New listings show modest rise from 2021
Posted on Jul 25, 2022
It’s still a small sample size but June listings were up in B.C., according to the Canadian Real Estate Association. A shortage of listings, more than anything, is considered to be the biggest factor in the current real estate climate.
The June-to-June comparison from 2021 to 2022 showed an increase of 5.5 per cent in new listings. New listings in J...
Interest rates just one reason for higher prices
Posted on Jul 13, 2022
After the Bank of Canada raised its key benchmark rate by a whopping one per cent this week, everybody’s favourite analyst was telling people what the impact is likely to be. As for the housing market, the impact of a bank rate that is now 2.5 per cent — following the largest increase in 24 years — will naturally be felt.
It’s correct to say that t...
Still unknown: the impact of ‘working remotely’
Posted on Jun 29, 2022
Working remotely, otherwise known as “working from home”, has had a dramatic effect on life in general. Specifically, it has an impact on the housing industry because some people are looking for bigger homes, some people are looking for even more remote “homes” and some people are downsizing — or becoming first-time home buyers and working remotely...
Finding the right path for home renovations
Posted on Jun 12, 2022
The kitchen is dated. The bathrooms are in need of new fixtures because the old ones are not pretty, inefficient and sometimes leak. For many homeowners, that means it’s renovation time.
All you can see in your search for what to do are dollar signs, because you know it’s going to be a costly venture…perhaps even costlier than what you think in maki...
May’s the month to get ‘electrical’ attention
Posted on May 25, 2022
As acronyms go, NESM isn’t one that rolls easily off the tongues of home owners — or for that matter, everybody — but perhaps it should. Because National Electrical Safety Month can prevent injuries or even save lives, in addition to damage to your home.
NESM comes and goes every May. Designated by the Electrical Safety Foundation International, its...
Stress test to make news for different reason?
Posted on May 18, 2022
An early effect of interest-rate increases is expected to be the long-debated stress test, otherwise known as the “mortgage qualifying rate” and the creation of the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI).
The “stress test” was designed to cool the real estate market by requiring homebuyers to show they can manage an interest r...