Vancouver Real Estate Market Slowing

[jasonturbo]

Originally Posted by Mr.HappySilp

I am sure we all remember last year there a tour group from CHINA came to Vancouver for a week and they and the real estate agent just takes them to different house or housing development to buy buy buy. Please tell me that didn't happen LOL. COZ it was on the news and what's even worse is that these ppl were out bidding each other. It is still happening to this day.

Yes foreign money have 0 impact on Vancouver housing. Is all fake and we all image it.

http://www.revscene.net/forums/66540...ter-again.html

http://www.revscene.net/forums/64635...-west-van.html

Read me: http://www.greaterfool.ca/2012/04/04/bad-dogs/

"We start today’s comedy blog with a repeat performance by Cam Good, the man with the yellow helicopter who (more than anyone) has helped fuel the flames of racial tension in the city that real estate is destroying. Yes, Vancouver. First he hired a helicopter, stuffed it with Asian-Canadian guys from the suburbs and buzzed White Rock with a bunch of TV reporters in the back, telling them these were ‘investors from China.’ But that was a lie. They were local realtors.

Then he got the yellow whirligig, packed it again with Chinese (this time the right stuff), loaded in the TV reporters and assaulted Victoria, landing at a $14 million estate. It’s a private listing, he said, cuz that’s the way billionaires operate. In fact, he told reporters, there’s a private listing service (PLS.ca) just for them. Another lie. It recycles stuff that isn’t selling on MLS. By the way, Cam Good owns PLS.ca.

Now he’s brought the Groupon approach to selling condos. Cam’s promoting a new company, Condoday.ca, which bulk-sells condos to groups of strangers, so they can all get a discount off the (inflated) list price. He brought a bunch of TV reporters into a sales room and had them interview buyers, like Tara Fluet, “Investor from White Rock.” Lie. Tara works for Cam Good. And BTW, he owns Condoday.ca.

We beat this to death last year, it was basically an advertisement.

Then again, it does seem crazy that a media outlet would present an advertisement as a "story".. especially when they rely on advertising revenues from the real estate industry...

[bing]

Originally Posted by Mr.HappySilp

I am sure we all remember last year there a tour group from CHINA came to Vancouver for a week and they and the real estate agent just takes them to different house or housing development to buy buy buy. Please tell me that didn't happen LOL. COZ it was on the news and what's even worse is that these ppl were out bidding each other. It is still happening to this day.

Yes foreign money have 0 impact on Vancouver housing. Is all fake and we all image it.

If you can't critically analyze the news, don't rely on it as your only source of information. The news is not just a bunch of facts, the media companies are not in business just to keep you informed because of their own good will. They are full of bias and positioning, being able to choose what to air, what to leave out, and how to present the story. For all we know, the story didn't even say if any sales were made, or as Jason suggests, it was an advertizing gimmick.

It is hard trying to have an intelligent conversation with people when they make vacuous comments like this. You or one of your ancestors immigrated to this country from HK (I presume since you know so much about the RE there), and you didn't even take advantage of the educational system here.

[SiRV]

market is stale because people aren't listening to this woman's suggestions

Vancouver Home Sellers: Want to sell quickly in Chinese buyers driven real estate market? - YouTube

[minoru_tanaka]

Originally Posted by bing

There's an option to still live in Vancouver, and it's called renting (and being able to invest the difference of a mortgage payment intelligently elsewhere). Most people have the home ownership ideal so far up their ass, that they never once questioned where it came from. I guess this is what makes tradition and instilling values so powerful, an inability to be innovative and flexible.

You seem to think that rent hasn't gone up and can't go up more.

Anyways I don't see why you find it so unreasonable for a normal working class person to be able to do their 9 -5 job, save some money and own the place they want to raise their family.

2002 Lexus IS300 5spd "panda" (rip)
2007 BMW 323iA (sold)
2005 BMW Z4 5spd
2010 Audi A4 quattro sport
2006 BMW 330i 6spd (daily)

SFU textbooks for sale (updated every semester) http://www.revscene.net/forums/57287...textbooks.html

Obviously you're more of a go getter than the avg person or born with money but most people are like you. They don't go around looking for every opportunity to flip and scalp things for a little bit of money or they might not be good at it. If you want to say we lack the ability to be innovative and flexible that's fine but keep in mind that you're only innovative and flexible because you do what most don't. Though you could be a bit more flexible about how you think about the common man.

[Manic!]

