But it says strong economic fundamentals are supporting consumer demand that is expected to keep home sales at elevated levels this year and in 2018.
FOR THE FULL STORY CLICK HERE
Friday, 1 September 2017
Sales down but prices up: latest forecast from B.C. Real Estate Association
The B.C. Real Estate Association is out with its Third Quarter Housing Forecast update, and it’s predicting a 10% decline in the number of sales this year.
But it says strong economic fundamentals are supporting consumer demand that is expected to keep home sales at elevated levels this year and in 2018.
FOR THE FULL STORY CLICK HERE
But it says strong economic fundamentals are supporting consumer demand that is expected to keep home sales at elevated levels this year and in 2018.
FOR THE FULL STORY CLICK HERE
What’s pushing Vancouver home prices higher now?
Home prices in Vancouver continue their ascent a year after the BC government imposed a foreign-homebuyer tax on the metro area a year ago, and it has a lot to do with an insufficient supply of housing, TD Bank observes.
“We don’t anticipate a significant drop in home prices in any way. Interest rates are going up but they’re going up very gradually, and really what matters is the supply-demand balance of home price,” Diana Petramala, TD Bank economist, tells BuzzBuzzNews.
For the full story click HERE
Wednesday, 30 August 2017
LIVE VANCOUVER WWW.CARMENLEAL.CA 604-218-4846
Contact Carmen Leal your Vancouver Real Estate Specialist.
I am here to guide you through all the steps of a purchase or sale.
Most important I am here to make you money-Contact me to set up an appointment.
I am here to guide you through all the steps of a purchase or sale.
Most important I am here to make you money-Contact me to set up an appointment.
Tuesday, 29 August 2017
Vancouver Holds On in World’s Top 3 Most Liveable Cities
Despite its points sliding slightly, Vancouver has held onto its third-place ranking for the seventh consecutive year in what is arguably the most-respected global liveable cities chart.
The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) placed Vancouver third under Melbourne, Australia and Vienna, Austria. Toronto came in fourth place, just a hair behind Vancouver in points, whereas in previous years Vancouver enjoyed a bigger lead over Toronto. Calgary was in joint fifth place with Adelaide, Australia.
FULL STORY CLICK HERE
B.C. tenants are about to get hit with the largest rent increases allowed in five years
Every year, the B.C. Residential Tenancy Branch sets the maximum allowable percentage by which landlords are legally permitted to increase rents.
Because there is an acute housing shortage in Vancouver, it means that that percentage is the exact amount by which most landlords do raise rents.
Yesterday (August 23), the Residential Tenancy Branch revealed this number for the year ahead, and it’s a big one.
In 2018, landlords are permitted to increase rents in B.C. by four percent.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL STORY
Friday, 3 June 2016
ANOTHER HAPPY CLIENT!!!! Thank you for the kind words
To say Carmen does her job well is an understatement. Carmen is always available, always patient, and always professional. Her advice is sound and her sixth sense on Vancouver real estate is unparalleled. With her help, we have been successful in acquiring investment properties and securing good people to rent these properties. Carmen goes beyond what is expected, she makes sure that her clients are happy with their real estate experience. She takes the "scary" out of real estate. Her stellar judgement and her caring detailed approach makes her excel at her passion, selling the Vancouver dream to own real estate. - WR
Thursday, 12 May 2016
Thank you
"We had previously tried to sell our house a few times, but with no success. We went though a couple of agents trying to do so. Then a friend introduced us to Carmen. Right from the start we realized we made a right decision. She was very articulate, patient and professional. We love the creative marketing that she created for our home, which included a cinematic film, gorgeous daytime/twilight photos. Best marketing in town!! During the offers and counter offers, Carmen turned out to be not only our agent, but also a very good negotiator, by getting us over our asking price. We are extremely happy and highly recommend Carmen Leal to anyone.
Mr. & Mrs. Canovas"
Monday, 11 January 2016
Wednesday, 6 January 2016
PROPERTY SEARCH
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Friday, 18 December 2015
Monday, 14 December 2015
Friday, 6 November 2015
Friday, 2 October 2015
Interested Read: Surge in Canadian home prices among fastest in the world
I came across this article in the Globe in Mail.
Very interesting read and wanted to share it will everyone of you.
Housing market on rise
Canadian home prices are rising at a rapid-fire pace that is among the fastest in the world.
