Leanne Drolet

Royal LePage Sterling Realty

Office 604-421-1010

Cell 778-840-7211

Email: Leanne@realtygal.ca

Categories
RSS

No one wants to deal with a burglary!
 
So how do you reduce the chances of one happening?  Fortunately, burglaries are a well studied phenomenon—especially by law enforcement. These studies have identified specific things you can do to cut the risk dramatically. Here are some ideas:
 
•34% of home break-ins occur through the front door. Experts
recommend investing in a door with a top-quality locking mechanism.
(The best are those that lock at three points of contact.)
 
•50% of burglars will be deterred if your home has some sort of video
monitoring system. A thief doesn’t want his face on YouTube!
 
•Unfortunately, signs and window stickers warning of an alarm system
do not deter thieves. However, 62% of burglars will immediately run
away when an alarm goes off. Always turn on your alarm system
when you’re not home!
 
•22% of burglaries occur through a sliding glass door or patio door.
Make sure it’s locked and also use a solid metal jammer.
 
•Some thieves use frequency scanners to gain access to garages.
Police recommend changing your remote entry code regularly and
putting blinds or curtains on garage windows so thieves can’t see
(and be tempted by) any valuables inside. 
 
As you can see, there are many simple things you can do to reduce your chances of a burglary dramatically. The effort is definately worth it!
 
Read

With no obvious bumps looming, the housing market is forecast to chug along in 2015. According to economist Bryan Yu, the industry should continue to register growth in the Lower Mainland.

 

“The overall sale cycle is expected to grow, not as rapid as we saw in 2014, but relatively modest, probably about five percent,” Yu told the Georgia Straight in a phone interview.

Median prices in Metro Vancouver could rise by about three percent, added the analyst with Central 1 Credit Union, the Vancouver-based financial facility and trade association of credit unions in B.C. and Ontario. “Detached-home sales were the key driver of overall price gains,” Yu said. “We expect that to continue in 2015.”

Based on a report by the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver, the benchmark price of a single-family home increased 7.9 percent in November 2014 compared to the same month of the previous year, to $997,800.

Yu said that because of the region’s limited land supply, detached housing is “essentially a scarce, almost a luxury product”. Population growth, a good economy, and low interest rates will drive the market’s steady pace, according to Yu.

In a report released in November 2014, Central 1 projected that B.C.’s economy will expand by 2.7 percent in 2015, slightly outpacing the predicted growth of 2.5 percent in 2014. Annual employment growth was projected to reach 0.8 percent in 2014, rising 1.4 percent in the succeeding year, according to the Central 1 paper authored by Yu.

The report also anticipated that 2014’s provincewide home sales would top the previous year’s total by 14 percent.

“While we should be cautious about using average prices, which are up six percent from a year ago, constant-quality price indices point to a four percent gain in the Lower Mainland and a two percent gain on Vancouver Island,” the document stated.

Central 1 will release its housing outlook for 2015 in mid-January, but don’t expect any major surprises.

“We don’t see a lot of risks,” Yu said in the interview.

In a paper released last fall, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation forecast a steady pace of home starts in the Vancouver metropolitan region. It projected 18,700 new constructions in 2015, compared to an estimated 18,900 in 2014.

The national housing agency also anticipated the momentum of the resale market in the Lower Mainland to continue into 2015. It projected that 2014 would end with 32,800 homes resold and prices averaging $811,000 for the year, representing increases of 13 and six percent, respectively, compared to the previous year.

Sales of existing homes across B.C. are expected to total 80,000 in 2015, based on a report by the Canadian Real Estate Association. That’s slightly lower than the projected sales of 81,600 in 2014. The CREA estimates that prices will average $566,700 in 2015, or a bit higher than the anticipated 2014 provincewide average of $566,000.

In a financial-system review released in December 2014, the Bank of Canada noted that the country’s housing market is overvalued by at least 10 percent and as much as 30 percent.

However, the national bank also pointed out that the market “exhibited only a modest degree of upward creep since 2009”. It also mentioned that prices in the past decade haven’t deviated much from key economic measures, unlike the sharp increases that were associated with housing downturns in the 1980s and 1990s.

According to the Bank of Canada, this “supports the view that a soft landing is the most likely way forward”.

Like Central 1’s Yu, analyst Don Campbell expects the region’s real-estate market to see consistent growth.

