The Best Blog on Earth!
..Well, best local blog in Vancouver anyways, according to the Georgia Straight readers choice survey.
Yes, that’s right ladies and gentlemen, http://vancouvercondo.info has been voted as the ‘best local blog‘ in the 2008 Georgia Straight Best of Vancouver Readers Choice awards. As you can probably tell, I’m pretty hyped about that. Pardon me for a moment while I shake my arms over my head and make crowd cheering noises. We’re number one! We’re number one!
A hearty congratulations to Paul Boenisch who won for ‘Best Realtor’, and a big thanks to Condohype for pointing out that the Straight was running this survey and who posts brilliant deconstructions of condo advertising at the Condohype blog.
Thank you to everyone who voted for this blog, and all the readers that have contributed ideas, conversation and information – you’re what really makes this site worthwhile.
If you’re new here, welcome! Take a look around and join in the debate – is Vancouver real estate over valued? Are property prices set to crash like they have in California, Florida or Nevada? Does the Vancouver leaky condo problem concern you? Are you touching Vancouver real estate with a ten foot pole? Buying? Selling? Holding fast? Your thoughts and anecdotes are welcome here. Cheers!
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pinocchio123 Says:
September 18th, 2008 at 8:22 am
CONGRATULATIONS!
Well deserved.
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Anonymous Says:
September 18th, 2008 at 8:37 am
Yeah, congrats…for me it was a no-brainer. This is probably the only local blog I check up on every day without fail.
Thanks to the Pope, and all the commenters and contributors who make this place THE BEST BLOG ON EARTH!
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umdesch4 Says:
September 18th, 2008 at 8:38 am
^^^that was me.
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arit Says:
September 18th, 2008 at 8:42 am
Thanks Pope for your contribution to society.
Funny… one anonymous blogger does more for our society than the finance minister.
Regards,
arit
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VHB Says:
September 18th, 2008 at 8:52 am
Congratulations, the pope. Thanks for all that you do.
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oziijjiizo Says:
September 18th, 2008 at 8:54 am
congrats!
the best is yet to come…..
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Tom Says:
September 18th, 2008 at 9:22 am
Congratulations ! I never post due to I am very shy and I don’t think I have much value to add, but me and all my friends read your blog and we all voted for you. Don’t underestimate the amount of readers and non-posters you have. You are saving a lot of people from the trickery and lies about real estate in Vancouver. THANK YOU AGAIN !
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jesse Says:
September 18th, 2008 at 9:25 am
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mk-kids Says:
September 18th, 2008 at 9:29 am
WOOHOO! I think VHB was voted best blog too sometime ago so you are in great company! You know I love your site & all the usual suspects who make coming here daily so worthwhile.
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mflat Says:
September 18th, 2008 at 9:33 am
I voted for ya, and I’m glad to see that my vote actually counts for something worthwhile in this world. Congrats!
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cynical Says:
September 18th, 2008 at 9:36 am
So, does that mean this blog will be shut down too?
It seems as soon as something is going well and is not mainstream, somehow it gets shut down…
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wolfey Says:
September 18th, 2008 at 9:39 am
Yes,
I have to agree thiss is a great blog. Where can u get people like John to give you their well thoughtout opinion. I give direct weblinks to comparable properties listed at better prices and better established econ tourist
events from previous posts He compared Van beaches to ones such as Daytona and Miami. His response is we have rich asians.
Classic
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Informer6 Says:
September 18th, 2008 at 10:17 am
The Pope,
Congratulations to you and all the readers/posters same time i don’t want to forget Solipsist who brought back the so called idiot from the vhb site.
As every one knew it the boom end bust not predicted it’s hard to spin the wheel back and fourth then elections are also on the corner so some time trueness of bloggers hard to bring forward otherside controversy like difference in posted inventory and the official statement makes thing untrue.
I would like to congrats Vancouvercondo.info only one more fact is that as long rj,wbwycr,and ‘wow’ are flooding on chip till then we have no comepetition because our arguments are producing hdmi output on vancouvercondo.info.
