June 2014

You know the purchase of your new home in Vancouver is final when you are handed the keys.   But no, you shouldn't consider it final, and probably shouldn't move your valued possessions inside until you do one more thing: Get rid of those keys.   That's right – before you finish moving in, change the locks.   I'm not suggesting you should mistrust the sellers. They're not apt to come back and steal your belongings.   But the sellers aren't the only ones who have had access to those keys in the last few weeks – and possibly in the past few years. Did they leave a key with a neighbor when they were vacationing? Did they give a key to a service provider at some time in the past? Just because a key was returned doesn't mean it wasn't…

Trends in real estate change from year to year. Back in the 50's, many felt they could live quite well in a home with 2 or 3 bedrooms and perhaps 900 square feet.   Then people began thinking they needed more space. They decided that children shouldn't have to share bedrooms and that perhaps they needed a "family room" in addition to a living room – so the kids could entertain their guests separately. Homes became larger and larger. Many families felt they "needed" at least 2,000 square feet, if not 3,000.   Now it seems the trend is moving back a bit, so that homes in the 1,200 to 1,600 square foot range are becoming more popular.   Of course, cost is an issue. First the cost of purchasing a larger home, then the cost of maintaining…