By Yanic Simard There are some furnishing basics every space needs, that we all see every day: comfortable chairs, room-brightening lamps, desks for perching that laptop or good book, beautiful art dressing the walls. As a designer, it’s my job to see beyond the basics, and look to pieces that don’t just serve an obvious function, but solve specific design...[ read more ]
By Jane Lockhart When moving into a new space, sometimes, the window treatments are often an afterthought as new homeowners struggle to put their own personal stamp in their new home. Window treatments are important as they are like the finishing jewelry for an outfit, but for the home. They are not only necessary, but add character as well. Window...[ read more ]
By Monika Warzecha The April housing numbers from the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) emphasized how hard it is to pigeonhole the country’s housing market. The average sale price for an existing home rose 9.5 per cent, year-over-year, to $448,862 in April. But removing Toronto and Vancouver from the equation leads to a much more modest increase of 3.4 per...[ read more ]
Making your move now could save you thousands By Cameron McNeil As a first time homebuyer, you may be eligible for a high-ratio mortgage. This means you could own your home with as little as a five per cent down payment. This type of high-ratio mortgage requires Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) financing or insurance – which means, to...[ read more ]
By Michael Cochrane We are all a little like goldfish. We grow proportionally to the space available to us. The more room we have, the more things we seem to accumulate. While easier to manage when living in a detached home, those of us residing in smaller condos and apartments need to be a bit more creative when it comes...[ read more ]
By Barbara Lawlor Recently, I was looking at the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. website, where users can download the “Condominium Buyer’s Guide,” which contains a section called, “Is condominium ownership right for me?” It occurred to me that nowadays, condominium living is “right” for just about everyone. The surge in condo sales across the Metro Vancouver area over the...[ read more ]
10 COMMANDMENTS By Jane Herman There’s a certain amount of common sense when it comes to elevator etiquette. If you live in a highrise, the elevator is the main way in and out of your home; a confined space in which you briefly encounter your neighbours several times daily. The natural instinct is to be absorbed in your own headspace,...[ read more ]
The condominium landscape across Metro Vancouver gets more beautiful and exciting every day. And condos continue to be the popular choice for new homebuyers from all walks of life, including more and more single women. This started a few years ago, when the condominium lifestyle began receiving attention from more than just the empty-nester segment of the market. The feeling...[ read more ]
Recycling Final Frontier: Condo and apartment buildings must compost food waste or be hit with penalties come the summer By Michelle Hopkins A MOVE BY METRO VANCOUVER TO BEGIN COLLECTING food scraps and other organic waste from condos and apartment buildings is the latest example of the expanding efforts by municipalities across the province to recycle large quantities of unused...[ read more ]
The Semiahmoo neighbourhood of South Surrey offers an irresistible combination of transportation convenience, fiery sunsets, nearby beaches and endless retail and dining pleasures. Bordering on White Rock, this community has always stood out for its ocean appeal without the traffic congestion, and laid-back, “beachy” lifestyle. Recent development in the area is now creating a unique urban oasis of shops, services...[ read more ]