Thanks
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Thums up2 Says:
September 18th, 2008 at 10:24 am
Congratulation the pope also the readers and posters of vancouvercondo.info and many many congrats to stratamans west home page.drachen’s life partner since three year,Freakos best class room,bdk’s teaching institute, sophia’s best monkey troll here,brittanny’s best lethium is available on this site congratulations to every one every clicker.
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readon Says:
September 18th, 2008 at 10:29 am
“I is in yr blog, giving you votes.”
Well done.
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Mold City Says:
September 18th, 2008 at 10:34 am
Congrats! Nice to see one of my favorite blogs get some props!
Oh, and for anyone new here wondering about the troll gibberish above (thums, informer) here’s a bit of info on that:
http://vancouvercondo.info/for.....3&t=48
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Thums up2 Says:
September 18th, 2008 at 10:47 am
Bring it in,Bring it on mold city i forgot to name some one like you rentha and some more anyway good luck to you for next jackpot but again winners/cheaters lives in Ontario and Quebec only so buy vancouver real estate today and enjoy your life also thanks for the link above because patriotz posted a link recently where people in USA already start following the guidelines proposed by krrish2.
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Gorky Says:
September 18th, 2008 at 10:56 am
Congrats pope!!! Is there going to be a party?
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Rob A. Says:
September 18th, 2008 at 11:11 am
I think that this is a great blog. vancouvercondo.info is where the action is.
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k9dr Says:
September 18th, 2008 at 11:58 am
Congratulations, a well deserved recognition for all that you have done.
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The Pope Says:
September 18th, 2008 at 12:14 pm
Thanks everyone!
Arit: Kind words, but I think you give me waaay too much credit.
Cynical: Shutting down? Not just yet.
Informer/thums: Spelling is good, sentence structure needs some work.
Gorky: You buying?
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ted Says:
September 18th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
Umdesch4, didn’t you just buy a house? or do I have you confused with another poster?
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john Says:
September 18th, 2008 at 2:14 pm
I didn’t vote for your little bear blog I was too busy having fun at the beach. I bought a new SUV today.
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Mr. Market Says:
September 18th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
Trillions in wealth has been wiped out in this credit contraction and market crisis. It is a graphic illustration of what will define the financial climate of the next decade: lack of money and lack of credit.
People can no longer borrow or sped over a million on a Vancouver shack. That is why prices have already fallen by 10% (average price of SFH in Van West). I predict we will be down 25% on the average price of Van West SFH by year end. As money and credit vapourizes, the RE price declines will accellerate.
They will accellerate because price declines will lead to forclosures and mortgage defaults igniting a Canadian mortgage meltdown leading to even less lending and more price drops and so on.
RE is in the process of being decimated.
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Alexas Says:
September 18th, 2008 at 2:34 pm
John is God, congrat.
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wizardofozziejurock Says:
September 18th, 2008 at 3:18 pm
Congratulations Pope!
And to any new visitors who have just stepped out of their comfortably sanitized version of reality…welcome!
This has been the greatest ponzi scheme in history.
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Anonymous Says:
September 18th, 2008 at 3:22 pm
Mr. Market, its already been decimated. You know decimated means ‘reduced by ten percent’ right?
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Mold City Says:
September 18th, 2008 at 3:25 pm
John, you buy a lot of SUVs.. Seems to be running about 3 a week now, what do you do with them all?
I was just down at the beach too, I love it there when it’s all grey and rainy, it pretty much clears out and you get the place to yourself.. just a few wet dog walkers, a random jogger and the occasional stoner trying to light up under shelter of a tree. Viva Vancouver!
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umdesch4 Says:
September 18th, 2008 at 3:54 pm
Ted: Yes, that was me. I just bought a house in Pitt Meadows. Pretty happy there too (taking the West Coast Express in to work beats the crap outta the skytrain), but of course I know I’ll be losing money. I’m just hoping that since it seemed reasonably priced compared to other stuff in the area, and we drove a hard bargain, we won’t have lost *too* much over time if we decide to sell in a few years.
