604homesblog

Is the 604homesblog dead?

Matthew Collinge — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:26:00 GMT

Well, I have thought so for quite a while now and no one has cried out they they were missing me. The limitations of the version of the Community Server platform that the 604homesblog is based on plus what appeared/appears to have been a low return on investment (ROI) led me to spending more time on other aspects of my website (specifically the Vancouver home search pages, also know as IDX and VOW to those in the biz), Twitter and my Facebook fan page (please become a fan).

I am still unsure whethe I will come back to blogging and if I do where will I do that, here, or on a separate Wordpress-based blog, or on a completely redsigned and re-platformed 604homes.com.

I would love to hear your thoughts on the matter and I'll be sure to let you know where it all goes.

Condo For Sale in False Creek, Vancouver, BC

Matthew Collinge — Tue, 12 May 2009 21:31:00 GMT

• 1,365 sq. ft., 2 bath, 2 bdrm + den - MLS® $574,800 CAD - Huge value

False Creek, Vancouver -

Imagine False Creek living

You have dreamed of living in a walkable waterfront community. Here is your opportunity with this spacious 2 bedroom condo just steps from the False Creek seawall. The kitchen has been renovated with great taste (granite, stainless steel, and new cabinets) and overlooks a serene landscaped coutryard, plus a peek-a-boo view of False Creek. The living room and dining room are large and have open onto one of the 3 balconies.

Upstairs is a huge master bedroom with custom built-in wardrobes, and an ensuite with a separate tub and shower. There is a wonderful roof-top deck with great views of the Creek and Downtown skyline. The second bedroom is very private and has it's own large deck. Imagine walking out your door to the neighbourhood shops, the park and all the wonders of Granville Island. Call today to make your dreams come to true.

Property information

Condo For Sale in Gastown

Matthew Collinge — Thu, 07 May 2009 00:13:00 GMT

Lovely Gastown Condo

• 495 sq. ft., 1 bath, 1 bdrm apartment - MLS® $289,900 CAD - with parking and storage

Gastown, Vancouver - Everything you are looking for in a Gastown one bedroom is here. Imagine living in Vancouver's historic Gastown, walking to all the great eateries and pubs, shopping in the city's coolest shops, the sun shining into your windows, the car is in it's parking spot and the extra stuff is put away in your storage locker.

This is what urban living was meant to be. Your new home is at 55 ALEXANDER, a modern (completed in 2000) concrete mid-rise building on quiet Alexander St. The kitchen has granite counters and a gas stove. There is room for a home office nook with great light, and once the sun sets a gas fireplace warms your toes, and the rest of your home too.

Property information

One Bedroom Condo For Sale in Downtown Vancouver

Matthew Collinge — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 22:49:00 GMT

Quiet, central, concrete

• 542 sq. ft., 1 bath, 1 bdrm apartment - MLS® $264,900 CAD - Top Floor

Downtown, Vancouver - Imagine owning your own home, or investment property, in a solid, well cared for building just 2 blocks from the seawall in Downtown Vancouver. This top floor one bedroom could be just what you are looking floor with it's great layout, a peak-a-boo view of English Bay, and an outlook over the quiet central courtyard.

The building has a caretaker, excellent shared laundry facilities, a roof top deck with amazing views (watch the fireworks), and pro active strata. The building is well maintained, the roof, plumbing, elevators & hallways have all been updated. Low maintenance fees make this a great rental suite. Parking is available at $50/mo.

Property information

One Bedroom Condo with Amazing View For Sale in Downtown

Matthew Collinge — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 22:49:00 GMT

• 581 sq. ft., 1 bath, 1 bdrm apartment - MLS® $320,000 CAD - Amazing view

Downtown, Vancouver - Don't miss out on the amazing views of the mountains and the harbour from this well planned 1-bedroom condo. Views like this are rarely available for this price. Enjoy preparing meals in the kitchen with its granite counters. Sit back in the front of the gas fireplace in the living room and enjoy the views, or on those warmer days crank up the air conditioning. There is a parking spot for you too, but you can walk to everything. The shops, movie theatre, and the best of Vancouver are a short walk away. Call today!

