IN THIS ISSUE:

• Van Gogh to Picasso, arts to soccer — what to do

• Decor: Help to make those small rooms ‘larger'

• A novel idea for Lower Mainland densification

• REBGV statistics: an autumn replay for October

• News & stats: Housing minister, supply and demand

Imagine…so many things to do

Imagine what the renowned impressionist artists Van Gogh and Picasso would have thought had they known that long after they were gone, their works would be displayed in a digital format that would attract thousands of visitors willing to pay $40 to $50 just to see them.

Maybe that’s why it’s so appropriate these two exhibitions have been prefaced by the word “imagine.” 

Both are or have been featured in the list of monthly events in every edition of News From Nexus, the monthly newsletter that focuses on real estate, and more. This is transition month for these two events, the end of Imagine Van Gogh (right), a wildly successful exhibition that was extended many times before finally coming to a close on the last day of October; and the beginning of Imagine Picasso, scheduled to run from now until January 8th.

Or maybe longer. 

The events displayed each month (see this month’s list below) are not all about arts and culture. There’s a generous number of sports events included, starting with the Vancouver Whitecaps, who hope to make a playoff run throughout November…perhaps even to Major League Soccer's Cup Final on December 11.

Beyond culture and sports, you’ll also find special places to eat and drink this month (Cornucopia in Whistler and the Christmas Market in downtown Vancouver), special time-sensitive displays (Museum of Anthropology and the Vancouver Art Gallery), plus regular year-round hotspots to visit like the Capilano Suspension Bridge and the Britannia Mine Museum. In addition, there’s a selection of virtual visits you can make to places near and far.

All this is one of the benefits of being a News From Nexus subscriber, a process you can activate at the bottom of this and any page on the website: nexusrealtycorp.com. The newsletter will come in handy if you’re interested in what’s happening with real estate.

Or, if you’re just looking for something to do in the month ahead.

Latest possibilities with urban densification

Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart will be re-introducing his “Making Home” proposal for addressing the ongoing issue of densification in his city, while news of “sweeping legislation” in New Zealand to cut urban-planning red tape may be on the horizon for other countries, including Canada.

  Mayor Stewart’s proposal would allow up to six homes per lot to make living in Vancouver more affordable. The homes could be leased or

sold. This is one step further than a project you have read about often in News From Nexus — six homes on a lot in Vancouver, approved because of the retention of a Character Home on the same lot. There's more to come on that...soon. 

In New Zealand, the cross-party collaboration would (if passed) allow up to three houses three storeys tall to be built “without requiring consent” from city hall to add densification in the country’s major cities. The projections are this would result in more than 100,000 homes in eight years. These details surfaced in The Guardian.

  Think about that philosophy in the Lower Mainland for a second. It could lead to allowing multiple dwellings on qualifying lots in any municipality, should a “no-red-tape” zoning be passed at the provincial or even federal level. Generally, municipalities and their residents have struggled with the idea of densification.

  News of what’s happening in New Zealand — where five major cities would be excluded from single-family zoning — was first brought to the attention of Vancouverites by Global News. In its report, Global quoted (among others) Tom Davidoff of UBC’s Sauder School of Business. 

  He said: 

“There’s a national and certainly a provincial interest in building more affordable homes. But municipally and locally, there’s as much interest in preserving the leafy, quiet neighbourhood character as there is in preserving affordability. Everybody wants affordable housing, but they don’t want it in their backyard. That leaves local governments with lots of incentive to be slow about change and under-invest in allowing greater density. I think going around the municipalities makes a lot of sense.”

  Mayor Stewart told the Vancouver Sun the “program would be designed to limit speculation, with mechanisms to ‘capture’ the increase in land value and use those funds for priorities including social housing, child care and tackling climate change.”

  The mayor will introduce his revised plan, which has been slightly modified from one that failed to get the support it needed last year, at a council meeting in January.

What’s in the news this month

A first for Canada — the minister of housing:

His name is Ahmed Hussen and all eyes, especially in the real estate world, are watching to see if he can implements his plans for affordability by increasing the housing supply across the country.

