In order for a housing bubble to form, three conditions must be in place:
1. Prices are too high compared to historical averages.
2. Banks are too eager to give credit to those who may not be able to afford it.
Read more on Is Canada’s Real Estate Market Ready to Burst?…
The Canadian real estate market has changed as of March 22/2010. A new set of rules, as voted upon by Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) members, has been established for the nation’s Multiple Listings Service (MLS).The MLS, which has been operating in Canada for more than 50 years, is a data base of real estate property listings and the platform from which approximately 90% of all Canadian real estate transactions originate. The service was developed by CREA, and until recently only allowed listing submissions from certified Realtors that were under full contract with a seller to provide all aspects of the home sale.
The constantly evolving world of marketing has uncovered a new trend in real estate promotion. Video networking is growing in popularity amongst tech savvy realtors, and it appears to be paying dividends. Video has been used for years to highlight properties and provide house hunters with virtual home tours but now realtors are taking it to another level.
When you hear about communal or cohousing communities, do you automatically think of a commune inhabited by a bunch of pot smoking hippies wasting the days away while their bare bottomed kids play carefree in a field? Do you think of an anti-establishment community filled with citizens trying to avoid society at any cost? Well think again!
Mortgage rates are climbing for Canadian home owners but experts say that we are very unlikely to have a foreclosure wave like the one that has been taking place in the United States.
With the way that Canadians are spending at present, you would never know that we have been having—and will be having repercussions from—a recession for years to come. While Americans are having to learn new frugal habits, Canadians seem to be back to their old spending habits. However, we would benefit from continuing a more cautious method of spending so that we can better make it through the economic recovery that needs to take place. While it is true that our recession has been a lot less severe than the one that the Americans have been experiencing, our recession has still been affecting most Canadians in some way.
Read more on Canadian Economic Recovery: Heads in the Sand?…
A recent condo advertisement has caused quite a commotion in the city of Calgary. Upon hitting the streets, the Point of View Developments marketing campaign for Midtown Tower condos received almost instantaneous notoriety for its tacky, sexist poster.
Now that winter and all its fury has finally blown through, it’s time to sit back and survey the damage. Most homeowners don’t realize the impact that harsh weather can have on a house. Apart from obvious impairments such as fallen trees, broken windows or railings, there are far more subtle things to look for that may be the root cause of a future problem. Who would have thought the expensive leaky roof repair was the result of a storm that caused shingle damage 3 years earlier?
One of the best ways to survive dreary March weather, is to plan a garden. If you start now, you’ll have plenty of time to design it just the way you want it, and much of the work can be completed in stages.
We all want our homes to realize the best possible price when we come to sell. And in this less than buoyant market, it’s even more important that our property represents good value to prospective buyers.