Originally Posted by SiRV

market is stale because people aren't listening to this woman's suggestions

Vancouver Home Sellers: Want to sell quickly in Chinese buyers driven real estate market? - YouTube

Hit the CC button and get the English translations. Prepare to laugh your ass off.

[kungpow]

Originally Posted by Manic!

Hit the CC button and get the English translations. Prepare to laugh your ass off.

LOL. I wonder if the translation was misinterpret on purpose.

[OTG-ZR2]

Here is a good website documenting the trends of Vancouver housing prices:

Vancouver Price Drop

[bing]

Originally Posted by minoru_tanaka

You seem to think that rent hasn't gone up and can't go up more.

Anyways I don't see why you find it so unreasonable for a normal working class person to be able to do their 9 -5 job, save some money and own the place they want to raise their family.

I am under the assumption that rents are reasonable, there is a healthy renter base, and there are also strong renter protections in this city.

I don't see why its unreasonable for them to do the same but rent if they can't afford to buy. Nobody is entitled to anything, doesn't matter what class you come from. You want something, you go and earn it. I should add that I was talking about Vancouver specifically. There are still options to buy in the suburbs (White Rock, Aldergrove, Abbotsford, Mission, Surrey, etc) that I consider quite affordable. But if your only desire is to be in Vancouver, you have to pay to play. Living in Vancouver is a privilege now, not a right (in my eyes).

[minoru_tanaka]

Originally Posted by bing

I am under the assumption that rents are reasonable, there is a healthy renter base, and there are also strong renter protections in this city.

I don't see why its unreasonable for them to do the same but rent if they can't afford to buy. Nobody is entitled to anything, doesn't matter what class you come from. You want something, you go and earn it. I should add that I was talking about Vancouver specifically. There are still options to buy in the suburbs (White Rock, Aldergrove, Abbotsford, Mission, Surrey, etc) that I consider quite affordable. But if your only desire is to be in Vancouver, you have to pay to play. Living in Vancouver is a luxury, not a privilege.

I'm guessing you don't mean privilege since being priveleged entails luxuries. Anyways I know what you're trying to say there but expand more on why living in East Van where I grew up with homeless crackheads roaming the streets is considered a luxury? Is it the proximity to Pho restaurants? Is it all my other high net worth neighbors (I guess it's true for all the homeowners now since they are on paper, millionaires)?

[JKam]

Originally Posted by bing

I am under the assumption that rents are reasonable, there is a healthy renter base, and there are also strong renter protections in this city.

I don't see why its unreasonable for them to do the same but rent if they can't afford to buy. Nobody is entitled to anything, doesn't matter what class you come from. You want something, you go and earn it. I should add that I was talking about Vancouver specifically. There are still options to buy in the suburbs (White Rock, Aldergrove, Abbotsford, Mission, Surrey, etc) that I consider quite affordable. But if your only desire is to be in Vancouver, you have to pay to play. Living in Vancouver is a luxury, not a privilege.

So who is going to pour your Starbucks in the morning if only the rich can live in Vancouver? Or clean your teeth? Or educate your children?

I'm not saying they all deserve to live in Vancouver but at least give them the chance to be able to afford the surrounding areas.

The issue isn't living in Vancouver, everyone knows it is and always will be expensive. It's the surrounding areas like Burnaby, Coquitlam, East Van and Richmond that everyone is concerned about.

[bing]

Originally Posted by minoru_tanaka

I'm guessing you don't mean privilege since being priveleged entails luxuries. Anyways I know what you're trying to say there but expand more on why living in East Van where I grew up with homeless crackheads roaming the streets is considered a luxury? Is it the proximity to Pho restaurants? Is it all my other high net worth neighbors (I guess it's true for all the homeowners now since they are on paper, millionaires)?

Yes my bad, I meant it is a privilege, not a right. We should be thankful for opportunity to be even living here. It is a luxury in the sense that there is a lack of land and the basics supply not meeting demand.

[Manic!]

Originally Posted by kungpow

LOL. I wonder if the translation was misinterpret on purpose.

It's using speech to text software. That's what makes it extra funny.

[bing]

Originally Posted by JKam

So who is going to pour your Starbucks in the morning if only the rich can live in Vancouver? Or clean your teeth? Or educate your children?

I'm not saying they all deserve to live in Vancouver but at least give them the chance to be able to afford the surrounding areas.

The issue isn't living in Vancouver, everyone knows it is and always will be expensive. It's the surrounding areas like Burnaby, Coquitlam, East Van and Richmond that everyone is concerned about.