Property information

Bungalow For Sale in Renfrew

Matthew Collinge — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 15:23:00 GMT

Large 3 bedroom up bungalow

• 2,138 sq. ft., 2 bath, 4 bdrm bungalow "3 bedrooms on the main" - $569,000 CAD - Central location

Renfrew, Vancouver - Imagine living in this lovely East Vancouver bungalow. The rooms are very spacious. Picture your family in front of the living room fireplace and meals in the attached dining room. There are gorgeous inlaid hardwood floors under the carpet in the main rooms and hallways. The kitchen is large and bright (south facing) with it's own eating area. What makes this home a special opportunity is that there are 3 bedrooms with nice wood floors on the main floor.

Downstairs is a large rec room, one more bedroom and the laundry room. Easy to make an income generating suite down here. In the backyard you will find a large sundeck (with carport underneath) and a nicely landscaped, sunny, south-facing backyard. The location is great too, close to shopping, and central to many destinations. Call today!

Property information

New Homes on the Westside of Vancouver

Matthew Collinge — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 17:12:00 GMT

Are you looking for a new home for sale on the Westside of Vancouver. You have lots to choose from and wide range of prices and neighbourhoods as well.

There are 98 active lisitngs at the moment that are advertised as a 1 year old or less. Of those a few are actually lots and few might not be completed yet. Prices range from new bungalows in Marpole for $874,900 to high end end luxury homes in Kerrisdale, Shaughnessy and Point Grey in the $4,000,000 to $6,000,000 price range.

You can see all the new homes for sale on the Westside of Vancouver here.

And if any strike your fancy give me a call on 604 916 4663.

Matthew Collinge: Vancouver REALTOR®

Things to do in Vancouver: Metro Vancouver's Spring 2009 Events Guide is Now Available

Matthew Collinge — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 17:45:00 GMT

Just a short one here to help you find more fun things to do in Metro Vacouver. The Spring 2009 edition of Check it Out, Metro Vancouver's Event Guide is now available and can be viewed online here.

Matthew Collinge: Vancouver REALTOR®

Vancouver Housing Starts - January 2009 - They didn't go up

Matthew Collinge — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 17:57:00 GMT

CMHC reports this morning that this January's housing starts were about half of what they were in January '08. Housing starts were down across detached and attached categories, but not in all areas, as Delta, Langley and Maple Ridge saw increases. As I have said before though one months housing starts are not the best reflection of anything. Nonetheless I am sure the theme for this year is fewer and fewer housing starts.

You can read the CMHC Vancouver housing starts press release here.

Matthew Collinge: Vancouver REALTOR®

British Columbia Home Inspectors to be Licenced

Matthew Collinge — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 21:32:00 GMT

The provincial government has announced that starting March 31, 2009 all home inspectors in the province of British Columbia will have to be licensed. The British Columbia Real Estate Association (BCREA) released the following statement in support of the this decision:

Home Inspectors Licensing Good for Consumers

Vancouver, BC – February 3, 2009. The British Columbia Real Estate Association (BCREA) is pleased with the BC Government’s recent announcement to license home inspectors, effective March 31, 2009.

“As a REALTOR®, I know it’s important for my clients to have the best property information possible,” said BCREA President Scott Veitch. “An independent inspection is a great starting point for consumers to learn about property conditions.”

Since 1998, the Association has recommended the government license home inspectors. Now, BCREA looks forward to the development of meaningful standards to ensure consumers receive adequate protection.

"Solid information helps consumers have confidence in their home buying decisions,” added Veitch. “And confidence and protection are necessary for the excellent quality of life we enjoy in British Columbia.”

Sounds like a good move to me. The inspectors I deal with I trust, but the industry is a bit of a Wild West so this should add some credibility.

Matthew Collinge: Vancouver REALTOR®

Interest Rates to Fall Again

Matthew Collinge — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 17:00:00 GMT

The Bank of Canada (BOC)cut it's overnight rate this morning and the banks are responding by lowering the rates on variable rate mortgages. Fixed rate mortgages on the other hand are tied to bond rates and Vancouver mortgage broker tells me that they have been adjusting lower in anticipation of this rate change by the BOC.

Bottom line, if you are planning to buy in the next little while you payments, just went down, or you could spend more money (I think I would vote for lower payments)

Matthew Collinge: Vancouver REALTOR®

Horrible Terrble MLS® Photos are Back

Matthew Collinge — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 19:44:00 GMT

A collage? Really?! A collage! It is blurry, the photos have dates on them and it looks like it was glued together. Horrible! Terrible!

