Mish facepalms over Vancouver RE yet again

http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/2011/11/vancouver-real-estate-bubble-in.html

A million dollars can buy you a ‘liveable’ house in deepest east van..

99 Responses to “Mish facepalms over Vancouver RE yet again”

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    thankl you Mansur good post, interesting to see the opinions of outsiders on our absurd little circus and how our sister circus in australia compares

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    Yup, $1 million livable home in EAST VAN in Dr H N MacCorkindale Elementary School catchment that is ranked 681 out of 875 (per Fraser Institute – 2009/2010). Hope I can beat out all those others buyers bidding above listing price.

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    pricedoutfornow Says:
    3

    It's official- we live in Bizarro world.

    http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/2011/1

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    fixie guy Says:
    4

    2 Jack Says: "…Dr H N MacCorkindale Elementary School catchment that is ranked 681 out of 875…"

    Sounds ideally matched to the type of person interested in that property.

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    I have to admit that neighbourhood isn't conducive of a $1MM teardown. Slightly wider lot, but that's it.

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    This is a strange world indeed, yet there is no doubt houses are selling.

    I wont be surprised if that shack wont sell over listing price. This story has been consistent the last 10 years, no matter what anyone says, we cant deny the reality.

    Mish has been calling for the crash in Vancouver for the last 5 years if I remember.

    I am starting to believe that Van might be in a sweet spot with all the corrupt chinese money coming here and could will outlast the wildest crash predictions.

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    Anonymous Says:
    7

    @pricedoutfornow: …It’s official- we live in Bizarro world.

    http://globaleconomicanalysis……raise.html…

    So, using their own logic, it wouldn't be unreasonable to put in a bid of $180,000 – which might be accepted.

    Would it be awesome if tax assessments were based on 'asking' prices? :)

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    Best place on meth Says:
    8

    @paradox:

    >>>I am starting to believe that Van might be in a sweet spot with all the corrupt chinese money coming here and could will outlast the wildest crash predictions.<<<

    It already has outlasted crash predictions by a minimum of 3 years. That's 3 years of borrowed time.

    China's finished now so we'll see if the dirty money dries up or goes into overdrive as the rats desert the sinking ship.

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    Anonymous Says:
    9

    It is always interesting to read what others have to say but simply posting a house for sale on the MLS at a inflated price doesn't prove much. Asking prices are meaningless. Why not show an example of a sale price? Then do at least some analysis to show a bubble. That post is not worthy of even putting up.

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    Anonymous Says:
    10

    #8,

    still living with your mama? got any breastfed this morning?

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    RippedtoShit Says:
    11

    Again, I go back to what I've heard anecdotally….the china syndrome appears to have hit a snag, comments i'm hearing are along the lines of a major slowdown of chinese buying/bidding wars…it is only a matter of time before this hits prices, i foresee year over year declines in a few months….

    shit is about to hit the fan, plug your nose…unless they sprinkle msg on this market, its ready for some serious decay…

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    Hu Fak Yu Says:
    12

    Best place on meth: "China finished now so we'll see if the dirty money dries up or goes into overdrive as the rats desert the sinking ship."

    rats already left for ottawa. you are next.

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    Anonymous Says:
    13

    @Anonymous: ….It is always interesting to read what others have to say but simply posting a house for sale on the MLS at a inflated price doesn’t prove much. Asking prices are meaningless. ..

    The thing is though, it's different here, right? If you're interested in that house, you better buy it now cause if it doesn't sell, the asking price will be $70M next year (reminds me of that penthouse at the corner of Burrard and Pacific that no one has actually lived in for 20 years). It's the new law of supply and demented Realturds.

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    patriotz patriotz Says:
    14

    @paradox:

    "I am starting to believe that Van might be in a sweet spot with all the corrupt chinese money coming here"

    Assuming that Chinese money has been supporting prices metro wide (which I don't) you also have to assume that Chinese money is going to keep ignoring all the other RE opportunities on the planet, virtually all of which are better value than Vancouver.

    Crooked != stupid. These guys are taking their money out because they don't want to lose it and once Vancouver starts looking like a losing proposition (i.e. prices start falling, and don't tell us it can't happen because it happened in 2008) the dirty money (however much of it there really is) is likely to go elsewhere.

