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...
Market definition updates for Vancouver, West Vancouver
Posted on May 07, 2022
Following the release of its monthly statistics last week, the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver provided members with a report that drilled deeper. The monthly message from REBGV was that the market conditions are returning to more “traditional” levels.
The two graphs below indicate how close the markets for Metro Vancouver and West Vancouver...
Doing the right thing for property heirs
Posted on Apr 24, 2022
While preparing for end of life is always difficult, not to mention sensitive, there is one aspect of preparation that can be essential, not to mention wise.
Property inheritance.
Think of it in the context of this hypothetical family: the parents have lived in the family home for decades, raising several children. During that time, its value has mul...
The importance of mortgage pre-approval
Posted on Apr 17, 2022
In a real estate climate where things can change quickly, one way to be prepared for the home you’re planning to buy is to be pre-approved for a mortgage.
What does this mean?
It means you will go into a real estate transaction knowing what your budget is, knowing what homes are worth looking at because they match your criteria, and knowing you’ll li...