Michael Peterson

Now that the Easter holiday's and Spring break have come and gone, Spring is officially here! In Nanaimo, the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) sales summary data released by the Vancouver Island Real Estate Board (VIREB) for March 2008, shows a drop in unit sales with average sale price increases. The average sale price across the VIREB region for March 2008 was $338,846. This is an 8 per cent increase from the $313,560 posted at the end of March 2007. Unit sales volume increased slightly from the end of February 2008 to the end of March 2008, but dropped approximately 30% from March 2007. It's a balanced market with plenty to choose from and we're seeing more and more interest from elsewhere in Canada. As always, proper pricing continues to be key in this marketplace and our prices continue to be more affordable than Victoria and Vancouver.

New regulations and licensing systems are going to be introduced by the BC government this fall to regulate the home inspection industry. This will ensure home inspectors have up-to-date training on buildings codes, electrical, natural gas, and fire code regulations. They are also discussing whether to make insurance mandatory for home inspectors to cover situations where consumers claim financial loss over a mistake made by an inspector.

Currently BC home inspectors are self-regulated with two organizations offering voluntary membership and certification. Online courses and a set of exams that lead certification, if desired, are available through the BC branch of the Canadian Association of Home and Property inspectors. Applicants are also allowed to challenge the exams. A volunteer board of examiners from the industry evaluate applicant's experience and education, and require house and property inspection courses along with a program on the BC Building Code in order to be certified.

If the new systems are adopted, the licensing and regulations would be administered by the Business Practices and Consumer Protection Authority.