There are about 426 million homes throughout the worlds most advanced economies - and 42 million of them are vacant. Roughly one in ten homes are empty, which is literally years of housing supply being used as an alternative to gold.

Canada has one of the highest numbers of vacant homes in the world, at about 1.34 million, or about 8.7% of the country's 15.41 million homes in total. That works out to be nearly 1 in 12 homes, or 6 years of housing supply at the average construction rate from 2016 to 2019. We have the fifth most vacant homes of the group of advanced economies.

The US  has the most vacant homes in the world with 15.55 million, about 11.1% of the  country's 139.38 million homes. That works out to 1 in 9 homes, or nearly a decade of supply for the country. No other country is even close to that volume. Japan, notorious for its vacant homes is in second place with nearly half the number of the US.

Higher interest rates will make it necessary to put property to the best use, since carrying costs increase profit risk. The current low setup is ideal for building up a portfolio of vacant properties. If prices rise fast enough, you can even borrow cheap debt against the vacant property to realize your wealth. Or better yet, buy another property.

Years of supply are sitting unused as we try to build enough homes to 'catch up', without realizing that accelerating supply in a short time places excess demand on construction. This drives the cost of building homes higher, making homes even more expensive.

The problem is that investors are making money from their purchases faster than housing can be built, arming them with a large supply of capital. Now they are  ready to buy homes faster than they can be builit. In our largest city's, investors are capturing over a quarter of our housing supply.

Is this good policy? Are the people most impacted by this not realizing how our low interest rates effect supply, thus affordability in our housing market. 

At Keith Vines and Associates, we offer good old fashion service, working with our home buyers and sellers in a relaxed, friendly manner, applying every available tool available to achieve the best possible outcome. If you are curious as to what homes are selling for in your neighbourhood or complex, sign up for Neighbourhood Update – and get the facts.

When it comes to housing in Vancouver, it may appear that affordability has long since disappeared. But maybe there are some pockets that could be considered affordablle in and around Vancouver.

Looking at the median price (or the middle price point) of sales, which will give you the broadest sense of what's happening in a specific neighbourhood, and separate detached  homes from condos from January to September 2021 when can see where buyers want to look, if affordability is their main criteria.

Vancouver

On the West Side of Vancouver, the most affordable neighbourhood for a condo is Marpole with a median price of $653,000 as of September 2021. although the best value for dollar is probably Downtown and the West End because of their location. Here the median prices are $690,000 and $692,750 respectively, but generally condos in these areas are smaller and will not work for families.

For detached homes, the most affordable neighbourhood in the West Side of Vancouver is also Marpole, with a median price of $2,445,000.

East Side Vancouver condos are the most affordable in Hastings-Sunrsise with a median price of $521,000. Some East Van neighbourhoods like Victoria, Killarney, Grandivew, Fraserview, and Collingwood have condos selling for less than $600,000.

For detached homes in East Vancouver, Collingwood is the most affordable place with a  median price of $1,570,000.

Strathcona, which used to be the most affordable, has gone through full gentrification and is now almost at $2 million for a detached house.

Burnaby and New West

The best deal for condos in the Burnaby area are in the Cariboo neighbourhood near the Lougheed Town Centre where the median price is $425,000. You might also want to look along East Hastings in the Capital Hill area where the median price is $512,000.

For detached homes in Burnaby, the most affordable neighbourhood is Greentree Village near BCIT with a median price of $1,398,900.

New Westminster, a smaller municipality has several neighbourhoods that are better for finding an affordable home. The city's West End neighbourhhod has the least expensive condos with a median price of $380,000, and New Westminster's Uptown is the best location for a detached home, with a median price of $1,105,000.

North Shore and Richmond

The best deal for a condo on the North Shore is in the Cedardale area of West Vancouver with a medain price of $572,000. For detached, nothing on the North Shore is cheap, but West Lynn is probably your best value. The median price in West Lynn is $1,695,000, which is $135,000 cheaper than neighbouring Lynn Valley.

