Vancouver Looks Poised to Sell off False Creek South

[The Tyee - January 3, 2020] The warning signs are there. Greed may ruin a model for diverse affordability. The real-estate lords of Vancouver and their lieges in municipal government have cast their hungry gaze on what is North America’s best model of sustainable and socially equitable living: the neighbourhood of False Creek South. The current administration has cut off any negotiations on renewing leases for city-owned land there, leases set to expire in 2036, leaving social housing co-op and condominium owners uncertain of [...]

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‘Less bad’ doesn’t mean good: What Vancouver’s housing market could hold in 2020

[December 24, 2019 - CBC] For the first time in five years, there were no major surges in any aspect of the market A funny thing happened in Vancouver's housing market in 2019: for the first time in many years, not much happened. "Condo prices have slowed down. The fear of missing out madness at open houses has gone away. So there's been a pause in the market," said Tom Davidoff, an associate professor at UBC's Sauder School of Business. One way to measure  the relative [...]

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Staging Strategies To Boost Winter Home Sales

[Forbes - November 18, 2019] There are both advantages and disadvantages that are inherent in listing a home for sale in the winter. However, one factor remains constant: Presenting a home in its best light will result in a quicker sale and a higher selling price. Reduced inventory on the market in the winter months provides a golden opportunity to make your home stand out. Here are several suggestions aimed at showing any property at its winter best. Winter Curb Appeal Positive [...]

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Toronto, Vancouver among biggest property bubbles in the world, UBS says

[CBC - September 28, 2019] 9 years salary to buy a house in Vancouver, more than 6 in Toronto Swiss investment bank UBS has deemed Toronto and Vancouver to have among the world's biggest housing bubbles, with mispricing that's even more pronounced than it is in expensive cities like Paris and San Francisco. In an annual report published Thursday, the Swiss bank looked at 20 cities around the world that are considered to be financial centres, local metropolises that are hubs for [...]

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Despite recent sales spike, analyst predicts Greater Vancouver market will see more owners losing homes

[News 1130 - December 15, 2019] VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Don’t believe the hype. That’s a real estate tracker’s warning about claims home sales in Greater Vancouver are climbing up again. Dane Eitel, the founder and lead analyst of Eitel Insights, says the market will get worse next year. “We could see a very real day of reckoning here come 2020 to the detached market and that’s where we’re actually going to see some need-based selling, which we haven’t seen for many, [...]

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Armed with new data, B.C. set for crackdown on tax evasion in Vancouver property market

[Globe and Mail - December 11, 2019] Government policies aimed at reducing speculation in Vancouver’s property market have worked to curb foreign buying and speculative demand. That was merely part one, says high-profile immigration lawyer and analyst, Richard Kurland, who’s been studying the impact of those policies. “Part 1 was putting the machine together,” Mr. Kurland says. “Part 2 is using the machine to go after tax evaders in the Vancouver property market. At the end of the day, we are [...]

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Vancouver’s empty homes tax increasing by 25%

[CTV - November 28, 2019] VANCOUVER -- Vancouver's controversial empty homes tax is going up by 25 per cent starting next year, and there will be more increases to come, following a decision by city council. The change means that starting next year, homeowners affected by the tax will be paying 1.25 per cent on their home's assessed value, up from the one per cent they have been paying since the tax took effect in January 2017. The motion, brought forward by [...]

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Vancouver passes 7% property tax increase for 2020

[CBC - December 17, 2019] Vancouver homeowners will see their highest property tax increase in at least a decade — but it will be smaller than what was originally considered. Council passed its 2020 budget Tuesday with an average seven per cent property tax increase for next year, down from the 8.2 per cent proposed last month. "It is funding … council priorities that align with public priorities," said Coun. Adriane Carr, who brought forward the main amendments to the budget. "[But] in every department there's [...]

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10,000 units of public rental housing needed in Metro Vancouver every year: report

[Vancouver Urbanized - December 11, 2019] There is a need for a public housing program that generates 10,000 units of non-market rental housing in Metro Vancouver annually, according to a new report by a think tank. The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives says such an ambitious housing strategy led by the provincial and federal governments could take inspiration from the public housing programs of cities like Singapore and Vienna, where half of the housing is by the state. This would address the [...]

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B.C.’s speculation tax increasing from 0.5% to 2% in 2020

[CBC - December 10, 2019] The B.C. government has announced it is raising the Speculation and Vacancy Tax on Dec. 31 from 0.5 per cent to two per cent for foreign owners and for satellite families, the majority of whose income is not reported on a Canadian tax return. Some new exemptions to the tax will be brought in while others currently in place will be phased out. Stricter rules also coming for exemptions - The province says the $115 million in revenue collected from the [...]

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