At the beginning of June 2010, every Starbucks location in the USA, through AT&T, made their WiFi access free to all. The problem with this was that Canada has Starbucks locations too and the free access was never announced here.

At the time, Starbucks locations in Canada are run through Bell. Users can receive 2 hours for free by signing up for an account or opt to pay for access. Alternatively, if you have an iPad with a Bell SIM card or an iPhone through a Bell contract, you receive free WiFi access.

Well, effective July 1, 2010, Starbucks has now changed its policy and is offering free WiFi access to Canada as well. Starbucks seems to have reached a deal with Bell and WiFi is now accessible through a single-click sign-in with no time limits. 100%, totally free WiFi.

Whether you are a Bell customer, have an iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Blackberry, or whatever other device you can think of, it does not matter. Free WiFi for all!

Effective July 1, 2010, British Columbia will be combining the GST and PST taxes into one Harmonized Sales Tax (HST). The implementation of the HST will not change the taxation on mortgage insurance premiums. However, the HST will be applicable on new construction homes and may be eligible for the HST new housing rebate.

• In BC, the HST rate on new construction housing (i.e. both house and land) will be 12% (GST of 5% and PST of 7%) 
• There will be a partial rebate of the PST portion of the HST in an amount equal to 5% of the purchase price up to a maximum rebate of $26,250. The rebate would eliminate any tax increase on new housing sold for a purchase price of up to $525,000. There would be no phase out of this rebate, such that homes priced above $525,000 would qualify for the maximum rebate amount of $26,250.
• New home buyers may be eligible for the federal GST new housing rebate, which generally equals 36% of the tax paid on the first $350,000 of the purchase price. The amount of the GST rebate is phased out on a straight-line basis for homes priced between $350,000 and less than $450,000.

Examples of the applicable taxes are as follows:

Note: Lender Financing of HST - For qualification and submission purposes, the lender is not required to deduct the rebate from the purchase price.  The lender may finance and submit to the insurer, the total purchase price as reflected on the purchase and sale agreement that would include the HST for a total Purchase Price.

Article courtesy of Christine Chien, mortgage broker with The Mortgage Group www.BestRateBestMortgage.com

The enclosed information while deemed to be correct is not guaranteed.

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And we keep complaining about real estate prices here in Vancouver.

A plot of land in Hong Kong recently sold for HK$1.82 billion dollars (US$233 million) equating to HK$68,000 per square foot.

A record price for an auction of luxury residential land in Hong Kong, it was purchased by Lee Shau-kee, the 82-year-old tycoon who runs Henderson Land Development Co.

His son Martin explained they were going to construct three or four houses on the plot which is located on the Peak.

Called Falconridge, it was sold through auctioneers Jones Lang LaSalle and was put on the market by another Hong Kong property tycoon, Hui Sai-fun.

The enclosed information while deemed to be correct is not guaranteed.

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So You’ve Decided to Buy a Condominium . . .

Condominium living is a popular option for many Canadians as it can be a relatively carefree housing option. Currently, in some parts of the country, one out of three new homes built is a condominium. Interest in condominiums tends to grow with a shortage of rental accommodation, relatively low mortgage interest rates, and urban core renewal. Most major newspapers now include a condominium section which recognizes the increasing number of people who already live in—or aspire to live in—a condominium.

This Guide has been created to help you become an informed condominium buyer and to help you make the best choice. Please see the glossary at the end of the Guide for full definitions of some of the terms used in this guide.

The Guide will give you the basic background information you need to get started on the path to condominium ownership. It will identify important questions to ask—and the people you should be asking—before you make this important purchase. At the end of the Guide, we’ve provided you with a
condominium selection checklist to help you narrow down the choice between the different types of condominiums you might see.

This Guide provides a general overview of the purchase of condominiums. It is not intended to provide legal or technical advice. It is recommended that you retain appropriate legal and technical professionals to guide you with any condominium purchase you may consider.

Please click on the image to read/download the full report, courtesy of CMHC

The enclosed information while deemed to be correct is not guaranteed.

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Most apartment and condominium buildings are secure and safe. However, you should be aware of, and periodically review, the security and safety of your apartment and apartment building.

