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REALTORS® across Canada urge governments to reduce costs and remove barriers to home ownership.

REALTOR® associations from Canada’s largest real estate markets are calling on all levels of government to take meaningful action to make home ownership more accessible to people across the country.   With the federal election on October 21, the Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver real estate boards, together with the Quebec Professional Association ...

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Vancouver Real Estate market update, August 2019

Metro Vancouver housing market sees summer uptick in sales Home buyer activity increased to more typical levels in Metro Vancouver throughout the summer months.   The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV) reports that residential home sales in the region totalled 2,231 in August 2019, a 15.7 per cent increase from the 1,929 ...

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Strategies to make your first real estate experience less stressful

Like many first-time homebuyers in Metro Vancouver, Melissa Dirks was anxious about getting into the real estate market. “I was nervous because Vancouver has been a hot market and difficult to break into,” says Dirks, who moved into her one-bedroom North Burnaby condo in June. “It’s obviously a very large purchase ...

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Vancouver market update, July 2019

Home sales increase in July Home buyer demand picked up across Metro Vancouver last month, making July, a traditionally quieter month in real estate, the second highest selling month so far this year. The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV) reports that residential home sales in the region totalled 2,557 in ...

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How to get a mortgage when you’re self-employed

Are you part of the 15 per cent of Metro Vancouver's workforce that's self-employed? Are you looking to buy a home? To increase your chances of qualifying as a self-employed borrower, you'll need to be familiar with what lenders require and what questions they'll ask. What do lenders consider a self-employed borrower? Mortgage lenders at banks ...

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Canada’s mortgage stress tests just got a little easier

The interest rate used in Canada’s mortgage stress tests has fallen for the first time since 2016, making it slightly easier to become a homeowner. The mortgage qualifying rate dropped to 5.19 per cent from 5.34 per cent, where it had been locked since May of 2018, according to new figures ...

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Long-term rental business licence

Properties you can rent You can rent the following: One-family dwelling Laneway house Secondary suite Duplex Apartment house Residential/commercial building Multiple conversion dwelling Rooming house If you have 1 or 2 tenants living with you in your house, such as exchange students, you don't need a business licence If you have ...

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Fewer commercial real estate sales to start 2019

Fewer commercial real estate sales to start 2019 Commercial real estate sales in the Lower Mainland declined in the first quarter (Q1) of 2019 compared to the active market experienced across the region last year. There were 318 commercial real estate sales in the Lower Mainland in Q1 2019, a 42.1 per ...

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Vancouver market update, May 2019

May sees modest increase in home sales while housing supply reaches five-year high Monthly Metro Vancouver1 home sales eclipsed 2,000 for the first time this year in May, although home buyer demand remains below historical averages. The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV) reports that residential home sales in the region totalled ...

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How long can tenants have guests?

With summer on its way, and the possibility of out-of-town guestsdraws nearer, questions can arise for tenants and landlords about what’s allowed when it comes to tenants having guests. It’s not something people often think about when they take a rental property, or that landlords consider when they rent out a ...

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