I had 2 articles printed in the weekend issues of the Globe and Mail this month.The first one on Sept 5th profiled a unique zero lot line home I listed and sold in West Richmond. This unique home ended up selling well over asking price with multiple offers.Read here.The second article Sept 19 by Globe and Mail financial writer Larrry Macdonald is a profile on my investment portfolio and strategy.Read here.

I'm always getting inquires  from people asking for my opinion on certain Vancouver pre-sale condo projects.In the past month I’ve received no less than 5 calls/emails about a new development at the north end of the Granville St bridge called Vancouver House by Westbank. Nothing has changed my opinion over the past 8 years on Pre-construction in Vancouver. I still don't recommend it for a myriad of reasons the biggest one being that there is very little incentive to buy now and wait 4 years to take possession. If you really want to live in Vancouver House  wait until it`s complete and has  occupancy.  Give me a call and i will go in and negotiate a deal for you with no GST from the dozens of units that will be flooding the MLS. Too ...

This is Part 2 of my Opportunities Series. This one features one of my long time investor clients who called me this summer looking to add another one bedroom condo to his portfolio. He already owns investment condos, duplexes and single family homes in Vancouver and Richmond. For this purchase he was looking at buying a simple one bedroom in a good older building in Downtown New Westminster that was close to Sky train.

The legendary Zig Zigler used to say that opportunities are all around us if you look. Did you wake up this morning to an alarm clock or to an opportunity clock? Well, here's your wake up call. I see plenty of fantastic buying opportunities in Vancouver and Richmond Real Estate every month. Even when the market is active and prices are rising like they are these days. So Ii thought I would profile a few for you on my video blog. The buyers’ need two things to achieve success with these homes: a small reserve fund to cover some future levies, and a bit of patience ( 5years +). If you can manage those two things, then you have found yourself a great buy.

When you hire a realtor to list, market and sell your home you’re really hiring a Real estate consultant. You’re hiring that Realtor for his or her experience, professionalism and expertise in selling homes. Any old realtor can fill in the paper work needed to list your home and get it on the MLS. Only a full time experienced professional is going to first consult you on ways to improve your home to get it ready for sale and ways to improve its value to get you the maximum selling price. An experienced Real estate consultant will also educate you on a pricing strategy as well as various marketing initiatives that are proven to drive more interest in your home. The commission rate should never be the deciding factor in hiring a Real ...

Summer 2014 is shaping up to be one of the most active in many years. Sales volume is up, prices are up and buyer activity is high. I'm getting calls every week from people who are looking to hire me to sell their home. About 50% of the people who call me have added me to there short list of Realtors to interview for the job of listing and marketing there home. 100% of the time I get asked about my commission rate and why should they pay me X amount if another Realtor can do it for $6000 less. I suggest the most important questions you should be asking potential Realtors are: What is your marketing strategy to get exposure to my home, What have you sold recently and at what price. Is the realtor consistently setting ne ...

My market update for Summer 2014. Overall the market is getting much more active. Buyers are out there in fairly substantial numbers right now. Most properly priced home are selling in under 45 days.  Overall, the market remains balanced, trending more towards an overall sellers market. Currently we have many segments of the market that would be a strong sellers market as well as several sectors in Richmond and Vancouver that would still favour the buyer. It all depends on the type of product -  Strata vs detached, location and price point.

Reading an interesting article in the New Yorker Magazine last month on the rise of Vancouver property values and how it has become a truly global market in real estate. Vancouver's appeal consists of comfort and security for foreign buyers, thus making it a sort of "Hedge City". Here's a link to the article: http://www.newyorker.com/talk/financial/2014/05/26/140526ta_talk_surowiecki

I just attended another seminar on BC Strata Law and some changes that could be coming in the next 3 to 5 years. Now that depreciation reports are law the government intends to make it a lot easier for Strata Corporations to pass special levy's to replace major components of a building -- things like balconies, siding, windows, roofs etc. The current law requires a 75% vote to get a resolution like a special levy approved. Look for this requirement to be lowered to only a majority vote in the future. The goal is to make it much easier for Strata Corps to approve the financing for building maintenance and be much more pro-active on repairs and upgrades.

Right now, in the province of BC there are over 2500 Strata Corporations that are over 45 years of age. Many of these condo and townhouse developments are sitting on large parcels of land in grade A locations. Sometimes a developer will come in and offer to buy out or liquidate an entire Strata and offer a premium price if all the owners agree to sell. The problem is that it takes a 100% unanimous vote by all the owners to approve such a sale. That's a tall order and the reason why very few Strata larger than a duplex or triples ever get liquidated. According to Tony Giovent, the president of the BC Home Owners Association, this Strata law requiring a unanimous vote may change in the near future and only require a vote of 85% to 90 ...