You will love our NEW Real Estate APP used by many to find their dream home/ideal investment property. This app will allow you to find the perfect property as soon as it hits the Victoria Real Estate Market. This app can be downloaded at www.mlsapp.ca , please make sure to hit the box that says "INSTALL MY APP".  The best part of this app is it is FREE. If you need help downloading the app , please do not hesitate to contact us and we will help you out 1-778-401-9545.

What are some of our client's favourite features?

• You can save the different types of searches. No need to retype them in everyday, just hit a button and BAM, a list of everything you are looking for
• You can immediately request documents and a showing of the property, no need to wait and find out days after it has already sold
• Save all your favourite properties to a your folder and watch what happens

Stay ahead of most buyers and get this app. Talk soon! BC HOME GROUP :-)

P.S. Please follow us on social media, to see our latest tips for home buyers and investors. Links are HERE . THANK YOU!

Easter Events in Victoria this Month

 If you would like to know more about the BC Home Group's Easter Chocolate give-away gift contact us for some free chocolate ! Contact us 

Also stay tuned for more information on all the Easter Events happening around Victoria in all the different communities.

Looking for really delicious Pizza in Victoria, British Columbia ?

Romeo's Pizza is known to be most of Victoria's Favourite Pizza shop. 

Here is a link to their website

Buying a Condo on Manchester Rd 

Outstanding value in this location. There is a secure underground parking stall along with storage for most condo units on this street. Great location, just minutes from all amenities, bus routes, Downtown Victoria, parks, Selkirk Waterfront and Uptown. It is a must see.

To see what is currently for Sale on this Street please click on the following LINK.

Check out Popular Condo Buildings in Victoria BC.

Q – Our office practice has always been that if there is a tenant in place and vacant possession of a property is intended, we have a buyers' notice filled out to give to the sellers, who then serve official notice to the tenants to end tenancy. 

The seller’s agent seems to be saying that vacant possession is implied, and that we do not need the form. In this case, there was no language in the contract saying that the seller had to give notice and the possession part was left blank with no reference to the tenant in place.

Can you please clarify? We have always gotten the VREB form signed by both parties in such a situation.

A -     If the seller signs the offer with: 

A)   no language in the contract requiring the seller give notice to the tenant; or

B)   the possession clause is blank when it comes to existing tenancies,

Then the seller has contractually agreed to provide vacant possession without further notice or action by the buyer.

Thus it is for the benefit of both parties, that the standard clause with respect to tenancy, stating that the buyer will provide a letter and the seller notice to the tenant after conditions are removed, pursuant to section 49, is in a contract where the property is tenanted and the tenant has not already agreed to move out. 

So if this clause is not in the contract, the seller may have a legal issue as they have legally agreed to provide possession, but the buyer is not required to provide a letter. 

However, it is still in everyone's best interests that the buyer provide that letter, if in fact the buyer is intending to occupy the unit, as otherwise it is not possible to provide legal notice to the tenant. The buyer may want assurances that the seller assumes all responsibility, for any costs arising from providing notice to the tenant.

The Aria is a popular condo building downtown Victoria BC. It has the best location and has the nicest views in Victoria. 

ARIA, located on the fringes of downtown and Victoria's inner harbour, is home to twin twelve story towers, Bravo & Encore. In total there are 174 masterfully designed suites. No other residence willl be as convenient to the pulse of the city center, situated mere steps away from museums, shopping, fine dining, parks & the sea wall. Special attention has been paid to every detail.

To see what is currently listed in the Aria, please click on the following LINK.

The building is located at 737 Humboldt St V8W 4A4.

Q - There seems to be some confusion about how GST applies to residential properties that are bought and resold (flipped).  I believe GST does not apply to used residential property unless it is renovated substantially (90 %+). 

I am not clear if it applies to properties that are purchased, not lived in, undergo superficial renovation (such as kitchen and bathroom make-overs), and then sold for a profit.

Does it make a difference if this is done as a one time venture or done multiple times as a business?

