I'm getting ready to launch my book "Along for the Ride. Getting Your Money Working for You Through Real Estate and Stocks", which will be available as paperback and e-book. In this book, I have written some of what is covered in my video blogs, with more detailed content offering a simple, straightforward blueprint on how to create financial independence using real estate and stock investing ...

The weekend edition of the Globe & Mail newspaper recently did a profile of my portfolio and investment strategy.Check it out here 

Real Estate Goes Global by James Surowiecki May 26, 2014 The most expensive housing market in North America is not where you’d think. It’s not New York City or Orange County, California, but Vancouver, British Columbia. Now, Vancouver is a beautiful city—a thriving deep-water port, a popular site for TV and movie shoots. By all accounts, it is a wonderful place to live. But nothing about its ...

Happy New Year! it's been another solid year for BC real estate. Most areas of the province saw a strong, stable market as both prices and sales look to surpass those of 2012, albeit only slightly. In fact, 2013 was pretty much the polar opposite of 2012 as the year started slowly before finishing strong. For most markets, the years' numbers were actually behind those of 2012 before a strong ...

December 2013 Market Update

November was a good month. The sun was shining and the housing market was strong. So far this fall, it seems as though house prices and sales have moved into a healthy balanced market in most parts of the province. Well-priced product sells while overpriced product sits. It's the way a market should be.

Moving into November, a few things from the past month have ...

Welcome to your monthly update on Greater Vancouver Real Estate.

The Art of Pricing

All corners of the province have experienced unbelievably good weather through the summer, but it looks like we can't escape the wet stuff forever.

For the real estate market, last year's relatively sluggish summer has rebounded strongly this year. It looks like we've entered a period of ...

If you’re living in a detached property in Richmond and you have not switched over from a flat fee utilities tax to a metered system, I strongly suggest you call Richmond city hall and get on it. Chances are unless you have a very large family and use a ton of water, it will save you some good money each year. It cut my water bill in half for our home. Keep in mind that there are a numbe ...

Many people in BC don't realize that the BC Government introduced the PTT (property transfer tax) in 1987 as a wealth tax. It was meant to discourage speculation at the high end of the market. It was set at 1% on the first $200,000 and 2% on the balance. Since its introduction the average price of a lower mainland home has gone up by 500% yet the PTT has never been adjusted to account for the ...

You can't listen to talk radio or watch the local news without some Vancouver city councillor bemoaning the fact that housing in this city is unaffordable and the need to build more affordable housing. Well I have a great idea for you! Stop imposing huge fees on developers (some of the highest in N. America) because NEWS FLASH all they do is pass it onto the home buyer. Here's a sho ...

People might be surprised at how affordable an older condo is right now. With rock bottom interest rates it's possible to get into a 2 bedroom renovated condo with 5% down and payments of under $800 month. I would think that's more than what most people are paying for rent right now. Sometimes I wonder if the people who are posting all the negative comments about Vancouver real estate ( ...