Vancouver, BC—With real estate prices and affordable housing a frequent topic of discussion throughout the province, The Society of Notaries Public of BC is offering tips and resources to help BC’s seniors stay in their homes.

“There are several good resources available which provide more information for busy baby boomers who might be downsizing or moving into a strata property for the first time; and also for more mature seniors on a fixed income who may be looking for financial assistance or supported housing,” said Tammy Morin Nakashima, a Richmond Notary and President of BC Notaries.

 Eight Housing Tips for BC Seniors:

1.  Know the strata laws before you buy:

Many active aging boomers are downsizing to free-up funds for retirement or

Kamloops and District Real Estate statistics for October 2015

In the month of October the Kamloops real estate market slowed down from September As can be seen from the latest news from Kamloops and District Real Estate Association (KADREA) there was a  drop in sales in the Kamloops property market, not untypical for this time of year. As can be seen by the following chart there was an overall drop of around 20% of sales over September.

Kamloops And District Real Estate Association
Kamloops Residential Sales by Sub-Area - Monthly - October 2015
Generated on: November 1, 2015

Brocklehurst keeps the highest number of sales as it did in September 2015 even after a 36& decrease. The difference between September 2015 and last months sales

The city, along with Kelowna and Victoria, has among the lowest rental vacancy rates in Canada

Rent on an average two-bedroom apartment in Vancouver rose almost twice as fast as average for Canadian cities, according to the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation.

The CMHC tracked vacancy rates and the rent being charged on two types of apartments — purpose-built rentals, and condominiums put up for rent — between Oct. 2014 and 2015 for its annual Rental Market Survey.

Purpose-built rentals in Vancouver went up 4.6 per cent — the largest rent increase in all of Canada — so an average two-bedroom would cost $1360 a month, compared to $960 in an average Canadian city.

That steep rise was followed closely by:

• Barrie, Ont. — 4.3 per cent

The Real Estate Investment Network (REIN) released the 2013 edition of its Top British Columbia Investment Towns report.

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The 110-page report analyzes the current and future prospects for real estate investment opportunities in the province over the next decade and has once again ranked Kamloops as a top investment community. However, the city’s ranking has dropped slightly, from third place in a previous edition of the report to fifth place in the most recent edition. The entire report is available for download free of charge at www.topbctowns.com.

While remaining a popular vacation destination for BC residents, Kamloops has also succeeded in attracting many non-tourism related

When I talk to real estate investors about the deals they’re doing, I’m surprised how often they choose to skip working with a real estate agent in favor of doing the deal themselves. From a dollars-and-cents perspective, I can understand that they are counting the cost of doing the work themselves versus paying a fee to an agent. And, it’s an unfortunate reality in the real estate industry, that there are many agents who are not “investor-savvy” and operating with the investing mindset that these types of investors need.

However, I can also tell you, as someone who invested in his first door at the age of 18 and then became a real estate agent in the 1980s, there are a group of us investing-savvy agents who are simply NOT being utilized to the degree

The biggest problem in Canada’s hottest housing markets today seems to be finding something available to buy.

The Canadian Real Estate Association offered up the explanation of a shortage of listings in Vancouver and Toronto for a 2.1 per cent seasonally adjusted decline in existing home sales from August to September.

“Although national sales activity was not as strong in September as it was earlier this year, a lack of supply in some parts of the country is likely keeping a lid on transactions,” said Gregory Klump, chief economist with CREA. “The greater Toronto area and Greater Vancouver made sizeable contributions to the monthly decline in national sales activity. They also rank among the tightest urban housing markets in the country due to a

Property Tax News

The B.C. government, among others, is taking a close look at the province’s property transfer tax. But broadening or raising the transfer tax will have harmful economic consequences for current homeowners. The province should instead look to replace the property-transfer tax with less harmful taxes.

Many provinces and municipalities across Canada levy property or land-transfer taxes. The buyer pays a tax proportional to the value of the purchase. British Columbia has a progressive rate on transaction values. Buyers pay 1 per cent on the first $200,000, and then 2 per cent on the rest of the value.

Many people think that transfer taxes also curb housing speculation. But there is international evidence that transfer taxes are

The population profile of the provinces and territories could become increasingly different in the decades ahead, because of changing demographic trends.

A new article released today, titled "Recent changes in demographic trends in Canada," provides an analysis of these demographic trends at both the national and provincial–territorial levels.

From 2011 to 2014, Canada's population growth averaged 1.1% a year. However, this national average masks some major differences among the provinces and territories.

For example, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta had the strongest average population growth of all provinces during this period, for the first time since 1971.

While Alberta has had the strongest population growth in nearly all years

OTTAWA — Snowbirds beware: The federal government will use its planned border exit-tracking system to avoid paying hundreds of millions of dollars in social benefits now going to people who shouldn’t receive them due to absences from Canada.

Newly obtained memos say the Canada Revenue Agency and Employment and Social Development Canada expect to save between about $194 million and $319 million over five years once the long-anticipated system is fully in place.

Federal officials have been working quietly to satisfy privacy commissioner Daniel Therrien’s office that personal information will be properly collected, used and disclosed under the program.

Under the 2011 perimeter security pact, Canada and the United States agreed to set up co-ordinated

When you buy a home, your best results will come when you make it a point to make a 20% down payment. However, for some Canadians, that much of a down payment is prohibitive. So, what can you do if you can’t make such a big down payment? If you are willing to pay extra for your mortgage, you can get special insurance to help lenders feel better about approving you for a loan with less than 20% down.

The Canada Mortgage Housing Corporation provides mortgage loan insurance to lenders for home buyers with a down payment of less than 20%, to as low as 5%. It offers a way for borrowers to get away with putting down a lower down payment than a lender might like. It’s one way to boost home purchases in Canada.

However, it is important to note that this