Home sales down in the Fraser Valley

Steve Randall
Canadian Real Estate Wealth

There was a 2% decline in home sales in the Fraser Valley in January compared to the previous month.

Sales were down 35.2% from January 2018 with 784 homes processed by the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board; 250 were residential detached homes, 190 were townhouses, 257 were apartments.

It was the first time that apartment sales were greater than detached home sales in any month.

“This remains a challenging environment for buyers and sellers alike,” said John Barbisan, President of the Board. “Factors such as reduced buying power, changing expectations for pricing, and a recovering inventory are all having an impact.”

Inventory was up almost 10% month-over-month and by more than 51% compared to January 2018 with 5,995 active listings. There was a near-25% jump in new listings year-over-year with 2,609 added.

Prices have moderated| “Historically, January months start slowly, and 2019 is following that trend,” explained Barbisan. “Pricing for each of our major residential property types remains either stable or decreased in most areas. This isn’t necessarily indicative of what’s to come in 2019, but it reinforces the need to be aware of what’s happening in your local market in order to be effective.”

HPI® Benchmark Price Activity

• Single Family Detached: At $954,100, the Benchmark price for a single family detached home in the Fraser Valley decreased 1.2% compared to December 2018 and decreased 3.3% compared to January 2018.
• Townhomes: At $522,100, the Benchmark price for a townhome in the Fraser Valley in the Fraser Valley decreased 1.8% compared to December 2018 and increased 0.5% compared to January 2018.
• Apartments: At $409,000, the Benchmark price for apartments/condos in the Fraser Valley decreased 2.2% compared to December 2018 and increased 1.2% compared to January 2018.

Copyright © 2019 Key Media Pty Ltd

Residential home sales dropped 39% from same month last year

Steve Randall
Canadian Real Estate Wealth

There were just 1,103 residential home sales in January, a 39.3% drop from a year earlier and the lowest number of January sales since 2009.

The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver says that there were 4,848 new listings on the MLS system, a rise of 27.7% year-over-year and a 244.6% surge from December 2018.

Sales were 36.3% below the 10-year average for January but still managed to post a 2.9% increase from December’s 1,072 sales.

Phil Moore, REBGV president, says that there isn’t a lack of interest from homebuyers but they are reluctant to buy.

“Realtors are seeing more traffic at open houses compared to recent months, however, buyers are choosing to remain in a holding pattern for the time being,” he said.

Buyers certainly have more choice of available homes with total inventory up more than 55% from a year earlier to 10,808. But they may be holding back to see what happens with prices as we head into the spring buying season.

Prices easing as purchase power declines Prices have eased over the past 7 months and the MLS Home Price Index composite benchmark in January was $1,019,600, down 4.5% year-over-year and down 7.2% in the past 6 months.

“Economic fundamentals underpinning our market for home buyers and sellers remain strong. Today’s market conditions are largely the result of the mortgage stress test that the federal government imposed at the beginning of last year,” Moore said. “This measure, coupled with an increase in mortgage rates, took away as much as 25% of purchasing power from many home buyers trying to enter the market.”

Copyright © 2019 Key Media Pty Ltd

Underserved self-storage market attracts investors

Jim Adair
REM

“Nobody knows what the potential is for self storage in Canada,” says Reade DeCurtins, managing principal at Bluebird Self Storage. But he says the country is underserved with Class-A self-storage facilities and “there’s a tremendous runway available for Canadian self-storage development.”

His company currently operates 25 self-storage properties in Ontario and more than 80 others in the United States, where the market is much more saturated. Bluebird estimates that the U.S. has approximately nine square feet of storage per person in the 25 largest markets, and about seven square feet per person overall. But in Canada, it’s about three square feet per person.

In the Greater Toronto Area, with a population of 6.4 million, Bluebird estimates that the market could handle an additional 224 self-storage properties of 100,000 net rentable sq. ft.

DeCurtins says Canadians are not as transient as U.S. residents, largely because there are not as many military transfers. But the market for storage space in Canada is growing. Bluebird is partnering with private investors and hopes to build a portfolio with $1 billion in assets under management during the next five years.

