Real Estate Market Report for March 2025 Home sales registered on the MLS® in Metro Vancouver for March were the lowest since 2019 for the same month, while active listings continued their upward trend. Sales The Greater Vancouver REALTORS® (GVR) reports that residential sales in the region totalled 2,091 in March 2025, a 13.4 percent…
Do the Christmas Day and New Year’s Day holidays have you dreaming of more time off? Good news — 2025 is bringing plenty more statutory holidays, and we’re here to help you plan for them. BC recognizes 11 statutory holidays. If you qualify, your employer must give you the day off or pay you more for working that day. They are: New Year’s Day: Wednesday, January 1 Family Day: Monday, February 17 Good Friday: Friday, April 18 Victoria Day: Monday, May 19 Canada Day: Thursday, July 1 BC Day: Monday, August 4 Labour Day: Monday, September 1 National Day for Truth and Reconciliation: Tuesday, September 30 Thanksgiving Day: Monday, October 13 Remembrance Day: Tuesday, November 11 Christmas Day: Thursday, December 25 Each Canadian province deals with statutory holidays a little differently. Here in BC we don’t get Boxing Day as a statutory holiday, but we do get Remembrance Day. There are plenty of TikTokers sharing tips on how to use the 2025 statutory holidays to your advantage to maximize vacation time from work. Just use caution to make sure their advice matches BC’s statutory holiday schedule. @charlieonhistravels Replying to @Jord ♬ original sound – Charlie on his travels ✈️ Do you qualify for statutory pay? Qualifying employees are supposed to be paid an average day’s wage on a statutory holiday — whether they work or not. The BC government has a handy guide to help you figure out if you qualify. As a general rule, you’re eligible for stat pay if you’ve been employed for 30 calendar days leading up to the holiday and you’ve worked on at least 15 of those 30 days. Some workers are excluded, however. Those include farm workers, nursing students, and managers. Some companies choose to give everyone statutory holiday pay, even if an employee is a new hire or exempt, for payroll simplicity. Does BC have more or less statutory holidays than other provinces? We have a fairly generous amount of statutory holidays here in BC. The only jurisdiction with more than us is the Northwest Territories, with 13 statutory holidays in a given year. Alberta and Ontario only have nine statutory holidays each, and New Brunswick has the fewest with eight statutory holidays. Do you think BC should adopt more statutory holidays? Or do we have enough as it is? Let us know by emailing [email protected]
Home sales registered on the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) in Metro Vancouver rose over thirty per cent in December, compared to the previous year, signalling strengthening demand-side momentum to close out 2024. The Greater Vancouver REALTORS® (GVR) reports that residential sales in the region totalled 26,561 in 2024, a 1.2 per cent increase from the 26,249…
Exciting New Mortgage Rules Effective December 15th Exciting changes to mortgage rules are here! Here’s what you need to know: Key Updates 1. 30-Year Amortizations 2. Higher Price Cap 3. Newly Built Homes Focus • Homes must be owner-occupied and not previously used for residential purposes. What This Means for You
Developer reimagines Capilano Mall with 3,100 homes, 40 storey towers, and new park There will be 11 towers in total and the range of tower heights will vary between 12 and 40 storeys. A massive new redevelopment is planned on North Shore as Capilano Mall is reimagined with more than 3,000 housing units in eleven…
Home buyer demand continues to strengthen in November Home sales registered in the MLS® in the Metro Vancouver1 market rose 28 percent year-over-year in November, building on the momentum of the 30 percent year-over-year increase seen in October. Sales The Greater Vancouver REALTORS® (GVR)2 reports that residential sales in the region totalled 2,181 in November 2024, a…
What You Should Know Before you start looking for a home, it’s important to understand the current real estate market in Vancouver. This gives you an idea of how much a home would cost and how much you would need to save up for. Based on current home prices in Vancouver as of October 2024, the average…
Proposed Anti-Flipping Tax On April 7th, 2022, the federal budget plan proposed a new anti-flipping tax. The tax is imposed on people who own real estate for less than a year. You may lose your Principal Residence Exemption if you buy a primary residence and move for non-exempt reasons. Additionally, if you sell an investment…
There are four main incentive programs for first-time home buyers in Canada: Land transfer tax rebates, which rebate some or all of your land transfer tax. Some municipalities have down payment assistance programs (DPAPs) for first-time homebuyers. The Home Buyers’ Plan which allows you to withdraw up to $60,000 (since April 16, 2024) from your Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) without…
