British Columbia

Spiked linked to housing sales Retail spending in B.C., clocking in at more than $5.8 billion a month, is leading the entire nation in growth and has put once-market-leading Alberta deep in the shade.

Time to look at ALR, developer group suggests By Frank O’Brien Commercial real estate developers in Metro Vancouver list municipal delays and a land shortage as, respectively, the major short-term and long-term challenges facing the industry.

Frank O’Brien A typical high-rise condo in Vancouver has embedded costs of more than $500,000 before it is even finished, according to a series of studies of land values, construction costs and municipal fees and levies.

Clubhouse at Surrey Golf Club. “Profitable” Surrey Golf Course sold for $15 million NAI Commercial of Vancouver has sold the Surrey Golf Club on 168th Street, Surrey, for $15 million to an unnamed investor.

Harder to get financing if you own five or more properties By Frank O’Brien Pity the owners of multiple homes in Metro Vancouver: it is getting tougher to find conventional residential financing once they own more than five properties in the world’s

Cheap mortgages, high rents, low vacancies and soaring property values combine for blue-chip real estate investment By Frank O’Brien Metro Vancouver multi-family landlords are basking in a confluence of factors that make owning old apartment building

Buyers cram into the Evolve condo sales site in Surrey: 300 condos sold in 90 minutes.

Few other goodies for real estate market, analysts say Dr. Sherry Cooper of Dominion Lending Centres: boost in tax-free savings could help homebuyers save for a downpayment By Frank O’Brien If you give, so shall you save.

Combining adjacent houses into a land play can double the lot value By Frank O’Brien “They flew all the way from Taiwan to give me a hug.

By Frank O’Brien The 10.5-nautical-mile BC Ferries ride between West Vancouver and Gibsons on the Sunshine Coast equates to an average house price difference of more than $150,000 per mile.