That is the question.

Yes, December is already here and the malls are as frantic as a cattle ranch with people buying gifts for their loved ones. Every year homeowners get so caught up in the festivities that they forget to give some TLC to the one thing that provides them with shelter… their home.

The old saying that “slow and steady wins the race” may be particularly true when investing in real estate. The days where new communities sold out in mere hours are behind us, now replaced by steady absorption over several months.

Last week we posted a blog that helped make sense of the new mortgage rules that were introduced on January 17, 2011. Because of the high debt to income ratio in Canada, the government had to change the way people borrowed money. These changes include:

We’ve scoured high and low and here are our top rated trends for the home for 2011:

Get Organized!

Everyone has a question they get based on their occupation. You know the one…

“Hey Dr. Mike, can you look at this rash. Whaddaya think?”

“Hey Paul, you work on cars can you tell me what this clanking is?”

With the extremely difficult situation in Japan it behooves us to look within ourselves in case we were to be hit with our own natural disaster.

Monad, an intimate, boutique Kits condominium development is redefining exclusive living in Vancouver’s ever popular Kitsilano / Point Grey real estate neighbourhood.

It feels difficult to focus on real estate when the Canucks are in the Stanley Cup finals today. By this evening we’ll know whether we’ll take the cup - or not. What remains true is that for the second year in a row, Vancouver is in the international spotlight.

I often hear people concerned with the price of real estate in Vancouver and people saying “I just don’t know how I’ll ever be able to afford to buy a home.” This is usually over dinner and drinks where that same person drops $60 to $100 right before getting into their leased vehicle less tha