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lili Says:
September 18th, 2008 at 4:04 pm
congratulations!!!
I love your blog a lot.
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Mr. Market Says:
September 18th, 2008 at 4:28 pm
“You know decimated means ‘reduced by ten percent’ right?”
I think decimated means reduced by a factor of ten, by the movement of a decimal point.
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umdesch4 Says:
September 18th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
Nope, decimated comes from an old Roman military practice of killing every tenth soldier in a group.
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YLTNBoomerang Says:
September 18th, 2008 at 4:47 pm
Congrats, but more importantly, Chipman didn’t win, blah hahahah. Sorry, maybe that was mean, I used to read and post over there but gave up after watching him slowly and steadily flip from bull to… well not bear yet but he’ll get there and state “I’ve always said _________ “.
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minotaur3 Says:
September 18th, 2008 at 5:01 pm
Congrats Pope!
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JB Says:
September 18th, 2008 at 5:02 pm
Great site….a clearer view high above the haze of MSM smog.
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ROCK Says:
September 18th, 2008 at 5:04 pm
Well deserved. I’m pretty sure I voted for you (you or condohype). I’m a regular to both (as well as Paulb) so you guys are my lifeline.
You don’t realize that if it wasn’t for VHB and his original and highly preiscent blog, and then yours, legions of us Bears might have been sorry owners. I can count myself as one of the lucky ones who found the blogs before I gave in to the pressure.
Thanks for saving my financial life.
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gah Says:
September 18th, 2008 at 5:21 pm
WEll done Pope! You (and Mohican)have done a great job of filling VHB’s rather big shoes in the Vancouver RE blogosphere. At this point, scary as it sounds, I don’t know if I could have my morning coffee without you (cue creepy stalking music).
On another note, I was just thinking, with all that has happened in the market in the last week (and with Van RE so far this summer/fall), I’m thinking that the bulls have been right all along – it really IS different this time!!
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SurreyJoe Says:
September 18th, 2008 at 6:49 pm
A well deserved honour indeed. While Vancouver real estate agents urged us to buy at the top of the market a voice of sanity at vancouvercondo.info gave a different perspective. This blog saved saved me from making a very expensive mistake.
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Chincy Says:
September 18th, 2008 at 6:54 pm
Congrats on a great blog.
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vanguy Says:
September 18th, 2008 at 7:16 pm
Great job, pope.
Now shouldn’t we all get back to our usual pessimistic selves?
BTW, fannie, freddie, merrill, lehman, bear, HBOS (UK), Northern Rock (UK)…why can’t we have a banking failure or buyout in Canada?
We all know we have too many banks as it is…come on Canada! Pls not Vancity or Citizens though…:-)
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Crocodile Says:
September 18th, 2008 at 8:27 pm
Long time lurker congratulates you.
Keep the faith, savers (hopefully) will be rewarded
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Bluesman Says:
September 18th, 2008 at 8:54 pm
Hey, man. You don’t mess with this kid. Congratulations Pope. I tried to vote for you but I was a bit slow on the draw. Glad to see you won none-the-less. Cheers!
Messin’ With The Kid
Stevie Ray Vaughn, Rory Gallagher, Junior Wells
What’s this a-here goin’ all around town
The people they say
they’re gonna put the kid down
Oh no, oh look at what you did
You can call it what you want to,
I call it messin’ with the kid
You know the kid’s no child, and I don’t play
I says what I mean and I mean what I say
Oh yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah,
oh look at what you did
You can call it what you want to,
I call it messin’ with the kid
You know the kid’s no child, and I don’t play
I says what I mean and I mean what I say
Oh yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah,
oh look at what you did
You can call it what you want to,
I call it messin’ with the kid
We’re gonna take the kid’s car
and drive around town
Tell everybody you’re not puttin’ him down
Oh yeah yeah yeah yeah,
oh look at what you did
You can call it what you want to,
I call it messin’ with the…
by Mel London, performed by Junior Wells and Buddy Guy
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Re-diculous Says:
September 18th, 2008 at 9:08 pm
Thanks for keeping this blog going….Its been provided a much needed voice of reason in this insane market
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tacoman Says:
September 18th, 2008 at 9:51 pm
Congratulations, the pope, and a heartfelt thank you for all your efforts!
