British Columbia

Join me for a free Realtor Sales Rally on March 29th to learn the six things top producers do to succeed in any market.

Just imagine:
* Enjoying your day to day by working with the right clients
* Maintaining high standards for your listings and yourself
* A better bottom line month-to-month and year-to-year
* Controlling your business rather than it controlling you

Date: Thursday March 29, 2012
Time: Coffee/Sign In 9-9:30 a.m., Seminar 9:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Location: Hilton Vancouver Airport - 5911 Minoru Blvd, Richmond, BC
Cost: FREE! Thanks to sponsors Genworth Financial of Canada, Mortgage Alliance, and Advance Commission Company of Canada

All real estate professionals are welcome.

Register online at www.LeadersEdgeTraining.com/events.php or by phone at 1-866-607-7999.

Seating is limited, so register early!

Join me for a free Realtor Sales Rally on March 28th to learn the six things top producers do to succeed in any market.

Just imagine:
* Enjoying your day to day by working with the right clients
* Maintaining high standards for your listings and yourself
* A better bottom line month-to-month and year-to-year
* Controlling your business rather than it controlling you

Date: Wednesday March 28, 2012
Time: Coffee/Sign In 9-9:30 a.m., Seminar 9:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Location: Sutton Place Hotel - 845 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC
Cost: FREE! Thanks to sponsors Genworth Financial of Canada, Mortgage Alliance, and Advance Commission Company of Canada

All real estate professionals are welcome.

Register online at www.LeadersEdgeTraining.com/events.php or by phone at 1-866-607-7999.

Seating is limited, so register early!

Sometimes, people like to visit Salt Spring Island at the "off season" time, and on purpose...they want to see the Island at its "worst". By that, they mean when the weather might be dreary, when they expect it to be very quiet. The image, I suppose, is that everything stops, during winter on the Islands. Salt Spring, though, surprises!

All of the Gulf Islands have their special charms...and each one is quite unique. There are certainly people who choose to live year-round, on all of them. Most, though, could still be described as summer places...the population would increase dramatically, in the "summer season". Some businesses would choose to close over the winter; owners might travel south.

Salt Spring is the Gulf Island that offers a stand-alone & year round community. Although the summer season certainly sees an increase in tourist activity, as is the case on the entire coastal rim, there is a year round life on Salt Spring.

I often describe it as an arts based community. The arts centre (ArtSpring) was built well before the indoor pool facility. There is a hospital on Salt Spring, 3 elementary, a middle, and a senior school. There are 3 separate ferries servicing Salt Spring, and with a year round schedule...there are also 3 separate floatplane companies servicing SSI, and, again, with a year round schedule.

More info on the year round lifestyle offered by Salt Spring Island, and why it might just be what you're looking for? Call me!

If you read my daily blog, follow my monthly market thoughts, and catch my quarterly newsletter updates, plus perhaps see my ads in targeted print publications and online, I hope you will remember to call me when you're ready to seek real estate! I am here for your benefit, and offer full information on all inventory and also on current market trends.

I'm a 7/24 full time & full service realtor, with access to all listings, from all companies...I will make certain that you see it all, so that you can make that all important informed decision! It's important to me that you discover the right property for you. Please call me. My team & I are at your service!

How may I help you to buy your special Salt Spring Island or Southern Gulf Islands property?

liread33@gmail.com

OAK BAY-VICTORIA BC-REAL ESTATE-HOMES- FEBRUARY MARKET SNAPSHOT

March 5, 2012....... I thought I would review the Real Estate activities in Victoria BC an area known by the locals as Oak Bay... an area bordered by Beach Dr. and the Victoria Waterfront to the South, Foul Bay Road to the West, Cedar Hill Road to the North, Beach Drive to the East.

OAK BAY Single Family Home Market Snapshot For the month February 2012.

Currently there are 21 Pending Sales with an average selling price of $ 933,471 with an average of 36 days on the market. Four sales are over a Million dollars and one is over two Million on Edgecliffe Place in South Oak Bay.

I have lived and worked in Oak Bay most of my life and I know this area well, call me to find how I can assist you with Buying or Selling a home in Oak Bay. Fred Carver 250-598-2963

Here is the FEBRUARY Break Down of Active, Pending home sales, Expired’s, Withdrawn and Sold’s Homes in OAK BAY .

I presented an article from Jamie Sarner today (Toronto), and I think Vancouver deserves its share of articles as well. Without further ado - Jay Banks and market results from Vancouver!

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“The MLS® HPI is a national collaboration intended to give the public a more reliable and comprehensive tool to understand home price trends across the country,” Rosario Setticasi, REBGV president, commented on the launch of the new MLS® Home Price Index (MLS® HPI) replacing the MLSLink Housing Price Index, which had been used by Greater Vancouver and Fraser Valley REALTORS® since the mid 1990s.

The MLS® HPI benchmark price for all residential properties in the Greater Vancouver Area has experienced a growth of 5.7 per cent over the last year, climbing up to $660,600 since January 2011, and a slight 0.1 decrease compared to the previous month. The benchmark price for all residential properties in the Lower Mainland is $593,300 — less than 5 per cent more than in January 2011.

Last month’s new listings count was by far the highest January total in Greater Vancouver history since 1995. New listings for detached, attached, and apartment properties amounted to 5,756 — reaching a 19.9 per cent growth compared to January 2011, when new listings reached 4,801. This represents a vast 253.3 per cent increase compared to December 2011, which recorded merely 1,629 sales.

Residential property sales reached 1,577 on the Multiple Listing Service®, falling 4.9 per cent behind December’s 1,658. This represents a 13.3 per cent downturn compared to January 2010 sales, which reached 1,819.

Detached property sales (659 units) experienced a 16.9 per cent decrease compared to January 2011 (793 units) and a 6.5 per cent decrease compared to January 2010 (705 units). The benchmark price increased 11.3 per cent from January 2011 to $1,034,700.

Apartment property sales (657) decreased 7.9 per cent compared to January 2011 (713) and 26.3 per cent compared to January 2010 (891). The benchmark price increased by 2.4 per cent from January 2011 to $371,500.

Attached property sales (261 units) experienced a 16.6 per cent decline compared to January 2011 (313 units), and a 20.2 per cent decrease compared to January 2010 (327 units). The benchmark price decreased by 0.5 per cent since January 2011 to $468,000.

Written by Jay Banks - Vancouver real estate

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