In Richmond's Granville neighbourhood, the median price for a condo is a surprisingly affordable $280,000. For a detached home, the most affordable neighbourhood in Richmond is East Cambie with a median price of $1,573,500.

Outer Suburbs

Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody make up Tri-Cities. 

For condos, Central Coquitalm, along Austin Avenue is the best deal with a median price of $402,000. For detached homes, just up the Lougheed Highway, to the right of the old Riverview Hospital, the median detached price in Meadowbrook is $1,030,000, significantly below the overall median price for Coquitlam at $1,535,000.

Over in Surry and Delta, Annieville may be the best  place to look for a condo with a median price of $405,000. For detached, the neighbourhood to go to is Bridgeview, near the Patullo Bridge with a median price of $1,050,000.

To the east in the Langely area, the median price in the city of Langely for a condo is $433,000. For a detached home, there is nothing under $1 million.  The city of Langley and Aldergrove are the most affordable with median prices of $1,160,000 and $1,021,750 respectively.

Fraser Valley

Chilliwack offers the cheapest housing in the Lower Mainland. The median price for a condo in downtown Chilliwack is $265,000. For a detached home, $825,000 is the median price for all of Chilliwack.

To find anything below $800,000, you have to go all the way to Hope, where the median price for a detached home is $623,750.

Looking at the big picture, the median price for a detached home for all of Greater Vancouver, Fraser Valley and Chilliwack is $1.5 million. For condos, it's $590,000.

Putting all types of homes together in these 3 markets, including townhouses, the median price as of September 2021 is $851,000.

At Keith Vines and Associates, we offer good old fashion service, working with our home buyers and sellers in a relaxed, friendly manner, applying every available tool available to achieve the best possible outcome. We also love referrals and will gladly pay for them. If you would entrust us with your friends/family, kindly send them our way. Refer, and You Shall Receive

Glenn Tkach describes the Hollow Tree in Stanley Park as one of Vancouver's most well-known attractions. The photo below gives you an idea just how large it is - with a circumference of about 60 feet. The elephant here was visiting Vancouver for a parade in the 1930's.

A Western Red Cedar, it was anywhere from 600 to 800 years old when it died. This hollowed-out remant is all that remains. For over a 100 years, thousands of people have been photographed at this historical site.

The photographers who earn their living from this tree saved it from destruction in 1910. They lobbied against plans to destroy it in favour of an expanding roadway. Destruction was threated again in 2006 - this time, at the hands of Mother Nature.

A sever windstorm that year damaged the tree, causing it to lean at at a dangerous angle. The Park Board considered felling it a letting it rot. But there was a huge public outcry, so instead, they worked to preserve it. A metal frame was constructed to hold the tree in place, preserving it for future generations.

The tree is listed in the Vancouver Heritage Register and has been recognized as a valued cultural resouce in Stanley Park National Historic Site.

At Keith Vines and Associates, we offer good old fashion service, working with our home buyers and sellers in a relaxed, friendly manner, applying every available tool available to achieve the best possible outcome. Please take a moment to sign up for Keith’s Grapevine – a periodic eletter full of interesting market news, advice and tidbits

Sleeping positions may not seem like a big deal but some people believe the way you sleep reveals your character traits and personality.

Because sleeping is such an important function, maybe the position we sleep in actually matters. From the postures like 'The Soldier' to 'The Yearner', what does your sleeping position reveal about you?

The Log: You're Social and Easy Going

If you sleep on your side with your legs and both arms straight down, you're literally sleeping like a log. Log sleepers are believed to be even-tempered and social butterflies. They can be very trusting and sometimes gullible.

If you have minor back pain, assuming the log position might be good as it keeps the spine straight.

The Baby: You're Strong But Sensitive

Also know as the fetal position, the sleepers who adopt the baby position lie on their side with their knees pulled up to their chest. Fetal sleepers are said to be sensitive with a tough exterior and may be reserved or more introverted.

