My East Van Blog

New rules for HST rebates on new homes

(December 17, 2012)

The government has newly released updated rules on the transition from HST to PST on newly built homes. April 1, 2013 is the date set for the returning PST, however the government does not want buyers and builders to wait until April 1, 2013 to save on the taxes. These rules are suppose to help "mitigate distortive market behaviours". 

Here's a quick summary:

  • BC’s portion of the HST will no longer a... read more.

A New Year. Cheers to Magic, Dreams & Good Madness.

(December 13, 2012)

It may be because I'm a parent now or perhaps it's just my getting older that the year seems to go by so quickly. I'm often stunned by the rapidity of it. When New Year approaches my mind scrambles to figure out if I've done all the things I wanted to do, such as read, write, create.... I came across this quote by Neil Gaiman, and it really resonated with me. It's a fabulous reminder to be present... read more.

Mortgage Rates to Stay Low

(December 09, 2012)

The Bank of Canada is keeping its interest rate at 1% for the remainder of the year. What does that mean for us? Mortgage rates will likely stay at historically low rates for another year.

The central bank's latest take on the economy is that conditions have weakened somewhat since it last reported in October, but that at least some of that is due to temporary factors. The Bank continues to hint t... read more.