Vancouver Real Estate board overall
 

 Single family houses sales for June totalled 924 with the average sale price of $1,061067. This 37% decrease in number of sales and a 12% decrease in average price over last year same time period (June) . Townhouse sales for June totalled 415 with an average sale price of $566,310. This is a 20% decrease in the number of sales and an increase of 2% in average price over the same time period last year (June). Condominiums June sales totalled 1026 with the average sale price of $433,841. This a 18% decrease in number of sales and decease of 2% in average price over the same time period last year (June).

 

Total of all types for June was 2365 sales with an average sale price of $702,142. This is a 27% decrease in number of sales and a 13% decrease in average price over June last year.

 

The volume of sales overall continues to decrease substantially over the same month of the previous year. The Vancouver Real Estate Board sales volume year to date is down by 20% and year to date average sales price is down 6%. The number of active listings is 22% higher this June compared to last June. Increased inventory and reduced demand has the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver stating that it now a BUYERS market.

 

Local Maple Ridge

 

Single family houses June sales totalled 93 with the average sale price of $491,049. This a 10% decrease in number of sales and a 1% increase in average price compared to June last year. Townhouse June sales totalled 36 with an average sale price $279,383. This is a 7% decrease in the number of sales and a 8% decrease in average price compared to last June. Condominiums June sales totalled 17 with the average sale price of $194,114. This no change in number of sales and a 1% decrease in price over last June.

 

Total of all types of sales for June was 146 with an average sale price of $404,283. This is a 13% decrease in number of sales and a 1% increase in average price over last June.

 

The number of properties on the market in Maple Ridge is similar to last year and our prices are virtually unchanged in the last 2 years. Negative news in regards mortgage terms and forecasts of declining prices in Vancouver, North Vancouver, Richmond, etc may put some downward pressure on our sale prices.
  

For more detail just call 604-466-4549 or email  pearceteam@telus.net .

Prime Rate remains stable at 3% with term variable rate mortgages at 2.8% - A $300,000 mortgage at 2.8% for 25 years is $1389 per month. The governments change from 30 year to 25year amortization maximum resulted in and increased monthly cost of $150 on this mortgage.

 

Some banks offering rates as low as 2.69% for 2 years and rates of 3.89 for 10 year terms.

 

** Note - The government implemented new financing rules as of July 9^th 2012. CMHC will not insure a mortgage of 30 years. Most chartered banks will no longer offer a 30 year mortgage although some lenders may offer a 30 year option if you have more than 20% down.

 

On refinancing your mortgage without moving the maximum is now 80% of the value of your property. This is down from the previous 85% of the value of the property

Click the link below to watch the video on the statistics for June 2012.  It would be great to get some feedback on additions like this to see if they are of interest.


http://www.youtube.com/user/REBGV

Buying or selling a home is a huge financial task that can trigger a roller coaster of emotions.  When you're being tossed around at every turn, it's critical to hang on and keep your feelings on track.

When you put your home on the market, you need to view it as just a house.  Don’t be offended if someone wants to rip up your kitchen or paint over the wood trim.  It's natural for people to complain when they're interested in something so while criticisms may seem negative, they're actually a good sign!

Never take things personally as it can cause negotiations to fall apart.  Sentimental home owners who've invested years of hard work and personal love into a home are often put off by a low offer even though it's just a starting point.  Having a real estate agent act as your 3rd party negotiator will help keep emotions at bay.

If you’re lucky enough to generate multiple offers, make sure you consider more than just the price.  Conditional offers can send you for a real loop.  There's nothing worse than accepting an offer just because it's over the asking price only to have it fall apart a month later when you could have accepted a firm cash offer that was almost as good.

Be aware of tactics such as low balling where an attractive price is initially offered only to be adjusted at a later point on the basis that circumstances have changed.  In the meantime, your hopes have been raised to the point where you've already envisioned spending the proceeds.  Recognizing these types of negotiation strategies will help you keep a balanced perspective.

When buying a home, do your research ahead of time to avoid emotional shopping.  Although you want to keep an open mind, falling in love with a "fixer upper" when you’re looking for a turnkey home will probably end up being a mistake no matter what the price.  Making a hasty decision based solely on an emotional reaction will likely result in buyer’s remorse.

It’s completely normal for home buyers and sellers to experience a wide range of intense emotions as they navigate through the complex real estate process.  Just remember not to take things personally or let your emotions rule every decision.  If you get on the real estate roller coaster with a competent agent by your side, not only will you enjoy the ride but you'll want to do it again and again!

An ironic example of our longing for the "good old days" is to snap a photo with a state of the art smartphone and then tweak it with a faded, black and white nostalgic type effect.

Instagram is a photo editing app that Facebook paid a whopping one billion dollars for!  The concept is simple.  Take a photo on your smartphone, add a cool looking filter inspired by those old Polaroid pics, blur it out a little and then share it with whoever you like.

With over 40 million users, Instagram has totally redefined photography.  Once modified, the photo which is squared off for that vintage look can be easily shared on various popular platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Flickr.  People can even purchase canvas prints, cards and posters of Instagram photos which means your pics could one day find themselves hanging on walls all over the world!

Many people now use images to help tell their story and in today's age, that means a picture's worth a thousand clicks.  Joining a community of millions not only puts you and your photos in touch with a huge audience but it also allows you to follow others who share similar interests.  Instagram doesn't cost a cent so step off the sidelines and perhaps you'll discover an extraordinary hidden talent.

Fruits are packed with essential vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.  An ice cold smoothie is a simple and refreshing way to ensure you get enough fruit each day.  Here’s a delicious recipe for a banana blueberry smoothie:

• 1 banana
• 1 cup of blueberries
• 1 cup yogurt
• ½ cup milk (substitute soy or almond milk)
• ½ cup of ice

Load everything into a blender and mix until smooth.  It's all about experimenting so try  substituting raspberries for blueberries or add juice instead of milk.  Other popular additions are flax seed, peanut butter, almonds or oats.  Get creative and enjoy!