It's believed twice as many women sleep in the fetal position as men.

The Starfish: You're Friendly And Loyal

People who sleep on their back with their arms over their heads are known as starfish sleepers. They are said to make excellent friends, loyal and helpful with very good listening skills.

Starfish also tend to stay out of the limelight. Because they lie on their back like soldier people, starfish can be snorers as well.

The Soldier: You're Reserved And Serious

Soldier sleepers lie on their back with both arms at their sides or on their chest.  They tend to set very high standards for both themselves and others, and are often cool and quiet.  Their lives can be extremely structured as they take organization seriously.

Because soldiers sleep on their back, they may also be more prone to snoring.

The Yearner: You're Open Yet Cynical

Those who sleep on their sides with their arms stretched out in front of them are known as yearners or reachers. People who adopt this position are open minded, inviting and tend to weigh all the options carefully before making a decision. However, once they make a decision, they probably won't regret it or change their minds.

Yearners can also be cynical and suspicious but may experience less problems with acid reflux and sleep apnea than other sleepers.

The Thinker: You're An Emotional Rollercoaster

If you sleep on your side with one hand resting under your chin, you might be a thinker (like the famous statue). Thinkers can be tough yet sensitive, with their emotional state always bouncing between the two.  They might be adventurous one minute and shy the next.

Thinkers are also often vulnerable to emotional hurts and upsets.

The Stargazer: You're Happy-Go-Lucky

Stargazers are the people who fall asleep on their backs with their arms wrapped above or behind their head, as if gazing at the starry night above them. They tend to adopt a happy-go-lucky attitude about life and often make their friendships an important priority.

Stargazers can be admirers of beauty, comfort, and freedom, but they can be greedy with unrealistic expectations.

The Heron: You're Unpredictable

The heron, often associated more with kung fu than sleep, is a side or stomach sleeper who snoozes with one raised knee. Herons are said to be unpredictable and prone to rapid mood changes. They may find it difficult to make decisions.

Herons are drawn to adventure but thrive in stable and quiet environments.

The Soldier-Starfish: You're Flexible

Some people sleep on their backs, but not as sprawled as a starfish nor rigid as a soldier. These hybrids, known as soldier-starfish, can have flexible attitudes and a go-with-the-flow approach to life

However, they can also come across as wishy-washy and are easily persuaded by others. They are also excellent candidates to be snorers.

The Half-Baby: You're Reliable

If you sleep on your side with your knees up, but not quite in the fetal position, it's known as the half-baby position.

People who assume this position are reliable and dependable. They make good friends and are always there when you need them.

The Freefaller: You're Playful But Anxious

Sleepers who lie on the stomachs, often found hugging their pillows, are known as freefallers. Like the Tom Petty song, these sleepers can be free-spirited, confident and brash. They are often extroverted and excitable, but bad at criticism.

Supposedly, sleeping on ones stomach is said to be beneficial to digestion.

The Hugger: You Value Your Relationships

Pillow hugging isn't technically a sleep position (you can hug a pillow in any of these positions), but it can also give clues to your personality. People who sleep gripping their pillows may highly value their relationships with friends and family. They have a tendency to put others before themselves and run the risk of becoming people-pleasers.

The Snorer: You're Passionate

While snoring isn't a sleep position, it may reveal a bit of your personality. Snorers may be more passionate in their lives, embracing every moment and living it to the fullest.

They tend to be affected more than normal by depression, hyperactivity or aggressive tendencies. Snorers may also experience extremes between the highs and lows of their feelings.

Does your sleep position fit your personality?

At Keith Vines and Associates, we offer good old fashion service, working with our home buyers and sellers in a relaxed, friendly manner, applying every available tool available to achieve the best possible outcome. If you are curious as to what homes are selling for in your neighbourhood or complex, sign up for Neighbourhood Update – and get the facts.

Affordability is quickly dropping in Canada at a rate that hasn't been seen in over 30 years.