A quarterly look by Bank of Nova Scotia’s Adrienne Warren shows prices in Canada rose 8.2 per cent in the second quarter of 2015, compared to a year earlier.
Ireland topped the list, at 13.3 per cent, followed by Sweden, at 10.5 per cent. Australia was just a shade above Canada, at 8.3 per cent.
“Canadian home sales and pricing are proving resilient in the face of a more challenging economic environment, buoyed by ultra-low borrowing costs and favourable home buying demographics,” Ms. Warren said in her recent report.
She also warned, however, that “among the more robust housing markets globally, including Canada, Australia, the U.K. and Ireland, stretched affordability could pose an increasing challenge.”
The Canadian cities of Vancouver and Toronto, of course, are well known for high housing costs and fast-rising prices, so much so that the former is seen by some to be suffering an affordability crisis.
“Foreign demand, especially for luxury properties in top-tier cities, will likely remain high, as investors seek geographical and asset diversification,” Ms. Warren said.
“Traditionally popular markets for foreign buyers include the U.S., the U.K., Australia and Canada,” she added.
“Foreign exchange considerations are taking on a bigger role, increasing the attractiveness of properties in countries whose currencies have weakened at the expensive of relatively stronger currency markets in the U.S. and U.K.”
The pickup in the second quarter in Canada compared to a first-quarter annual pace of 6 per cent.
WOW set to launch
An Icelandic low-cost carrier is out to create some turbulence in the Canadian market with plans to offer deep-discount fares on transatlantic flights out of Toronto and Montreal, The Globe and Mail’s Bertrand Marotte reports.
WOW air, founded by entrepreneur Skuli Mogensen, is launching two new routes from Montreal and Toronto to the Icelandic capital of Reykjavik, starting at $99 one-way.
The upstart airline is the latest European-based company to offer low-cost fares on long-haul routes across the Atlantic as the continent’s budget carriers extend their territory outside home base.
Chart of the day
Federal elections tend to have little effect on the “underlying trend” in currency movements, Bank of Nova Scotia says, and this one may be no different.
“Our own work suggests that while there has been a fair degree of currency market volatility around the election itself, it is very hard to distinguish moves related to domestic politics from the general trend in the markets,” Scotiabank foreign exchange strategists Shaun Osborne and Eric Theoret said in a recent report.
In terms of the immediate aftermath, the loonie rose in the three weeks after the 2004 Liberal victory and the 2011 win by the Conservatives.
“But these moves reflect the trend in place well before the vote itself,” they said.
“Frequently, a trend in motion before the election stays in motion after it. Prospects for something similar this time around appear strong, we think.”
Thursday, 1 October 2015
Wednesday, 9 September 2015
Friday, 4 September 2015
Great Words: Thank you:)
Thank you for your great words.
Carmen is very responsible realtor. If you need to buy or to
sell your property, call her. Her work style is amazing. Her
approach is flawless. You can trust her.
A. Dynko
Saturday, 4 April 2015
New protection for new home buyers
Home buyers can expect higher standards from the residential construction sector thanks to a newly enhanced licensing system.
The BC government is establishing new qualifications and continuing education requirements for residential home builders and renovators, under the Homeowner Protection Act.
Their goal is to protect new homebuyers across BC:
To obtain a new licence, home builders will be required to demonstrate proficiency in seven areas:
* The BC Building Code and other relevant laws and regulations.
* The principles of construction management such as project planning, cost estimating, and project supervision.
* Residential construction and building science including building envelope and mechanical systems such as heating.
* Managing and maintaining positive customer relations including response to defects identified under home warranty.
* Financial planning and budgeting.
* Legal issues, provincial laws and municipal bylaws affecting residential construction.
* Strategic business planning, management and administration.
These qualifications can be met through a combination of education and experience or equivalencies.
Home builders with existing licences will not need to re-qualify under the enhanced licensing system.
To renew their licence, home builders will be required to take continuing professional development courses directly related to residential construction each year.
The enhanced licensing system will be phased in over the next 16 months to give the industry time to prepare for the new requirements.
Did you know?
* There are 6,000+ licensed residential builders in BC.
* In 2014, more than 30,000 new homes were built in BC including 11,695 detached homes and 19,069 home in multi-unit buildings.