I must admit that I MUST read something from this blog before I go to bed, and boy I have a good night sleep after that
!
I also would like to thank all the contributors to this blog, and in particular patriotz, jesse, and Drachen for their valuable input. You guys have saved me a lot of money, and headache!
Thanks again, and keep up the good work!
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DEJA DOSH Says:
September 18th, 2008 at 10:52 pm
Dosh Says:
February 29th, 2008 at 5:36 pm
scullboy, your story shows exactly why real estate wont go down here. even with a good job offer and lower prices you dont want to move away. you think your the only one who will pay a premium to live here?
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DUMBEST GIRL EVER SAYS Says:
September 18th, 2008 at 10:54 pm
krrish1 Says:
March 1st, 2008 at 11:02 am
A,
That’s needy stuff because worldwide companies have to establish their office in all the stuning cities of the world on any cost and worker always bet on higher rates of pay he is right on restricted way,Vancouver is right on direct/ indirect pull over for quality of life.
******No Head Offices then or now*******
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exx Says:
September 18th, 2008 at 11:00 pm
Congrats Pope! Here’s an anecdote to show the mentality of at least one seller…
I was speaking to a co-worker today who listed his property 3 weeks ago and has rented a house – he has enough saved for 3 months worth of rent. He has had 3 open houses and no showings, and the Agent has contacted him asking if the price can be reduced. He is PISSED that the Agent is not doing their job right because they want a reduction when they haven’t had any showings (no traffic = 100% agent’s fault). He’s willing to wait 3 months before he “panics” and reduces his price. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I told him to remember that he has DOUBLED the value in his property, and that it is better to reduce it now and get the sale, even if you need to reduce by 10%, than to wait longer and risk losing even more. His response? 10%? There is no way in hell I am reducing it 10%, that’s $30 grand!.
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scullboy Says:
September 19th, 2008 at 12:21 am
Hey Deja Dosh and the rest of you,
After a rather challenging summer, I’m splitting a place with a friend. We’re paying $850 each for a penthouse apartment (23rd floor) in the West End. It’s AWESOME…. great dishwasher (not stainless steel but gets the job done nonetheless
huge kitchen, stunning views and not one but TWO balconies, one off my room!
Best of all I’m now paying the lowest rent since 1997. Rental squeeze, my ass. You just have to be patient and smart.
So, six months from Dosh’s post, Vancouver’s become *cheaper*, meaning you don’t really have to pay a premium to live here, unless you’re dumb enough to buy during a bubble.
ex: We’re entering another stage of that whole Kubler Ross thing….. anger.
I’m so excited, I think the next phase is the bargaining phase (“Please God, if you let me get out from under this damn house for what I paid for it 3/4/5 years ago, I swear to God I’ll never dabble in real estate again!”)
Remember kids, don’t bargain with speculators until they’ve hit the acceptance phase, otherwise you’re paying too much!
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Patiently Waiting Says:
September 19th, 2008 at 3:40 am
Thanks Pope, you deserve it.
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jesse Says:
September 19th, 2008 at 5:09 am
“There is no way in hell I am reducing it 10%, that’s $30 grand!.”
To lose what one never had in the first place… that’s the worst loss of all…
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streel Says:
September 19th, 2008 at 11:32 am
Congrats Pope,
You do indeed deserve the accolades, you have managed to hang in there a long time, when others have not. Great job, and I hope that you stay blogging through out the downswing as well. This is practically a public service you are providing.
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rentah Says:
September 20th, 2008 at 5:04 pm
Well done, well deserved.
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Gorky Says:
September 21st, 2008 at 8:57 pm
pot luck maybe