A - As always, one starts with the premise of the legislation.  Namely GST is applicable to all sales of real estate unless exempt.  The principal exemption is personal use property.  This means in general real estate used for residential purposes only and not business purposes.  Flipping property on a regular basis could well be construed by CRA as a "business use" and therefore subject to GST.  Flipping a house once would probably not though if the seller specifically set out with a business plan with that in mind it could. 

To avoid difficult situations we recommend buyers put in a clause stating:

“GST is not applicable and if later deemed to be applicable will be deemed included.”

If this is not done and the seller determines GST to be applicable they can charge the buyer GST on the completion date.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact us directly.

DEVELOPMENT PERMIT IN PLACE – project is ready to build! Attention developers and investors: This 5500 sq.ft. lot is zoned R1.3 (Single Family High Density Residential) and has an approved development permit in place. Permit allows for TWO SINGLE FAMILY DETACHED HOMES each featuring 1577 sq. ft. of living space, 3 beds/3 baths with master on main, private west-facing courtyard, and detached garage with access via laneway. Project is situated in the charming Orchard area of Sidney and just steps from Iroquois Park, Beacon Ave (the heart of Sidney), and the waterfront walkway. This is fantastic location with outstanding walkability. Hazardous materials analysis and survey have been completed. House and landscape plans ready to go. Property would also make an excellent long-term holding, or build to live in one home and sell the other. Lots of possibilities! ** House is currently tenanted – please do not walk the property **

For other development opportunities click HERE.

To view other properties listed in Sidney click HERE.

Contact us to see if this property is still available info@bchomegroup.ca

Q - When the Contract states what items are included in the sale, such as fridge, washer and dryer, can it be assumed these are in at least working order?

My buyers moved into their new home and found that the washer did not work at all. Do they have any grounds or way of compensation?

A - Although the contract of purchase and sale explicitly states that there is no warranty on appliances, there is also a paragraph that states the property must be in substantially the same position as when viewed.   If you can demonstrate that the washing machine was working at time of viewing (an inspector would likely have noted this) then the buyer may have a claim under the contract.  They would ultimately have to pursue that in small claims court if the seller was not willing to co-operate. 

To assist in this type of not-uncommon situation I do recommend that buyer's agents add a term that says:

“Notwithstanding any other terms of this contract of purchase and sale the seller warrants that all appliances and mechanical, heating and electrical fixtures and included chattels will be in good working order on the completion date.” 

As you know, the Real Estate Council of British Columbia is preparing to implement the rule changes to eliminate limited dual agency and require additional disclosures. Those changes take effect on March 15, 2018, and the decision to change the rules came from the Office of the Superintendent of Real Estate, which has oversight over the Council.

Dine Around
January 19 - February 4, 2018

Tourism Victoria and the BC Restaurant & Foodservices Association (BCRFA), Victoria Branch, are once again teaming up for the popular Dine Around & Stay in Town.

The Westin Bear Mountain’s culinary team has put together an amazing $40 three-course dinner that highlights local produce and west coast inspiration.

After dinner, stay the night to get the most out of your Bear Mountain experience. Click here for your $129 room rate!

Click here for the menu

Wine Pairing $25

Hi everyone, as you can see from the graph, the price of homes always drops towards December, call me if you like additional data for your home market analysis. Talk soon!!

As a person, who likes to follow the statistics, and review them as part of my decision making process, I find this graph extremely helpful!!

Check out New vs Sold Listings in Victoria British Columbia. Details for this graph are taken from MLS. We bring you the latest statistics so you can follow the market. Contact the BC HOME GROUP for any questions, we will always help!

The question I get asked all the time is what neighborhood should I live in Victoria?

Should I live in Fairfield, Oak Bay, Saanich east or should I just get a newer home and live further out of Victoria?

The first thing I like to ask is... Do you have children going to a school in Victoria?

Next question I ask is, how old are your kids? 

Typically, I recommend to parents with smaller children, that being close to a recreation center can be easier when trying to juggle picking up kids from activities while rushing home to make dinner.

