Search Title:
  1. New brokerage entices recruits with unique incentives

    Low commissions and rebates a hit Neil SharmaREP There’s a new realty brokerage in town and it’s already a hit with consumers. Justo Inc. has only been operating in the Greater Toronto Area since September, but the reception it has received from consumers has been resoundingly positive. One reason is that the brokerage returns 50% […]

  2. Redfin comes to Canada with full-service agents in Toronto

    Redfin in Vancouver coming soon Steve RandallREP One of America’s fastest-growing real estate firms has now launched in Canada. Redfin positions itself as a “technology-powered residential brokerage with a mission to redefine real estate” to favour consumers; and has expanded swiftly in the US with 85 markets. It has also launched a homebuying service and […]

  3. Red tape is a major influence in Vancouver’s housing scarcity

    Bureaucratic roadblocks hinder housing supply Neil SharmaCanadian Real Estate Wealth Bureaucratic roadblocks continue to have a major influence on Metro Vancouver’s housing supply, as these intricacies have led to massively overdue project approvals, according to the recently released Market Intel real estate report by MLA Canada. Burnaby, Vancouver, and the District of North Vancouver are […]

  4. ‘Non-individuals’ own 10% of B.C. residential property: CMHC

    Non-individual ownership in Kelowna outstrips that in Vancouver Tyler Orton Western Investor Nearly one in 10 residential properties in B.C. are owned by “non-individual entities,” according to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). Tuesday’s (February 12) report from the Crown corporation finds that non-individual ownership of residential properties amounts to 9.8 per cent in […]

  5. Province expecting $400M hole in Property Transfer Tax revenues

    Housing market slowdown has slashed B.C. government?s projected income from purchase taxes, including foreign buyer tax revenues Joannah ConnollyWestern Investor The real estate market slowdown may feel like good news for many who are struggling to afford a home in our pricey province – but certainly it’s not good news for the provincial coffers. The […]

  6. Canada’s housing starts remained steady in January

    Vancouver housing starts were hold-steady Steve RandallCanadian Real Estate Wealth The trend for Canadian housing starts was steady in January with 208,131 units improving on December’s 207,171 units. CMHC’s latest 6-month moving average shows that things have snapped the recent trend towards fewer starts. “After recent declines, the national trend in housing starts held steady […]

  7. Stress testing is a much-needed ‘margin of safety’ – OSFI

    The B-20 stress test an element of caution Ephraim VecinaREP Amid multiple criticisms of the tighter mortgage qualification rules introduced last year, the OSFI’s assistant superintendent stood by the B-20 mandated stress testing as a necessary element of caution. “The stress test is, quite simply, a safety buffer that ensures a borrower doesn’t stretch their […]

  8. Vancouver’s empty homes tax visibly improved vacancy rates, supply

    Vacancy rate improved by 15% Ephraim VecinaCanadian Real Estate Wealth The ratio of unoccupied residential properties in Vancouver noticeably fell by 15% in just one year, and half of previously empty homes have been moved to the rental market, according to the initial returns of the city’s 2018 empty homes tax. The Vancouver government stated […]

  9. No housing-related ‘brain drain’ from Metro Vancouver, says analyst

    More young professionals are coming to the region than are leaving it, according to Census data Joannah Connolly Western Investor Census data on net migration in four Canadian metropolitan areas by education level, between 2006 and 2016. Source: doodles.mountainmath.ca It has been frequently reported that the high cost of housing is driving the region’s young professionals […]

  10. Why the agitation over vacant home forms?

    Speculation tax registration is important and doesn’t take as long as many believe DOUGLAS TODDThe Vancouver Sun I’m not a fan of filling out forms. So I worried after commentators and politicians warned it could take 40 minutes to fill out what was being called a 14-page form for the B.C. government’s speculation and vacancy […]