing a lot of positive feedback from those of you that have been visiting the Black Rock oceanfront Resort, in Ucuelet, BC. Please feel free to email any feedback as we had a small group of buyers participate in ownership of this resort. The hotel is up and running and with the chef from the wickanninish Inn its restaurants are sure to please!
I will be heading there in March to check up on things as well.
When buying real estate in
Property Purchase Tax Exemption
You may qualify for a tax exemption if you, and the property you are purchasing, meet the following guidelines:
OTHER TYPES OF EXEMPTIONS AVAILABLE- If you sell to or are buying from a " vertically related" family member such as mother, father, grandmother,child,mother in law or grandfather in law etc..
here is a list of full exemptions that exist
I am honored to be serving as a regional director for the Real estate Board of Greater Vancouver. The north Shore, sunshine Coast and Sea to sky division is full of wonder Real estate professionals and certainly magnificent properties. With the coming Olympics in 2010 we have much to look forward to and it will be a pleasure to be involved at the board level during this time.
Residential sales are starting to improve in North Vancouver and West Vancouver from the lows of last month. Below are the january stats as written by the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver.
The real estate industry has seen the same sweeping decline that the stock market has witnessed. Do we value structures more than paper? The coming months will tell. As Obama floods money into the market place, the effects will ripple down and we will all have to make some decisions. Do we still agree with a monetary system tied to the US dollar? Is it time to hoard gold in our safes? Is cash trash when the deflation or inflation happen? In western Canada, we have not felt the full effects but my vote will be for turing my paper cash into gold or property or something I can touch.Interest rates are low, prices are getting good..... Happy shopping!!!
The stunning Black Rock Resort is scheduled to complete this December 2008. The hotel will open soon thereafter. This first class resort and spa on the Wild West Coast is destined to be a must see! Probably the most amazing Ucluelet Real Estate there is. A short drive to Long Beach or Tofino and along the wild West Coast trail. The resort sold out in 4 hours leaving a long list of buyers still wanting in. Resales are now available, Call me for details...
For current photos of construction
click here http://gallery.me.com/lucyee#100040
Major central banks (across the world) slash rates in an extraordinary move to ease the global credit crisis. Central banks in Canada, the United States, Britain, the European Union, Sweden and Switzerland cut key lending rates by half a percentage point.
The move came after a sharp overnight drop in Asian markets and U.S. stock futures that threatened to spark another North American selloff Wednesday. The Dow Jones industrial average lost 508 points Tuesday, bringing down markets globally. Britain also was rattled by a deepening banking crisis, forcing the government to announce a $80-billion bailout package.
The Bank of Canada warned that the U.S. downturn and weakness among key trading partners is hurting Canada's exports. Plus, the domestic side of the economy is no longer on fire as commodity prices drop and the Canadian dollar slides, the bank noted.
Inflationary pressure is no longer an issue (according to the Bank of Canada) since demand from Canadian consumers and businesses is no longer strong. It is very interesting to note that the Bank of Canada (in their press release of today) also noted that this reduction in the overnight rate does not preclude them from perhaps decreasing the overnight rate further when next they meet on October 21, 2008.This rate drop should work it's way through to prime and will benefit variable rate clients.
From Keith Baker from the Mortgage group.
For Local residents wanting to stay and watch the Olympics- rather than rent out their homes, pls see below for ticket information!
from now to Nov 7th advance ticket requests are being taken. Some events may be oversubscribed in which case some type of draw/allocation process will occur.
step 1 is to book through the website below. Register first then order. Your order does not need to be finalized until Nov 7 deadline. Ticket allocations, payment are all done DEC 2008. If you are not staying in Whistler you will need to book single day transportation tickets from Vancouver.
http://www.vancouver2010.com/en/ticketing-information/-/32334/f64b2s/index.html
So, its interesting that we hate to buy stock when everything is going down and prefer to buy as its rising. How do we know we aren't buying in at the top? Why do we feel we are not buying in at the bottom, in a downward market. If we think of real estate in these terms, we see that many people bought in a market that had been going up for over 7yrs. Now we have a drop of up to 20% in some areas and people don't want in.Will they jump back in when it starts to go up?I am advising clients that are shopping to keep shoping and simply MAKE AN OFFER on what you like. Don't wait to see if prices will come down further, take them down further- to your comfort level- with an offer.They may or may not take it, but you have given it a shot. Also its a much easier market to make a transition as subject to sale offers are everywhere. The stats dont show these sales as they are not completed and some may not, but the market is more active than the stats show.
Now is a good time to upgrade. If you were selling your 1mill home to get into a 1.5mill home with a drop of 20% you might actually save about $50,000 in the difference.
But what is selling?
In Septemeber, there were 16 detached sales in West Vancouver. ONLY one was over $3million dollars. Only 3 were under $1 million. Everything else sold in the middle.Most activity is happening in the 1-2mill range.
In North Vancouver there were 29 detached sales in September. Only 5 sales were over $1 million ( the top 2, were brand new construction in the 1.4 range.) Most activity was in the $800-900 range.
So hit those open houses and happy shopping!