Rare View - 2 bdrm Roof Top BBQ Garden Terrace.

I have sold or viewed a lot of properties in Vancouver and yet never have I seen a property with a view like this, particularly for under $400,000. The view alone is work $50-100,000. I am holding an Open House every Saturday from 2-4 pm. The rare 2 bdrm Penthouse that includes a 360 degree panoramic roof top terrace view of North Shore Mountains & downtown is a steal at $399,000. Includes a $9000 finishing package, all S.S. kitchen appliances and ensuite laundry, plus quality Maple laminate flooring - and just 7 minutes to Downtown Vancouver while only 5 minutes to the freeway & North Shore. This central location cannot beat and great local shopping. Your own private roof top terrace with 252 sq ft, plus a downstairs balcony off the livng room.

Development Opportunity Natal, Brasil

Nestled between the Beach of Tabatinga and the Lagoon of Arituba and only 25km south of Natal, Brazil (Rio grande do norte). Natal will host the 2014 FIFA World Cup and is often referred to as the City of Sun that enjoys 360 days of sunshine year round and an average temperature of 83 F. Considered one of the safest capital cities in Brazil and yet more than any other city in Brazil, Natal also offers easy access to Europe and North America through frequent direct flights from a host of International cities. The beach of Tabatinga is considered by many to be the best region on the North East coast of Brazil with a natural Lagoon that provides for a magnificent sunset. The architectural project provides for 96 condo that include ocean views of the lagoon of Arituba all with in a building lot 8732,00 m2. The condominium is composed with 8 building which 3 floors and 4 apartments in each floor. 64 apartments with large terrace 77,83 m2 total (2 bedrooms with 1 suite,2 bathrooms, American kitchen ,living room). 32 penthouses with private roof terrace and Jacuzzi of 150m2 total (75m2 apartment and 75m2 roof terrace) Facilities condominium: swimming pool, 24h security , parking , sauna, academy, solarium, deck, communal barbecue area and playground.

my real estate report: Terrific Buys, Strong Canadian dollar lures Canadi...

my real estate report: Terrific Buys, Strong Canadian dollar lures Canadi...: "Western Canadian investors armed with a strong dollar are hunting for trophy properties amidst the depressed U.S. commercial real estate ma..."

Terrific Buys, Strong Canadian dollar lures Canadian investors into U.S. commercial real estate.

Western Canadian investors armed with a strong dollar are hunting for trophy properties amidst the depressed U.S. commercial real estate market.

"The loonie's strength at the same time when U.S. real estates are 'on sale' has not occurred in a generation," said Greg McPhie, managing partner of NAI Commercial in Vancouver. This has made the U.S. prime territory as asset prices have fallen and Canada's investment firms have begun hunting for acquisition opportunities.

The examples are many: Canada Pension Plan Investment Board's investments in New York and Washington, D.C. last year, as well as acquisitions by Riocan REIT and Artis REIT that have been matched by smaller investments across the U.S. Sunbelt by Vancouver developer Onni and syndicator Sunstone Realty Advisors Inc.

"California is on that list, but Arizona seems to be where I'm hearing 'Canadian investor' coming up,"said Ross Moore, director of research, North America, for Colliers International. “We’re in that sweet spot window where I think it works for both sides,” Moore explained. “The guys who are selling don’t feel that they’re selling at the absolute bottom, and at the same time I think that the investors who are going down there still feel like they’re getting good value.”

Ed Sonshine, president and CEO of RioCan REIT, said that prices have “snapped back,” on both sides of the border, noting that RioCan dropped out of the bidding for a U.S. portfolio when the price tag rose too high. “You knew prices would come back but I don’t think anybody knew they would come back this quickly.” In Canada, RioCan is looking to development and the recognition that there is not enough space to house the new, mainly U.S. retailers, earket. “There ain’t much vacant space in the retail area in Canada.” As for the U.S., he anticipates corporate opportunities as many rivals there remain capital constrained.

For a full report on Canadians investing in the U.S. commercial real estate market, see the May issue of Western Investor.

Home Buyers and Sellers Enter the Housing Market At Near Record Pace in March

Vancouver, BC - April 4th, 2011 - Activity in the Greater Vancouver housing market continued to increase in March with both the number of homes sold and added to the region's MLS service reaching near record levels. Property sales of detached, attached and apartment properties within the GVRD reached 4,080 in March 2011 and represents a 31.7% increase over the previous year during the same period. Interest rates by the TD bank are expected to increase tomorrow and other lenders are expected to follow.

The Bottom Line

United States

• Risk appetite was on themend this week with stockmarkets recouping all of last week’s losses. Even the disappointing U.S. housing data released this week did not push markets down.

• Existing home sales in February gave up some of their previous gains, but a nascent recovery seems to be taking place as the overall trend remains upwards. In contrast, new home sales do not show any signs of turning around. The divergence in trends is not surprising, as the new market faces fierce competition from foreclosed homes, which
sell at a discount.

• But, this week also delivered some good news about initial jobless claims. The four-week moving average, a less volatile gauge, dropped to its lowest level since July 2008.

Canada

• Three government budgets were on tap this week: federal, New Brunswick, and Saskatchewan. The first (our analysis here) is unlikely to pass, bringing about a likely federal election in early May. The other two offer a stark contrast in provincial fortunes, with a slew of fiscal austerity measures in New Brunswick (our analysis here) while further tax relief was provided in Saskatchewan (our analysis here). With few expectations of either tax relief or sharp austerity,
the Ontario budget, forthcoming on Tuesday (our preview here), will likely sit somewhere in between.

• Canadian retail sales fell by 0.3% M/M in January. Volumes fell by 0.6% M/M. Consumer durables such as vehicles and home-related items led the way down. This was a second consecutive broad-based monthly decline, providing further evidence of consumer fatigue at this stage of the economic recovery – which is a dominant theme in our forecasts. Thankfully, other sources of economic activity such as business investment and exports are still likely to push real GDP growth above 3% in the first quarter.

2011 will be the best time to buy property in the UK, survey reveals

Considerable uncertainty remains in the UK real estate market but the public considers the best time to enter the property market to be within the next year, a new survey suggests.

The immediate outlook for the housing market remains uncertain but 43% believe it is currently a good time to buy property, while 26% think it is not and 24% have no opinion either way, according to the December 2010 Property Tracker survey from the Building Societies Association. This compares with a year ago when 58% agreed it was a good time to buy.

On average, property prices are expected to be flat next year. The median price prediction is for prices to be the same level in a year’s time, although 33% thought that prices would rise, while 36% believed prices would fall in the next 12 months.

The survey also reveals that a substantial proportion believe property remains overvalued with 38% of respondents thought that properties in their area were over priced, with 25% believing that properties were over valued by 10% or more.

However, most people would not wait long to enter the market, if they were able to. Some 59% would buy immediately or within the next year, given sufficient resources, and a further 11% would buy in the following twelve months. Some 12% would wait for two years or more. This suggests that even if prices are due to fall, most people expect them to bottom out within the next one to two years.

‘Although the housing market remains uncertain, the public does not expect house prices to fall as dramatically as they did two years ago. As such, many expect that the best time to enter the market will be in the next year or so,’ said Paul Broadhead, head of Mortgage Policy at the BSA.

‘However, barriers remain that might prevent potential buyers from acting on these perceived opportunities. Worries persist about job security, the ability to raise a deposit, and obtaining a mortgage from lenders. These factors might inhibit demand for house purchase from growing as strongly as it might,’ he added. (Dec. 17th,2010 Property Wire)