In rental buildings, the building owner and management are responsible for security. In condominiums, suite security is typically an owner concern and the condominium corporation is responsible for common areas—including exterior doors and windows and corridor doors to individual
apartments. Your best defence is to know about and use the security and safety features in your building and surrounding spaces. Be alert and prevent dangerous situations before they occur.

This About Your Apartment highlights the types of security and safety features you may have in your building and how to use them effectively. It deals with personal security; discouraging theft and trespassing;
preventing falls from windows and balconies and combustion safety.

Whether you own or rent your apartment, you can make it more safe and secure for you and your family. If, after reading this About Your Apartment, you realize that your apartment or building has security or safety issues, discuss them with your building management or condominium corporation.

Remember, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Please Click on the image to download the full article, courtesy of CMHC.

The enclosed information while deemed to be correct is not guaranteed.

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Whether you are buying or renting this guide, provided by CMHC, will help you solve some of the most frequently asked questions. Just click on the image.

If you have further questions you can always contact me.

The enclosed information while deemed to be correct is not guaranteed.

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If you can’t sleep at night because your neighbour is moving chairs or walking with high heel shoes, have a look at this tips provided by CMHC, just click on the image.

The enclosed information while deemed to be correct is not guaranteed.

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Capones Restaurant & live Jazz Club located at 1141 Hamilton Street, will be re-opening its doors on June 27, and its ready to receive the Jazz Festival.

Here is a list of upcoming events at Capones:

For more information you can visit their website: http://www.caponesrestaurant.net/

1200 Block of Hamiltosn Street.

On Canada Day, Thursday July 1^st, the 1200 block or Hamilton Street will be closed to traffic in preparation for the Annual Yaletown Grand Prix.

Hamilton Street businesses invite you to join us in bringing food, fun and music to the streets and be a part of the festivities. The afternoon will be packed with entertainment and events including live music from noon to 9pm, fun contests, and food.

Some great events already confirmed:

· 10 musical acts performing between Noon and 9 pm including: Kemal Evans, Sam Mackay, Keys To Phoenix, Cindy Lou Potter and Case Closed

· Yaletown’s Best Burguer – judged by Richard Wolak (@vanfoodster), John Chow (@JohnChow), Erin Ireland (erin_ireland) and Raul Pacheco-Vega (Hummingbird604) (over 65,000 combined followers on Twitter)

· Society’s Marshmallow Golf Challenge – a chance to win Gift Certificates from SOCIETY and her sister restaurants as well as other offers from the neighbourhood.

Join the party :)

A misspelling in one of these listings put an entirely new meaning to having a good time at home!

When: Sunday, June 20th 2010
Where: Yaletown Roundhouse Community and Recreation Centre
Time: 11:00am to 3:30pm
Admission: Free!

Whether you're trying to purchase a home or rent one, there are many places where properties are advertised these days, including a ton of websites that offer free or inexpensive classified ads. Unfortunately, some of the property advertisements out there are frauds designed to separate you from your money without actually offering property for sale or rent.

It's far too easy to mock up a fake ad by copying and pasting the text and photos from another website where the property is legitimately listed for sale or rent. These ads can be very convincing to those looking for a new place to live. However, there are some red flags that consumers can watch out for:

Asking for a deposit or rent money for a property for sale or rent without any opportunity to view the property, inside and out. This is a common scam on some advertising websites, where those interested in renting a house might be asked to wire first and last month's rent to the "owner" or "landlord" without being allowed to visit the property, for some spurious reason - the owner is out of the country or doing missionary work, the house is being renovated, and so on.

Offering to mail the keys in exchange for a deposit, or asking for personal information such as a bank account number, driver's license or social insurance number. Even if you don't end up sending the scammer any cash, they may be able to use that information to empty your bank account or set up credit cards in your name.

The price is well below what similar properties are asking. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. The low prices are how scammers suck people in.

