@jesse: ….More like, my taxes will be less because they’re taxing someone else. ….

Good grief, do you really believe that? if so, you should renew your subscription to Gullible Peoples Digest before they’re sold out.

@anonymous (and i’m a she)

“This was my place that i sold and am now renting back from the investor. I asked for a 5 year lease, with a condition that I (and only I) can break the lease with 60 days written notice.”
sweet deal–good for you

@ VMD Maybe not a bad idea to sell the 3x shorts. Book your gain. Greeks have delayed the inevitable for another six weeks. On the investing side, I think the safer shorts are here at home. Read all the way through the 140-odd posts and you see an investor’s dream: an established trend (i.e. declining Canadian home prices), with a long way to run (what do you say, 40-50% clear downside runway to plausible “fair value”), that is not well understood by investors or the general public (why are we spending time on some far flung corner of the internet…because all the MSM is too conflicted or too stupid to see what is happening). I doubt we have much more time to jump on the trend before it becomes popular. I was just in Toronto, which is a frickin… Read more »

@Patiently Waiting:”Talk about desperation, when they go down this road for revenue.”

OK I don’t like the idea of taxing used vehicles. But the law is the law. People are scamming other tax payers by not paying it. It looks like 1/3 of all private sales are ‘gifts’. I applaud the government for doing this.

From the article:

“Almost one-third (161,000) of the 503,000 private vehicle transactions last year were reported as gifts instead of sales. And an estimated 60,000 of those were between unrelated individuals.”

“there has never been a better time to purchase a new home or renovate your current house.”

says the…

“CEO of the Canadian Home Builders’ Association of B.C.”

on another note

http://www.theprovince.com/life/Benefits+homebuying/6795853/story.html

are you kidding me…

“He obviously didn’t understand it otherwise he wouldn’t be asking people on VCI when his rent could be increased and by how much. Just because his landlord didn’t increase the rent doesn’t mean he ‘screwed up’. The landlord might value a good tenant and not want to extract every penny he can. Hardly what I would call screwing up. Sure glad you are not my landlord. no, i do understand (and I’m a she) that the rent can be increased every year by the allotted amount. I entered into the standard B.C residential tenancy Act agreement, and I read the entire agreement. The only part I’m confused with was, do they not have to increase it at the end of every year? or could they come to me 14 months in and ask for the increase (even though I’ve already… Read more »

http://www.timescolonist.com/life/British+Columbians+give+thousands+cars+friends+dodge/6706490/story.html#ixzz1y5tvzBwq

What the hell is going on ?!?!!

@patriotz: He said (101) that the lease specifies that rent can be increased by the amount allowed by the RTB. It appears that the landlord screwed up by not giving the required notice. He obviously didn’t understand it otherwise he wouldn’t be asking people on VCI when his rent could be increased and by how much. Just because his landlord didn’t increase the rent doesn’t mean he ‘screwed up’. The landlord might value a good tenant and not want to extract every penny he can. Hardly what I would call screwing up. Sure glad you are not my landlord. “What surprises me the most is that a landlord would enter into a 5 year lease at all. If the landlord has no intention of selling, the 5 years lease is to his advantage. There is no advantage for the tenant… Read more »

@ZRH2YVR:

Here in HAM-Ville…

Any stats on Richmond MOI?

What I am seeing is projects freezing….aka vacant houses boarded up.
Or properties with development signs now trying to sell the lot and old house

These parties most likely bought at the peak, and have lost big time…cut their losses via do not build. (As the saying goes, the profit was made the day you bought the lot).

Another anomaly:
Watch what the South Asian Builders are doing. Many of them build, live in , do the capital gains then sell…repeat. One near me is not even to lock up yet “For Sale”. These Ma and Pa builders will get hit the hardest as they are often exclusively dependent on HAM as buyers.

@Anonymous: “I’m in a 5 year lease, and just entering year 2.”

I am shocked someone would sign a 5 year lease and not know what the provisions for a rent increase are. I know most people sign almost anything without reading it or understanding it, but a 5 years lease? That is something you must read and understand PRIOR to signing it.

@Anonymous: “they never asked for an increase… but maybe they can just come back in a month’s time and say they forgot to raise it a month ago and are wanting to do so now.”

I believe they have to notify you in writing three months before a rent increase. You can email the province (they have a contact somewhere on the Residential Tenancy Branch website) if you want to be sure.

@patiently waiting: same here.

Solution:

Re-invigorate HAM $$$$

What should do is up the deposit on beverage containers from 5 cents to $25 dollars (minimum).

See many Asians out dumpster diving and with huge 10 ft tall bags full of recyclable deposits tied to their bikes. If the GDP of the loads can increase from $5 Dollah to $500…evelybody wins.

Sure I know such a move may reduce Surreys GDP…but hey its a start.