Archive for July, 2011

High-rises best route to affordability

Thursday, July 14th, 2011

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HIGHER DENSITY: More high-rise housing – especially around Sky train stations – is the solution to Metro Vancouver’s high housing prices, a professor says. Photo: Brentwood Shopping Centre

The best solution to high Metro Vancouver housing prices is to dramatically increase the housing supply, according to UBC professor Michael Goldberg. Goldberg, Professor and Dean Emeritus with the Sauder School of Business at UBC, said that if property developers were allowed to build a surplus of residential units, the costs would come down. And he sees high-rise condominiums as the best product to build. He said a demographic shift is being seen toward smaller households, older and retired people who have lost interest in single-family homes and a working population who would prefer to live in the city rather than commute from the suburbs. “Foreign purchasers of real estate in Vancouver are making valuable investments here”, said Goldberg and Canadians should be creating a favorable environment for these investments. The City of Vancouver should abandon regulations that protect “views of the mountains” said Goldberg. He considers the mountains to be high enough that buildings are not going to interfere sufficiently with the views to bother with a regulation. Building height limits also should be dropped in Vancouver according to Goldberg. He says that market condition should dictate height of buildings, not planning regulations. U.S. cities such as Chicago have minimal planning regulation and no height limits, explained Goldberg. Chicago has about three times more built floor area per square foot of land than in Vancouver. Goldberg contends that planning regulations hold back the efficient construction of new buildings in Vancouver to meet a growing demand for real estate. A restricted supply of residential units is in turn pushing up the cost of property development and housing. Michael Goldberg provided Property Biz Canada with the following list of pluses and minuses for the construction of tall buildings: Tall Building Pluses – Make more efficient use of urban land; – Create customers for Skytrain, Canada Line and buses; – Add to urban built form supply efficiently and lower price per buildable square foot; – Allow for urban core open-space; – Encourage mixed uses further adding to urban efficiency and reduction in traffic; and – The only way to reduce building and occupancy costs without expanding freeways. Copyright Real Estate Weekly

Vacation Checklist: What to do when your home’s alone

Tuesday, July 12th, 2011

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REBGV June Statistics Videocast

Friday, July 8th, 2011

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Buyer linups return to metro condo market

Friday, July 8th, 2011

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Waterfront property is a gargain along the BC Coast

Friday, July 8th, 2011

Frank O’Brien
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Timber Towns – coming back to life

Friday, July 8th, 2011

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Investing in mobile parks

Friday, July 8th, 2011

Bill Summers
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Home energy grant program extended

Friday, July 8th, 2011

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ENERGY GRANTS: The federal government is offering $5,000 grants for home energy upgrades, which includes adding high-performance skylights and windows. The program runs to next March. Photo: Velux

The federal government has announced it is extending the ecoENERGY program, which provides homeowners with grants of up to $5,000 for construction projects that improve energy efficiency, such as heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC), insulation, air sealing and new windows and doors. NAIMA Canada, a trade association for North American fibre glass, rock wool and slag wool manufacturers, said continuation of the program “means employment for building suppliers, heating and ventilation technicians, renovators and related trades people, home energy auditors and the people making insulation.” Natural Resources Canada’s Office of Energy Efficiency (OEE) administers the ecoENERGY program. To qualify, applicants must first register. They must also complete all renovations, obtain a post-retrofit evaluation and sign an application form no later than March 31, 2012. The program’s grant table includes HVAC, domestic hot water equipment, insulation, air sealing, windows, doors, skylights and water conservation. EcoENERGY is intended for include single detached and attached homes, including row housing, duplexes and triplexes, four-season cottages, mobile homes on a permanent foundation and even permanently-moored floating homes. Some condo buildings are eligible for the grant if there are three stories or less, and there are a maximum of 20 units in the building. Some insulation manufacturers are lobbying to have the grant program extended, but home builders have applauded the program. CHBA President Vince Laberge said: “This announcement means that homeowners can begin the process of making their homes more energy efficient, right away.” The program is complemented by the government’s on-going support for the R-2000 initiative, the EnerGuide Rating System and ENERGY STAR for New Homes. By requiring written receipts for expenses eligible for a grant, the program has the added benefit of encouraging people to work with professional renovators. This will bolster the government’s efforts to combat the underground cash economy in home renovation services, Faberge said. The program is complemented by the government’s on-going support for the R-2000 initiative, the EnerGuide Rating System and Energy Star for New Homes. Copyright Real Estate Weekly

Property Inspectors – A REALTOR ust give buyers a choice of 3 inspectors when giving a referral

Friday, July 8th, 2011

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Property Inspectors – a REALTOR must give buyers a choise of 3 inspectors when giving a referral

Friday, July 8th, 2011

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