Its Friday here and that means open-topic time with a cornucopia of links:
-Vancouver the most overtaxed place for business
-Hydro rates to jump 11% over 3 years
-”What is ordinary may change in the future“
-Another round of layoffs at Canfor.
-Canadian productivity growth at ‘depressing levels‘
-US Economic woes bode ill for Canada
-CMHC predicts higher prices in 2008
-US Credit rapidly drying up
What are you seeing out there? Post your news, links and anecdotes here!
on Days of ultra-cheap money coming to an endDoes anyone know how recent sales prices for SFH's in Coquitlam compare with last years property assessments? 
on Days of ultra-cheap money coming to an endCopied from PaulB’s number. Thank you PaulB. http://www.laurenandpaul.ca Using good-format's format. Date Listing Price(+-) Sold Inv Inv(+-) S/L(%) 12.04.30 316
on Days of ultra-cheap money coming to an end@Makaya: 2012 monthly inventory increases: January: +2,727 February: +1,544 March: +1,762 April: +1,048 May (so far): +1,513 And I thought
on Days of ultra-cheap money coming to an end@Bob the builder: S&P peaked in July 2007 and was down substantially by the time oil peaked a year later. on Days of ultra-cheap money coming to an end@paulb.: Inventory up 106 since yesterday. Still growing nice and strong :) 
December 5th, 2007 at 2:30 pm
Anon, well I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you havn't been around for very long.i've been on VHB, chipman's blog and this blog and, more recently, enjoyed solipsist's posts on his blog (is it still around)?satv/thumbsup is annoying for sure! whatever his motives, he's incurable. i don't think it matters to him what he says or what we think of him … it's just a game in his world.but so are you (annoying) from time to time. do you restrict your rude comments to satv?and i'm a pain in the butt when i set my mind to it. must have got up on the wrong side of bed yesterday. i'll stop being a pain in the butt, effective immediately.regarding "is that someone worth treating with respect", i think the philosophical and judeochristian answer is "treat everyone with respect" … but obviously i'm not very good at it ;-[
December 5th, 2007 at 2:00 pm
Anon, well I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you havn't been around for very long. Thumbsup/SATV/ whatever else he was calling himself in the in-between phase has been around here for months. He spews out barely intelligible gibberish about how things are set to go up forever, the market will never fall blah blah blah. He never provides any factual information except for the occasional snippet from a pumper article or a bit of data showing how YOY prices are up in whatever place.His comments are not worth the bits they're written in, he's annoying, illiterate and seemingly incapable of forms of logic normally associated with higher primates. Yet in spite of all that he maintains a superior air and a complete conviction of his own infallibility. Now you tell me, is that someone worth treating with respect?
December 5th, 2007 at 1:03 pm
Thanks to all anon's.I was surprised, how can some one repeat same stuff in the next thread without answering in previous thread.those are sign to show cleverness than again switching over from the issue,clever twice..thanx anon's keep up the good work.
December 5th, 2007 at 12:50 pm
if that IS your real nameoh, that was a good one!Stop trying to play cleversee above, it's not me playing that game.there are no clever bulls left.not a bull.actually, i just think you're exceptionally rude and somewhat arrogant. was trying to point that out, somewhat ineffectually. sorry, you missed the point.
December 4th, 2007 at 10:16 am
Actually Anonymous (if that IS your real name)You would be 100% wrong on that. There are no fallacies where you say there are because I wasn't attempting to make an argument, just an observation.Stop trying to play clever, there are no clever bulls left.
December 4th, 2007 at 1:02 am
Drachen was not defining …a good overview of fallacies, simply presented, without drachen's usual arrogant sarcasm. i stand corrected. thank you.where would drachen's arguments fit?Wow, getting realty information from luckycat is like getting diet information from McDonalds…They wouldn't let him in, too hypocritical and not pedantic enough.I know there's some big words in there but if you need help I can explain them to you. Do that, and come back here and tell me that things are fine down south and I'll just write you off as hopelessly deluded.Choose:(a) just plain rude.(b) ad hominem fallacy … under the guise of "i'm too busy to respond patiently or intelligently"(c) just plain arrogant.(d) all of the above.Thought: Drachen, dragons don't have to breathe fire.
December 3rd, 2007 at 10:34 pm
Drachen was not defining what a fallacy is, but was instead identifying the specific fallacy in Thumbsup's argument
December 3rd, 2007 at 9:45 pm
Fallacy: appeal to emotion.wtf? I thought I understood the word fallacy, but I guess I don't know the loosy-goosy meaning of it in Drachen's world. I guess if you're arrogant enough, you can redefine just about anything.so drachy dude, i thought i would never agree with satv/thumby/thumbsup/whatever on anything, but i'm with him on this one.
December 3rd, 2007 at 7:53 pm
Freako and Rentah posted in Realestatetalks many years ago it was bad to own at that time and they were proven wrong.Anon,do you know?.it cost too much to buy something and cost nothing to say"bubble""B"is a god for bears.Rentha has left us anyway may be begging for pardon in calgary with his wife.Vhb learnt his lesson with in one year so he is on the path of improvement.Freako is neutral so just forgive him because if you can produce hard argument you are able to convince him.
December 3rd, 2007 at 1:00 pm
Thumby:From now on, I'm not going to engage your fallacious arguments. I'm just going to point them out."Buying a palce to live in the hottest city you love is equal to securing a shack for your self and for your family,Not from any sense is a bussiness."Fallacy: appeal to emotion.
