My East Van Blog

Asian Investors and Our Market

Vancouver is becoming one of the most expensive places to live.  Vancouver is now the world's second-least affordable English-speaking city in which to buy a home, according to a public-policy firm called Demographia.

There are many theories as to why our market has skyrocketed over the years. One common thought is that this is because of the inflow of Asian investors buying up our Vancouver real es... read more.

Mortgage Rates at 2.99%

Many of the Canadian Banks are now offer fixed rates as low as 2.99%. This is an extremely low rate, as many people remember when rates were above 10% in the 80's and early 90's. This rate won't last for a very long time, and it would be a good idea to get a pre-approved mortgage to lock in the rate for 90 days. If the mortgage rate goes up during the 90 days, you will still get the 2.99%. If the... read more.

Chinese New Year Celebration

Chinese New Year falls on January 23, 2012, and Vancouver has several events to celebrate the Year of the Dragon.

• Gung Haggis Fat Choy Robbie Burns Chinese New Year Dinner - January 23
• Year of the Dragon Celebration at Chinatown's International Village - January 27-29 (Free)
• Vancouver Chinatown Spring Festival & Cultural Fair - January 28-29 (Free)
• Vancouver Chinese New Year Parade 2012 - January 29... read more.

New Renter Website to Help Tenants

Renters who want to avoid moving into an apartment with mould, plumbing issues, and other problems will have a new tool at their disposal soon.  This week, Vancouver voted unanimously in favour of creating an online rental database in the city.

According to the city, 85 percent of West End residents are renters, while 52 percent of all Vancouver residents rent.

The database will provide renters acc... read more.

Biggest Rent Increase in 8 Years

Our Residential Tenancy Regulation sets the maximum rent increase, that landlords can increase on tenants each year.  This year, that figure is 4.3%.  The highest it has been in 8 years.  Last year was 2.3%.  

Why is it this high? The formula for setting the maximum percentage is [ Inflation Rate + 2% ]. That's right, annual inflation rate jumped up, and since vacancy rates continue to drop in Vancouve... read more.