Vancouver Real Estate

Forget about buying a home in Vancouver

2008-02-21T07:37:00.000-08:00

If you are a first time buyer looking for a detached home in Vancouver, our new budget is no help. The threshold for the First Time Home Buyer’s program — which exempts those buying their first home from paying the property transfer tax — was increased to $ 425,000 from $375,000, a saving of over $6,000.

There is nothing below $425,000 for a home with your own backyard in Vancouver. For first time buyers that want to take advantage of the program, the only solution is to move out of Vancouver or buy into a townhouse or apartment.

For more details : http://www.321SOLD.net/for_buyers.html

State of the market - January 2008

2008-01-13T17:05:00.000-08:00

Residential housing sales for 2007 are the second highest ever recorded by the
Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver. The REBGV reports that residential attached, detached and apartment property sales totalled 38,050 between January 1 and December 31, 2007. This marks a 7.2 per cent increase from 2006 and a 6.1 per cent decrease from 2005, the record-setting year with 40,530 sales.

For a details neighbourhood by neighbourhood sales of detached homes in Vancouver click on this link:

http://www.321sold.net/state_of_the_market.html

If you are thinking of putting your home up for sale in the spring, now is the time to start cleaning up and clearing out the clutter. Just contact me for my latest CD that will give you all the answers on what to do to get ready before you put your home on the market.

Spend a few months working on a multi-media video on the "State of the Market" for Vancouver Real Estate and finally finished it in time for the 2007 sales report. Just click on the link above to have a look.

Top 10 Tips for making your home burglar-proof

2006-01-23T22:36:00.000-08:00

1. Locks: Your first line of defence. Install high security deadbolts.
2. Keys: Rekeyed when you move into a home.
3. Doors: Make sure exterior doors are of solid-core construction.
4. Windows: Should have auxiliary locks or a wood dowel in the bottom track to prevent prying.
5. Security system: Install a hard-wired system with good coverage.
6. Indoor Illusion of security: Make the home look occupied at all time. Use timers that randomly turn lights and radio on and off and turn the station to talk radio rather than music.
7. Outdoor illusion of security: Buy a big pair of boots-a size 12 and leave them on the stoop. You can also place a large dog dish and dog leash outside the door to create the illusion that a big person and a big dog live there.
8. Grounds:Install outdoor lights at the entrance and place motion-sensor lights around the perimeter of the home.
9. Garage:Install auxiliary locks on garage windows as well as the wood dowel in the bottom track and anti-lift shims in the top track. Never leave the remote garage door opener in your vehicle-buy a mini remote and keep it on your key chain.
10. Join a Block Watch Program: Get to know your neighbors and their habits. Detecting something suspicious can be the first step towards foiling a crime. Your neighbors can be your first line of defence.