The B.C. Real Estate Market has certainly changed in the last 6 months and certainly buying real estate has become much more affordable.  So, if you've been thinking about purchasing that vacation property, moving from your present home to something larger or smaller as the case may be, now may be the perfect time. In a recent anlaysis of the BC housing situation, Central 1 Credit Union decl ...

THE SKY IS NOT FALLING   You cannot watch the news in Canada without hearing the doom and gloom scenario of what is going on south of the Border.  I think we are letting the anxiety of the US sub-prime mortgage trouble affect our opinion of the market here.   A great deal of the information we are presented with is discussional in nature but may be looked upon as facts.  While the informa ...

Everyone is busy analysing the same statistics and coming up with different information.  The trouble with analysing a market is that it varies by your need for information.  The media is always looking for the negative – because that is the storey for them – while optimistic realtors want to understand the positive meaning lying within the “analysis”.  Smart buyers and sellers look at their ...

There has been a lot of talk lately in the media about the meltdown of the stock market.  We have literally been inundated each and every day, sometimes every hour with the latest low etc. and how this is going to impact people's savings and retirement funds.  People are left wondering what to do and where to turn. When compared to the volatility of the stock market (plunging twice now ...

South of the border,. the real estate downturn has been affecting many areas of the economy, but there is hope for a turnaround. Home sales are expected to rise moderately in the next 6 months as a result of recent price declines and more affordable mortgages. Bargain hunters have entered the market en masse, and NAR's (National Association of Realtors) pending home sales index a ...

The  Whistler and Pemberton real estate markets remained strong throughout the third quarter this year, and prices are expected to climb as we near 2010. Recent growth is a result of investors catching on to an undervalued market.  Since the market peaked in 2002, sales have been low and properties have appreciated little, and because construction costs have increased 50% over the past ...

 In a perfect world, homeowners and landlords in Whistler would be able to rent their homes to seasonal workers without the risk of unpaid rent or damages and without the hassle of lease paperwork, collecting rent and checking on the property to make sure everything is in order. The Whistler Housing Authority (WHA) and the Chamber of Commerce are joining forces with a local property m ...

CANADA'S FIRST LIFT-ACCESSED NEIGHBOURHOOD Starting in spring of 2008, and set for completion that winter, Intrawest Placemaking will build an approximately $3.5 million gondola to service Kadenwood - Canada's first lift-accessed community. Given the high-end nature of the subdivision - with Phase I sold out and lots in Phase II starting at $1.5 million - the local Kadenwood homeowner's ass ...

This past weekend, over 75 cm (over 2 feet) of snow has fallen on Whistler Blackcomb Mountains and the forecast is for snow to continue for the rest of the week. With this incredible snow fall, Whistler Mountain will OPEN early on Saturday, November 18 for the rest of the Winter 2006/07 season. Blackcomb Mountain will open as scheduled on November 23. NEW Symphony Express Lift  on Schedule ...

The decision of the Tory government to change the tax laws in Canada could have a far reaching affect on the markets in the days and weeks to come, but no more so than on the Canadian dollar.  The Canadian dollar has fallen below 88 cents and it looks like much further weakness ahead. The stock markets are taking a beating and that means the dollars are heading to the bond market which lowe ...