The most important common denominator is that in a scam situation, generally the prospective tenants or owners will never see the property in person until they show up to claim it - and find the rightful tenant or owner already living there, oblivious to the existence of the scam. It's a horrible situation for all involved.
If you need to buy or rent a property somewhere you are unable to visit before doing so, consider working with a real estate professional or reputable property management company. The national website of the Canadian Real Estate Association, REALTOR.ca, lists homes for sale and for rent across the country, with easy contact information for the real estate professional who has listed each property. This information is sent to the website by local real estate boards that have strict rules and regulations in place for members who post property listings, so they are reliable and accurate.

There are also many local and national property management companies that rent homes and apartments, and are happy to work with out-of-town clients. Or ask for a recommendation from friends, clients, a new boss or workplace HR department, even a school principal or clergy person. Everyone has had to find a place to live at some point, and a referral from a respected member of the community may be more reliable than a free internet advertisement. Doing your homework and making sure the deal is real can save you a huge amount of hassle later on.

The enclosed information while deemed to be correct is not guaranteed.

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Presented by the Canadian International Dragon Boat Festival Society

Recognized as North America’s biggest and best, the 22nd annual Rio Tinto Alcan Dragon Boat Festival in Vancouver will be a true celebration of our diverse and beautiful city, attracting over 100,000 people and close to 180 dragon boat teams from across the Lower Mainland and around the globe.

Beginning on Friday night with the colourful Eye Dotting Ceremony, the festival will continue with two more days of non-stop entertainment on the World Beat Stage, fabulous food and shopping, and of course, dragon boat racing of the highest calibre.

Admission is free to the general public so what’s stopping you? Come on down to  the waters of False Creek and celebrate with us!

Located at Concord Place, Creekside Park and the waters of False Creek, near Science World. Nearest Skytrain Station is Science World. Intersection of Quebec Street and Terminal Avenue in Vancouver.

Official Website: http://dragonboatbc.ca/

1. You can appeal property taxes. No. You can appeal your assessment, not your taxes. You receive your assessment annually the first week of January and must appeal by January 31.

2. An appeal will change the market value. The market value may not correlate to the assessed value. BC Assessment typically assesses properties as of the previous July 1. A REALTOR® valuing a home many months later at the time of the appeal may find a number of factors have affected the value, for example, the market in a particular neighbourhood has changed or the land has been rezoned.

3. If you just bought a home, the previous owners are liable for taxes. No. When you buy a property you become liable for all outstanding taxes.

4. New home owners can claim the Home Owner Grant. No. New home owners cannot claim the Home Owner Grant if the seller paid the taxes or if the new home owner claimed a grant on another property.

5. You haven’t claimed your Home Owner Grant for a few years and you want to claim it all now. You’re out of luck. You can claim the grant amount only for the previous year.

The enclosed information while deemed to be correct is not guaranteed.

Search for listings on your own Virtual Office Website (VOW), sign up for a FREE subscription and receive listings before mls.ca, in Full Public Printout. search by address, MLS#, street, view walkscore or using your iPhone, Android or iPad.

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Rediscover your passion for cheese, at any of the 3 Urban Fare locations (Coal Harbour, Yaletown or Shangri-La)

June 18th – 4pm to 8pm

June 19th – 2pm to 5pm

June 20th 12pm to 5pm

You can get full information on this link: http://hst.blog.gov.bc.ca/

By Derrick Pener, Vancouver Sun June 16, 2010

Metro Vancouver's apartment vacancy rate edged up to 2.2 per cent in the spring, more or less in step with most markets in B.C. and Canada that saw higher apartment availability, says a new report from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp.

The increase, compared with 2.1 per cent last fall, represented opposing forces of higher levels of first-time home ownership and job cuts during the recession resulting in young tenants doubling up or moving back home. Both trends helped take renters out of the market, according to Robyn Adamache, CMHC's market analyst for Metro Vancouver.

Adamache added that an increase in the supply of rental housing -- 2009 saw 915 new rental units added to the overall stock -- also helped raise the vacancy rate. And for Metro Vancouver, the rate is a far cry from recent years when apartment vacancy slipped below one per cent. "I would hesitate to call it balanced, because we don't have a measure of what is a balanced rental market," Adamache said in an interview. "[However,] I would call it healthy. There is some choice out there for renters, but then it's not too hard for landlords to rent out their suites."