The company has several new locations under development in the GTA and is looking for opportunities across the country, particularly in Calgary and Montreal.

Recently Bluebird purchased the former National Post office building on Don Mills Road, a block away from the Toronto Real Estate Board offices. It was purchased for $22 million and Bluebird intends to convert the 154,800 sq. ft. building into a storage facility with 1,491 units of various sizes, suitable for residential and commercial tenants. This will cost an estimated $20.4 million, including gutting the interior HVAC and electrical systems and replacing the building’s large atrium skylight with a flat metal roof.

The company projects an internal rate of return of 19.5 per cent per year during the six-year investment period, with occupancy expected to stabilize at 86 per cent in the fifth year. The property will then be sold at an expected price of $65 million.

A large parking lot behind the building may be severed and sold, or it could be converted into one-storey drive-up storage units, DeCurtins says.

Bluebird also recently built a new facility at 411 Cityview Blvd. in Vaughan, just north of Toronto. It purchased the vacant land for $4,592,500 and with a capital injection of $15.42 million, constructed a building with 105,150 NRSF and 1,083 units. Its annual rent is $24.64 per sq. ft. and the cap rate is 5.5 per cent. It expects occupancy to stabilize at 90 per cent in year five. Bluebird forecasts it will sell it for $34,450,000 in 2021.

Managing principal Jamie Bennett, who has been in the self-storage business in the U.S. for more than 30 years, says Bluebird has “many tools in our shed that our competitors don’t have.” For one thing, the new Bluebird facilities offer year-round climate control. Many of their competitors say they have heated facilities but few offer air conditioning in the summer months, he says. The humidity from Canada’s hot summer months can do a lot a damage to some materials in storage, he says.

DeCurtins says Bluebird is also working to overcome the “tin and barbed wire” stereotype of storage facilities. The company’s goal is to create buildings that are more retail than warehouse, with a welcoming front office that includes free coffee and water and a pleasant seating area with free Wi-Fi. The corridors are kept clean and well-lit and have coloured directional strips to help clients navigate to their unit.

Bennett says by building modern facilities in high-profile retail areas, the company can afford to charge top dollar for their storage rates. Residential users represent 65 to 85 per cent of clients, with most living within five square km of the facility.

Bluebird also partnered with Life Storage, a Buffalo-based firm that provides third-party management platforms. Life Storage has developed a digital self-service app that allows customers to skip the counter and rent a storage unit immediately. All the paperwork is done on the app. Customers can then go to the storage facility, even after hours, and enter with a personal access code. Inside the building, their app will direct them down the hallways to their unit.

© 2017 REM Real Estate Magazine

City home sales fell nearly 40 per cent in January

The Province

Vancouver’s once red-hot housing market continued to cool last month as the number of home sales fell to the lowest level seen in January in 10 years.

The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver says 1,103 homes were sold in Metro Vancouver last month, down 39.3 per cent from the same month a year earlier.

Month-over-month, January home sales were up 2.9 per cent versus December 2018.

The board says last month’s home sales were 36.3-per-cent below the 10-year sales average for January, and the lowest January sales figure recorded since 2009.

The composite benchmark price for a property, which includes detached properties, town homes and condos, dropped 4.5 per cent from a year ago to $1,019,600.

Sales of detached homes fell 30.4 per cent year-over-year, while the benchmark price pulled back 9.1 per cent from January 2018 to $1,453,400.

The benchmark price of an attached home last month dipped 0.3 per cent year-over-year to $800,600, while the benchmark price of a condo fell 1.7 per cent to $658,600.

The board says home prices across all property types have fallen over the region in the past seven months, pressured by the federal government’s mortgage stress test that tightened home-buying rules last year.

“This measure, coupled with an increase in mortgage rates, took away as much as 25 per cent of purchasing power from many homebuyers trying to enter the market,” said the board’s president, Phil Moore, in a statement.

© 2019 Postmedia Network Inc.

Sales of luxury homes in Vancouver dropped by 49 per cent

Ephraim Vecina
Canadian Real Estate Wealth

The luxury residential market has experienced a relative weakening over the past year, according to a January report by Sotheby’s International Realty Canada.