    Speaking of 2008, I have yet to hear an explanation from the China theorists of why all the dirty money stopped coming in April 2008 and magically started again in early 2009.

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    Anonymous Says:
    15

    @DEFAULT NAME:

    "If you’re interested in that house, you better buy it now cause if it doesn’t sell, the asking price will be $70M next year"

    It could be. You can ask what ever price you want. What matters is what a house sells for. If the dump had of sold for 1.05 million it might be a story.

    I still remember a past story that made headlines on the news where a downtown penthouse was listed for sale at 17 million. The place ended up selling for about 7 million. The 17 million asking price was irrelevant.

    I guess you and Mish both don't get it.

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    patriotz patriotz Says:
    16

    @DEFAULT NAME:

    "I guess you and Mish both don’t get it."

    Mish certainly understands the difference between asking and market price.

    What he was commenting on is that the ask was taken seriously by the listing realtor, who only gets paid if it sells, and so it has a credible chance of being taken seriously by a buyer. And it's not the only dump on the East side listed (or selling) for over a mil, by a long shot.

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    PennyStock Says:
    17

    @RippedtoShit: "unless they sprinkle msg on this market, its ready for some serious decay…"

    Nitpick: MSG is not a preservative. It is a flavor enhancer.

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    Anonymous Says:
    18

    @DEFAULT NAME: ….I still remember a past story that made headlines on the news where a downtown penthouse was listed for sale at 17 million. The place ended up selling for about 7 million. The 17 million asking price was irrelevant….

    Ya, that's the place I'm talking about – at the corner of Burrard and Pacific. I's been on the market perpetually for years, always with an asking price at least 3 times what it sells for. It has popped on the front page of the Sun Homes section regularly every few years for the past 20 years – as a matter of fact, it's overdue it's biannual pop up.

    If nothing else, the nut jobs marketing RE here keep the laughs coming.

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    Keeping An Eye On Th Says:
    19

    @PennyStock:

    PennySt…. Since we are splitting hairs;

    Would campden tablets or potassium metabisulfite do the job?

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    http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-11-21/china-re

    China Real Estate at Tipping Point: Nomura

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    @DEFAULT NAME: "Asking prices are meaningless. Why not show an example of a sale price?"

    Where do I look up sale prices?

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    Did anyone see the Financial Post article about "Mingles". Personal Finance profile about how singles are buying into condos and not need to wait until they are in a committed relationship.

    http://business.financialpost.com/2011/11/19/ming

    WELL…the article states that the girl works in MARKETING…

    If you check out her twitter account. She actually works in CONDO MARKETING.

    Even the financial post is reaching for this crap now. Really, "interview" someone who works in Condo Marketing about how they're buying a condo…and not disclose that? Seriously??

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    #14 @patriotz: "Speaking of 2008, I have yet to hear an explanation from the China theorists of why all the dirty money stopped coming in April 2008 and magically started again in early 2009."

    http://i.imgur.com/ELkub.png

    China's stimulus package was completely insane.

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    @604serf: Good catch. I actually went on her linkedin profile, and here is how she describes herself:

    “Manage strategic real estate project marketing programs for clients. Responsible for marketing strategy, public relations, forecasting, budgeting, lead generation, event planning, media buying and negotiations. Initiate and manage strategy and direction with graphic and interior designers for marketing collateral, sales centers and show suites.”

    and here is how she was introduced in the FP article:

    “Melissa Yan wondered why she had to wait until she got married to buy a home.

    She decided she didn’t. So the 28-year-old, who works in marketing, opted to jump into Vancouver’s hot housing market at Christmas in 2010.”

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    SoFaKinG_Good Says:
    26

    I seem to see a boiler-room type of operation for the Vancouver RE from the realturds in Van and the China pumpers.

    Quickly… Someone call the

    SEC

    BoC

    CREA

    RCMP

    FBI

    CIA

    DEA

    ECB

    EMU

    FED

    BIS

    IMF

    DME

    And…

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    patriotz patriotz Says:
    27

    @rp1:

    "China’s stimulus package was completely insane."

