Investing in real estate

THE PROPERTY COULD BE YOURS FOR $15.9 MILLION!

KAMLOOPS - A part of Kamloops’ history is up for sale with the promise of future development opportunities.

Tranquille on the Lake is the most recent development property to hit the real estate market — a 150-year-old location best known as the former provincial tuberculosis centre, which later became an institution for the mentally ill.

While close to 50 buildings remain on the property its primary use has been agricultural, but Colliers International Broker Chad Biafore says the possibilities are endless.

“Nobody likes change, but I think it would be great for Kamloops if someone developed this property and put in homes,” he says. “There’s opportunities for people to live out here and grow

Secondary suites are a form of rental housing that is typically affordable, ground-oriented and market-based.

Secondary suites, a common feature of larger, older homes in several Canadian municipalities, have been in existence for many years but became illegal in some jurisdictions when zoning bylaws set stringent requirements for the type of housing that could be accommodated in low-density areas. Since the 1980s, secondary suites have been recognized by policy makers as one of the most cost-effective ways of providing affordable rental housing and are an important part of the Canadian housing stock, especially in urban areas. Secondary suites make up close to a fifth of the rental stock in Vancouver and Edmonton. They are also an important source of

Before embarking on an expensive move, consider renovating instead?

Move to a larger, more suitable home in your neighbourhood or stay put and renovate what you have? Finish the basement or build an addition? And most importantly, what would each scenario cost?

There are many Canadian's faced with the choice between moving or improving to increase usable square footage. Back in 2012, Canada Post released numbers indicating that of the 850,000 people who changed addresses, 37% moved to upgrade their home for family reasons. More recently, Altus Group measured the boom in Canadian residential home renovation spending, valuing it at $68 billion in 2014, roughly $20 billion more than what was spent on new builds.

Families grow, possessions multiply,

Renting property can be a lucrative way to make money but make sure you know the rules..

In Toronto, in 2012, apartments rented for approximately $25 to $35 per square meter, and in Montreal, $21 to $28 per square meter, according to Global Property Guide. However, rental income can also be as simple as renting the spare room in your personal residence. “Even if you’re renting your basement apartment to a student, this is considered rental income, and it must be declared,” Caroline Thompson, president of Thompson Accounting and Tax Inc., explains. “However, you don’t need to charge the goods and services tax. It only applies to commercial property.”

Share of Ownership

Before you can determine how much of the rental income to declare, you need

Prices may see minimal impact due to the narrow reach of new rules

TORONTO – Homebuyers in Canada now face larger down payment requirements for properties over $500,000. The changes are intended to temper some of Canada’s heated real estate markets. Here are five things to know about the new rules:

Who’s affected: Primarily those shopping for a home in Toronto and Vancouver. First-time buyers in those cities will feel the pinch since they’ll be required to put down bigger down payments to get into the market. Those selling their homes in order to size up, especially in cities with hot housing markets, likely won’t feel the pain since they’ve built up equity in those properties.

Dollars and cents: For someone purchasing a $700,000 home — a common

Hardwood flooring has been around forever, in both cottages and castles.

Whether rough, hand-hewn planks, or elaborately laid parquet, wood has always been dependable as a durable surface with a host of other benefits. Today’s modern hardwood flooring maintains its durability, is easier than ever to care for, and is available to enhance every architectural and decorating scheme.

See the article on our Blog that lists the Top20 keywords for listing a house in Canada

If you’ve bought a house without wood floors, or are refurbishing a home you’ve lived in for years with carpeting or other flooring that has seen better days, it’s time to consider hardwood. Here are some of the reasons:

1. Durability

Real wood lasts for lifetimes. If a plank is

The current commodities crisis has opened a new avenue of home sales, the purchasing and selling of foreclosure property.

There can be profit in dealing with undervalued foreclosure property but there are pitfalls that must be taken into consideration. If your an investor and have the ability to make repairs/updates if needed on a foreclosure then maybe this is something that you should look at.Often houses that end up in foreclosure have a lot of "baggage" with them. Sometimes it can be a house that's not finished and will need more work, permits etc. to finish and some houses are left in a condition that make them unlivable.

With low interest rates at the moment there are opportunities for people to buy a foreclosed property but an experienced

Housing sales and prices are up over 2015 and the trend seems to be continuing into 2016

Listen to the CBC report here

© http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/canada/kamloops/housing-market-in-kamloops-appears-to-be-busy-1.3433589

If you’re listing your strata property and haven’t sold one before, there are some things you should know

The process of selling a strata property is not the same as selling a house, and it tends to be much more involved when it comes to drawing up the paperwork.

What Are You Actually Selling?

One of the major differences between selling a house and a strata property boils down to what exactly you are selling. When you sell a house, you are selling the home and the land it is on. With a strata property, you could be selling a unit with or without land depending on the development type. Typically, a strata property sale will also include areas that are under shared ownership by all unit owners in that complex.

It is important to understand

BCREA 2016 First Quarter Housing Forecast Update

Vancouver, BC – January 28, 2016. The British Columbia Real Estate Association (BCREA) released its 2016 First Quarter Housing Forecast Update today.

Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) residential sales in the province are forecast to edge back 6.2 per cent to 96,100 units this year, after reaching 102,517 units in 2015. Strong consumer demand is expected to push MLS® residential sales up by 2 per cent to 98,000 units in 2017.

Housing demand in the province is being supported by a relatively robust economy, leading to strong employment growth and rising wages. In addition, net interprovincial migration is on an upswing as many Albertans look to BC for job opportunities. BC home sales are forecast to