I recommend living in a good neighbourhood that falls in your price range for buying a home in Victoria while at the same time living close to a - grocery store, recreation center, library etc.... Making life easier of trying to juggle, running a home and raising children.

Now before I go on to talking about the different neighbourhoods, let me go through the other key questions I like to ask my buyers (if they don't have children) and they are deciding which neighbourhood to live in Victoria.

What is your budget?
What style of home do you like in Victoria? Do you like for e.g.  a modern contemporary home in Victoria? A traditional home in Victoria? A character home in Victoria?

Then based on the answers I get from my buyers, I can determine the best home that would be well suited for them to buy in.

As a professional realtor who has helped several buyers find their dream home, I have learnt that asking the questions up front ensures that you are guiding your home buyer to the right product/home that best suits them.

Now, to get back to answering the question of what neighbourhood in Victoria for 2018 should I live in?

If you have kids and have a home budget of under $700,000 I suggest Westhills community in Langford (when there is no traffic it is a 20 min drive to downtown Victoria). It is a great community for families. Did I say it is a great neighbourhood for families… I think I did !

If you are a young professional couple moving to Victoria, that does not have children and you have a budget of buying a home in Victoria of up to $ l, 500,000 I would recommend neighbourhoods closer to downtown like Fairfield, Oak Bay, Fernwood, Gordon Head... (note this list may change based on the answers to the different questions that I ask when we first meet.)

Now, I just gave an example, once we meet, I will show you an overview of all the neighbourhoods in Victoria. If you are unsure of where you want to live even after my overview, I encourage my buyers to do three things:

1. Rent in a particular neighbourhood before they decide to buy in Victoria.
2. Go to open houses when they can in Victoria (to find a list of open houses go to www.yyjopenhouse.ca)
3. Let me arrange a driving tour with showings off of different homes.

I understand that for most buyers, buying a home is one of the most important investment decisions they will make. I also understand, that you want your home not only to be the dream home but you also want it to be a good investment so you can sell it down the line for a good return. I will walk you through the different scenarios of buying a home in Victoria, educate you throughout the process (so it is fun and not stressful) and then you will be such an expert at home buying ( yes I may try to recruit you on my team by the end of it) , that you will know exactly what you are looking for and what you want to buy.

Now, I feel I can write on and on about this topic, so what I will do is an overview in more detail through different blog posts about the neighbourhoods in Victoria and the pros and cons of each of them. If you have any question in meantime, please feel free to e-mail me or facetime me for any additional info. If you don’t know me, one thing I am really passionate (even if you don’t end up buying a home) is that I love to help anyone I can. shirinpurewal@bchomegroup.ca +1.778. 678.5626

Looking forward to meeting you soon !

The STRESS TEST -  What are we talking about?

Normally when we talk about a Stress Test we are talking in medical terms about the stress on your heart during physical exercise, but the Government of Canada has implemented a financial Stress Test that will start on January 1, 2018 for the purchase and refinancing of homes.

What is a financial Stress Test?

You will hear much more about this test in the coming months but to bring you up to date the Stress Test is designed to insure that if interest rates do climb higher you will be able to handle modest increases in mortgage payments.

Do I have to undergo a Stress Test?

Yes, the mortgage professionals will be required to Stress Test your income if your down payment is at or above 20% of the purchase price.

Why is it being implemented?

In the USA in the 1990’s and 2000’s mortgages were granted with little hope of repayment if interest payments were to move higher. Many people in the US were forced to lose their homes because at some point they were unable to continue making the mortgage payments when interest rates rose.

How big is the Stress Test? An additional 2% would be added to your payment at your current, normal rate of interest to see how this would financially affect you.

Do I have to pay the extra 2%. No

Do I have to qualify for the extra 2%. Yes

From a practical standpoint how will this effect me getting a mortgage?

That will be based on your individual financial position. The Government of Canada wants to insure that you have some flexibility in your financial situation should interest rates change in the future.

In the second installment of the the Stress Test we will look at how to avoid the Stress Test, What it will mean in practical terms.

I am also happy to meet for a cup of tea or coffee to discuss your questions and concerns and how this may affect you.