    Imagine if Canada had tried something like that – you would have seen RE prices go up all over Canada in 2009, eh?

    ;-)

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    My other post is in the pipeline. Here is an interesting paper on China's stimulus plan:

    http://media.hoover.org/sites/default/files/docum

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    CanuckDownUnder Says:
    29

    @604serf:

    Here's a nice little piece from an Australian consumer group:

    Real estate's influence on newspapers

    http://www.choice.com.au/reviews-and-tests/money/

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    fixie guy Says:
    30

    @22 604serf: Back in the day when first frequenting these forums the revulsion often expressed toward the real estate industry was incomprehensible. It's been a learning experience. Lessons from handling the tobacco industry's misrepresentations could be applicable to this one after the market inevitably turns.

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    Anonymous Says:
    31

    @Makaya:

    "So the 28-year-old, who works in marketing, opted to jump into Vancouver’s hot housing market at Christmas in 2010."

    You have to wonder is it laziness and incompetence on the part of the reporter (easy story written for them) or is this some form of advertising for the real estate industry that goes to the top in the news paper? Someone should call them out on this.

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    southseacompany Says:
    32

    "Jesse Kline on housing. Or: How I stopped worrying and learned to love the bubble" National Post

    http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2011/11/21/je

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    @southseacompany:

    Good article, except:

    "The CMHC should be privatized, much like the Australians successfully did in 1997"

    We'll see how "successful" the Australian privatization was a few more years into their bust. Mortgage insurers always looks sound when prices are going up.

    Fannie and Freddie were private sector corporations which had to be rescued by the USG because they were too big to fail. The same is likely to happen in Oz because if the mortgage insurers are allowed to fail the banks will fail in turn.

    CMHC cannot be privatized. The private sector is unable and unwilling to take on its contingent liabilities. The best that could be done is for CMHC to stop insuring new mortgages, restrict banks to 80% LTV, and let the non-bank sector make 2nd mortgages for high ratio purchases as they have always been allowed to do.

    But this is not going to happen, at least until the whole house of cards has come down.

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    @patriotz:

    "Fannie and Freddie were private sector corporations which had to be rescued by the USG because they were too big to fail. "

    Private in the sense that they were overseen by Congress, the executives were former politicians or political advisers, and their massive purchases of subprime debt were triggered by the govt's directive to provide home ownership to the poor.

    Other than that, they were private.

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    pricedoutfornow Says:
    35

    From the FP article: "I know it’s not my final home." says Ms. Yan.

    She'd better hope prices keep going up, otherwise she'll be stuck with a husband and two kids in a 600 sq foot condo. Believe me, it can happen.

    “They have cash flow increasing and they can afford it, plus financially it makes tremendous sense.” says Scott Plaskett, financial planner.

    No it doesn't. If her mortgage is more than what she would pay in rent, then I would say it DOESN'T make any sense at all. And I have yet to see too many people buying these days (with say, 5 or 10% down) where it's cheaper to buy than rent.

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    people observer Says:
    36

    Having lived in numerous cities in Canada, and understanding the immigrant mentality and immigration cycles I can say the following, there are a number of factors that are specific to Vancouver that can't be quantified by readily available data. They also tie directly back to previous investor immigrant cycles, wealth profiles, and general demographics.

    We ask how young persons here are able to buy real estate. A key factor is intergenerational wealth. From experience and understanding of many of these second-generation Canadians, the parents are wealthy. Some parents made this money here upon immigration through hard work, but many also brought large sums of wealth or continued to generate income from other countries. Remember, as is currently the case, immigrants to Vancouver in the 90s were generally wealthier compared to immigrants to other Canadian cities. Wealthy individuals were wealthy for a reason, they largely did not squander and grew their holdings, which has translated into gifts for their children. I am not wealthy, but every second-generation asian I know here has been provided a substantial gift of more than $200,000 for their purchase – I can't compete with this, nor can those tied only to their wage-income. This wealth transfer is more likely than not to continue with the new group nouveau rich which has entered the market.

