Time for one of my regular blogs on the importance of simply buying and keeping your principal residence or investment property. Why you never want to treat it like a short term asset that’s meant to be flipped and traded like a stock. Too many people look at real estate with the trader's (short term) mindset and let all the short term and transitory problems of the day influence their decisions. Smart investors think long term - creating a can’t loose scenario simply by buying and holding quality assets for long periods of time. It’s really that simple!

Every candidate for Vancouver Mayor seemed focused on fixing the affordability crisis we have in Vancouver Real Estate. Affordable housing should be available for all residence of the city according to all the flyers I have been receiving. Is this really attainable in a city as desirable as Vancouver? Eventually prices on Vancouver condos will start to come down but chances are most of the decline will be as a result of more interest rates hikes. Will this really do much to the overall affordability?

In this blog I’m going to address (for about the 5th time in the past 8 years) why a city like Vancouver has such high prices and how it became disconnected from fundamentals many decades ago. Vancouver is an equity driven market and a city that people from around the world aspire to live in. It’s a city that can get by on it’s looks and doesn’t need wage growth to keep it appreciating.

In this blog I outline the main reasons why Vancouver condo prices are so expensive and why those prices are staying so resilient even after all the Government’s steps to curb the demand.

I have read a number of articles this past Summer talking about the unprecedented Bull run we have experienced in the stock market since the last market correction in 2009 and how so few people have participated in it. The same can be said for Vancouver Real Estate over the past 25 years and how important it is own your principal residence as opposed to being a long term renter in this city. Take advantage of the principal residence exemption, take advantage of the Canadian dividend tax credit and for sure get your retirement savings supercharged by putting high quality dividend paying equities in your TFSA and RRSP.

Another blog on buying your principal residence as opposed to becoming a lifetime renter in a city like Vancouver. Over the past decade I have noticed a number of changes to the tenant pool on my investment units. In this video I’m going to tell you what I’m seeing from the front lines of the rental market and why once you get on the renters treadmill - how difficult it is to get off and buy.

The latest stats from the Vancouver Real Estate Board are out and they still show a strong Sellers' Market for Downtown Vancouver condos. The story continues to be high demand especially for 1 bedroom units and condos priced under $900K and limited supply (units listed for sale on the MLS). The detached market is a different story where we have now officially slipped into a Buyers' Market with the sales to active listings ratio (The only stat that really matters) at 10%. Condos for the entire Vancouver region are at a sales to active listing ratio of 27% and much higher for downtown Vancouver condos. A sales to active listing ratio of under 12% = Buyers' market 12-20% = balanced market over 20% = Sellers' market Right now the downtow ...

As I’ve been saying for many years on my blog, market’s don’t go up forever and one of these days we will see the price of Vancouver condos start to decrease. The latest stats from the Vancouver Real Estate Board are out and they still show a strong sellers' market for Downtown Vancouver condos. The story continues to be high demand especially for 1 bedroom units and condos priced under $900K and limited supply (units listed for sale on the MLS). The detached market is a different story, where we have now officially slipped into a buyers' market with the sales to active listings ratio (the only stat that really matters) at 10%. Condos for the entire Vancouver region are at a sales to active listing ratio of 27% and much higher for do ...

In this video i’m going to walk you thru the steps or classes your going to need to pass first before you can work with me and buy your first home in Vancouver.

A question I frequently receive from investors is "Do I need a parking space with my downtown Vancouver condo?" 10 years ago I would have said yes but today there’s really no right or wrong decision.. it really depends on your budget and if you want to spend the extra $40K for the parking space. A trend that I started noticing about 5 years ago was young people (tenants) giving up the car and not needing a parking space. I can see this trend continuing. On the other side, parking in Vancouver is becoming more scarce every year. So the value of that parking space will appreciate just like the unit over time.