Source: Pinterest

Pets play a significant role in many families and households. According to The Washington post, 68% of US households include pets. How do pets relate to residential real estate? With the significant amount of pet ownership, homeowners who are looking to attract buyers want to buy a home with a pet can make upgrades. For example, replacing carpeting with ceramic tiles, hardwood/laminate flooring, or other pet-friendly floorings.

How much of an impact does having pet-friendly home features have for prospective buyers? According to a report, having pet-friendly features such as a cat/dog door, mudroom, adjustable shower heads for pet bathing drew more attention to buyers who took into account the needs of their furry friends. Significantly 87% of home buyers with pets were more attracted to a house because of these features.

Obviously, there are costs associated with catering to pet owners but there are many benefits. For those who own investment properties, it “can actually increase [investors’] bottom-line profits.”

According to Realtor.com and their survey data, 90% of dog owners take into great consideration their animals’ needs and how it was crucial in finding and making a decision on purchasing a home. 

With that said, if you’re looking to sell or buy a home (with or without pets) I’d be happy to help!

Source: Forbes

 Source: Hubble Homes

When you think of luxury real estate you automatically think glamorous big cities, beach towns, and popular destinations. Normally, wealthy home buyers think of dropping their investments into real estate in New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Dubai or other international cities. According to a recent Coldwell Banker report, “places generating interest form the richest 1% all smaller inland markets.” 

Believe it or not, the top luxury market currently is Boise, Idaho. You may not know where that is because they are better known for their potatoes rather than real estate. Why is there a drastic change in busy cities to smaller towns to buy luxury properties? It’s partially due to wealth migration from higher-tax states to lower-tax states. There is a greater opportunity at a more valued cost for wealthy buyers.

Boise, has been attracting West Coast buyers for a few years now due to beautiful mountain views and fast-growing tech sector. Although, like everything else, with the constant flow of new residents it has been driving prices up in the once-affordable city in Idaho.

According to realtor.com as of Feb. 1, the median home list price in the metro area of Boise was $375,000. Could you imagine a luxurious and stunning property for that price?!

Source: SFGate

Source: See Toronto Now

According to the Huffington Post, “Toronto has risen to second place in an annual ranking of the major cities with the highest risk of a housing bubble burst, while the risk of a bubble burst in Vancouver has fallen.”

Last year, Vancouver was in fourth place but is now sitting at sixth place due to the falling house prices in the city resulting in real estate becoming less overvalued. After continuous annual growth rates over a couple of quarters Vancouver’s high valuations and unmeasurable affordability have allowed for the slightest demand shifts due to the market vulnerability.

Although, Toronto hasn’t had this type of bounce back or correction in the real estate market like Vancouver has. 

UBS, a Swiss bank analyzes, ranks and researches 24 major cities and their real estate market.

UBS analysts look at various factors and indicators to measure the risk of a bubble such as the change in the ratio of house prices and rents to incomes in each city, change in the value of mortgages, the value of construction and the economy as a whole.

It seems like Toronto is getting hit with a tough real estate market as Vancouver had gone through in the past year. With technological advances in leading cities, it directly correlates with the increasing demand for housing. As a result, there is a growing number of rich people who is also driving up demand.

Source: Huffington Post

For condo owners and renters, insurance companies are increasing insurance premiums which is worrisome with huge bills coming their way. The cost of the strata’s building insurance is being passed down to homeowners through their maintenance fees and if the unit is rented then it is passed on again to the tenants.

Insurers are strict about their risk exposure and as a result, poorly maintained or older strata building face losing their insurance coverage. As a result, this could be mean that if there was damage or major event to occur such as fire, flood or earthquake they would lose everything. 

The reason for this rate increase is due to insurance firms having issues making ends meet as well as the fewer number of insurers in the market. These two reasons have had an effect on the premiums. With the lack of competition, insurance firms are also picking and choosing which building they insure and ones they don’t.

The solution for this would be for more companies to enter the marketplace and start competing with one another and the prices will come down.

Source: Vancouver Courier

5 Things to do on Valentine's Day!

Lights, Camera, Action... MOVIE NIGHT!

A movie night is always a great thing to do whether you've got a significant other or friends to hang out with! Going to the theatre and treating yourself to full reclining seats or staying in with a cozy blanket in the comfort of your own home, it's the perfect Valentine's Day activity for anyone!

Dinner Date

There are so many of Vancouver's best restaurants located in Yaletown. Perfect ambiance and even better food... some popular picks include Blue Water Cafe, Minami, Robba da Matti, La Pentola and more! Make reservations as soon as you can!

Nothing better than a HOME COOKED MEAL

Want to stay in pajamas, watch Netflix and snuggle up by fire? Staying in and cooking your own Valentine's Day dinner is definitely the plan for you. Get your apron on, light some candles and set up the table with flowers and you've got a romantic dinner for two (or more)!

PALentine's Day

Don't have a special someone to celebrate with? Who said you can't celebrate with your closest friends! Embrace and show appreciation for the wonderful friendships you have with a night out on the town or enjoy some wine, snacks and a face mask for a self-care day at home!

Stay-cation 

On a budget but looking for a small getaway? Stay at the Opus Hotel or Rosedale on Robson to make it a 24-hour stay or extend it for the family day long weekend! There's so much to do in Yaletown that you're bound to have a great Valentine's Day and/or weekend.

Whatever you end up doing and whoever you end up celebrating with, hope you all have an amazing Valentine's Day!

Valentine’s Day Raw Vegan Crunchy Chocolate Fudge Hearts

A sweet treat… but a healthier version! I love having sweets but I always feel guilty afterward but I found an easy and quick recipe for these delicious raw vegan crunchy chocolate fudge hearts. YES… it tastes just as good as it sounds! Time to treat yourself, a special someone or your friends and family with this yummy treat that you can't get enough of.

Ingredients: 

• 1/3 cup of chocolate or chocolate chips (vegan)
• 1/3 cup of tahini (or another nut butter of your choice)
• 1/3 cup of seeds and/or desiccated coconut
• 1 tablespoon of coconut oil – optional
• Sweetener of your choice - optional
• Sprinkles for decoration - optional

Directions:

1. Melt the chocolate as best as possible and add the tahini and mix well. If desired, add the coconut oil, desiccated coconut oil and or seeds of your choice. Mix until completely combined.
2. Pour the mixture into heart-shaped muffin molds and decorate with all the heart-shaped sprinkles. You can use dried fruit, nuts, seeds, sprinkles or shredded coconut.
3. Put the molds in the fridge for a few hours until the fudge has hardened.