British Columbia

U.S. and U.K.

More businesses are looking to buy, not lease, new industrial space in Metro Vancouver and the lure is as much about potential appreciation as securing property in a tight market.

Tiny oceanfront cottages that can be bought for around $150,000 are signs of a changing B.C. recreational market once defined as luxurious and elite.

The City of Langley has proposed to more than double its development cost charges (DCCs) for residential developers.

Metro Vancouver's condominiums are a key sector of the housing market - and a longtime investor target - but a leading consultant forecasts that sales will tumble and prices could slumber in 2011.

An exclusive mountain community above Whistler's Creekside neighbourhood, owned by Intrawest, has been snapped up by a local private investor who plans to lend a green tinge to the neighbourhood. Ecoasis Properties Ltd.

Total housing starts in B.C. soared 43 per cent in December, compared with a month earlier, reports Central 1 Credit Union. At 31,500, year-end 2010 posted the highest seasonally-adjusted rate in two years, and led by multi-family construction.

The City of Richmond is mapping out land reserved for industrial development over the next 30 years to add to its existing 34 million square feet of industrial space.

Bringing movie crews to town is easier when you have an established tourism sector - one that welcomes folks looking for adventure on the ski slopes and in the backcountry.

New condos When built out, Mariner's Village will be a blend of 375 dwelling units and approximately 100,000 square feet of commercial space, including a medical clinic, as well as a 176-slip marina, boardwalk and public wharf, all in the heart of So