This lethargy was especially apparent in the highly active Toronto and Vancouver markets. In 2018, transactions involving homes worth $1 million and above declined by 31% year-over-year in Toronto, and by 26% in Vancouver.

Meanwhile, sales of properties valued at $4 million and above shrunk by 40% annually in Toronto last year. During the same time frame, activity in this price range fell by a more pronounced 49% in Vancouver.

As far back as mid-2018, potential weaknesses in these markets were already observable.

“The collision of rising mortgage rates, stricter lending guidelines and cascading governmental policies and taxes have impacted the performance of several top-tier Canadian markets,” Sotheby’s International Realty Canada president and CEO Brad Henderson warned in July.

Other major contributors were supply scarcity and lower purchasing power due to the economic impact of weaker oil prices – a factor especially influential in Calgary, the Sotheby’s report stated.

Calgary’s luxury sales decreased by 10% year-over-year in the $1 million and above price bracket in 2018. Only one home valued at more than $4 million was sold in the city last year.

Copyright © 2019 Key Media Pty Ltd

News Release – Home listings increase while buyers remain in holding pattern

other

Home listings continue to increase across all housing categories in the Metro Vancouver* housing market while home buyer activity remains below historical averages.

The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV) reports that residential home sales in the region totalled 1,103 in January 2019, a 39.3 per cent decrease from the 1,818 sales recorded in January 2018, and a 2.9 per cent increase from the 1,072 homes sold in December 2018.

Last month’s sales were 36.3 per cent below the 10-year January sales average and were the lowest January-sales total since 2009.

“REALTORS® are seeing more traffic at open houses compared to recent months, however, buyers are choosing to remain in a holding pattern for the time being,” Phil Moore, REBGV president said.

There were 4,848 detached, attached and apartment homes newly listed for sale on the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) in Metro Vancouver in January 2019. This represents a 27.7 per cent increase compared to the 3,796 homes listed in January 2018 and a 244.6 per cent increase compared to the 1,407 homes listed in December 2018.

The total number of homes currently listed for sale on the MLS® system in Metro Vancouver is 10,808, a 55.6 per cent increase compared to January 2018 (6,947) and a 5.2 per cent increase compared to December 2018 (10,275).

For all property types, the sales-to-active listings ratio for January 2019 is 10.2 per cent. By property type, the ratio is 6.8 per cent for detached homes, 11.9 per cent for townhomes, and 13.6 per cent for condominiums.

Generally, analysts say that downward pressure on home prices occurs when the ratio dips below the 12 per cent mark for a sustained period, while home prices often experience upward pressure when it surpasses 20 per cent over several months.

“Home prices have edged down across all home types in the region over the last seven months,” Moore said.

The MLS® Home Price Index composite benchmark price for all residential homes in Metro Vancouver is currently $1,019,600. This represents a 4.5 per cent decrease over January 2018, and a 7.2 per cent decrease over the past six months.

“Economic fundamentals underpinning our market for home buyers and sellers remain strong. Today’s market conditions are largely the result of the mortgage stress test that the federal government imposed at the beginning of last year,” Moore said. “This measure, coupled with an increase in mortgage rates, took away as much as 25 per cent of purchasing power from many home buyers trying to enter the market.”

Sales of detached homes in January 2019 reached 339, a 30.4 per cent decrease from the 487 detached sales recorded in January 2018. The benchmark price for detached homes is $1,453,400. This represents a 9.1 per cent decrease from January 2018, and an 8.3 per cent decrease over the past six months.

Sales of apartment homes reached 559 in January 2019, a 44.8 per cent decrease compared to the 1,012 sales in January 2018. The benchmark price of an apartment property is $658,600. This represents a 1.7 per cent decrease from January 2018, and a 6.6 per cent decrease over the past six months.

Attached home sales in January 2019 totalled 205, a 35.7 per cent decrease compared to the 319 sales in January 2018. The benchmark price of an attached unit is $800,600. This represents a 0.5 per cent decrease from January 2018, and a 6.2 per cent decrease over the past six months

REBGV

Housing sales are still extremely slow in the Lower Mainland

Charlie Smith
other

The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver reported today that there were 1,103 sales last month, down 39.3 percent from January 2018.