    I am not as in tune wit hother demographic cohorts, but I suspect this is also happening in other groups due to the baby boom shift. Personally I think we are entering the largest single inter-generational wealth transfer ever. Those with wealth with bequeath to their children prior to death for reasons such as real estate purchases. This divide between rich and not-so-rich will widen, and wage-incomes will be a periphery factor

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    fixie guy Says:
    37

    34 chip Says: "… their massive purchases of subprime debt were triggered by the govt’s directive to provide home ownership to the poor."

    Moodys and other agencies didn't rate those bundled mortgages AAA before they were sold to F&F? All that difficult early talk of arcane concepts like 'tranches' was in retrospect a ruse? Chip, buddy, F&F knowing those assets were poisoned in advance is dynamite news. Go forth and claim that Pulitzer, you obviously have inside knowledge everyone else missed.

    Chip for President. Or Glenn Beck co-host.

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    patriotz patriotz Says:
    38

    @people observer:

    That's nice, but can you explain what that has to do with the ability and willingness of investors to hold cash flow negative properties?

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    patriotz patriotz Says:
    39

    @pricedoutfornow:

    "She’d better hope prices keep going up, otherwise she’ll be stuck with a husband and two kids in a 600 sq foot condo."

    Rising prices make it harder to move up, not easier, because the house that sells for (say) $200K more than a condo today will sell for $300K more tomorrow. Surprising how many people don't see this.

    The best scenario for those who want to move up is for prices to stay flat, or even to fall providing they don't end up underwater on their current property.

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    patriotz patriotz Says:
    40

    @fixie guy:

    "Moodys and other agencies didn’t rate those bundled mortgages AAA before they were sold to F&F?"

    F/F didn't (and don't) buy bundled mortgages, they bought individual mortgages. They had their own criteria for buying them, obviously individual mortgages were not rated by Moody's etc. They got the money to buy them by selling their own securities which of course wound up being guaranteed by Uncle Sam.

    The slice-and-dice "AAA" securities you're talking about were created by Wall Street from mortgages they bought from lenders and sold on the bond markets.

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    people observer Says:
    41

    @patriotz -

    I am not saying these purchases are financially appropriate.

    Rather, for the individual buyer (the children), the risk is minimized by socialization of the purchase price through the parental gift. The gift minimizes the chance of cash-flow negative properties (or in the mind of many buyers, the differential between ownership and rent).

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    Patiently Waiting Says:
    42

    @patriotz: Good luck finding a husband with that ball and chain.

    Condos are in a worst case scenario. They aren't appreciating (when you consider inflation), and larger units like SFH are appreciating faster. As we've seen in the stats, SFH are appreciating at ten times the rate of condos in COV.

    I hope her dog is a good companion.

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    whydoItry Says:
    43

    The marketing for Yaletown condos is expanding from young Asian males to females. If your an Asian male, this is where you want to live in Vancouver. A much better selection of woman that your family will accept and lots of them looking for first born sons with lots of money.

    Why not appeal to the young Asian woman too – or at least to her family. Having trouble trying to find her an acceptable male, buy her a condo in Yaletown and improve her chances.

    Decades ago, this is what the non-Asians did to – they just sent their daughters to University.

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    Momma's Boy Says:
    44

    The marketing for Yaletown condos is expanding from young Asian males to females. If your an Asian male, this is where you want to live in Vancouver.

    ________

    The marketing does not seem to be working. Vancouver has the highest percentage in Canada of young adults (18-30) living at home. The studies documenting this point to the ethnic composition of Vancouver.

    Guess you still lives with Mommy and Daddy?

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    "Speaking of 2008, I have yet to hear an explanation from the China theorists of why all the dirty money stopped coming in April 2008 and magically started again in early 2009."

    I dont have an answer to your question. Probably the recession hit china at the same time and transactions were frozen for some time.

    But I do know a lot of developpers in Vancouver and for the last 5 years they have been building exclusively for asians and the majority of them work only on cash basis.

    This I know to be a fact.

    I think the RE business is much more important than what statistics capture because of this underground cash component.

    We will continue to ignore this phenomenon as long as it benefits the RE lobby that dominates many economic aspects of BC.

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    Not much of a name.. Says:
    46

    @paradox: That makes no sense at all. Why would a credit crises affect "underground cash" transactions?

    Or is it a case that they are borrowing money at home so it has the appearance of cash here in Vancouver?

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    Patiently Waiting Says:
    47

    @paradox: "building exclusively for asians"

    No, take a look at condo ads. They are clearly marketing to whites at least as much as Asians.

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    fixie guy Says:
    48

    40 patriotz Says: "F/F didn’t (and don’t) buy bundled mortgages…"

    Plenty of online references say otherwise. You're correct it wasn't all they bought, but buy them they did.

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    @paradox: You know as "fact" that "a lot of developers in Vancouver and for the last 5 years they have been building exclusively for asians and the majority of them work only on cash basis"?

    Care to quantify "a lot"?

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    @chip

    "[Fannie and Freddie's] massive purchases of subprime debt were triggered by the govt’s directive to provide home ownership to the poor."

    This is a myth created by the American Enterprise Institute. From the link: "Fannie and Freddie securitized virtually no subprime loans). Overall, private securitization mortgages defaulted at more than six times the rate of those originated for Fannie and Freddie securitization.”

    http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2011/07/why-wallison

    Fannie and Freddie loans were much less risky than those originated in the private sector.

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    @jesse

    Care to quantify “a lot”?

    I have 6 friends of mine who are developpers.

    I know this is not a lot but their information is accurate.

    I trust this more than general statistics spewed around by opaque institutions with no clue of real world happenings.

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    @paradox: "I know this is not a lot but their information is accurate"

    I assume they operate mostly in Van West/Richmond. The developers I talk to who operate in Coquitlam and Surrey, as an example, are not seeing the same trend. This may be a big issue in certain neighbourhoods but I question how prevalent it is region-wide.

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    signallingthetop Says:
    53

    Sometimes you have to look in non traditional places to see a market top signal (i.e. the pizza delivery guy telling you to go long tech stocks)

    I will humbly leave this here with you:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZDdcO4_5wA

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    patriotz patriotz Says:
    54

    @fixie guy:

    "40 patriotz Says: “F/F didn’t (and don’t) buy bundled mortgages…”

    Plenty of online references say otherwise."

    I meant that F/F didn't buy the sliced and diced MBS products that caused so much grief to investors. It wouldn't have made any sense – that's like a restaurant buying cooked meals from another restaurant and using them to make other meals. Their own business was and is buying mortgages and repackaging them. Now that the private MBS market is pretty much dead, they are about the only ones in the game.

    http://www.fanniemae.com/portal/funding-the-marke…?

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    @Patiently Waiting:

    Speaking of target audience here is my favorite RE ad review ever, with this cool adorable sweetheart, lol.

    http://condohype.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/stel

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    @Dabster:

    Sorry, the full link to review.

    http://condohype.wordpress.com/2008/05/28/at-stel

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    @signallingthetop: what the hell is that??? I thought initially it was a parody, but it's actually serious! I wish the comment section had not been blocked…

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    Best place on meth Says:
    58

    @Dabster:

    Look at the size of the cappuccino that realtor is holding!

    Reminds me of this http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_8MrCtFiQoHI/S7_Onspg1OI

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    Anonymous Says:
    59

    "I question how prevalent it is region-wide."

    It isn't. It makes no sense for developers to accept only cash (under the table). You have to get a permit with approximate $ value of the work for everything you do in Vancouver and the Lower Mainland when it comes to building anything. You would be caught pretty quick and there would be no advantage to the developer to do this. As a business you would not be able to get credit on the HST or expense materials, sub trades, your labor, vehicles etc. Sounds like complete fabrication.

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    @DEFAULT NAME: "It makes no sense for developers to accept only cash (under the table)"

    I don't think that was the comment, it was that purchasers would buy without mortgage; at least that's how I interpreted the comment.

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    @DEFAULT NAME: Oops re-read paradox's comment. I agree with you, under-the-table is not a big component from what I've seen. Cities make too much money from permits for them to let building go underground.

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    Anonymous Says:
    62

    #58,

    are you gonna try to figure out what color is the undergarment too? better clean up your basement or your mom is gonna be mad.

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    Buh Bye HAM

    The level of property transactions in China's largest cities – down 39% Y/Y in October – has fallen well below the worst case scenario of stress tests carried out by banking regulators last April. An analyst who has seen the test documents says neither they nor the banks had enough appreciation of the extent to which loan collateral is tied to the value and turnover of real estate.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

    @McLovin: I'm not convinced capital flows have reversed yet. Things change quickly but there are lots of things that could be done to reignite China's bubble.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

    Friday + Today:

    New Listings 298

    Price Changes 197

    Sold Listings 240

    Today only:

    New Listings 182

    Price Changes 119

    Sold Listings 135

    TI:15259

    http://www.laurenandpaul.ca

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    CBC: Scrapping HST taking longer than expected

    Finance Minister Kevin Falcon says the transition from the harmonized sales tax back to the provincial tax and GST is proving to be more complex and difficult than expected.

    British Columbians voted to scrap the HST in a province-wide referendum in August, and at the time the province said the transition would take 18 months.

    Falcon said the federal and provincial governments are working as fast as they can to transition back to the old system, but said it's not clear when the transition rules will be in place.

    Ruh-roh!

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    Best place on meth Says:
    67

    @McLovin:

    Don't forget to post links to all reports of China's implosion so that we can enjoy them to the fullest.

    http://www.cnbc.com/id/45393635

    Thanks.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

    Best place on meth Says:
    68

    @jesse:

    If it takes a few months longer that's not a problem as we could then scrap the HST, the liberals and Krusty Clark all in one go.

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    November 2011 month-end projections

    Days elapsed so far 14

    Days missing 0

    Days remaining 7

    5 Day Moving Average: Sales 120

    5 Day Moving Average: Listings 146

    SALES

    Sales so far 1698

    Projection for rest of month (using 5day MA) 840

    Projected month end total 2538 +/- 125

    NEW LISTINGS

    Listings so far 2472

    Projection for rest of month (using 5day MA) 1021

    Projected month end total 3493 +/- 308

    Sell-list so far 68.7%

    Projected month-end sell-list 72.7%

    MONTHS OF INVENTORY

    Inventory as of October 31, 2011 15377

    MoI at this sales pace 6.06

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

    @signallingthetop:

    I will humbly leave this here with you:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZDdcO4_5wA

    Great find.

    Eurovision finals here we come.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

    PennyStock Says:
    71

    @signallingthetop: If that doesn't say "Best Place on Earth", I don't know what does.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

    ReadyToPop Says:
    72

    The mortgage guarantee, the first time such a scheme has been attempted in the UK, will result in lenders providing loans with significantly lower deposits than the 20 per cent or more that is typically demanded. The taxpayer, however, could be liable for losses in the event that a home is repossessed.

    Taxpayer to take on mortgage risks of first-time buyers

    Don't even get me started……..RTP

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    Anonymouse Says:
    73

    @ReadyToPop:

    Whilst it's the first time that the government will be guaranteeing mortgages, it's not the first time that downpayments of less than 20% have been around in the UK. 105% mortgages at 6-7x income weren't unheard of in the early 2000s – you know, the sort of levels that some say the Canadian banks would never risk themselves if it weren't for the CMHC.

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    Best place on meth Says:
    74

    @ReadyToPop:

    What, a conservative government trying to make it easier for anyone to get a mortgage with very little money?

    I've never seen anything like this before.

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    ReadyToPop Says:
    75

    More "for sale" signs isn't a bad thing…..more supply = lower prices. What do I know? Maybe I'm just too old fashioned….thats the old econ 101 way of thinking. :-)

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    @vreaa: Did you see that she's singing in her car as well? Just like the realtors!

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    @signallingthetop: Wow!

    Reminds me of this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlPs95dgRYw

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    Anonymouse Says:
    78

    @Best place on meth:

    It was the Labour government that presided over the UK boom.

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    @bubbly: Hey, she's actually a recidivist!

    http://youtu.be/8Lh9JrCB0qM

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    Bailing in BC Says:
    80

    @signallingthetop:

    Why? Why did you do that to us? Do you have no mercy? Next time at least give us a warning.

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    Bailing in BC Says:
    81

    @Makaya:

    Good God! Your not actually telling us that you watched that whole thing are you?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

    @Bailing in BC: No, I'm not masochist. It takes about 1 minute to get there… I know, even 1 minute is painful…

    The melody is actually stuck in my head…. "Vancouverrrrrrrrrr"

    By the way, on her second video, a commented said: "Um the weird thing is that she's my music teacher…." LMAO!