Supply and demand always a real estate issue:

In Metro Vancouver, the one thing that can be said with a great degree of certainty is that the demand for homes will exceed the supply; that’s just a fact of life when you live in British Columbia’s most populous area.

Swiss bank analyzes Vancouver's market:

When the Canadian Real Estate Association announced that the average home price increased by 14 per cent in the last year, the Swiss bank UBS declared Vancouver among the top six cities world-wide in a housing bubble.

"Trust was the biggest thing…and that expertise, besides being so ethical, so solid. They really know the market…they’re top notch, and work so well together. It was so easy. They had a plan which they communicated very well. They make it so easy for you. They showed such courtesy about the whole process. It strikes me that’s the way they always work. When I wanted to call, they always had time. I’d absolutely recommend them to anyone, anytime.”

— Ellen Luthy, West Vancouver

Trends continue in latest real estate statistics

  Based on the October statistics released by the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver, the one-month sample size looks a lot like September.

  The continuing combination of sales outpacing supply is the reason, even though the number of sales from October 2020 and last month were down by 5.2 per cent. New listings for the same period, on the other hand, were down by 27.3 per cent, and total listings were down by 35.3 per cent.

  Here is how the REBGV explained it: 

  “Home sale activity continues to outpace what’s typical for this time of year and the pool of homes available for sale is in decline. This dynamic between supply and demand is causing home prices to continue to edge up across the region. Rising fixed mortgage rates should eventually help ease demand.” 

  Sales remained at historical levels for the month, with sales 22.4 per cent above the 10-year October sales average.

  The supply and demand left the sales-to-active listings ratio at 43.5 per cent for all homes. When that figure exceeds 20 per cent for an extended period, home prices usually rise. By property type, the ratio is 33.6 per cent for detached homes, 64.4 per cent for townhomes, and 46.7 per cent for apartments.

  The number of listings, meanwhile, continues to decline. In October, the total number of homes listed on MLS® in Metro Vancouver was 8,034, a 13 per cent decrease from September’s 9,236.

  Sales of detached homes in October dropped 18.4 per cent from the previous “COVID-era” October 2020 while the benchmark price increased by 20.5 per cent increase.

  Attached home sales decreased 22.9 per cent, October to October, and the benchmark price jumped by 18.5 per cent. 

  Apartment homes sales were up 14.7 per cent year-to-year, and the benchmark price was up 9.5 per cent.

  In all three home categories, the benchmark price was up between 1.1 and 1.2 per cent compared to September 2021. 

  For all residential homes in Metro Vancouver, the benchmark price is $1,199,400. That’s 14.7 per cent higher than it was in October 2020.

Decor: Visually changing your room size

Second in a Series

Every issue of New From Nexus will feature some thoughts, tips or just observations about Decor. For November, the subject is how to make a small room look bigger.

It’s all about perception, or visual impression. If a room is small, it’s usually impractical to change the dimensions. There’s a myriad of experts who have ideas that will change that perception and make small look big…or at least bigger. 

Something all of them agree on is clutter. Minimizing or even eliminating clutter will keep your space from feeling cramped. Think neat and tidy, or orderly and open. 

That’s another buzz word: open. In small rooms, you want to exaggerate openness and there’s a number of ways to achieve that. It starts with lighting. Natural or artificial, a bright room is, to the eye, a larger room. Layered lighting, using a combination of pot lights and table lamps, may be effective. A dim room can feel claustrophobic. If you have windows, light-through window treatments — or even no window treatments — can enhance a room’s brightness. If you do have curtains, the taller you can make them the better because the visual effect is that then the room is stretched vertically. 

So can mirrors. Because mirrors reflect everything, in this case light, it also adds to making the room brighter. This can be especially

effective on a dark wall that has little to contribute to the lightness of the room. 

Another “light’ feature is colour. Most aficionados of this concept advocate using cool light colours, such as soft blue, off-white, sage green or dusty gray. This applies to painting the walls, but also the colour of fabrics used for any upholstery on the furniture. 