Right across the country, in every housing category, affordability that dropped during the second quarter of this year, coupled with 3 previous quarters of decreased affordability has rolled back any affordability improvements that happened at the beginning of COVID-19.

The measure of affordability jumped 2.7% last quarter - the biggest quarterly increase in more than 3 decades.  Affordability eroded in almost all of Canada's  major markets, with Toronto's affordability measure jumping up 4.1%, Vancouver up 3.2% and Ottawa up 3.1%.

The increases have affected the amount of income Canadians are having to put towards their housing costs to a national average up to 49.7%.

Overall, affordability is most strained in Vancouver, where ownership costs respresent 63.5% of household income, Toronto - 59.1% and Victoria - 48.0%.

Ottawa, at 38.5% and Montreal at 38.4% are 2 other markets where aggregate measures look historically high.

Many parts of the Prairies and Atlantic Canada have also experienced increases in affordability, but are much more within Canadians reach, with cities like Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Saint John, Halifax and St. John's measuring below their long-term affordability average.

Home prices are expected to continue rising across the country in the coming months as inventory levels remain low, but there is some relative relief expected in 2022 as appreciation is expectd to slow and prices projected to flatten. Let's see what happens??

At Keith Vines and Associates, we offer good old fashion service, working with our home buyers and sellers in a relaxed, friendly manner, applying every available tool available to achieve the best possible outcome. Please take a moment to sign up for Keith’s Grapevine – a periodic eletter full of interesting market news, advice and tidbits

VancouverMom has once again posted its 2021 Top Pumpkin Patches around Vancouver. Yes it's that time of year again!

Please dress appropriately and leave your pets at home. Keep your family safe and healthy by wearing face masks, social distancing and using hand sanitizer. Thank you VancouverMom.

Taves Applebarn and Pumpkin Patch

Located in Abbotsford, Taves Applebarn is a favourite for good reason. Not only is there a hayride out to the pumpkin patch with an old tractor for the kids to play on, but the farm has a popular bouncy pillow, corn maze, pumpkin (and corn) cannon, petting zoo, playground, marketplace and pony rides! #boom

>> Taves Family Farm

Richmond Country Farms, Richmond

Perhaps because of its proximity to Vancouver, Richmond Country Farms is always busy but worth the visit. Try to come at a non-peak period if your schedule allows, or even a drizzly day. There is an undercover hay tent where the kids can frolic, covered wagon rides with sing-along out to the pumpkin patch and a stage area to eat the post-patch apple. Costumed entertainers (Korny Corn and Polly Pumpkin!) and a farm band provide colourful entertainment and the kids love the barnyard animals.

>> Richmond Country Farms

Aldor Acres, Langley

This patch wins for most Instagram-worthy moments, with cute baby animals, hayrides, and chainsaw-wielding pumpkin carver. And pumpkins, of course.

24990-84 Avenue Langley, BC

Laity Pumpkin Patch, Maple Ridge

Searching for eggs in the chicken coop, ride a tractor, visit the pumpkin zoo. There’s a snack bar on site too. Grab a wheelbarrow because you’ll need it for the trip back with your pumpkins.

>> Laity Pumpkin Patch

Maan Farms Pumpkin Patch and Fall Fest, Abbotsford

Maan Farms is a great family outing any time of the year with a large fenced field for kids to roam. Kids can explore the petting farm, playground, wooden playfort, zipline, pedal cart racetrack and huge bouncy pillow trampoline. During pumpkin season, they add a pumpkin patch, corn maze, hay-wagon rides and a VERY scary evening haunted corn maze (to be avoided at all costs unless you want your sweet little snowflake in your bed for the rest of their childhood).

>> Maan Farms

Rondriso Farms, Surrey

This sprawling three-acre pumpkin patch offers a wide variety of pumpkins, a
general store selling local fresh pesticide-free produce and naturally raised beef products, and most importantly, hayrides! Head down to the pumpkin patch in your own tractor-pulled wagon. Plexiglass installed between the middle of the wagon.

