Recently, InstaFund Financial (Commercial) attended the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s (CMHC) annual luncheon. This year’s luncheon focused on British Columbia’s multi-unit real estate market. In addition to highlights of the newly launched CMHC multi-unit insurance products, speakers provided statistics and opinions on British Columbia’s economy and real estate market.
The first ...
On April 17, 2012, Vancouver City Council approved the rezoning of the Rize Alliance development site located at East Broadway and Kingsway in Vancouver’s Mount Pleasant neighbourhood.
The approved rezoning permits the development of a mixed use building including a two-storey commercial podium, 241 residential units and underground parking for 320 vehicles. As community amenity contribution ...
On March 29, 2012, Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty announced the majority government’s 2012 federal budget. In keeping with plans to gradually reduce the budget deficit over the next four years, this year’s budget includes several cost-cutting measures. The federal government has stated that a federal budget surplus will return by 2015. For 2012 – 2013, the government expects a budgetar ...
Earlier this month, Sears Canada announced that it will be closing three flagship stores across Canada, including its 500,000 square foot Pacific Center location in downtown Vancouver. In combination with the recent closure of the 50,000 square foot HMV Canada location at Robson and Burrard, the Robson Street shopping district is poised for a significant facelift. The recent retail turnover h ...
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 ...