Listen carefully, is that the sound of a bubble starting to deflate?

The first price 'correction' since 2001? Can it be? The once bullish analysts showing signs of retreat, offering whims of caution over their all-to-familiar mantra of "prices will never go down".

Detached house prices are down some 1.8%, while condo sales are forging the same path - south by 1.5%. While not a significant dip by any standards, it is the first sign of price relief since August, 2001. Encouragingly (for Allisa and I), the average condo price on the west side has tumbled over $40,000 since their September peaks.

Don't run off dreaming of mortgaging the kids for that Kerrisdale home just yet - November has been an off month which may have had an effect on prices - a spot of winter, power outages, snow, and now Christmas - has all but removed the thoughts of real estate sales off many peoples mind. The real figures will come in early spring, when the hangover of Christmas and New Years has worn off.

Stay tuned, these are exciting times!

So Good. So, So Good.

Every once in a long while, I stumble upon a book so inexplicably good that, for the life of me, I can’t put down regardless of what I'm doing, or where I am. Bill Bryson’s “A Short History Of Nearly Everything” is just such a book.

An absolute ‘must read’ for any person remotely interested in science and how we evolved to be who (and where) we are. It's a dazzling journey, an intellectual odyssey of a lifetime, as this book attempts to understand and explain everything that has transpired on our little blue planet; from the Big Bang to the rise of civilization. Or, as the author so elequantly puts it "...how we went from there being nothing at all to there being something, and then how a little of that something turned into us, and also what happened in between and since."

With each page turned, I find myself mesmerized, stealing time here and there just to read another passage; a mad rush to absorb all the astonishing wonder on offer between its covers. As one review succinctly put it, ‘It moves so fast that it’s science on a toboggan!’ I simply refer to it as mind-blowing and enlightening. Go on, have a read, my copy will be done – all 500 plus pages – barely a week after cracking its cover!

Batting 1000.

A very quick post before the weekend officially blankets us - I just received my marked exam. YEAH BABY, 100%!

So it's Back To School Then!

After more then a decade in the doldrums (not really), it's time to fire up the grey matter and get back to the hustle and bustle of school life. This time through correspondence and almost exclusively online, so no more - well, not for now anyway - late nights spent cramming at UBC's Woodward Library. Now its a fight against time, in that I have a year in which to complete the Real Estate Trading Services Licencing Course!

The plan? To have the course reading complete, all assignments submitted, AND enter the licencing exam by next summer, a little better then 6 months on. Can it be done? Surely. With an entire book filled with multiple choice ditties like:

Which of the following statements concerning disclosure statements in BC is FALSE?
1.) A disclosure statement must be provided by a developer to a buyer where an offer of sale or lease relates to a time share interest in a development unit.
2.) A disclosure statement must indicate that the purchaser has the right to rescind the purchase agreement by serving written notice of the rescission on the developer.
3.) A strata plan must be filed in the land title office or a building permit issued in relation to the strata lot before a strata lot may be offered for sale.
4.) One of the supporting documents which must accompany the disclosure statement is a certificate from a lawyer who is a member of the Law Society of BC confirming that a true copy of the disclosure statement will be delivered to the prospective purchaser or lessee.

Yawn! Add several written assignments to each chapter, and you will quickly understand my trepidation of sticking to my 6 month plan!

Will I have time to do everything I've planned for the coming year AND get my licence? That remains to be seen!

Oh, the answer by the way, is 4. But you already knew that.

House Hunting Thought Du Jour

Who would have thought that I would be looking at a condo that's valued at OVER HALF A MILLION DOLLARS. Does that even make sense? Read that again. Half a million dollars. And you don't own any dirt at that price. What a sad joke.

Allisa and I have looked at over 15 units now, with the vast majority not living up to our lofty standards. One that did stand out was located just off of West 10th and Vine. Great kitchen, beautiful patio space, reasonably nice layout, though the second bedroom was more of an office then a bedroom; its strength lay in the bright and open nature of its layout. Nice, half a million nice? I don't think so.

A new, South Granville development called Shaunessy Mansions clearly didn't fit the bill. New, ultra-modern (read SMALL) design, with....a roof top deck. A few draw backs other then the size? A view of a power-transformer from the bedroom and living room - nice if you're into that sort of thing, goth architecture, and from the impish second bedroom, a view of the common, elevated walkways. Just plain wierd. Who would buy such a monstrousity? Glad to see the week on week price reduction, falling in price close to $50k in the past few weeks. More like this please.

That same night, we took a boo at a craftman style townhome in the 1900 block West 14th, in my mind, among the best locations in Vancouver. Unfortunately, the sub-terrainian feel of this 3 level garden suite had a terribly choppy design, and an overwhelming feel of questionable quality. My rating? 9/10 for Location. 4/10 for execution. Yuck, I'll pass thanks.

So then, what does that leave 'The Townhouse Hunters" with? One of the orginal units we viewed! 1040 West 7th has much of everything we are looking for at a price we can be comfortable with. What, pray tell, is our hesitation then? One minor detail that cannot go overlooked - no dogs are allowed in the complex! Damn them, they haven't even met the Queen.

At this point, you might ask yourself, 'so what exactly are we looking for? If you're spending a lifetime of money, you might as well get as much as you can possibly dream of in a unit, and then some. So, in no particular order, a few of the nicities I, personally, would like to see in a home include (in no particular order):

• Location, location, location (duh!). West of Cambie, please.


• Percieved value at a price point we can afford (read service a mortgage AND go on vacation)


• Proximity to green space & beaches


• Walking distance to civilization (coffee shops, grocery, banks etc)


• A VIEW!


• Rooftop deck (HUGE selling factor for me)


• fireplace


• Good, workable and spacious floorplan


• Initially shows poorly - a chance to exercise Allisa's Queer Eye and her Design Eye

Wow, come to think of it, that dumpy old place on West 7th has many of these items, and has a check mark right next to them! OH, did I mention that the monthly maintenance fees are low as well?

New Thoughts

What's all this Blogging stuff about?
I've read many blogs, some good, some not-so-good. Among my favorite is the Van-Housing Blog, a site that informs consumers about the biggest purchase of their lives - a new home. In Vancouver's uber-charged housing market, who do you believe - the media, taking cues for Developers "BUY NOW, or you'll NEVER get in the Market," Economists "the market is flat, and [slowly] coming back to the buyer," or a combination of the two, sifting through reports with a fine toothed comb?

Sit back, and enjoy the pundits view of the market on Van-Housing Blog. Perhaps not an absolute authority on the market, but very definitely a refreshing alternative to the hype that's become the Vancouver Real Estate market.

What will you find on these pages? It being my first crack at Blogging, I suppose these pages will act as a journey of thoughts, a mish-mash of activity and reports, and when and where appropriate, a picture or two that highlight my days.