The surprising truth of what motivates us?

As part of my business development I looked back at my past to reflect on influential moments in my life.  It was fun thinking back to many great moments and I realized that many of these moments came when I was volunteering.

For example, I have a long history with sailing in and around Vancouver.  I have coached and raced but I currently help out vo ...

Greg’s Top 10 Vancouver Summer Moments

10. Nat Bailey Nooner

9. Day Adventure to Bowen Island for Lunch

8. Fireworks night from Jericho Beach or Vanier Park

7. Dinner from a day of shopping at Granville Island

6. Theater Under the Stars in Stanly Park at Malcolm Bowl

5. Sun set walk at Queen Elizabeth Park Rose Garden

4. Picnic at Spanish Banks

3. Walk around Stanly Park

2. Bard on the Beach

FREE Subscription for my Vancouver Real Estate Update News Letter

The Vancouver Real Estate Market continues as always to move up and down.  I find from time to time people like to know what is happening in the Vancouver Real Estate Market so I provide a monthly update to my clients.  The Real Estate Update e-news letter is a great way to keep tabs on the market and get handy real estate tips ...

The Cost of Renting

I was sitting with some friends at dinner the other night and someone asked “How do you build wealth because it always seems that you need money to make money?” Another friend said, “I just got lucky I bought my first condo and it went up in value, which allowed me to buy a house, which went up in value and when I sold that I bought a pretty nice home.”

Everyone knows that ...

This Just in! Listening to a talk given by Cameron Muir Chief Economist for British Columbia Real Estate Association (BCREA) on June 10, 2010 he stated that he thought the Vancouver Real Estate market would tend to trend with the growing economy (gradually growing).  He forecasted that the days of double digit gains and multiple offers will not be around again for 2-5 years.  His predictions ...

Why should you use a Home Inspector?

I have many people ask me, “Should I get a home inspection?” or “Do I need a home inspection?”  “Is it really worth the money?” My answer is always YES! 

A few hundred dollars is a significant amount of money to spend on a home you may or may not buy. I have seen cases over and over again where the inspection has been well worth spending the money for the ...

Market update from April 2010

We are in the middle of a somewhat typical spring market with lots of buyers meeting up with lots of sellers. Jake Moldowan, Ppresident of the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBCV) stated that with “…a sales-to-listing ration of 23%, we see a healthy balance between buyer demand and seller supply in the market place.”  March is typically the start of our ...

What I learned during the Vancouver Winter Olympic Games and what you need to know for the Paralympics Games

-It is not hard to be nice to people, even when you have been standing in a long line.

-Wear good shoes when standing in lines.

-Enjoy life to the fullest because as we found after 17 days of fun….the party does end.

-I started using Twitter.  I will share with you what I know and wou ...

What you need to know if you are Investor or a Home Owner looking to refinance this year.

CMHC with a big announcements March 8, 2010 effective April 19^th, 2010.

Anyone wanting a high ratio mortgage (less than 20% down) and selecting a term of less than 5 years, will need to qualify at the Benchmark 5-year qualifying rate.  This rate is set every Monday ...