Last month’s sales also lagged 36.3 percent behind the 10-year average for January and were the lowest in that month since 2009.

Meanwhile, listings rose sharply last month in comparison to January 2018, up a whopping 55.6 percent to 10,808.

The benchmark price for all residential homes last month was just over $1 million. That’s down 4.5 percent from the same month a year ago.

The benchmark price of an apartment has dropped 6.6 percent over the past six months to $658,600.

The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver’s territory includes much of Metro Vancouver, Squamish, and Whistler, but not White Rock, North Delta, Surrey, or Langley.

In December 2018, the board reported that sales were down 48.6 percent from December 2017.

© 2019 Vancouver Free Press

Zillow twelve years of real estate experience

Todd Shyiak
REM

The fear of the unknown can be unsettling. Zillow coming to Canada has unsettled some. But the fact is, Zillow isn’t the unknown and we have no reason to be fearful.

Zillow has been in the U.S. for 12 years and the sky hasn’t fallen for Realtors there – quite the opposite. For brokers and agents who advertise with Zillow, a consistent and strong ROI is the result. For those who simply share their listings with Zillow, they benefit from the maximum possible exposure – for free.

And yet Canadian Realtors continue to be hit with the message that the sky is falling. I think it’s important to look at who is perpetuating this fear and why. A couple of companies and now even CREA have paid for a U.S. consultant to come to Canada and deliver a biased and skewed slide deck that hews to their current anti-Zillow narrative.

At Banff Western Connection, CREA opted to perpetuate the fear of those with a vested interest in keeping Zillow out and then offered no opportunity for questions or rebuttal from those of us who support Zillow.

To provide those who have seen this “Chicken Little” slide deck in Banff and elsewhere in Canada and weren’t provided an opportunity for refuting it, allow me to clarify what I and many others view as biased and just plain wrong.

The main point of “fear” this presentation highlighted: Zillow is a “disruptor” and if brokers allow Zillow in, their revenue would take the same direct hit that the New York taxi industry took from disrupters Uber and Lyft – a 35 per cent drop. Wow. If those numbers were a reality for brokers in New York or any other U.S. market, we’d all have good reason to be concerned. The obvious problem with this assertion is that Zillow has been in the U.S. for 12 years and the industry is stronger and earning more commission income than ever before.

Another “fear”: Zillow has earned over $1 billion from brokers and agents – but for some reason the consultant fails to mention that those same U.S. Realtors spent many times that amount with Google and other online lead generators, not to mention billions more spent on bus benches, billboards and print.

A third “fear”: Zillow has become a prominent “voice of real estate” in the U.S. and would do the same here in Canada. As I see it, the reason Zillow is a sought-after voice in the U.S. is they do a better good job of interpreting and predicting data trends for consumers. The better the information, the better for the consumer.

That’s not to say that there aren’t some valid concerns that remain. On an Industry Leader’s panel that I was on in Banff, it was rightfully pointed out that while the listing agent is featured prominently on their own listings on Zillow, choosing to click on “contact agent” takes the consumer to one of three Premier Agents and not the listing agent. I didn’t get to make this point on the panel because time ran out, but with so much focus in the press across Canada on dual agency, the consumer may want to have a choice of good agents, other than the listing agent, to show them the home. And if I’m the listing agent, I’d prefer the house is shown by and possibly a deal done with a Premier Agent who is a dedicated buyer’s agent and specializes in that market. But should the consumer want to deal with the listing agent or if they have a specific question that only the listing agent can answer, they can still easily choose to do so.

Working with a national brand, I recognize that we all have the concern of losing some of our own site traffic to Zillow – but I believe, based on actual evidence from the U.S. that the majority of traffic Zillow gains will come at the expense of Realtor.ca, and that will be earned with a vastly superior consumer experience.

Another possible concern for one national brand may be for their own Premier Agent type of program. That brand has a network of agents who pay a monthly fee to receive leads from their national site and a referral fee on closed transactions. Is it possible these agents may choose to buy leads (without the referral fee) from Zillow instead?

