Newsletter Archive

REBGV

Our housing market is healthy and stable. The federal government wants to keep it this way.
On February 15, 2010, The Hon. Jim Flaherty, Federal Minister of Finance, announced changes to rules for government-backed insured mortgages. To prepare for possible higher interest rates:

• Borrowers must meet standards for a five-year fixed rate mortgage even when choosing lower interest or short term mortgages.

• Borrowers will be able to refinance up to 90% of the value of their homes instead if the current 95%.

• Borrowers buying a non-owner-occupied property for speculation will require a minimum downpayment of 20% for government-backed mortgage insurance.
These changes will take effect on April 19, 2010.

Diverse selection and favourable interest rates continue to drive demand in the Greater Vancouver housing market.The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV) reports that residential property sales in Greater Vancouver totalled 1,923 in January 2010, an increase of 152.4 per cent compared to January 2009 when 762 sales were recorded and a 23.5 per cent decline compared to the 2,515 sales recorded in December 2009.

In terms of historical perspective, January ranked as an average month for number of residential housing sales over the past decade, with higher sales in January 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2006.

Over the last 12 months, the MLSLink® Housing Price Index (HPI) benchmark price for all residential properties in Greater Vancouv...

Bank of Canada maintains overnight rate target at 1/4 per cent and reiterates conditional commitment to hold current policy rate until the end of the second quarter of 2010.
The Bank of Canada today announced that it is maintaining its target for the overnight rate at 1/4 per cent. The Bank Rate is unchanged at 1/2 per cent and the deposit rate is 1/4 per cent.

VANCOUVER, B.C. – January 5, 2010 – After beginning the year at near record low sales levels, buyers’ confidence
in the Greater Vancouver housing market quickly returned, allowing for significant and sustained increases
in the number of residential property sales for much of 2009.
The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV) reports that total unit sales of detached, attached and apartment properties in 2009 reached 35,669, a 44.8 per cent increase from the 24,626 unit sales recorded in 2008, but a 6.3 per cent decline from the 38,050 residential sales in 2007.
The number of homes listed for sale on the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) in Greater Vancouver declined 15.5 per cent in 2009 to 52,869 compared to the 62,561 properti...

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