The same people willing to commute, the people willing to rent close by, and those living at home. When we run out of those people, we can import workers who will work 10x harder and will be more grateful for their jobs. I, for one, will happily do one of the above to remain here. Most dentists I know are pretty wealthy, but I do know one that was so poor his sustenance depended on eating canned food before he became one. After busting his ass to get his undergrad, masters, and dental degree in what are likely to be worse conditions than most people here will ever face in their life, he now owns a house and a commercial building.

Some of the surrounding areas are still quite affordable. I saw an ad not too long ago that new 1BR condos could be had for just over 200k in Surrey. I know a young couple that just bought their first place together in Coquitlam with little to no help. Another young couple just bought a condo in E.Van (no help). Neither guys in the relationship have university or are in trades, but they sure as hell didn't complain and they worked hard to get where they are. While it might not be a house, they still achieved home ownership. So what are the factors driving high housing prices? Who can we blame? Nobody has answered this question yet.

My grandfather supported a family of 5 while he worked as a factory manager for someone in arguably a more expensive housing market (HK), a system with no social support (but lower income taxes), and was still able to send kids overseas for school. He risked his life to even get that opportunity in the first place, paid his dues before opening his own factory late in life, and eventually became a self-made textile tycoon (very strong reputation for honesty). His main client was Sears and he personally knew the CEO. I should also note he was willing to MOVE to Hong Kong for better opportunities in the first place, leaving behind his birth family. People only see the success, nobody sees the struggles.

[JKam]

Originally Posted by bing

The same people willing to commute, the people willing to rent close by, and those living at home. I, for one, will happily do one of the above.

Some of the surrounding areas are still quite affordable. I saw an ad not too long ago that new 1BR condos could be had for just over 200k in Surrey. I know a young couple that just bought their first place together in Coquitlam with little to no help. Another young couple just bought a condo in E.Van (no help). While it might not be a house, they still achieved home ownership. So what are the factors driving high housing prices? Who can we blame? Nobody has answered this question yet.

The fact is that housing prices are unattainable for the average salary of Canadians. It's impossible to buy on a single salary. I'm not even talking about a house. 1BR condos 400k+ in Burnaby. You need two salaries to be able to afford that (your friends). There are lots of single young professionals that simply can't afford housing. Try commuting from Surrey to Vancouver for a job/school that starts at 8am. You'll need to leave the house at 6am depending how deep into Surrey you are. Plus with the poor transit system in Surrey you're bound to miss a couple busses because they are full.

Yes you can rent but that too is rising higher and higher, there's just less risk for you as a renter. The cost will eventually get passed on to you.

As for what the factors are, I'm sure the educated people will tell you it's the government. Letting people borrow more money than they can realistically afford to borrow is the problem. The ignorant people will tell you its the asians buying up all the property (because you know.. they affect Toronto, Montreal and Calgary). So who can we blame? The government/banks/BOC

[jasonturbo]

Originally Posted by JKam

So who can we blame? The government/banks/BOC

IMO you blame the following:

Govt for CHMC... banks take a risk by lending to you, in consideration for this risk you pay them interest. When you remove the risk from the banks by backing mortgages with public funds, why should they still get consideration from the consumer when the consumer is also paying the insurance premium to protect the bank?

Consumers for being so terrible with personal finances.

Schools for spending so much time teaching kids about advanced math when they should be teaching them about basic personal finances.

There is a severe disconnect between what people are spending, and what they can afford... the national debt rate is very indicative of this.

[q0192837465]

I can never understand the lack on basic education in personal finances in highschool. They never teach us anything about mortgages, car loans, interest rates, amortization...etc. Yet, they spend so much time teaching us calculus that only a handful of us will use ever again after we graduate. It seems like that the school board is teaming up with the banks to propagating ignorance on purpose.

[bing]

Originally Posted by q0192837465

I can never understand the lack on basic education in personal finances in highschool. They never teach us anything about mortgages, car loans, interest rates, amortization...etc. Yet, they spend so much time teaching us calculus that only a handful of us will use ever again after we graduate. It seems like that the school board is teaming up with the banks to propagating ignorance on purpose.

Oh how easy it is to blame the government. There is a lack of personal responsibility in the population. Learn these things on your own, you do not even need any in-depth knowledge of any of those topics. The library is free and *gasp*, the Internet makes it so you don't even need to leave the house anymore. No more having to put on eye liner and looking your best, I love this world.