For more information Contact:
Carmen Leal
Macdonald Realty Ltd.
www.CarmenLeal.ca
carmen@carmenleal.ca
604.218.4846
Tuesday, 3 March 2015
Gastown-The-neighbourhood-at-a-glance
It's ironic that a city famous for its old-fashioned liquor laws owes its origins to an unlicensed saloon. Back in the mid-1800s, New Westminster was the Lower Mainland’s only bustling city while the area now known as Gastown was a sparsely populated neck of the woods called Luck Lucky (or Luk’luk’i, meaning “grove of maple trees”) by the Coast Salish people and populated primarily by a few dozen millworkers.
This all changed in 1867 after a Yorkshireman and former Fraser River steamship captain by the name of John “Gassy Jack” Deighton pulled up in a canoe with a barrel of whiskey and told locals they could drink their fill if they helped build him a pub.
The story goes that the Globe Saloon — located near where a statue of its founder now stands at the corner of Water Street and Carrall — was open for business less than 24 hours later, and a makeshift community soon sprung up around the new watering hole that became known as Gassy’s Town.
(“Gassy,” it should be noted, was a former colloquial term for being talkative, and the hard-drinking Deighton was known for his loquaciousness rather than for gastrointestinal reasons.)
A massive fire burnt the settlement to the ground in 1886 but a new community quickly reappeared due to the arrival of the transcontinental Canadian Pacific Railway on the nearby waterfront the same year.
The actual boundaries of Vancouver’s earliest neighbourhood aren’t strictly defined but are generally considered to stretch eastward from Richards Street between Water and Hastings streets as far as Main Street.
Gastown eventually fell on hard times after becoming overshadowed by the downtown area and was set to be demolished back in the ‘70s until a group of citizens successfully lobbied the city for a heritage preservation order.
A dedicated effort to clean up the area has since pushed the grittier elements to the Downtown Eastside.
While some decry the gentrification of the city’s historic district, whose cobblestone streets and antique street lamps provide a one-of-a-kind ambience, others take pride in the area’s recent emergence as both a tourist attraction and hotspot for upscale businesses and restaurants.
Yours,
Carmen Leal
Macdonald Realty Ltd.
www.CarmenLeal.ca
604-218-4846
Monday, 27 October 2014
Vancouver-Real-Estate-Five-costs-to-consider-when-buying-your-new-home
Here are five costs to consider when buying your home:
1. Down payment
Have you saved enough for a down payment on your home? The amount of your payment is determined by what kind of mortgage you have and can be as little as five per cent down. Here are the two types of mortgages that determine the required down payment:- High-ratio mortgage – your down payment is less than 20 per cent of the purchase price
- Conventional mortgage – your down payment is at least 20 per cent of the purchase price
2. Appraisal fee
Before approving your mortgage, some providers will require an appraisal of the home, which can cost from $200 to $400.Additionally, at a cost comparable to the appraisal, some lenders might require an up-to-date survey of the property.
3. Home inspection fee
Once your offer has been accepted, a home inspection can be conducted as a condition of the sale. As the buyer, home inspections are highly recommended and often help to uncover any problems the house may have. This process could potentially save you a lot of money in the long run. While they vary in price, home inspections can cost anywhere from $400 to $800.4. Legal fee
In order to make the purchase of your home official, you’ll need a lawyer, or notary, to sign off, something that could cost you in the range of $1,000 to $1,500.5. Property transfer fee
Did you know that you, the buyer, are responsible for paying the property transfer tax? This tax is calculated at a rate of one per cent on the first $200,000 of the property’s fair market value, and two per cent on the remainder balance.For further information on buying a new home or selling your home don't hesitate to Call Carmen at 604.218.4846
Yours, Carmen Leal
Tuesday, 24 June 2014
Strathcona Village: Great Investment Opportunity!!!!
To Schedule a Private Viewing Email CARMEN at carmen@CarmenLeal.ca
For more information contact Carmen Leal at 604.218.4846
Vancouver Realtor
Vancouver Real estate
Gastown Real estate
Yours,
Carmen Leal *Real Estate Services
Macdonald Realty Ltd.
Website: www.carmenleal.ca
Email: carmen@carmenleal.ca
Direct: 604-218-4846
* THE HIGHEST COMPLIMENT I CAN RECEIVE IS THE REFERRAL OF YOUR FRIEND, FAMILY, OR BUSINESS ASSOCIATE. THANK YOU KINDLY IN ADVANCE!
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