Now that spring is finally here, many homeowners are beginning their annual spring-clean. For many, this spring frenzy entails purchasing expensive cleaning products, which can sometimes be harmful to your health and the environment. To help you cut costs and make your home sparkle extra eco-clean this season, here is a list of easy recipes for household cleaning products.   Homemade White ...

Cherry blossoms, tulips and daffodils truly herald the arrival of spring in Vancouver. And with that, of course, comes a multitude of spring plant sales throughout the Lower Mainland.  If you are an avid gardener get your calendar out because here is a list of sales in the next month you don’t want to miss!   March 23-24: Vancouver Orchid Society This sale, held in the Floral Hall at the V ...

Sometimes it's possible to get so wrapped up in yourself that you lose all perspective. When you exist in a vacuum long enough, you can sometimes forget how the rest of the world operates and no matter what impression you may have of yourself, perhaps others see you in a totally different way.    No one wants to be the hairy overweight guy on the beach in the speedo.    It's good to have ...

You couldn’t ask for a better Easter weekend. With spring flowers starting to bloom, beautiful sunshine and time to spend with friends and family, nothing could be better! To make this long weekend extra fun, here is a list of great family events happening throughout the Lower Mainland.   Breakfast with the Easter Bunny, March 30, 2013 Join the Easter Bunny this Saturday for a special panc ...

West Coast weather can take a toll on your patio and deck especially during the winter months. Water damage, mold, and dirt can often accumulate and cause these surfaces to change color and become slippery. I have walked down many sets of stairs in fear and a bit of maintenance can help protect family members from falling.  To get you ready for your spring garden parties and summer BBQs this ...

 Robin Wiebe is a Senior Economist at Canada’s Centre for Municipal Studies who recently discovered a strong statistical correlation between Chinese GDP and an overall outlook of Vancouver’s housing market.   From the early 1980s to 2009, subtle shifts in economic variables have presented correlations between Vancouver housing and Chinese gross domestic product. Weighing annual market, popu ...

It is difficult to predict where the housing market will go in the Lower Mainland in the short-term, but according to Vancouver Mortgage Specialist, Katherine Martin, in the past week some fixed term interest rates have dropped to an all time low.  With decreased interest rates and housing costs this year, this would mean good news for first-time homebuyers and long-term thinkers.   Accordi ...

 When you look at this map, what do you see?               Yes, this is a map of Vancouver. And yes, the divide is right along Main Street, where the city renumbers between east and west Vancouver.    The properties in red are properties valued $1 million and less. The properties in blue are worth more than $1 million.   In the Vancouver real estate world, we call this ‘the inv ...

Buying a first house, especially in Vancouver, is a big financial investment for new homeowners.  For many residents, the only way to reduce high mortgage costs is to renovate and rent out basement suites.  However, since 2009 there has been an increasing move toward the development of laneway suites. These suites are an excellent way of diversifying rental units.  This week the City of Vanco ...

MAC Marketing Solution’s recent debacle has left Vancouver real estate professionals in a state of shock. According to The Globe and Mail, a pair of MAC associates appeared on a news broadcast posing as sisters deliberating on making an offer for a new condo because their parents, in China, were planning to buy a new place for them. Internet sleuths who saw the broadcast identified one of the ...