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Steve Saretsky -

Steve Saretsky interviews Frances Bula In this episode of #TheSaretskyShow Steve sits down with Frances Bula to discuss all the issues around Vancouver housing. Frances is a highly respected reporter who does a lot of work with The Globe & Mail and has a very loyal following on her blog FrancesBula.com. Frances mostly covers city life and politics. In this interview I keep it strictly to housing in Vancouver. Some of the things we discuss include, the current affordability crisis, has Vancouver always been this expensive? What does Frances thinks about densification and if or what areas she believes should be densified. We also focus on Airbnb in Vancouver and if she feels the two can peacefully co-exist. I’ve discussed before how Airbnb Investments in Vancouver a Cash Cow.  Frances is very well versed on all these topics and her insights were extremely valuable. I hope you are able to gain some good take aways from this interview as well. Shownotes: 0:26 Introduction 2:00 How long have you been running your blog? 3:54 What’s your take on Vancouver housing? 6:15 Have Vancouver prices always been too high? 8:27 What areas in Vancouver need to densify? 13:57 Rezoning Vancouver 17:50 In a

Steve Saretsky -

New Vancouver Housing Group Pushing For Change In this episode of #TheSaretskyShow Steve interviews Justin Fung. Justin is one of the members of the new housing activist group called HALT (Housing Action For Local Taxpayers) HALT is a group comprised of local citizens who are lobbying for changes within the real estate industry. HALT is not just a snob group of renters who want cheap housing prices, in fact, HALT members consist of a majority of homeowners. HALT would like to see more affordable housing options, including more purpose built rentals. In this interview I discuss how the group was formed, who’s in it, and some of the housing issues Vancouver currently faces. To learn more about HALT Vancouver visit https://www.facebook.com/HALTVancouver/ Here are the show notes: 0:45 What kind of housing action do you want to see? 1:15 Do you own a place in Vancouver? 4:40 What does HALT want to see for renters in Vancouver? 5:50 How Can Airbnb co-exist peacefully with the city of Vancouver? 9:15 What’s your background? How does race play into real estate crisis? 12:40 How do people join HALT? 13:10 How do people find HALT online? 14:15 When and where is the upcoming HALT rally?

Steve Saretsky -

QIIP Adding Fuel to Vancouver Housing Crisis In this episode of #TheSaretsky Show Ian Young a well respected journalist for the South China Morning Post and author of the popular Hongcouver blog discusses the Quebec Immigrant Investors program. Ian believes the program, which basically involves selling Canadian passports is not only unethical but is a drain on the economy despite the initial influx of cash. Rich Chinese use the Quebec Immigrant Investors program to come through the backdoor into Vancouver and then purchase expensive real estate. Many of the investors then go on to pay little to no income tax here. Ian Young believes the program should be shut down. This interview was an eye opener and I highly recommend you dive into it. I’ve included the show notes below so you can navigate to the parts that interest you. Show Notes: 0:45 What’s your background and where are you from? 1:57 Do you own real estate here in Vancouver? 3:44 Is Vancouver heading towards a Hong Kong market? 4:44 Did you see any immediate changes to the Hong Kong market when they implemented their 15% tax? 6:01 What do you think is the biggest reason behind unaffordability here in

Steve Saretsky -

Adrian Crook the author of the popular blog 5 Kids 1 Condo sits down with Steve Saretsky In this episode of #TheSaretskyShow Adrian Crook author of 5 kids 1 condo shares a little behind the scenes of his unconventional way of living. Adrian has made headlines all over Vancouver for his popular blog where he talks about what it’s like living in his 3 bedroom Yaletown condo with his 5 kids. What most people would consider absolutely insane he considers it a movement and something that is normal in other areas of the world such as New York and parts of Europe. Adrian is also a role model for future Vancouver families who are coming to terms with leaving the white picket fence behind and taking in all the perks of condo living. In this interview Adrian will also share his thoughts on redeveloping Vancouver, Airbnb, bike lanes, transportation, and the perks of living in Downtown Vancouver. You can read more about his popular blog at http://5kids1condo.com See the show notes below for the 5 Kids 1 Condo Interview Show Notes: 1:55 How many square feet is your condo? 2:09 How long have you been running your blog? 4:05 Why do

Steve Saretsky -

In this episode of The Saretsky Show Steve sits down with Vancouver housing expert Tom Davidoff. Tom is considered the expert on housing and has been highly sought after for his opinions on the subject. I was fortunate enough to sit down with him and share his insights with you. Tom Davidoff shares what he thinks is the only way to cure the Vancouver housing market. Tom also goes on to say without intervention Vancouver will become a playground for the rich and we will see an exodus of families. Time Stamps: 3:53 Do you think people have over extended their risk? 8:18 What is the main driver of sky high prices? 13:10 What is the property surcharge tax and why is it the best solution? 21:15 How does the provincial government feel about the property surcharge tax? 22:22 What were the takeaways from the roundtable discussion with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau? 28:58 What does the future hold for Vancouver if prices keep rising? 32:05 Do you think our economy can withstand any decrease in home values?

Steve Saretsky -

In this episode of The Saretsky Show Steve sits down with the MLA of Vancouver Point Grey David Eby. David Eby discusses Vancouver housing crisis and offers some very strong insight. You will gain a ton of knowledge from this episode. David discusses the issues with Vancouver real estate, foreign investment, speculation, and his plans and suggestions for fixing them. Enjoy 🙂 Time Stamps: 0:56 What is The provincial government doing right now to stop this? 9:17 Do you think the provincial government is doing enough? 13:00 Why do you think the government is so resistant to the property surcharge? 13:46 Do you think large donations to the liberal party are negatively affecting their decision making? 16:51 How do we get Vancouver prices back to within reach for your average family? 20:00 How do we make changes without tanking the economy? 21:54 What’s next for you and your team? 22:58 What are you hoping for come 2017 elections?

Steve Saretsky -

Public Outrage over foreign investment. A recent Vancouver housing study has created a lot of backlash amongst Canadians. The Study released on Monday, tracked home sales in some of Vancouver’s most expensive areas, