Open Topic

Friday Free-for-all!

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204 Comments

It’s the end of another week and that means it’s time for the free-for-all, or regular end of the week news round-up and open topic discussion thread. Here are a few recent links to kick off the chat:

–Vancouver housing slows to crawl
–Telus Garden sold out?
–Maybe not so sold out. 
–Inventory growth slows (chart)
–Metro van sees sharp sales drop
–REBGV Press Release (PDF)
–Agent grumpy about bubble talk
–Housing bubble sentiment chart
–1980’s all over again?
–Senators grumpy with Carney
–Housing market pumps GDP
–Australia down 10%
–China’s ‘epic’ property bubble

So what are you seeing out there?  Post your news links, thoughts and anecdotes here and have an excellent weekend!

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YouNeverImmigratedObviously

@Observer: HONOURED to be let into a country, and felt obligated to do their best in that country and give back where they could Wait a second. I paid for the entrance. If you want “HONOUR”, you should have chosen and invited me (or denied entry) based on my skills/talent/ethics, not on the size of my bank account. Your gov chose money over “HONOUR”. It did not want to know how I made enough for the entry fee or the downpayment. “HONOUR” was never, ever mentioned in the immigration process. It’s not a criterion that got me here. “Give back”? I am paying taxes, buying Canadian, using Canadian cell phones, paying Canadian banks the fees they charge, buying books in Canadian stores, using Canadian gas stations. What else do you want? If you want “HONOUR”, let people immigrate all they… Read more »

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Anonymous

@xyz: “except for a Latch that can be easily jiggled open.”

What is a latch? The door was either locked or it wasn’t. If there was a latch on your side of the door that the realtor jiggled open that is break and enter and you should have called the police immediately.

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crashcow

Dalai Lama doing a classic ‘hoocoodanode’!!!

http://beta.images.theglobeandmail.com/archive/01400/web-dalai-lama__1400573cl-8.jpg

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VariableName

@ UnagiDon 198

No, Unagi. The expression “long time resident” means someone who lived there many years, maybe 30 or 40 years or more. I’m betting he sells the houses of people who have died, or who are moving to rest homes.

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xyz

@Curtis

Definitely a Troll… or more likely a Realtor… hard to tell the difference really…

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xyz

Let me provide the ENTIRE quote which you conveniently left out the bit about “except for a Latch that can be easily jiggled open.”

There is no lock on this door except for a Latch that can be easily jiggled open.>/i>

So you are saying its NOT OK to jimmy a window LATCH open, but its perfectly FINE to jimmy a door latch open?

As a lawyer you must have a lot of collectors calling since clearly you aren’t worth the paper your degree is printed on (though clearly you are no lawyer)

And the Realtor was FULLY AWARE of where the Rental Unit began and ended. Aside from that ignorance is never a defense. But since you are a lawyer you knew that right?

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UnagiDon

@Anonymous: “Could someone explain to me the difference in sales strategy between selling a home for some common Joe and selling a home for a ‘long-term resident’?”

“Long-term residents” is realtor-jargon for “white people”. Marty Pospischil specializes in selling homes for white people.

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Anonymous

@SFU DUDE: “are you a lawyer? if not, get the fuck out with your crappy advice.”

Yes I am a lawyer. My bill is in the mail.

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Anonymous

@Curtis: “It does not matter if the doors are locked or not, it doesn’t matter if the window can be jimmied open with a pry bar or the chimney can be climbed down. They have no legal right to enter the property.”

Wrong. If there is no indication of a separate dwelling on the door then they can enter. Walking through an unlocked door inside a house is different than jimmying a window or climbing down a chimney. Ever walked in a bathroom when someone was in there? Who’s fault is it, yours or the person who didn’t lock the door?

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Anonymous

@xyz: “PS. The Realtor was EXPLICITLY TOLD NOT TO ENTER THE TENANTED PROPERTY”

If there is no lock and no sign on the door that says tented property how is a person who is allowed to go in one area of the house supposed to know which part is tenanted and off limits? Often basements are not tenanted, some are split up and others have shared areas used by both. If you keep the place unlocked you can expect anyone to wander in who might be upstairs. That may be a visitor, a contractor or a realtor. You are just lucky it was not a child predator. Anyone with half a brain would have a lock on the door.

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Anonymous

@vangrl: “Marty Pospischil, who specializes in selling single-family homes owned by long-term residents”

Could someone explain to me the difference in sales strategy between selling a home for some common Joe and selling a home for a ‘long-term resident’?

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Anonymous

@vangrl: …. said west-side realtor Marty Pospischil, who specializes in selling single-family homes owned by long-term residents”…..

Seems to me that Marty specializes in selling homes to folks that don’t seem to be able to demonstrate they have an income.

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Curtis

@Anonymous: this is a troll right? I know I’m not supposed to respond to a troll, but just in case you actually are a really stupid person I’ll correct you. The landlord or realtor have no right to enter a property in a non-emergency situation without 24 hour notice. Full stop.

It does not matter if the doors are locked or not, it doesn’t matter if the window can be jimmied open with a pry bar or the chimney can be climbed down. They have no legal right to enter the property.

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Anonymous

@McLovin: …..“A few months ago, people were thinking, ‘I have to get in right away,’ ” she said. “Now, they see there are lots of choices. And they are giving lowball bids. They want to have good bargains in this market.”

Translation: I have a history of really stupid fucking clients, and even though the obvious is dangling in their faces, they’re still too fucking stupid to see the forest for the trees.

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Anonymous

@s: ….A house on the 3000 block of West 24th Anenue, first listed at near $4.5-million six months ago, sold on April 15 for $3.35-million…..

Hmmm, that’s a drop of 26%! So much for the soft landing. Realistically, how much you want a bet the last sale price for the inevitable dump mentioned was actually considerably less than 3.35M. The point is, when greed asking prices are factored in, this market has to drop about 80% from asking prices before things get back to normal.

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vangrl

“Banks are now requiring borrowers to disclose incomes and assets before mortgages are approved, as of the last six weeks,” said west-side realtor Marty Pospischil, who specializes in selling single-family homes owned by long-term residents”

Nope, no sub prime ever existed here..

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SFU DUDE

@Anonymous: “Not that I like realtors but if the realtor had permission to enter in the upstairs and the downstairs was not locked and connected he has permission to go there too. ”

are you a lawyer? if not, get the fuck out with your crappy advice.

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boom

What dystopian urban nightmare fantasyland did you grow up in where home invasion is not only ok if the door is unlocked but people who live there can get their kids removed if it happens and they’re home alone?

Also, he was trying to get away with a quick look around and got caught. It’s straightforward. No one is saying he was there to rape, rob, or use the toilet. He just should not have been in there at all, regardless of intent, full stop.

And ya, if we’d gotten home five minutes sooner and he was still there he would have a “For Sale” sign lodged someplace in his person well out of sight from polite viewing.

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xyz

PS. The Realtor was EXPLICITLY TOLD NOT TO ENTER THE TENANTED PROPERTY

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xyz

RE: the Child Services Garbage.

You couldn’t find a court in the land that would object to a 16 year old and an 11 year home alone with ALL THE doors unlocked.

Believe it or not there are many areas of this country where it is CUSTOMARY to leave your front door unlocked because the people around you respect your privacy and rights to safety in your own home.

This locking ourselves as humans up in jail like structures is a highly urban and new phenomenon.

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McLovin

Jean Zhang, with Sutton Group, said her clients, who tend to be immigrants looking to settle here permanently, are waiting longer to make offers.

“A few months ago, people were thinking, ‘I have to get in right away,’ ” she said. “Now, they see there are lots of choices. And they are giving lowball bids. They want to have good bargains in this market.”

Hilarious. If they want good bargains better wait another 40%.

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jesse

Re the landlord entering the unit. My advice is just talk to him and ask him to let you know beforehand. From my experience entering units is considered acceptable by many tenants who are new to Canada because either they don’t know the law, are afraid of consequences of raising a stink, or trust the landlord not to care.

The RTO will likely ask if you talked to the landlord first in an attempt to come to an amicable resolution.

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Anonymous

@xyz: “he entered via a common door that goes from the Landlords suite to our suite. There is no lock on this door”

Not that I like realtors but if the realtor had permission to enter in the upstairs and the downstairs was not locked and connected he has permission to go there too. If you rent a place and did not ask to have a lock on the door it is your own fault IMO. Leaving your place unlocked from god knows who might be upstairs seems pretty negligent on your part. Especially considering you leave your kids home alone. You are lucky it was only a realtor wandering in. If you called the police they might charge you and take your kids away.

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s

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/sky-high-housing-prices-in-vancouvers-west-side-short-lived/article2424414/?utm_medium=Feeds%3A%20RSS%2FAtom&utm_source=Home&utm_content=2424414

“I always thought that market was not sustainable. Every local person was juiced out of the market. The average household income on the west side doesn’t support those prices,” said Andrew Hasman, who specializes in single-family homes on the west side.

Talk about talking out of both sides of your mouth. When the market was red hot they were saying, buy now or be priced out forever, now they’re saying it’s a good thing the prices are going down cuz the prices in the west end were unsustainable.

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patriotz

@Guy Smiley:

When sentiment on houses reaches the widespread belief “It’s Better to Rent”, prices are bottoming.

Mish is very good at expressing concepts in a nutshell.

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