December 3rd, 2007 at 12:43 pm
Freako and Rentah posted in Realestatetalks many years ago it was bad to own at that time and they were proven wrong.How is this relevant when average turnover rates for owning a home is around ten years or more. Expand your horizon to that length of time and they're looking good right now.
December 3rd, 2007 at 11:33 am
Thumbs: Go to an actual 'world class' city and then tell me about 'running out of space'. Have you actually looked at the amount of space there is in this city? Even right in near downtown, the amount of land for condo development is huge compared to cities with more history. And take a look at the way the bubble has spilled over to valuations in small town BC where there is practically unlimited space. 'Running out of land' is trotted out by speculators during every property boom and is well worn out. It didn't protect property values in any US boom/bust town. It didn't save property values here the last couple of busts and it wont this time either.Price is what you pay, value is what you get.
December 3rd, 2007 at 11:17 am
Prices CANNOT go up forever. There is a limited money supply.what about land supply and desire to live where,there is not much room?Drachen,Buying a palce to live in the hottest city you love is equal to securing a shack for your self and for your family,Not from any sense is a bussiness.for the rest of your argument you should have returned back to "black friday where "fun and mental"was waiting for you and re-diculous.Since you did not, I am going to bring him here.fun and mental said… drachen,4% return is risk free. 8% isn'tthe equity in your home is not risk free. the roof over your head is (if it's clear title)apples to apples.i wouldn't compare opportunity cost of a clear title home to an 8% return on mutual funds, especially if i were giving advice to a friend. and we haven't even factored in taxes on that 8% return.my only point was that re-diculous tried to compare equity to opportunity cost without providing an alternative (comparible) bed to sleep in.11/25/07 10:12 PM
December 3rd, 2007 at 9:38 am
"What a load of B.S. – That is like saying you are predicting the future."Ok, one more thing. Yes it's impossible to predict what WILL happen in the future, but it's not that hard to predict what will NOT happen in the future. Prices CANNOT go up forever. There is a limited money supply.Prices CANNOT stabilize. Once they do RE becomes a white elephant.Ergo, prices must, at some time in the future fall to balance the books.
December 3rd, 2007 at 9:32 am
"Freako and Rentah posted in Realestatetalks many years ago it was bad to own at that time and they were proven wrong."Actually they probably were then (I don't know the exact date you're referring to) and certainly are now RIGHT. If you put your money into renting and a good investment portfolio you'll be ahead of someone who buys Real Estate in Vancouver right now. Do your PEs for god's sakes. Oh but I suppose you're proposing indefinite 10%+ returns in the form of appreciation. Sorry to say (actually I'm not), but that's economically impossible until someone invents a time machine."All i know is one thing – if you can afford it, there is never a bad time. Reason is, if you can afford it you will never sell it for a lower price."Mmmm Hmm… So which agency do YOU work for? If you bought around peak in the '80s you'd have had to wait over 20 years to see equivalent prices. If you'd invested that money in almost any mutual fund or even government bonds you'd be ahead of the guy who bought in the '80s and was selling today.
December 3rd, 2007 at 9:23 am
Umm to the especially ignorant Anonymous at 8:47Aside from the previously mentioned lack of literacy in your use of the word, "illiteracy", your statement is just plain wrong.A factor may affect parts of Canada without affecting British Columbia. BC is not Canada and is not inherently influenced by things that influence other parts of Canada, is that so hard to understand? Are you saying that if it's snowing in Canada it must be snowing in British Columbia?"BTW, you're late for the Hypocritical Pedants Convention."They wouldn't let him in, too hypocritical and not pedantic enough.
December 3rd, 2007 at 9:09 am
Don't you just illiteracy in high places? Don't I just what? And "illiteracy" doesn't mean what you apparently think it means. BTW, you're late for the Hypocritical Pedants Convention.
December 3rd, 2007 at 8:49 am
tulip-mania2 quoted Taylor as saying, "At some point, what's going on in the States will inevitably affect not just Canada, but British Columbia".Don't you just illiteracy in high places? Or is Taylor a closet Western separatist who occasionally lets it slip that Canada and British Columbia are distinct entities? Fun aside, the rampant illiteracy in high places makes me nervous. It's difficult to have confidence in such people."Yesterday I couldn't even spell 'government minister' and today I are one!"
December 3rd, 2007 at 7:40 am
Reason is, if you can afford it you will never sell it for a lower price. after paying off the 40 year mortgage his tombstone read: he loved his house…. he had to.
December 3rd, 2007 at 1:29 am
HSBC believes the Bank of England may have to lower interest rates far more aggressively than has been expected if Britain is to avoid a house prices crashYeah and how is that strategy working out in the USA? Central banks can do anything they want, the markets are not going to supply money for mortgages once they lose confidence in RE prices. And people aren't going to buy either.Forget the place, let it fall into arrears and the bank will seize it. Take the hit on his credit record and move on. Taxpayers (courtesy of CMHC) pick up the tab.After you are forced into bankruptcy. In BC you are personally responsible for the loan balance. But if you didn't own anything to start with, no sweat.
December 3rd, 2007 at 12:20 am
All i know is one thing – if you can afford it, there is never a bad time. Reason is, if you can afford it you will never sell it for a lower price.Thanks for so clearly defining the limits of what you know.