>> Rondriso Farms General Store and Pumpkin Patch

Peteys Pumpkin Patch, Chilliwack

With over 5,000 square feet of indoor activities, you can head there rain or shine. The wagon and train are also covered. There are indoor bouncy castles, a petting zoo, four huge corn mazes, train rides and Fortrunamuck!

>> Petey’s Pumpkin Patch

Harris Farm, Maple Ridge

This off-the-radar Pumpkin Patch in Maple Ridge is a family hobby farm perfect for little kids. The two-three acre farm offers an array of pumpkins; from tiger-coloured pumpkins to multi-coloured gourds and a festive barn.

>> Harris Farm

Westham Island Herb Farm, Delta

This family-friendly farm is a spring-to-fall favourite. The highlight each year is the pumpkin patch, where you can grab a wheelbarrow and head out into the fields to pick the perfect pumpkin with your own little pumpkins. They sell ornamental gourds, cornstalks, miniature and full-sized hay bales and sweet sugar pumpkins for baking or cooking. Bonus: They light up 100 hand carved pumpkins every night for the last ten days of October.

>> Westham Island Farm

Southlands Farm, Vancouver

Southlands Heritage Farm is a perfect for low-key, local option. This small but lovely urban farm offer pumpkins and apples, minus the hoopla. Kids can meet the goats, sheep, chickens, chicks, and horses, pick a pumpkin from the Old Apple Orchard and sit by the fire.

6767 Balaclava Street (at 51st) ​604-261-1295

>> Southlands Farm

Willowview Farms, Abbotsford

This Abbotsford fave is a seasonal U-pick farm with rows of apples, plums, pears and pumpkins. Hayrides, petting zoos and a pumpkin patch. Try their apple cider slushy (via Stephanie Small). NB: Petting barn and playground will not be available this year due to COVID-19.

>> Willow View Farms

Port Kells, Surrey

This smaller patch features a  hay ride (with stops at a chicken coop and goat palace!), kid friendly haunted house, hay maze, face painting and a nice variety of pumpkins.

18730 88 Ave W, Surrey, (604) 882-1344

Hazelmere Pumpkin Patch

Open every weekend in October, this fan fave features wagon rides, a mini corn maze, petting zoos, and play areas (fire truck, Tonka Toy, and Boat) for $7.50 (cash only). Pumpkins are extra and priced by size. Food trucks are on-site on weekend.

>> Hazelmere Pumpkin Patch

Meadows Family Farm, Maple Ridge

This quiet gem is perfect for is perfect for toddlers and little babies and features a hobby farm, petting farm, pumpkin patch display, and general trailer store with a playground area and umbrella sheltered picnic tables for lunch.

>> Meadows Family Farm

At Keith Vines and Associates, we offer good old fashion service, working with our home buyers and sellers in a relaxed, friendly manner, applying every available tool available to achieve the best possible outcome. Please take a moment to sign up for Keith’s Grapevine – a periodic eletter full of interesting market news, advice and tidbits

The 1962 Ferrari GTO is the holy grail to car collectors. Only 36 were ever built and in 2018 it smashed car auction sales records by selling for $48,405,000, or $10 million more than the last record holder, another GTO which sold for $38,115,000 in 2014 ($42,900,000 today).

Edoardo Luildi-Garardi drove this record breaking Ferrari to victory in the 1962 Italian GT Championship, and it's only one of seven with Series II coachwork. The car's history is fascinating.

There have been more succressful Ferrari models, such as the 250 L, which has its engine mounted behind the driver, but the front-engined GTO is more popular because it's easier to drive.

All 36 of the 250 GTOs ever made are still running and their ownership has created a very exclusive club. They all know one another and get together for road rallies.

This particular GTO was only the third one built, but it was given a new body in 1963, incorporating changes from the improved aerodynamics and handling.

But this GTO is not the most expensive GTO ever sold. A silver 1963 GTO sold to the founder of WeatherTech for $70 million in 2018 in a private sale. That car won the 1964 Tour de France.