[iEatClams]

Originally Posted by q0192837465

I can never understand the lack on basic education in personal finances in highschool. They never teach us anything about mortgages, car loans, interest rates, amortization...etc. Yet, they spend so much time teaching us calculus that only a handful of us will use ever again after we graduate. It seems like that the school board is teaming up with the banks to propagating ignorance on purpose.

A lot of it is on the individuals themselves. Personal accountability has to be taken. A lot of this can be learned from someone that's curious by using Google.

- when you are in highschool, most of the things you learn, if you can't apply it to everyday use, it just goes in one ear and out the other.
- most of these things involve math, and todays kids suck at it
- parents also do a poor job at teaching their kids about personal finance.

But still, I too would like it mandatory that all kids have to pass a basic personal finance course before they graduate highschool.

[MindBomber]

Originally Posted by q0192837465

I can never understand the lack on basic education in personal finances in highschool. They never teach us anything about mortgages, car loans, interest rates, amortization...etc. Yet, they spend so much time teaching us calculus that only a handful of us will use ever again after we graduate. It seems like that the school board is teaming up with the banks to propagating ignorance on purpose.

Capp 11/12 was a requisite program for graduation when I was in high school, which had a significant focus on personal finances including car loans, mortgages, money management, and filing personal taxes. I'm not sure if an equivalent course is still a graduation requisite, but even when I had to take Capp, it didn't really sink in since the subjects seemed like distant and irrelevant concerns.

The real issue isn't necessarily a lack of education though, in my opinion. It's a combination of the exceedingly consumerist western society, free availability of credit, and above all else, a growing complete lack of common sense.

[Great68]

Originally Posted by q0192837465

I can never understand the lack on basic education in personal finances in highschool. They never teach us anything about mortgages, car loans, interest rates, amortization...etc. Yet, they spend so much time teaching us calculus that only a handful of us will use ever again after we graduate. It seems like that the school board is teaming up with the banks to propagating ignorance on purpose.

Fuck, I've been saying this for YEARS. Our secondary education curriculum in this province/country is fucking stupid in so many ways.

How many people even use Calculus that they took in Post Secondary for their jobs? I couldn't do a calculus proof now if I wanted to.

By Grade 9 already knew that courses like Art and French were fucking useless to me, and had they not been mandatory I would have dumped them for more shop & tech classes, and an accounting class which would have been WAY more useful to me now.

[Great68]

Originally Posted by MindBomber

Capp 11/12 was a requisite program for graduation when I was in high school, which had a significant focus on personal finances including car loans, mortgages, money management, and filing personal taxes. I'm not sure if an equivalent course is still a graduation requisite, but even when I had to take Capp, it didn't really sink in since the subjects seemed like distant and irrelevant concerns.

The real issue isn't necessarily a lack of education though, in my opinion. It's a combination of the exceedingly consumerist western society, free availability of credit, and above all else, a growing complete lack of common sense.

I don't know when you graduated, but when I took CAPP there were no financial courses that I can remember at all.

[ntan]

Originally Posted by Great68

Fuck, I've been saying this for YEARS. Our secondary education curriculum in this province/country is fucking stupid in so many ways.

How many people even use Calculus that they took in Post Secondary for their jobs? I couldn't do a calculus proof now if I wanted to.

By Grade 9 already knew that courses like Art and French were fucking useless to me, and had they not been mandatory I would have dumped them for more shop & tech classes, and an accounting class which would have been WAY more useful to me now.

Although I agree that some courses in secondary schools are not entirely applicable to many industries/work, but I do think that some of the skills are transferable. I'm an Engineer, but I also took courses such as biology, chemistry, and social studies (well, we all had to). They're not entirely applicable to my career, but it did expand my knowledge horizon.

Secondary school (At least the two that I attended) offered a plethora of courses that you could take. Yes, you still have your mandatory English/Mathematics etc., but it was complimented with a variety of electives such as arts, accounting, engineering, music, etc. It was up to the individual to take full advantage of it. I truly believes that the programs are out there, but the onus is on them to take advantage of it. I for one was set on wanting to become a doctor in high school; it wasn't until I took engineering as an elective for two years did I change my mind. Lots of my friends who are pursuing careers as tradesmen (welding, auto mechanic, etc.) also took these courses in high school when they offered as electives.

As for your post-secondary comment, mind I ask what program you were enrolled in? I may be wrong, but from what I understood, calculus was only mandatory for programs which involved some mathematics. Furthermore, calculus was different depending on the program as well (ie. theoretical calculus for engineering vs. applied calculus for business).