The last time Metro Vancouver saw a vacancy rate higher than two per cent, Adamache added, was in 1998-99 when the region's vacancy hit 2.7 per cent. In the spring of 2008, Metro Vancouver's apartment vacancy rate was 0.9 per cent.

For apartment owners, the shift in vacancies has meant more aggressive advertising and creativity in attracting tenants. "There's a lot less calls coming in," said Debbie Johnson, director of marketing for Gateway Property Management.

One of Gateway's creative responses to the situation, Johnson added, is an online tool called Vacancy Tracker, which tenants can sign up for to receive e-mail notices about suites that become available in Gateway buildings. "We're just trying to get out there and say, 'We're here, we have suites to rent, come to us.'"

Adamache added that the rise in vacancies has helped keep rent increases in check, with payments in Metro Vancouver edging up 2.3 per cent over a year ago, which is on the mark with the province's cap on annual rent increases.

Vacancy rates varied depending on apartment types, with the three-bedroom category experiencing the lowest rate at 1.4 per cent and one-bedroom suites having the highest vacancy at 2.4 per cent. Three-bedroom suites also saw the steepest increases in average rent, hitting $1,401 this spring compared with $1,268 in April a year ago. The average two-bedroom rent across Metro Vancouver was marginally down at $1,150 this spring compared with $1,154 a year ago.

The CMHC spring survey was conducted in April as an interim measure of apartment vacancy between its more detailed major vacancy surveys, which are conducted in the fall of each year. This year's spring report counted vacancy increases in most markets, Carol Frketich, CMHC's regional economist, said in a news release. Overall provincial vacancy hit 3.1 per cent in April compared with 2.3 per cent a year ago.

However, while it might be easier for renters to find accommodation, the high price of rents remains a problem. "If rents keep going up, [businesses] are not going to be able to attract people here," said Tom Durning, a spokesman for Vancouver's Tenant Resource and Advisory Centre.

depenner@vancouversun.com

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/business/CMHC+report+finds+slight+increase+local+vacancy+rate/3159312/story.html#ixzz0r2UYxs1U

The enclosed information while deemed to be correct is not guaranteed.

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Application: PAVCO has applied to the City to rezone this site from BCPED District to a CD-1 (Comprehensive Development) District. The purpose of the rezoning is to allow a mixed-use entertainment complex including two hotels, a casino, restaurants, theatre, and a cabaret. The project is tow towers of between 58 and 63 metres in height.

The Edgewater Casino will relocate and expand from its current location at Plaza of Nations.

To find out more about this application, you are invited to attend a Public Open House:

Date: June 24,2010 Time: 5pm-8pm

Date: June 26,2010 Time: 10am-2pm

Place: Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Salon B Entrance, 650 Hamilton Street.

The applicant team and City staff will be available to answer your questions and receive your comments.

For more information regarding 777 Pacific Blvd. please visit: http://vancouver.ca/commsvcs/planning/rezoning/applications/777pacificblvd/index.htm.  Or contact Dwayne Drobot, Rezoning Planner, at: 604.871.6738 (email: dwayne.drobot@vancouver.ca).

For more information about the Northeast False Creek High Level Review Planning Process, please visit: www.vancouver.ca/nefc.  Or contact Paula Huber, Project Planner, at: 604.871.6013 (email: paula.huber@vancouver.ca).

The enclosed information while deemed to be correct is not guaranteed.

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The new address is 1039 Hamilton St. Same great service new location.

Web:MINI Yaletown

• Most Liveable City in the World - The Economist
• Best Airport in the World – Condé Nast Traveler
• Best Quality of Life in the World – Mercer Consulting Group
• Lowest Overall Corporate Tax Burden in N. America – KPMG
• Best City for a Business Trip – The Economist
• Greenest City in the World – Grist.org
• One of the World’s Cleanest Cities – Forbes Magazine
• One of the World’s Top Tourist Destinations – Euromonitor International
• Best Destination for International Meetings – International Convention Association

The enclosed information while deemed to be correct is not guaranteed.

Search for listings on your own Virtual Office Website (VOW), sign up for a FREE subscription and receive listings before mls.ca, in Full Public Printout. search by address, MLS#, street, view walkscore or using your iPhone, Android or iPad.

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