News
Published brokerage updates and market posts.
News
Published brokerage updates and market posts.
The City of Vancouver will introduce a standardized Amenity Cost Charge (ACC) on September 30, 2026, adding up to $10 per square foot for high-density residential developments while exempting small-scale rental projects and maintaining 20% DCL reductions, fundamentally changing how growth infrastructure gets funded and which housing types receive preferential treatment.
A 160-acre mountainside parcel on Burke Mountain's southeast flank in Coquitlam sold for approximately $14.47 million in one of Metro Vancouver's largest 2026 land deals, signaling that strategic buyers remain willing to hold long-term positions despite slower large-scale land transaction activity across the region.
A Facebook Marketplace listing from GoTwo Prime Living advertised a Downtown Vancouver 'private room' for $980 monthly, but photos revealed it was a narrow solarium or balcony with a bed, sparking viral outrage on Reddit and highlighting extreme rental market pressures that push landlords toward creative space conversions and leave vulnerable renters at risk of substandard housing.
Powell River–Sunshine Coast real estate board data shows June 2026 single-family sales jumped 34% year-over-year while average prices fell 8.6%, revealing a market where realistic pricing is driving faster sales but year-to-date volume remains 11.5% behind 2025.
The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation distributed $31.7 million in taxpayer-funded bonuses to executives and staff during the housing affordability crisis, raising questions about institutional credibility and political risk for Vancouver buyers relying on CMHC mortgage insurance.
Statistics Canada data reveals that individual investors owning up to five properties control nearly half of British Columbia's rental market value, far outpacing institutional giants like REITs and pension funds. While this fragmented ownership suggests healthy competition, the 2022 assessment data captures a speculative peak that looks markedly different from today's higher-rate environment where some small landlords may face selling pressure.
Downtown Vancouver's office vacancy rate has hit approximately 13%, but two major tower sales and new forecasts suggest the market may be nearing an inflection point by 2029, creating strategic questions for residential buyers watching employment density in Coal Harbour and the West End.
A B.C. Supreme Court judge has denied Montrose Properties' attempt to reopen the landmark Cowichan Aboriginal title case, cementing a ruling that declared approximately 800 acres of Richmond private land "defective and invalid" while suspending the decision for 18 months to allow transitional arrangements.
Richmond's recycling contamination has exceeded provincial limits, triggering mandatory bin audits in July 2026 and potential financial penalties that could flow through to homeowner utility bills. The issue matters for real estate because municipal service costs and compliance burdens increasingly affect carrying costs, tenant expectations, and neighbourhood desirability in multi-family and single-family properties.
JWest Foundation has submitted a revised rezoning application to increase tower heights from 24-26 storeys to 37-39 storeys at 940-950 West 41st Avenue, proposing 630 rental homes—including 20% non-profit operated units—while dropping the originally promised 299 social housing units, with a July 16 public hearing scheduled.
With less than six months until the federal Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians automatically expires on January 1, 2027, Vancouver buyers and developers are watching whether Ottawa will let it lapse, adopt an Australia-style new-build exemption, or extend it again. While economists like BMO’s Robert Kavcic argue the ban’s market impact has been marginal compared to provincial foreign-buyer taxes and interest rates, industry leaders including Beedie, Polygon and Cressey warn that extending it would deepen developer financing stress, and local agents note the real signal will be felt in pre-sale inventory and policy confidence rather than an immediate flood of overseas capital.
The Brunswick Creek wildfire has prompted a third evacuation order near Boston Bar, B.C., affecting the Boston Bar First Nation's IR 2 Kopchitchin area, while two previous orders remain in effect for North Bend and Boothroyd Indian Band. For buyers and owners of Fraser Canyon recreational properties and rural land, the 12.3-square-kilometre human-caused fire highlights escalating climate risks and insurance challenges that are reshaping due diligence requirements in BC's interior corridors.
