Keeping history alive

Wednesday, March 31st, 2010 at 1:18pm. 986 Views, 0 Comments.

Bustling office to family home: Stanley Street house with heritage designation and historic provencance is restored to glory with help of architect Philip Boyrow

"When we build, let us think that we build forever." - John Ruskin

It has been said that while we often regret what we build and what we tear down, we never regret preserving anything. An energetically realized preservation by the owners of this Stanley Street home, with its heritage designation and historic provenance - once part of a row of houses occupied by managers of the great estate of Canadian railway tycoon William Cornelius Van Horne - is ample evidence of this.

Situated as the street rises up toward the mountain, once facing Van Horne's tragically destroyed greystone mansion with its…

Québec Real Estate Market: Sales Reach Pre-Recession Levels

Monday, March 22nd, 2010 at 11:17am. 2873 Views, 0 Comments.

Île-des-Soeurs, March 10, 2010 – The number of sales recorded in the province of Québec in February 2010 reached the level prior to the last recession. According to the Québec Federation of Real Estate Board’s MLS® statistics, the 8,074 sales of February 2010 are an increase of 38 per cent compared to February 2009 and of 3 per cent compared to February 2008.

“It’s important to remember that last year – in February 2009 – the Québec real estate market was feeling the effects of the recession and posted a 25 per cent decrease in sales. This explains why when we compare February 2010 to February 2009, we observe a significant increase in sales,” said Michel Beauséjour, FCA, Chief Executive Officer of the QFREB. “February 2008 offers a better point of…

Looking to attract super-wealthy visitors wanting to buy a slice of the province

Thursday, March 11th, 2010 at 6:54pm. 1002 Views, 0 Comments.

Like the vineyard properties she hopes to sell, Christa Frosch's real estatesales pitches at Whistler during the Olympics will have to mature before they bear fruit.

The Olympics give Frosch and her colleagues at Sotheby's International Realty an enviable entrée into the elite strata of buyers able to contemplate laying down millions for acres of vineyard in the Okanagan, and then spending millions more on building a luxury residence.

An entrée, yes. A signed deal in hand - well, not likely during the Games themselves. Frosch said it can take up to a year to consummate a high-end real estate deal, meaning the Winter Games will be long over before she and the other realtors at Sotheby's will be able to determine whether their Olympic marketing effort has been…

Hopes (And Fears) Going into the Games

Thursday, March 11th, 2010 at 6:49pm. 786 Views, 0 Comments.

The Olympics gave Sotheby’s an enviable entrée into the elite strata of real estate buyers able to contemplate laying down millions for recreational properties. But an entrée is different than a deal in hand. The company hoped to reach interested buyers through events and the expansion of its office at a luxury hotel in Whistler.

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Sales in Montréal Area Reach 2008 Levels

Wednesday, March 10th, 2010 at 6:26pm. 926 Views, 0 Comments.

Île-des-Sœurs,March 4, 2010 – February 2010 sales in Montréal Metropolitan Area hit the same level as sales in February 2008, which was just before the last recession. According to the Greater Montréal Real Estate Board’s MLS ® statistics, there were 4,465 sales transactions in the Montréal area in February 2010, a 45 per cent increase compared to February 2009 but only a 1 per cent increase compared to February 2008.

“It’s important to remember that last year – in February 2009 – the Montréal real estate market was feeling the effects of the recession and posted a 31 per cent decrease in sales. This explains why when we compare February 2010 to February 2009, sales are up by 45 per cent,” said Michel Beauséjour, FCA, Chief Executive Officer of the GMREB.…

Home sales activity strong through Olympic period

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010 at 1:19pm. 1106 Views, 0 Comments.

VANCOUVER, B.C. - The Greater Vancouver housing market continued to experience strong demand from homebuyers and an increase in total property listings in a month where the eyes of the world were focused on the region.

The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV) reports that residential property sales in Greater Vancouver totalled
2,473 in February 2010, an increase of 67.1 per cent compared to February 2009 when 1,480 sales were recorded and a 28.6 per cent increase compared to the 1,923 sales recorded in January 2010.

More broadly, last month’s sales totals marked a 7.6 per cent decline compared to the 2,676 sales recorded in February
2008 and were 13.5 per cent behind February 2007 when 2,859 residential sales were recorded on the Multiple Listing…