I have discussed Zillow with many leaders in our industry and virtually all the negative comments or opinions seem to be based in fear. Chicken Little shouting “the sky is falling” spreads fear. But after 12 years of Zillow operating in the U.S., the sky hasn’t fallen, and it won’t here in Canada either.

So now that you’ve heard a short rebuttal on the subject, I ask you to choose: fear or future.

© 2017 REM Real Estate Magazine

Saga of troubled bitcoin trader takes bizarre turn

Randy Shore
The Province

Canada’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, QuadrigaCX, has filed for credit protection in Nova Scotia, just the latest in a series of bizarre turns for the Vancouver-based Bitcoin dealer.

As many as 115,000 account holders are owed $250 million, which is locked up in “cold storage” only accessible to the recently deceased founder and CEO, Gerald Cotten

At the time of the bankruptcy filing, QuadrigaCX held 26,500 Bitcoin worth $120 million, 430,000 Ether worth $60 million and several million dollars worth of Bitcoin Cash SV, Bitcoin Gold, and Litecoin, according to court documents.

QuadrigaCX’s troubles started early last year when CIBC froze accounts affecting 388 customers worth $28 million, citing confusion about ownership of those funds. Those funds were finally released by an Ontario court in December, according to a statement from QuadrigaCX.

Just days later, Jennifer Robertson announced that her husband Gerald Cotten, 30, had died of complications due to Crohn’s disease in India on Dec. 9, while opening an orphanage.

The company also implemented withdrawal limits on its customers.

“Gerry’s death was a shock to all of us and we are deeply saddened by his passing,” reads the statement. “One of Gerry’s many accomplishments was his ability to build a highly capable and successful management team, which will continue his legacy.”

But the new management group has been handcuffed because much of the company’s cryptocurrency reserves are locked in so-called cold wallets — unhackable offline accounts — that cannot be accessed by anyone but Cotten.

In an affidavit, Robertson explains: “The laptop computer from which Gerry carried out the company’s business is encrypted and I do not know the password or recovery key.”

“Transfers from the cold wallet to the hot wallet would occur when the hot wallet was running low and withdrawals were being sent to users. The transfer of coins from the cold wallet to the hot wallet was performed manually by Gerry.”

The company keeps a “minimal amount” of coins on the hot wallet, a server that is accessible to account holders.

Cryptocurrency exchanges such as QuadrigaCX operate as “quasi-banks” with none of the oversight or safeguards that regulate banks and credit unions, said Chetan Phull, a lawyer who specializes in blockchain and cryptocurrency.

“It shows how nebulous the regulatory climate is in Canada with respect to cryptocurrency and that really needs to change or else another case like this could be just around the corner,” he said.

If QuadrigaCX is successful in obtaining credit protection, account holders could lose their ability to sue the company for compensation, he said.

A statement from QuadrigaCX’s board of directors poured cold water on account holders’ hopes to recover their investments.

“For the past weeks, we have worked extensively to address our liquidity issues, which include attempting to locate and secure our very significant cryptocurrency reserves held in cold wallets, and that are required to satisfy customer cryptocurrency balances on deposit. … Unfortunately, these efforts have not been successful,” it reads.

Robertson and QuadrigaCX have suffered from an angry backlash — including threats — from online cryptocurrency communities, in particular users of Reddit, her affidavit says.

Many apparent account holders complained on Reddit they had not been able to access their accounts for months, while others wondered openly if Cotten really died at all.

“Something stinks bad at QuadrigaCX,” wrote one user.

The court will be asked to appoint Ernst & Young Inc. as a monitor for the company on Feb. 5.

© 2019 Postmedia Network Inc

North Vancouver’s 10 Plums attracting interest from a range of homebuyers

Kathleen Freimond
The Vancouver Sun

Each year, about 140 single-family homes in the District of North Vancouver are rebuilt, but it’s rare for developers to find a site for a cluster of new houses. When they do, it presents a unique opportunity for custom homebuyers to integrate into an already well-established neighbourhood.

In 2013, the North Vancouver School Board sold a 1.17-hectare site in Upper Delbrook formerly occupied by the Monteray elementary school to a property developer. Two years later, the land was rezoned by the district to allow for the development of 12 single-family homes, and the sites on Monteray Avenue and Starlight Way were sold to Wallmark Custom Homes, Fusion Homes and Noort Homes. Wallmark, with six lots, and Fusion, with four, combined their marketing initiatives to give the group a catchy name and present the homes as 10 Plums.