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    @Bailing in BC: I watched the whole thing. It's too fascinating!

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    Vancouverrrrr, "The riot" version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTGPbFMSCrE

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    Anonymous Says:
    85

    @signallingthetop: HILARIOUS. Spat out my tea when I got to the rap.

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    kansai92 Says:
    86

    The anecdotes about pizza delivery boys and shoe shiners giving advices hit home for me in 2007.

    Staying at the Sheraton in Edmonton, the bell boy actually told me about luxury condos coming up down the street. Starting from 450 large he said. It's a good investment because they're going to put a Sobeys on the ground floor he says.

    Anyway, we all know what happened after.

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    @signallingthetop: haters gonna hate

    I'll take that over Realtors in cars. If Ian Watt starts giving his updates in spoken word I might change my mind

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    patriotz patriotz Says:
    89

    @jesse:

    I disagree completely. Income inequality has been growing faster in the US than here – including post 2005 – and look what has happened to their RE market.

    RE markets are supported from the bottom. The rich getting richer can result in a few choice neighbourhoods getting more expensive, but that's all.

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    patriotz patriotz Says:
    90

    @DEFAULT NAMEe:

    "t was the Labour government that presided over the UK boom."

    Actually it goes all the way back to Margaret Thatcher and her privatization of council housing and war on renters. This "ownership society" merged into the global housing bubble post-2000.

    The point is that the UK's new Conservative government still doesn't get it and thinks the solution to the UK's RE addiction is more RE addiction, instead of building a real economy.

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    @patriotz: The post was more suggesting that income inequality gives those without the means the drive to take bigger risks to compete through debt accumulation.

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    patriotz patriotz Says:
    92

    @jesse:

    From the article:

    "As Tsur Somerville, director of University of British Columbia’s Centre for Urban Economics and Real Estate, points out, with the exception of subsidized housing, new buildings aren’t targeted to the poor.

    “No one builds crappy new buildings,” he says. “The housing supply of the poor are old buildings.”

    Tsur misses the obvious again. A tremendous amount of new low end rental accommodation is being built – secondary suites.

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    fixie guy Says:
    93

    75 ReadyToPop Says: "More “for sale” signs isn’t a bad thing…..more supply = lower prices."

    When a market generates that supply, of course. Cause and effect, buyers aren't paying the old asking prices. When it's Developer Dave's "Don't Call It Corporate Welfare" program of land handouts to his pals, prices could be anywhere.

    Econ 101: it's not applicable to command economies.

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    Anonymous Says:
    94

    Tsur Somerville: “No one builds crappy new buildings,”

    Pretty much everything built in Vancouver is crappy. They just market them as luxury and charge luxury prices.

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    Anonymous Says:
    95

    @fixie guy:

    "Econ 101: it’s not applicable"

    LOL, in other word it's different here.

    Supply/demand matters in every housing market. Vancouver is no different.

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    [...] had in my mind for not disclosing such “details”. – from Makaya at VREAA 20 Nov 2011 [who cited 604serf at VCI 20 Nov 2011 ("Really, “interview” someone who works in Condo Marketing about how they’re buying a [...]

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    Anonymous Says:
    97

    @patriotz: … “No one builds crappy new buildings,” he says. “The housing supply of the poor are old buildings.”

    Tsur misses the obvious again. A tremendous amount of new low end rental accommodation is being built – secondary suites….

    Not to mention that almost everything built these days is crappy.

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    Anonymous Says:
    98

    Anyone see today's hilarious Vancouver Sun editorial telling readers, in advance of Black Friday sales in the US, how it's more expensive to shop in the US.

    Good grief! Is there anything in that fish wrap even remotely reflective of the truth?. I'm beginning to question if the Lions really are in Grey cup this weekend.

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    [...] had in my mind for not disclosing such “details”. – from Makaya at VREAA 20 Nov 2011 [who cited 604serf at VCI 20 Nov 2011 ("Really, “interview” someone who works in Condo Marketing about how they’re buying a [...]

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

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