Blog by Stephanie Corcoran

Has monetary tightening begun?

June 14th, 2010

TD SECURITIES DATAFLASH

CA: Bank of Canada Shifts Into First Gear

  • The Bank of Canada hiked its target for the overnight rate by 25bps, from 0.25% to 0.50%

  • The forward-looking statement is quite tentative, indicating that although the default assumption is further hikes, a notable element of uncertainty remains.

  • The key phrases in the report ar ...

Home buyer and seller activity increases in busy spring market

May 4th, 2010

VANCOUVER, B.C. - May 4, 2010 -The Greater Vancouver housing market experienced increased activity in April thanks to a steady balance of home buyers and sellers entering the marketplace.

The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV) reports that residential property sales in Greater Vancouver totalled 3,512 in April 2010, the fifth highest-selling April on record. The figure represents ...

Understanding the HST

April 20th, 2010
Understanding the HST
Here it comes.... are you ready for it?

Clock It's no secret, the HST is soon be a reality in BC and Ontario. While it is expected to increase some cost in the real estate market, it is the purchasers of new homes that will be most affected. Here is a breakdown on how the HST will affect new home purchasers AFTER July 1, 2010

An HST partial rebate on new housing will be ...

Happy Halloween!

October 28th, 2009

Happy Halloween!

Remeber to keep your pets safe this year!

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Halloween can be an eerily fun time for us humans, but for our pets it can become quite unnerving, stressful, and even dangerous. To ensure a happy and safe Halloween for you and your pet take the following precautions.

Pet Safety T ...

Keeping your pets safe this halloween

October 28th, 2009

dogs in masksA few years ago, I was out with my neice and nephew just after Halloween. Gemma, my Golden Retreiever, was left at home and found her way into a pillow slip bag of Halloween booty in one of the kids bedrooms. She chewed a hole in the bag and then proceeded to chow down. We came home to a disasterous scene in the bedroom, the carpet stained with food coloring from the candys etc ...

Renting Your Home During the Olympics

September 17th, 2009

olympic 2010 rentals

2010 Rental Policy for Vancouver homeowners and renters

Thinking about making some extra money renting out your home or maybe even just a bedroom during the 2010 Olympics? If you live in the City of Vancouver you must apply for a temporary accomodation licence.

To help create more accommodation options for visitors and workers during the 2010 Winter Games, the City is temporarily making i ...

Vancouver City Council Approves Laneway housing

September 17th, 2009

Laneway Housing
Vancouver City Council Approves Laneway housing

In July 2009, City council passed a new bylaw allowing homeowners to construct laneway housing by converting garages or shed to small rental units. On a standard lot, the laneway houses can have up to 500 square feet of floor space and be up to one and a half stories high. The idea is a part of the City of Vancouver's eco-density initiative.

...

Fall Market - No surprises here – it’s still record breaking!

September 16th, 2009

The start of fall market offered no surprises. Everything remains on a strong upward swing. The number of home sales continues to increase, home prices are nearing 2007 peak pricing and the market remains brisk.

A number of factors influence the market right now including a recently lowered mortgage rate- (I saw 3.69 on a five year fixed!), limited good quality product and months of pent-up ...

Vancouver Market Stats for July 2009

August 7th, 2009

Strong spring market carries into summer months

VANCOUVER, B.C. - August 5, 2009 - The Greater Vancouver housing market gained further momentum in July with record sales levels and a continued strengthening of home prices.

The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV) reports that the number of residential property sales in Greater Vancouver totalled 4,114 in July 2009, becoming the hi ...