Engine: 3.0 L V-12

Horsepower: 296 HP

Top speed: 174 mph

Weight: 1.940 pounds.

At Keith Vines and Associates, we offer good old fashion service, working with our home buyers and sellers in a relaxed, friendly manner, applying every available tool available to achieve the best possible outcome. We also love referrals and will gladly pay for them. If you would entrust us with your friends/family, kindly send them our way. Refer, and You Shall Receive

It was the gold rush that triggered the founding of B.C in 1858, but it was the businesses the built the provinces economy after the prospectors moved on.

One of those businesses was the multi-billion dollar H. Y. Louie Ltd which had one of the humblest of beginnings back in 1903 when an immigrant peasant named Hok Yat Louie opened a general store in Vancouver's Chinatown. (Photo of son, Tong below)

When Hok Yat arrived in Canada in 1896, Vancouver was not friendly at all to Asian immigrants. He started out as a farm labourer, saving money until he could fulfull his dream of opening a store.  Enduring his share of prejudice as he built a business that, in 1934, he left to his sons, Tong and Tim. With the business he also left a series of letters advising them on how to conduct their affairs - from setting their goals on the business's profitability to following the laws of Heaven and being charitable.

The Louie brothers followed their fathers advice and today, Tong's son, Brandt heads a $4 billion empire, employing 8,000 people in 4 different businesses: food wholesaling, the IGA food chain, London Drugs and an import-export division.

Brandt Louie is one of the wealthiest people in Canada with a personal net worth of $1.29 billion.

The business his grandfather founded still follows the principals Hok Yat Louie laid down to his sons; serve your customers, be fair in your business dealings and honour your parents.

In a Maclean's magazine article, Brandt Louie states the family and a corporate foundation give an estimated $700,000 annually to charities, in addition to initiatives at individual stores.

At Keith Vines and Associates, we offer good old fashion service, working with our home buyers and sellers in a relaxed, friendly manner, applying every available tool available to achieve the best possible outcome. If you are curious as to what homes are selling for in your neighbourhood or complex, sign up for Neighbourhood Update – and get the facts.

One of Vancouver's best-known mansions, built by liquor magnate and bootlegger George Reifel in 1932 on a 1 1/2 acres site overlooking the Fraser River is complete with lore, myth and a little bit of Disney.

Depite its 20,700 sq.ft size, the Spanish Revival-style home had a small number of bedrooms -  a main, 3 bedrooms for the Reifel kids and 8 servants quarters - because Reifel didn't like guests spending the night.

What bedrooms there were, however, were impressive. One of the playrooms featured characters from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, hand-painted by Disney Artists.

The house, complete with a ballroom in the basement, hosted many grand parties. The Reifel kids recalled bumping into jazz legends like Duke Ellington and Dizzy Gillepsie in the hallways. But the rumours of a secret underground tunnel to Rio Vista, another Southlands mansion, are apparently not true.

After Reifel died in 1958, Casa Mia was sold several times until it was finally purchased in 2010 by Maureen McIntosh and Lynn Aarvold of the Care Group for $10 million. 

Their original plan was to convert Casa Mia into a 62 bed seniors' care facility, add a two storey wing, and seek heritage designation. The proposal garnered opposition from residents concerned about the scale of the project, and the idea was shelved.

Then in November 2017 a revamped proposal won unanimous support at a public hearing at city hall.

The approved application saw that the mansion was retained and an addition built to create a 90 bed facility - Vancouver Coastal Health funding 58 of them, while the remaining 32 are private-pay.

At Keith Vines and Associates, we offer good old fashion service, working with our home buyers and sellers in a relaxed, friendly manner, applying every available tool available to achieve the best possible outcome. Please take a moment to sign up for Keith’s Grapevine – a periodic eletter full of interesting market news, advice and tidbits

Canadian researchers are now saying that basements are costly for the environment.

Real estate contruction is a big producer of carbon-emissions according to the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction.

