Lisa MacIntosh-Vancouver Real Estate ExpertDexter Associates
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Lisa MacIntosh - Your Vancouver Real Estate Expert

Specializing in Vancouver Heritage Homes, First Time Buyers and Real Estate Investors looking for great investments in Vancouver.

Let me be your Vancouver real estate expert. I will give you honest, efficient and professional service that helps you in reaching your goals.

Phone: (604) 263-1144
Fax: (604) 263-6699
E-mail: lisa@lisamacintosh.com
Web site: www.lisamacintosh.com

Awarded - MLS Medallion Club Member 2006 & 2007- Top 10% of Realtors in Greater Vancouver
 

 

For information about Green Real Estate and how you can make educated environmentally friendly decisions about your home,
check out my new Green Living Section for some great Green links. Find out about grants for Green renovations.

GREEN EVENTS & INFO:

Vancouver Heritage House Tour - June 1st, 2008

The award winning Heritage House Tour, now in its 6th year, is a one-day self-guided tour of 10 unique heritage homes in Vancouver. Each year, a different selection of private homes is opened. Ticket-holders use a 30 page guidebook to read about each home's history and architecture and to make their way through some of the city's most fascinating neighbourhoods.

68 houses have opened to over 10,000 visitors in the last 5 years. The tour has raised over $250,000.00 to fund the VHF’s education and public awareness programs around Vancouver’s built heritage and has become a sold-out annual event that you won't want to miss!

For more info & tickets; www.vancouverheritagefoundation.org

PRE-TOUR LECTURE: Tuesday, May 20th at 7:30 pm at the Vancouver Museum

"The Greenest Building is One that is Already Built: Heritage & Sustainability"
Martin Neilsen, MAIBC, MRAIC, P.Eng, LEED AP
FREE FOR TOUR TICKET HOLDERS (Limited seats left) -
General public $12

What's In the News...
February 20, 2008 - First Time Home Buyers’ Program – Thresholds

Effective for registrations after February 20, 2007, the fair market value threshold for eligible residential property under the First Time Home Buyers' Program is increased and will apply throughout the province. The new threshold will be $425,000 which is increased from $375,000 in all areas of the province. A proportional exemption is provided for eligible residences that have a fair market value of up to $25,000 above the new threshold. Also, there is no longer a requirement for 70% financing. Click here for a guide to the Property Transfer Tax Exemption. For more information: Government of BC


Click Here For Full Story

The Vancouver Sun Reports on the 15 Myths & Realities of Vancouver/Lower Mainland's Real Estate

Spring has sprung and Lower Mainland residents' fancy has turned to real estate.

Is it time to buy or time to sell? What room should you renovate? What needs to be landscaped?

Lower Mainland residents spend more on real estate than anywhere else in the country, and generally, are as knowledgeable about the subject as anyone. But how much do they really know about their homes?

The Vancouver Sun sought to challenge a few of the myths that a lot of people have, asking the research firm Landcor Data Corp. to put real data to confirming or dispelling those ideas.

We consulted other experts, from appraisers to realtors and economists to answer our questions, such as whether renovating your kitchen gives you the best lasting bang for your buck, and whether the dramatic rise the Lower Mainland has seen in real estate prices has reached its peak.

Vancouver Real Estate Market Update - March 2008( Historical Statistics for Real Estate Board )

There is often a lot of confusion, and misinformation about the real estate market in Vancouver. The media likes to create "news", so often, real estate market information is given a sensational "breaking news headline" - that perhaps sometimes misconstrues the facts somewhat.

My attempt with this market update is to give you the facts about what has been happening in the Vancouver market focusing on the Vancouver West Side and Vancouver East Side. Remember, if you need an East Vancouver Realtor or someone equally familiar with the West Side market don't hesitate to call, as I specialize in both West Side and East Vancouver Real Estate.

Type of PropertyAREA
Benchmark Price*
1 Year Change %
3 Year Change %
5 Year Change %
      
DETACHED East Vancouver

$688,888

10.6%
52.3%
100.0%
 Vancouver West

$1,448,310

16.9%
67.9%
119.2%
ATTACHEDEast Vancouver

$524,024

13.7%
61.4%
113.1%
 Vancouver West
$711.645
9.4%
43.8%
113.1%
APARTMENTEast Vancouver

$335,150

14.9%
72.0%
126.4%
 Vancouver West
$496,214
11.5%
51.8%
105.0%

*BENCHMARK PRICE: Estimated sale price of a benchmark property. Benchmarks represent a typical property within each market.

Click on Graph for Full 30 Year Historic Trend.

Housing market moderates for spring-time buyers

VANCOUVER, B.C. – April 2, 2008 – The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV) reports that while there were fewer housing sales in March 2008 compared to last year, residential prices continued to climb.

Residential property sales in Greater Vancouver totalled 2,997 in March 2008, a decline of 16.3 per cent from the 3,582 residential sales recorded in March 2007, and a decline of 25.7 per cent compared to the 4,033 sales in March 2006. New listings for detached, attached and apartment properties increased four per cent to 5,674 in March 2008 compared with March 2007, when 5,456 new units were listed.

“The market is continuing to balance, with sales and listings beginning to re-align with our 10-year averages,” says REBGV president, Dave Watt. “The selection of inventory hitting the market is wider than we have seen in the past few years, which gives prospective buyers more choices.”

Sales of detached properties declined 20.2 per cent to 1,116 from the 1,399 detached sales recorded during the same period in 2007. The benchmark price, as calculated by the MLSLink Housing Price Index®, for detached properties rose 12.1 per cent from March 2007 to $764,616.

Sales of apartment properties in March 2008 declined 10.6 per cent to 1,370, compared to 1,532 sales in March 2007. The benchmark price of an apartment property increased 11.5 per cent from March 2007 to $389,609.

Attached property sales in March 2008 are down 21.5 per cent to 511, compared with the 651 sales in March 2007. The benchmark price of an attached unit increased 10.6 per cent between March 2007 and 2008 to $473,543.

Bright spots in Greater Vancouver in March 2008 compared to March 2007:
Attached:
New Westminster............................up 142.9 per cent (17 units sold up from 7)
Apartments:
Port Moody/Belcarra......................up 31.6 per cent (50 units sold up from 38)
Maple Ridge/Pitt Meadows............up 48.5 per cent (49 units sold up from 33)

The Real Estate industry is a key economic driver in British Columbia. In 2007, 38,050 homes changed hands in the Board’s area generating $1.065 billion in spin-offs. Total dollar volume of residential sales set a new record at $22.25 billion and total dollar volume of all sales set a record at $22.77 billion. The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver is an association representing more than 9,500 REALTORS®. The Real Estate Board provides a variety of membership services, including the Multiple Listing Service®. For more information on real estate, statistics, and buying or selling a home, contact a local REALTOR® or visit www.realtylink.org.
*In August 2004, the Greater Vancouver and Fraser Valley boards upgraded our existing MLS systems to a common system called MLSLink. MLSLink® HPI is the latest version of the Board’s Housing Price Index (HPI) and is designed to accommodate the MLS upgrade and improve the legacy HPI product. For more information on real estate, statistics, and buying or selling a home,
www.realtylink.org.

Information provided with permission by the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV)

 


Lisa MacIntosh - Dexter Associates Realty - Phone: 604-263-1144 Fax: 604-263-6699
email: lisa@lisamacintosh.com Copyright © 2003. All rights reserved.

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