[LiquidTurbo]

Originally Posted by ntan

Although I agree that some courses in secondary schools are not entirely applicable to many industries/work, but I do think that some of the skills are transferable. I'm an Engineer, but I also took courses such as biology, chemistry, and social studies (well, we all had to). They're not entirely applicable to my career, but it did expand my knowledge horizon.

Secondary school (At least the two that I attended) offered a plethora of courses that you could take. Yes, you still have your mandatory English/Mathematics etc., but it was complimented with a variety of electives such as arts, accounting, engineering, music, etc. It was up to the individual to take full advantage of it. I truly believes that the programs are out there, but the onus is on them to take advantage of it. I for one was set on wanting to become a doctor in high school; it wasn't until I took engineering as an elective for two years did I change my mind. Lots of my friends who are pursuing careers as tradesmen (welding, auto mechanic, etc.) also took these courses in high school when they offered as electives.

As for your post-secondary comment, mind I ask what program you were enrolled in? I may be wrong, but from what I understood, calculus was only mandatory for programs which involved some mathematics. Furthermore, calculus was different depending on the program as well (ie. theoretical calculus for engineering vs. applied calculus for business).

complimented past participle, past tense of com·pli·ment (Verb)
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University education eh..

ERTW!

[bing]

Originally Posted by JKam

The fact is that housing prices are unattainable for the average salary of Canadians. It's impossible to buy on a single salary. I'm not even talking about a house. 1BR condos 400k+ in Burnaby. You need two salaries to be able to afford that (your friends). There are lots of single young professionals that simply can't afford housing. Try commuting from Surrey to Vancouver for a job/school that starts at 8am. You'll need to leave the house at 6am depending how deep into Surrey you are. Plus with the poor transit system in Surrey you're bound to miss a couple busses because they are full.

Yes you can rent but that too is rising higher and higher, there's just less risk for you as a renter. The cost will eventually get passed on to you.

As for what the factors are, I'm sure the educated people will tell you it's the government. Letting people borrow more money than they can realistically afford to borrow is the problem. The ignorant people will tell you its the asians buying up all the property (because you know.. they affect Toronto, Montreal and Calgary). So who can we blame? The government/banks/BOC

Live at home and save for a down payment. Have some discipline. People who work retail are not professionals by the way, I think you are getting mixed up. And I am very aware of the ranges of most professionals (pharmacist, accountant, nurse, etc) and its doable. Stop going to the bar after work everyday. You make so many excuses that I don't know how you get through a day. Oh NOESS!!! having to leave the house at 6am? LOL sleep earlier you entitled piece of shit. Fuck you. I hope you have to stand in the rain when you go get your handout

I'm beginning to sound like Taylor192 now, look what you've made me done. In all seriousness, we need to bring that guy back. He puts up well constructed arguments and actually provides his sources. I actually learned something reading his posts and I don't care if he comes off sounding like a douchebag. Mods?

[goo3]

Originally Posted by JKam

The fact is that housing prices are unattainable for the average salary of Canadians. It's impossible to buy on a single salary. I'm not even talking about a house. 1BR condos 400k+ in Burnaby. You need two salaries to be able to afford that (your friends). There are lots of single young professionals that simply can't afford housing. Try commuting from Surrey to Vancouver for a job/school that starts at 8am. You'll need to leave the house at 6am depending how deep into Surrey you are. Plus with the poor transit system in Surrey you're bound to miss a couple busses because they are full.

Yes you can rent but that too is rising higher and higher, there's just less risk for you as a renter. The cost will eventually get passed on to you.

As for what the factors are, I'm sure the educated people will tell you it's the government. Letting people borrow more money than they can realistically afford to borrow is the problem. The ignorant people will tell you its the asians buying up all the property (because you know.. they affect Toronto, Montreal and Calgary). So who can we blame? The government/banks/BOC

Nobody said life was fair or Canada was supposed to be Dubai. If you want a comfortable life, only you can change that. It's not reasonable to expect some magic entity to give you things for free. Everything on your list can be solved with a little sacrifice and resourcefulness. There's no scapegoat there.

Imagine if everyone was adverse to roughing it out and making the tough choices like your scenario above. We'd be a second world country borrowing to live like a first world country.

House prices are unhealthy in Vancouver, so save up now. What are you gonna do when interest rates rise and prices come down accordingly? Complain about how you're not able to come up with a down payment?