Strong demand continues to drive housing market
Vancouver, B.C. March 2, 2006 - Healthy sales and increased listing activity this February was stronger than previous years except for last year, which posted the highest sales on record. The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV) reports that 2,941 detached, attached and apartment properties sold in February 2006, a decrease of 4.1 per cent compared to 3068 sales in February 2005.
"These numbers prove that Vancouver is a consistent market as strong demand for real estate continues to drive housing sales," says Georges Pahud, REBGV president. "More than 66 per cent of homes sold in February 2006 were under the average price of $490,004, which shows us that real estate in Vancouver is still an affordable investment."
"The BC provincial government's recent move to increase their Home Owner Grant by 22 per cent is also welcome news," says Pahud. "The increase to the grant threshold means 95 per cent of homeowners will remain eligible for the full grant. This will likely further motivate first-time buyers, in particular, to enter the housing market."
According to Multiple Listings Service® (MLS&reg data, sales of apartment properties decreased by 8.7 per cent to 1,212 sales in February 2006 compared to 1,327 sales in February 2005. The benchmark price of an apartment property in Greater Vancouver, calculated by the MLSLink® Housing Price Index, is $297,192, up 22.6 per cent from one year ago.
Sales of attached properties increased 5.1 per cent in February 2006 to 552 sales, compared to 525 sales in February 2005. The benchmark price of an attached unit is $364,114, up 15.9 per cent from a year ago. Sales of detached properties decreased 3.2 per cent in February 2006 to 1,177 sales, compared to 1,216 sales in February 2005. The benchmark price of a detached unit is $598,989, up 21.8 per cent from last year.

Bright spots in Greater Vancouver in February 2006 compared to February 2005: Attached:
Burnaby up 15.7% (96 units sold, up from 83)
Maple Ridge/Pitt Meadows up 103.2% (63 units sold, up from 31)
Richmond up 32.2% (115 units sold, up from 87)
Vancouver West up 17.5% (74 units sold, up from 63)
Apartments:
Maple Ridge/Pitt Meadows up 52.2% (35 units sold, up from 23)
Port Coquitlam up 33.3% (44 units sold, up from 33)
Detached:
Delta South up 12.2% (46 units sold, up from 41)
Maple Ridge/Pitt Meadows up 22.5% (133 units sold, up from 106)
Vancouver West up 16.9% (159 units sold, up from 136)
West Vancouver/Howe Sound up 15.6% (74 units sold, up from 64)

The Real Estate industry is a key economic driver in British Columbia. In 2004, dollar volume sales of homes in Greater Vancouver set a new record at more than $13.8 billion. Based on this figure, Greater Vancouver home sales in 2004 generated over $1 billion in related sales.

The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver is an association representing more than 8,100 realtors. The Real Estate Board provides a variety of membership services, including the Multiple Listing Service®

*In August 2004, the Greater Vancouver and Fraser Valley boards upgraded our existing MLS systems to a common system called MLSLink. MLSLink® HPI is the latest version of the Board’s Housing Price Index (HPI) and is designed to accommodate the MLS upgrade and improve the legacy HPI product.

Thank you very much!

以下是关于Home Owner Grant的

General Information

• is a reduction of indebtedness for the current year property taxes. The purpose of the grant is to reduce the burden of residential property taxes on homeowners who occupy eligible residences, and is intended to provide the greatest benefit to people with lower valued homes who are often most in need.
• the application is printed on/or accompanies your property tax notice and is a statutory declaration that the statements in it are true.
• entitles the owner to a maximum reduction in residential property taxes of $570, and an additional grant for homeowners 65 years of age or older, or permanently disabled, or in receipt of certain war veterans allowances, of up to a maximum of $275 (for a total grant of $845).
• is reduced on higher valued properties by $5 for each $1,000 of assessed value over $780,000. The grant is eliminated on homes assessed at $894,000 or more.
• is received when the application is submitted and approved by the Tax Collector.
• can not be prorated if the property is sold during the year.
• must be applied for each year -- the grant is not automatically given.
• application period is between the date the property tax notice is issued and December 31st.
• should be claimed prior to the tax due date, even if the taxes are not paid at that time.

还有：CURRENT YEAR PROPERTY TAXES:

are levied for the period January 1st to December 31st.
do not include School Referendum Taxes, arrears, delinquent taxes, penalties, utilities or user fees.
MINIMUM PROPERTY TAX PAYABLE:

is set at $100 for persons eligible for the additional grant and at $350 for persons eligible for the basic grant.
exists to ensure that all home owners contribute towards the funding of local services such as road maintenance and police protection.

都是些什么东西~~~

These numbers prove that Vancouver is a consistent market as strong demand for real estate continues to drive housing sales,"

我都说这里的楼价是和中国不一样的,近10年都是看涨的

还是早点把资本累积~~~~买鸡生蛋

房价上涨,何时才到顶? 先存钱? 存钱所得哪能赶得上涨价???? 晕!!!!!!

阳光灿烂 说:

房价上涨,何时才到顶? 先存钱? 存钱所得哪能赶得上涨价???? 晕!!!!!!

点击展开...

哈哈 天天祈祷,拜佛,希望肉忙的预测应验滴说.

买房无望了。