Ah yes, the furniture. The natural instinct is to have small furniture but fewer (even one) large piece can be more effective than many small ones. Think clutter. And furniture is best arranged so that it doesn’t in any way obstruct the view of the room, or from the room. Keep passageways open without a hint of an obstacle course to find your way around the room. 

It’s that clutter thing again, and it also applies to the floor. If you can see the floor, that’s good…even if it’s carpet. If your storage is hidden, that’s good. If your furniture can be see-through (glass table tops), that’s also good. 

Keeping it simple is probably the best rule of thumb in making a small room look bigger than it is.

That the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board last month celebrated its 100th anniversary as the fifth-largest real estate board in Canada, growing its original 13 members to what is now more than 4,100 — and that 22 years ago it was instrumental in introducing and developing an online data base for forms and transaction management that became a national standard?

505 - 2135 Argyle Ave., West Vancouver

$1,558,000

Real Estate Monthly Statistics

The following statistics for West Vancouver, North Vancouver, Vancouver West and Vancouver East compare October 2021 to October 2020
(note: sales refers to number of sales, not to sale prices).

Benchmark Price: Estimated sale price of a benchmark property. Benchmarks represent a typical property within each market.

To see more information on local stats, please click here.

November is traditionally a busy month with activities back in full swing, depending on COVID protocools, and still weeks to go before the Christmas holidays. Here's a snapshot of events scheuled throughout the Lower Mainland

Until November 28
Cornucopia: Whistler’s Celebration of Food and Drink
Whistler Convention Centre
Annual fall festival of food and drink while enjoying educational seminars, chef’s demonstrations, signature events and winery dinners
whistlercornucopia.com

November 4 - March 27, 2022
Museum of Anthropology, UBC
Sankofa: African Routes, Canadian Roots
Centred on works by contemporary artists from Lagos, Nigeria, and Vancouver, an exhibition with stories, histories and projects of African and Black affirmation
moa.ubc.ca/exhibition/sankofa

Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena
November 5: vs Nashville Predators, 7 p.m.
November 7: vs Dallas Stars, 7 p.m.
November 9: vs Anaheim Ducks, 7 p.m.
November 17: vs Colorado Avalanche, 6 p.m.
November 19: vs Winnipeg Jets, 7 p.m.
November 21: vs Chicago Blackhawks, 5 p.m.
www.canucks.com

November 6
Cheese and Meat: Artisan Food and Beverage Festival
The Pipe Shop
The best of locally made, perfectly-paired food and beverages at three different tasting sessions
cheeseandmeatfestival.com

November 7
Vancouver Whitecaps at BC Place
November 7: vs Seattle Sounders FC, 3 p.m.
www.whitecapsfc.com

November 11
Remembrance Day
Services in most cities and towns around the province — check local listings for times and locations

BC Lions at BC Place
November 12: vs Calgary Stampeders, 7:30 p.m.
November 19: vs Edmonton Elks, 7:30 p.m.
www.ticketmaster.ca/bc-lions-tickets

Abbotsford Canucks at Abbotsford Centre
November 12: vs San Jose Barracuda, 7 p.m.
November 14: vs San Jose Barracuda, 4 p.m.
November 19: vs Bakersfield Condors, 7 p.m.
November 21: vs Bakersfield Condors, 4 p.m.
November 30: vs Ontario Reign, 7 p.m.
December 1: vs Ontario Reign, 7 p.m.
www.abbotsford canucks .com

November 13 - December 24
Vancouver Christmas Market, Jack Poole Plaza
A host of daily festive activities for the whole family
vancouverchristmasmarket.com

Until November 14
Vancouver Maritime Museum
If I Lived in the Ocean
Artist Paula Nishikawara’s immersive underwater environment filled with evidence of humanity’s footprints
vanmaritime.com

November 18 - January 2, 2022
Dolly Parton’s Smoky Mountain Christmas Carol
Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage
A heartwarming new musical, based on Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, with music and lyrics by Dolly Parton
artsclub.com

