Large inventory of homes? Does that mean all the sellers want out of this 'burg? Kinda like a large inventory at a Richie Bros. auction? Another "positive" sign? Read between the lines, folks.

"The average MLS® residential price in the B.C. Northern region ( which includes Prince George) is forecast to increase 2.7 per cent to this year to $217,500 and a further 3% in 2011 to $224,000." Now that is a real knee slapper. Housing prices are cratering and everyone knows it. The article just said there is a large inventory of homes meaning no one is selling and then they say housing prices are going up. Trying to spur people to buy by saying that housing is going up. Talk out of both sides of your mouth much?

Who writes this jibba jabba? Better yet who believes it?

These housing stories make me laugh. This is nothing more than an industry trying to bolster itself. So....3 of 4 experts quoted in the globe and mail pointed to an overqall flattening of the cdn market while the 4th said we are in a bubble. Given N BC's uncertain economic future (pipeline? Mines? First nations? Fibre market?) I don't think anyone can make the claims presented in this article. PS didn't we hear yesterday that the economic recovery was slowing more than predicted?

Turtle's hit the nail on the head! Next thing you'll be telling us yet again that the oeaky condo epidemic is over/has peaked/never happened/only affected low-rise stucco complexes. Who do you think you're fooling?

NEW! The Owner's Guide to B.C. Condominiums - 2010 - a scathing 21-page review of strata governance in the wild, wild west in the midst of a decades-old leaky condo epidemic. What to know about inspection, maintenance, major repairs, strata tenants and how to interpret gaps in strata records, which often reveal little or nothing about the building's true state of repair, a section on strata bullying and a formula to help buyers negotiate a reasonable offer. Based on more than seven years in the toxic trenches of condo conflicts and a third-rate legislative scheme favoring developers and investors, absent landlords - everyone but the owners and tenants who actually live within the strata corporation. More about the report - http://www.askbiblitz.com/condo-guide.php

I wrote the thing in response to an increasing number of inquiries at http://www.bccondos.ca about strata bullying, which is quite often a police matter, which is news to many owners, but also because the province for some reason is flogging the services of useless for-profit advocacy outfits, such as the Condo Home Owners Association (CHOA) and now something called the B.C. Arbitration & Mediation Institute (BCAMI), a high-priced subscription-based provider of ADR services, which are, in my view, of little or no practical value in resolving condo disputes. Obviously, I want to sell the report, which is a very practical guide to B.C.'s shark-infested condo market, as well as information/research services, something lawyers should but do not find sufficiently profitable at anything less than their rock star/Wall Street banker rates.

Leo Biblitz, founder
former leaky condo owner
ASKBiblitz.com
Email: leo@askbiblitz.com

I am sorry, but we are not in leaky condo market area. That is predominately a lower mainland problem.

How often does one have to explain that dwelling units of whatever type are not just put on sale because someone is moving out of town. There are many other reasons including:

1. upsizing
2. downsizing
3. moving to rural area
4. moving to the lake
5. moving to the city
6. moving accross town
7. moving to a newer house
8. moving to an older character house
9. moving to a house with fewer stairs
10. moving to a house with less garden
11. moving to a house with more garden
12. moving to a house with a view
13. moving to a house closer to work
14. moving to a house with parking for a motor home
15 ...... 173 more reasons ......

People in North America are typically antsy and disatisfied. Realtors like that.

I think Garth Turner's post on his blog today is a fairly good assessment of the present state of the housing market in Canada.

http://www.greaterfool.ca/2010/07/31/market-forecast/

HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, The real estate book is heavier and thicker than the local paper. That probable doesn't include what has been abandoned.

First House in Vancouver was my yearly Income in the late 1960, something has really gone wrong, I think Garth Turner got it right

Charles, I made the following post on your favourite site.

"The lorry with the loos on it looks like it will not make the underpass. In fact, it is an optical illusion resulting from a 2D image of a 3D (actually 4D) event.

As with stats, you can make images appear to be whatever you want them to be."

If you read all the posts on there, you will understand why my comment on the image at the top. The image is spin or a lack of visual perception just as the article is spin about spin or a lack of understanding of the subject matter.

These are volatile times and those people who make predictions, whether they are Realtors or opinion bloggers, will get things wrong more often than not.

As they say, wait a while and things will change. In the meantime, keep a sense of humour when you read predictions by so called experts and that includes the likes of the Garth Turners of this world.