Urban Vancouver

Maria Mak. Burnaby Real Estate Agents . Metro Vancouver Realtors

By Maria Mak - Sut... on August 19, 2012 - 10:11pm

Technology has been a driving force behind the transformation of many industries. While real estate remains a people business, consumers today have access to scores of information that can help them find an property, a REALTOR® and connect all the dots in between.

Purchasing a home will likely be the most important buying decision you’ll ever have to make so it is important to do your own research, understand your rights and find professionals that you are most comfortable working with.

If you’re deciding whether to buy or sell a home, it’s critical that you understand and properly assess your personal and financial circumstances against current housing opportunities.

The REALTORS® of Canada and other real estate professionals have provided a wealth of information online to help you understand what opportunities are out there for you and your family to consider.

Maria Mak. Burnaby Realtors - * Latest Housing Market Updates* - when someone asks how house prices are doing....

By Maria Mak - Sut... on July 23, 2012 - 12:23pm

When someone asks how house prices are doing in a particular neighbourhood, the question seems easily answered.

The big real estate boards all issue monthly price reports that spell out what the average selling price was in the previous month and how that compares to the month, and the year, before.

But there's a problem with trying to divine market direction from average price data. It's just too blunt a tool.

If real estate — as the saying goes — is really about "location, location, location," then average prices frequently don’t capture the reality of what's going on in a particular city or neighbourhood.

Calculating the average house price is as simple as adding up the prices realized for all home sales in a particular month and dividing by the number of sales. The problem with that metric begins to emerge, however, when one or more parts of the housing market don't act in tandem with all the other segments, as they seldom do.