November 20 - January 23, 2022
Canyon Lights at Capilano Suspension Bridge
With Capilano Canyon and the river below, the famous bridge illuminated with 500,000 lights, plus the Arc de Lumina light tunnel
www.tourismvancouver.com/listings/capilano-suspension-bridge-park

November 26 - April 18, 2022
Winter Vallea Lumina, Whistler
An evening excursion filled with unexpected enchantment, cryptic radio transmission and the lingering traces of two long-ago hikers in search of the scenic trailhead where the real journey begins
vallealumina.com

Until December 5
FlyOverCanada
The Real Wild West
Spectacular film taking guests on a wild ride over a variety of environments, including lively cities, endless prairies, lush rivers and beautiful valleys
flyovercanada.com

Ongoing
Bill Reid Gallery
A small but significant collection of art and archives related to Bill Reid and his legacy, with a majority of it (161 works in a variety of media from jewelry to prints and sculptures) from the Simon Fraser University Bill Reid Collection.
www.billreidgallery.ca

Sea To Sky Gondola
Resuming November 18: daily, watch for times
www.seatoskygondola.com

Until January 2
Vancouver Art Gallery
Vancouver Special: Disorientations and Echo — The second in a series of exhibitions, this one with a primary emphasis on recent works that hold a particular resonance for this time and place not previously exhibited in Vancouver
www.vanartgallery.bc.ca

Until January 8, 2022
Imagine Picasso
Images of over two hundred of Pablo Picasso’s paintings on display together for the first time ever, admired from a fresh perspective at the Vancouver Convention Centre
imagine-picasso.com

Until April 15, 2022
Gulf of Georgia Cannery — Waves of Innovation: Stories from the West Coast
An exhibit featuring stories of adaptations and innovations in the commercial fishing industry and their effects on west coast communities, with four key areas highlighted — energy, fishing, preservation and innovations of today
gulfofgeorgiacannery.org

Worldwide Webcams
A website catering to people who miss travel, visiting virtually everywhere with webcams from Argentina to Zanzibar, and many places in between
skylinewebcams.com

Chan Centre - Virtual Stage
In order to keep patrons, artists and staff safe during the pandemic, Chan Centre performances following the guidance provided by the BC Re-start Plan
tickets.ubc.ca or chancentre.com

Buckingham Palace
A virtual tour of the official residence of Queen Elizabeth, the focus of many moments of national celebration — jubilees, weddings, VE Day and the annual Trooping the Colour on The Queen's official birthday
www.royal.uk/virtual-tours-buckingham-palace

BC Sports Hall of Fame and Museum
Many of Canada’s most talented athletes at Indigenous Sport Gallery, Canadian Dragon Boat Exhibition, Greg Moore Gallery, Rick Hansen Gallery! Daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
bcsportshall.com

Britannia Mine Museum
BOOM! An award-winning live action attraction inside the historic mine
www.tourismvancouver.com/listings/britannia-mine-museum

Grouse Mountain, The Peak of Vancouver
Plenty of activities for all ages when purchasing a mountain admission ticket
www.tourismvancouver.com/listings/grouse-mountain-the-peak

Virtual Tours of 12 Famous Museums
Experiencing museums from London to Seoul from the comfort of your home
www.travelandleisure.com/attractions

North Shore Events
www.vancouversnorthshore.com/events-calendar/

West Vancouver United Church
Sunday service 10 a.m.
wvuc.bc.ca/worship/

Tourism Vancouver
Virtually Vancouver, and more
www.tourismvancouver.com

Need some culture or learning in your life?
Go to a virtual museum — you’ll find a lot of them through Google: artsandculture.google.com
Go to a virtual opera: www.metopera.org/
Visit the Science Centre: www.scienceworld.ca/
Nature web cams can be fun to watch. explore.org/livecams
Search for lots of free learning programs for kids and adults online.

Virtual programming at your favourite library
westvanlibrary.ca/
nvcl.ca/
nvdpl.ca/
vpl.ca/digitallibrary

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