Matthew Collinge: Vancouver REALTOR®

Onni Group and MAC Marketing Solutions Partner to Blow Out Metro Vancouver Condo Inventory

Matthew Collinge — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 18:06:00 GMT

This has already been in the news and all, but I thought I'd mention it here. I broke this on Twitter 2 days ago actually, so if you are not following me there please do. Basically Onni Group, who usually does their own condo marketing, have partnered with MAC Marketing Solutions to sell off their existing inventory of condos in Port Moody (Suter Brook Village), Richmond (FLO), Port Coquitlam (South Verde), New Westminster (Victoria Hill) and Surrey (Escada).

Some examples of the deals available (given in a number of the papers) were:

Richmond: A 900-square-foot two-bedroom unit originally priced at $472,900, or $525 per square foot, is now approximately $360,000, or $400 a square foot.
Port Moody: A 1,106-square-foot two-bedroom-and-den originally priced at $453,900 is now approximately $340,000.A 655-square-foot studio originally priced at $319,900 is now $240,000, and a 990-square-foot wood frame two-bedroom originally priced at $419,900 is now approximately $315,000.
Surrey: An 1,100-square-foot two-bedroom and den originally priced at $360,900 is now $260,000.
New Westminster: A one-bedroom originally priced at $270,000 is now approximately $215,000.
Port Coquitlam: A 1,000-square-foot two-bedroom originally priced at $389,900, or $390 a square foot, is now approximately $280,000, or $280 a square foot.

These are obviously significant savings and whether or not they make these purchases the right ones for you is something you'll have to decide for yourself, or in consultation with a REALTOR.

Feel free to email or call (604-916-4663) me and I would be happy to help you decide.

Matthew Collinge: Vancouver REALTOR®

Metro Vancouver Real Estate Statistics: December 2008

Matthew Collinge — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 21:59:00 GMT

The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver has released the December 2008 stats with the headline: 2008 brought improved housing affordability to Greater Vancouver. Not that catchy, but true enough.

Sales of residential properties were down 35.3% in 2008, compared to 2007 while listings increased by 13.9%. Real estate Board President Dave Watt was qouted in the press release:

“Trends in the latter half of 2008 showed a consistent month-over-month decrease in residential housing prices, a departure from the rising home prices and record-breaking sales that were experienced in Greater Vancouver for much of this decade,” said REBGV president, Dave Watt. “It’s also important to note that our December statistics show a third consecutive month of a decrease in active property listings in Greater Vancouver. That means supply is coming down,” Watt said. “Last month was also the first time in 27 years that Greater Vancouver homes sales for December were higher than November.”

All the numbers were down substantially compared to December 2007. The Pres also had this to say:

“For buyers, lower prices haven’t been a concern as much as the perception that prices are falling. It’s difficult to identify the ‘bottom’ of the market. The reality is that people tend to buy when prices are going up, not when they’re going down,” Watt said.

I am sure this last comment will be source of much discussion. When exactly are "lower prices a concern" for buyers? Pretty much never. The second half is right though. By the time you know we've reached the bottom, it will be too late and prices will be on the way back up.

The stats press release is attached. Enjoy!

Matthew Collinge: Vancouver REALTOR®

Commuting Times to Downtown Vancouver From the Suburbs

Matthew Collinge — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 17:17:00 GMT

With the decline in the affordability of real estate in Vancouver itself more and more people have been been moving further and further away from their jobs. Now I live in work within no more than a 30 minute drive of anywhere I need to be, but many, if not most, do not.

When considering a move further from work be sure to consider the true costs of your commute in terms of gas, wear and tear on your vehicle, and the great intangible, your quality of life and time with your family. I have come up with a little list of commuting times from Downtown Vancouver to the suburbs.

I don't make these commutes so if you have some more insight please leave it below in the comments.

West Vancouver or North Vancouver: Downtown: 30-45 mins
Burnaby - Downtown: 30 mins
Port Moody - Coquitlam: 45 mins - 1 hour
Port Coquitlam - Downtown: 1 hour
Pitt Meadows / Maple Ridge: 1.5 hours
Richmond - Downtown: 30 - 45 mins
Delta / Tsawassen: Downtown - 45 mins - 1 hour
Surrey - Downtown: 1 -1.25 hours
Langley - Downtown: 1.5 hours