Dance and sing your way into December with these Vancouver concerts! Here are 10 concerts around town to add to your calendar this month, including Taylor Swift, The Funk Hunters, and more. And for more fun things happening around town, be sure to visit our Listed section. Taylor Swift @taylorswift13/X What: The biggest music superstar in the world is finally in Vancouver! Taylor Swift brings The Eras Tour to BC Place for three dates in December, and there are plenty of events and activities for Swifties to enjoy before, during and after the sold-out shows. When: December 6 to 8, 2024 Time: 7 pm Where: BC Place — 777 Pacific Boulevard, Vancouver Elf in Concert What: Elf, one of the most beloved Christmas films of all time, is celebrating a milestone birthday this holiday season in Vancouver. The Will Ferrell comedy classic is getting the live concert treatment at the Orpheum Theatre. Vancouver Symphony Orchestra will bring John Debney’s heartwarming score to life while the film is projected onto a massive 40-foot movie screen. When: December 20 and 21, 2024 Time: 7 pm Where: Orpheum Theatre – 601 Smithe Street, Vancouver Cost: Various prices, purchase online Petunia and the Vipers: Calling Me Back Album Release What: Vancouver’s own Petunia and The Vipers are throwing a huge album release party at The Rio Theatre, and you’re invited. Get ready to party at the “hillbilly-flavoured-swing inflected-ragtime-goodtime-thunderously rolling-one-of-a-kind-you-don’t-want-to-miss-this-sort-of-a-show” while listening to their latest album, Calling Me Back. Featuring special guests. When: December 27, 2024 Time: Doors 6:30 pm, show 7 pm Where: Rio Theatre – 1660 East Broadway, Vancouver Tickets: $20 early bird plus fees, $26 general admission plus fees. Purchase online CP Holiday Train What: The CP Holiday Train rolls into BC this December, bringing lights, music, and holiday cheer to tons of communities across the province. It will be in Metro Vancouver on December 19 and 20. The 26th edition of the beloved holiday tradition will travel across Canada and the US this season to raise money, food, and awareness for local food banks. Attendees at each CP Holiday Train stop will also enjoy a free and festive concert by Juno winners Magic! and fast-rising star Sofia Camara. When: December 19 and 20, 2024 Time: Various times Where: Various locations Cost: Free; donations for the local food bank to help those in need are encouraged Billie Eilish — Hit Me Hard and Soft tour Billie Eilish Live at the O2 (Extended Cut)/Submitted What: Music superstar Billie Eilish is coming to Vancouver this fall on her new world tour, adding to the stacked lineup of artists coming to town. The nine-time Grammy winner will bring the new Hit Me Hard and Soft tour to Rogers Arena on Tuesday, December 3. Vancouver is just one of three Canadian stops on the highly anticipated tour. When: December 3, 2024 Time: 7 pm Where: Rogers Arena – 800 Griffiths Way, Vancouver Tickets: Various prices; purchase online Xmas in Skaville 21 – The Nightmare Before Skaville What: Xmas in Skaville is bringing high-energy holiday cheer to the Wise Hall in December. The lineup for the 21st edition includes Balkan Shmalkan, Brehdren, Mivule, The Wavebirds, and Bobbi-Jo Moore. The show promises to heat up the cold winter’s night, so make sure to bring your dancing shoes. When: December 13, 2024 Time: 7:30 pm Where: The Wise Hall – 1882 Adanac Street. Vancouver Tickets: $25 plus fees in advance, purchase online Vancouver Singing Christmas Tree What: Broadway Church’s 55th Singing Christmas tree is full of songs, drama, dance, and more. This year’s holiday production is themed “The Christmas Rocket” and will treat audiences to performances by singers, an orchestra, dancers, actors, and acrobats. When: December 6, 7, 8 and December 13, 14 and 15, 2024 Time: 7:30 pm (Fridays), 3 and 7 pm (Saturdays and Sundays) Where: Broadway Church – 2700 East Broadway, Vancouver Tickets: Free, register online Contact Winter Music Festival Contact Winter Music Festival What: Contact Winter Music Festival is returning to Vancouver, and some massive stars are coming for the party. Canada’s largest indoor winter music festival is taking over the Vancouver Convention Centre on December 27 and 28. This year’s headliners include multi-platinum and Grammy Award-nominated artist and producer deadmau5 and America’s Best DJ nominee Seven Lions. When: December 27 and 28, 2024 Where: Vancouver Convention Centre — 1055 Canada Place, Vancouver Tickets: Various prices, purchase online The 9th Annual Funk The Halls Featuring The Funk Hunters What: Canadian electronic duo The Funk Hunters are bringing their holiday extravaganza back to their home base of Vancouver. Multi-dimensional artists Nick Middleton and Duncan Smith will be taking to the stage at the Commodore Ballroom for two of the biggest parties of the season with Funk The Halls. When: December 20 and 21, 2024 Time: 8 pm Where: Commodore Ballroom — 868 Granville Street Tickets: Various prices, purchase online Christmas with Chor Leoni What: Chor Leoni is getting festive with its annual Christmas show. The holiday tradition is filled with folk music favourites, ancient chants and modern classics. The program is set to include songs like Silent Night, Joy to the World, Ron Sexsmith’s Maybe This Christmas, and more. When: December 19 to 21, 2024 Time: Various times Where: St. Andrew’s Wesley United Church – 1022 Nelson Street, Vancouver Tickets: Various prices, purchase online