With two pre-construction contracts awarded in late January, work has officially begun on the much anticipated Evergreen Line. After seemingly endless funding issues, the latest Sky Train line is set to connect Coquitlam to Vancouver via Port Moody and Burnaby. The Evergreen Line will run north from Lougheed Town Center on North Road, tunnel underneath Clark Road and emerge just east of the B ...
The BTY Group recently released their Q4-2011 Market Intelligence Report, providing an in-depth forecast of construction trends and cost estimates across Canada. Nationwide, the BTY Group is predicting steady construction workloads in combination with low cost escalations over the coming year. The modest construction cost escalations described in the report are driven by high oil prices, str ...
A recent article written by Graham Norwood of The Telegraph names Canada as one of the top ten real estate safe havens for British investors buying overseas. Some markets, such as Hong Kong, Switzerland and The Cayman Islands are somewhat expected on the list; however, areas such as Kenya and Mauritius require some further reading to digest the justification. Looking closer at Canada, the ar ...
InstaFund Financial (Commercial) recently arranged a $2,500,000 Commercial Mortgage to complete the acquisition and renovation of a vacant 3-storey mixed use commercial building comprised of office space above ground floor retail space in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside neighborhood.
The combination of volatile stock markets and minute yields on fixed income products have investors looking at global real estate. As discussed in the recently published PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Emerging Trends in Real Estate 2012, several factors are making Vancouver a top pick for multi-family investment dollars. No matter the investment method (REIT, ETF, direct, private, etc.), Vancouver h ...
Many mid-market businesses struggle with the decision to lease or own commercial real estate. According to industry professionals Ron Bagan (Colliers International) and Lorne Burns (KPMG Enterprise) B.C. businesses must take into account the market, their industry and their business model when deciding whether to buy or lease. Considering first the Vancouver market, Mr. Burns notes that comme ...
Yesterday, markets reacted positively and dramatically to the announcement of a comprehensive plan by European leaders to address sovereign debt issues. The complex plan involves many short and long term considerations and ramifications, not only for Europe but for world economies as well. That being said, Amar Nijjar of First National Financial provides a concise explanation of the Euro pla ...
Earlier this week, Business in Vancouver writer Peter Mitham provided readers with an interesting discussion on how a natural disaster can (among other things of course) instantly alter a real estate market. Using the recent Christchurch, New Zealand earthquake as an example, Mitham explains how liquefaction (think quicksand) of property in areas of Christchurch has diminished if not permanen ...