Homes have been built on six of the 10 Plums sites. Fusion has completed four houses, while Wallmark has completed two homes in the subdivision and has four lots available with a custom-build opportunity for each lot.

Brad Cowden, Wallmark’s director of business development, says these completed houses give prospective buyers a good idea of the single-family homes that can be custom built on the balance of the lots with their ocean and city views.

“We have plans for each site; we can build the home according to those plans, adjust the plans or buyers can choose to plan from scratch and customize the home to their needs,” he says.

Leslie Waters, West Coast Design Interiors’ principal and interior designer for the two Wallmark show homes, says the team decided to give each a different and distinctive esthetic to enable the custom builder to show its range of work.

“We decided to make one transitional – some traditional features along with some contemporary elements – and in the other, we leaned more toward modern and contemporary,” she says. “The transitional home [now sold] features white cabinetry, light, neutral floor tiles, decorative mouldings and a coffered ceiling.”

The home at 291 Monteray Avenue has a side-to-side layout rather than the more typical front-to-back plan. This maximizes the shape of the 7,104-square-site on the cul-de-sac and provides the opportunity to include broad expanses of windows to take in ocean and city views.

A few steps inside the front entrance the glass and stainless-steel staircase that connects the three levels sets the tone for the interior design.

“It’s my favourite feature in the home,” says Waters.

Moving to the kitchen, the three-by 10-foot island with its three-inch thick engineered stone countertop with subtle grey veining against a creamy white background (Caesarstone Calacatta Nuvo) is also a standout.

The island is an integral part of the open-plan kitchen, dining room and living room and provides a natural gathering place for casual get-togethers while also serving as a functional complement for more formal occasions.

“From the kitchen, you can see the fireplace in the living room and enjoy the view through the large windows in the dining room. It’s an awesome entertainment space to host a good number of people,” she says.

The dual-tone kitchen with its white acrylic and contrasting edge-grain oak cabinetry, stainless steel appliances and pendant lights, reflects the modern design direction with the wood adding warm tones to the space. Also contributing to the overall ambience is the-wide plank, brushed oak engineered floor used throughout the living spaces on the main level.

The 4,483-square-foot home is large enough to give each of the four bathrooms (plus powder room) their own character. White Caesarstone Blizzard countertops are a common element in all the bathrooms and, Waters adds, although they have different features, the materials are all similar enough to complement one another.

In the ensuite bathroom, Waters chose 24-by-24-inch black tile for the floor, Carrera-look 24-by-36-inch porcelain tiles for the walls, a vanity with double sinks, a Maax freestanding tub and a large shower with a seamless glass enclosure to give the space a dramatic look.

On the lower level, a large carpeted 16-by-33-foot recreation/entertainment room with double doors to the landscaped front garden and a wet bar provides homeowners with many options. Also on this level, another large space could be a media or hobby room, while an extra bedroom and bathroom make a perfect guest or nanny suite.

Waters believes the family that moves in is likely to stay for many years.

“I always consider the longevity of the design and the material selections – I don’t want it to date,” she says.

Cowden says 10 Plums is attracting interest from a range of buyers, including families, North Shore residents who want to move out of an older home into a new home at a similar price and empty nesters who are considering a smaller custom-built home.

Located in an established neighbourhood, Cowden says the grade changes in the subdivision ensures every 10 Plums site has great views.

10 Plums

Project address: Wallmark Custom Homes’ show home: 291 Monteray Avenue; Fusion Homes’ show home: 283 Monteray Avenue

Project location: Upper Delbrook, District of North Vancouver

10 Plums builders: Wallmark Custom Homes, Fusion Homes

Homes on show: 4,000 to 4,791 square feet

Bedrooms: three to six

Price: $2,748,800 — $3,798,000

Hours: Saturday and Sunday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.; weekdays by appointment

Phone: 778-688-6977 (realtor David Matiru)

Website: 10plums.ca

© 2019 Postmedia Network Inc.