BUILDERS BRINGING AN ENERGY-EFFICIENT OPTION TO MARKET
The march towards turning new single family homes from energy wasters into energy savers seems to finally be picking up speed. An increasing number of builders large and small are offering Energy Star and Greenhouse rated homes as options and upgrades to buyers.
Some custom home builders are even starting to focus on delivering high-end Greenhouse rated homes, the third of the four levels of environmental certification.
“Yes it is encouraging,” says Corey McBurney, president of EnerQuality Corp. the organization set up in 1998 by the Ontario Home Builders Association and the Canadian Energy Efficiency Alliance to certify the four different levels of new so-called Green low rise housing, to train trades and professionals in how to design and build them and to be a consultant to the industry.
NEW PRICING – OLYMPIC VILLAGE – VANCOUVER
CONDO MARKETER BOB RENNIE ANNOUNCES NEW PRICING STRUCTURE FOR OLYMPIC VILLAGE
Olympic Village condominiums hit the market for the third time on Thursday. VANCOUVER – Condo marketer Bob Rennie took the wraps off a new pricing structure for the troubled Olympic Village this morning that is intended to set a cautious roadmap for recouping much of the $740 million Vancouver taxpayers have put into the troubled development.
The discounts range from as much as 50% on the most expensive units with good views to as little as 5% on some of the cheapest and smallest studios. On balance, the average discount is about 30%.
But before the public can be convinced those reductions are enough to move sales, Rennie will have to satisfy real estate agents, some of whom are angry at being excluded from a market test he conducted last week in which he sold 31 units. Rennie will hold a briefing session this afternoon for more than 1,000 real estate agents who will be given detailed information about the new prices.
REGION’S HOUSING MARKET BALANCED IN JANUARY, DESPITE SIGNS OF SELLERS’ MARKET RETURNING
VANCOUVER – Metro Vancouver’s housing market remained in balanced market conditions in January, although there were signs of a sellers’ market returning with higher levels of demand in larger communities.
“There was a healthy balance between the number of home buyers and sellers in our market in January, but there’s always variation in activity from region to region,” Jake Moldowan, president of the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV), said in a statement Wednesday. “We’re seeing strong sellers’ market conditions in areas like Richmond and the west side of Vancouver.”
TIGHTER MORTGAGE RULES WILL HIT B.C. THE HARDEST
SHORTER AMORTIZATION, HOME EQUITY LIMITS PUT DAMPER ON WEST COAST HOUSE PARTY
Finance Minister Jim Flaherty is cracking down on Canadians’ ability to qualify for a mortgage, in the government’s latest attempt to rein in consumer debt.
VANCOUVER – Tighter mortgage rules announced Monday by the federal government will have a disproportionate effect on the purchasing power of homebuyers in Metro Vancouver.
Amid rising concern about increased household debt in Canada, Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty cut the maximum amortization period from 35 years to 30 years and tightened the rules for mortgage-backed lines of credit. Canadians will only be able to borrow up to 85% of the value of their homes, down from 90%. And Ottawa will no longer insure the popular home equity lines of credit.
The amortization change, which affects purchases with a down payment of lower than 20%, means somebody with a four-per-cent rate on a $300,000 mortgage would pay about $100 a month more.
VANCOUVER’S MOUNTAIN VIEWS AND EXTREME TALL BUILDINGS
PUBLIC FORUM JAN 11th AT VPL: THREATS TO VANCOUVER FROM EXTREME TALL BUILDING POLICIES IN DOWNTOWN, WEST END, CHINATOWN, DOWNTOWN EASTSIDE
City council is on the verge of making what may be among Vancouver’s most important decisions in a generation on January 20th. On that day, Council is prepared to adopt two key policies to eliminate protected views and permit extreme building heights of 80 storey or taller on the downtown peninsula, and significantly higher buildings in Chinatown and the Downtown East Side.
CityHallWatch plans a public forum on January 11th to help citizens identify and articulate key concerns that staff and Council appear to have missed and should address before any vote on the policies. Issues that have not yet been adequately addressed include not only lost or eroded views, significant view changes from many locations in the City, and major changes to the skyline, but also implications for Vancouver’s livability, sustainability, affordability and gentrification, ecological footprints (buildings and the city), global warming, city infrastructure, traffic and transportation, city finances and taxes, schools, public amenities, seismic safety, fire safety, disaster response, and the very character of Vancouver. Expert presentations, Q&A and small group discussions on (1) risks to Vancouver’s mountain views from extremely tall building policies set for City Council approval on January 20, and (2) critical impacts on livability, solar access, environment, sustainability, city finances, city infrastructure and more. This is a public forum with expert input. Media are welcome.
SKYLINE MAY CLIMB AS VANCOUVER MULLS BUILDING HEIGHTS
SKYLINE MAY CLIMB AS VANCOUVER MULLS BUILDING HEIGHTS
A Vancouver city report on view corridors includes a computer-simulated view from the south end
of Granville Street Bridge. The city is proposing raising maximum building heights.
Photograph by: Handout, City of Vancouver
STATISTICS PACKAGE FOR NOVEMBER 2010 – VANCOUVER REAL ESTATE – REBGV
MLS® STATS SHOW MORE SALES, FEWER PROPERTY LISTINGS IN NOVEMBER
Greater Vancouver residential home sales improved in November compared to the previous four months, with the number of sales posted on the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) coming in slightly higher than the 10-year average for that month.
The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV) reports that the number of residential property sales in Greater Vancouver totalled 2,509 in November 2010. This represents a 7.4 per cent increase compared to October 2010 and an 18.6 per cent decline from the 3,083 sales in November 2009.
Looking back further, last month’s residential sales represent a 187.1 per cent increase over the 874 residential sales in November 2008, a 13 per cent decline compared to November 2007’s 2,883 sales, and a 6.4 per cent increase compared to the 2,358 sales in November 2006.
BOWEN ISLAND – CASH INCENTIVES ON LEED CERTIFIED HOME CONSTRUCTION- BRITISH COLUMBIA – CANADA
CANADIAN HOMEOWNERS CASH IN ON LEED-CERTIFIED HOME CONSTRUCTION
(BOWEN ISLAND, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA) — The Cape on Bowen, a $100 million oceanfront community located on the southwest tip of Bowen Island near Vancouver, recently announced that it is offering financial encouragement to buyers who follow the community’s Sustainability Plan and build certified LEED and Built Green sustainable homes.
The cash incentives increase if buyers opt for a higher environmental certification. Buyers who build their homes to the LEED Platinum level will receive a payment of $100,000 from the developer when the home is certified.
Homes built to LEED Gold level will receive $50,000 and for LEED Silver, $25,000. The pilot program’s incentives apply to Phase 1 oceanfront home sites in the community.