According to the report, the bigger the build and more concrete poured into basements, the more taxing such housing becomes on the environment. Simply put, they say you should build as small as you can for what you need, and if possible, avoid having a basement.

The study found that concrete basements were by far the largest driver of material use, accounting for an average of 56% of total material intensity. In terms of greenhouse gas emissions, the picture gets even worse, because concrete is carbon-intensive - a lot of emissions get created during its manufacture. This is in contrast to other materials such as wood, which is theoretically carbon neutral.

In general, the report found that the larger the home, the more damaging it is to the environment, because there are more materials being used as well as more engery costs associated with heating larger rooms.

At Keith Vines and Associates, we offer good old fashion service, working with our home buyers and sellers in a relaxed, friendly manner, applying every available tool available to achieve the best possible outcome. We also love referrals and will gladly pay for them. If you would entrust us with your friends/family, kindly send them our way. Refer, and You Shall Receive

Did you know that the act of touching glasses to cheers comes from medieval suspicions of poisoning each othe. You would slam mugs together to spill each others drinks into your own to show trust, and that you weren't trying to kill them.

How long can snails sleep? Up to 3 years if the weather doesn't suit them.

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr and Mrs. Coretta Scott King paid the hospital bill for the birth of Julia Roberts, whose parents were family friends and ran a small acting school the King children attended.

A million seconds is 12 days. How long is a billion seconds?  31 years.

Did you realize that when you look at a flower, some of the photons that entered your eye just ended a 100,000 year journey from the center of the sun.. Nobody else sees them - Just you. 10% of those will give up their energy to cause a chemical reaction that - literally - makes them a part of you.

The 'Tag' when you play tag stands for 'touch and go'.

So far there has been less than 750,000 humans to have ever been to Antartica. 500,000 of those were only in the last 15 years.

At Keith Vines and Associates, we offer good old fashion service, working with our home buyers and sellers in a relaxed, friendly manner, applying every available tool available to achieve the best possible outcome. Please take a moment to sign up for Keith’s Grapevine – a periodic eletter full of interesting market news, advice and tidbits

One of the effects of COVID-19, intensified by lockdowns and quarantine periods over the last 18 months, is the desire to get outside and back to nature. It has also resulted in a property building and buying boom on Vancouver Island as people find they need more space, improved amenities and in some cases new settings.

According to REW.ca, all 10 of the largest towns on Vancouver Island have seen an increase in homebuyer searches this year, led by Greater Victoria and Nanaimo, but including smaller towns such as Parksville and Qualicum Beach.

One of the aftershocks have rumbled through the Bear Mountain development on Skirt Mountain in Langford, which has seen a surge in interest over the past 18 months with people considering the resort as a place to live.

Over the past 18 months the development has added the 50 home Cypress Mews neighbourhood, 15 executive single-family homes in its Riviera neighbourhood, the 39-lot Pinehurst development is coming, while new signage has just gone up promising a 30-home neighbourhood called Shadow Creek that will overlook the resort's mountain golf course.

There are also plans being drawn up for what could be a 180-unit development at the top of the mountain to be called Victoria Peak.

The first concrete residential tower built on the mountain in 15 years is seen in the construction of One Bear Mountain, an 18-storey, 209-unit luxury project by Toronto based Terracap Group of Companies and Montreal's 360 Pacifica Capital Corporation, which completes in 2024.

Plans are also underway for a new village centre, which will curate the kind of retail that caters to a growing community.

But the growth has come with some tension.

Bear Mountain has told its residents that it was planning a new trail network program that would include access fees for non-residents who want to hike or bike the trails that run on private land.

The restrictions have rubbed some hikers and bikers the wrong way.

At Keith Vines and Associates, we offer good old fashion service, working with our home buyers and sellers in a relaxed, friendly manner, applying every available tool available to achieve the best possible outcome. Please take a moment to sign up for Keith’s Grapevine – a periodic eletter full of interesting market news, advice and tidbits