Campbell is the founding partner of the Real Estate Investment Network, a Langley-based company that provides market analysis to clients. In addition to factors like low interest rates, the market will also be driven by new immigrants as well as foreign buyers.

“Unless one of those…black swans shows up…or something like that that slows everything down,” Campbell told the Straight by phone, “but given if everything is as it is right now, the market should continue on its path.”



Courtesy of the stright.com and Carlito Pablo on Dec 31, 2014

Read
Categories:   # PortMoody #RealEstate #Coquitlamrealestate #WestwoodPlateauRealEstate #Prepareyourhometosell | #Coquitlam | #Coquitlamrealestate #WestwoodPlateauRealEstate #Prepareyourhometosell | #DIY | #Moving | #Multipleoffers! #Coquitlamrealestate #Realtygal #BuySellrealestate | #PortCoquitlamrealestate | #PortMoodyrealestate | #Preparingtossell #Walkability #Tricityrealtor #Downsizing | #RealEstate, #Sellyourhome #Renovate | #RealtorCareBlanketDrive | Anmore, Port Moody Real Estate, Port Coquitlam, Coquitlam, Real Estate, Selling a home, Buying a home, Townhome, Condo, House, | breast cancer research, spring clean, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody | Brentwood Park, Burnaby North Real Estate | Burke Mountain, Coquitlam Real Estate | Canyon Springs, Coquitlam Real Estate | Central Coquitlam, Coquitlam Real Estate | Central Coquitlam, Coquitlam Real Estate, Port Moody, Port Coquitlam, Pitt Meadows, Westwood Plateau | Central Meadows, Pitt Meadows Real Estate | Citadel PQ, Port Coquitlam Real Estate | College Park PM, Port Moody Real Estate | Condo | Coquitlam East, Coquitlam Real Estate | Coquitlam, Evergreen Line, Guildford, Pinetree Way, Douglas College, Coquitlam Centre | Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, Housing, Realtor, Royal LePage, Buying a home, Selling a home | Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, Pitt Meadows, Maple Ridge, Langley, Home buying and selling, Real estate | Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, real estate, Westwood Plateau, North Coquitlam, Oxford Heights, New Horizons | Coquitlam, Port Moody, Port Coquitlam, Burnaby, Pitt Meadows, Homes for Sale, Sell a home, Realtor | Coquitlam, Port Moody, Port Coquitlam, First time buyer, selling a home, Buying and selling, Real estate, | Cottonwood MR, Maple Ridge Real Estate | Downtown NW, New Westminster Real Estate | East Newton, Surrey Real Estate | False Creek, Vancouver West Real Estate | Guildford, North Surrey Real Estate | Heritage Mountain, Port Moody Real Estate | Heritage Woods PM, Port Moody Real Estate | Lincoln Park PQ, Port Coquitlam Real Estate | Mountain Meadows, Port Moody Real Estate | New Horizons, Coquitlam Real Estate | North Coquitlam, Coquitlam Real Estate | North Shore Pt Moody, Port Moody Real Estate | open house, real estate, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, listing a house, buying a home | Preparing your home to sell, selling a home, sellers, real estate, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody | Ranch Park, Coquitlam Real Estate | REALTOR® | Renovation, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, Westwood Plateau, Canyon Springs, River Springs, Scott Creek, New Horizons | Renovations, Updates, getting the most money for your home | RRSP, First time buyer, HBP, Canadian Government's Home Buyers Plan, Coquitlam, Port Moody, Port Coquitlam | selling your home quickly | Sunshine Hills Woods, N. Delta Real Estate | Tri-City News, A-list, Real Estate, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, Favourite realtor | Walnut Grove, Langley Real Estate | Westwood Plateau, Coquitlam Real Estate | White Rock, South Surrey White Rock Real Estate | Willoughby Heights, Langley Real Estate | Woodland Acres PQ, Port Coquitlam Real Estate | Yarrow, Yarrow Real Estate
Reciprocity Logo The data relating to real estate on this website comes in part from the MLS® Reciprocity program of either the Greater Vancouver REALTORS® (GVR), the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board (FVREB) or the Chilliwack and District Real Estate Board (CADREB). Real estate listings held by participating real estate firms are marked with the MLS® logo and detailed information about the listing includes the name of the listing agent. This representation is based in whole or part on data generated by either the GVR, the FVREB or the CADREB which assumes no responsibility for its accuracy. The materials contained on this page may not be reproduced without the express written consent of either the GVR, the FVREB or the CADREB.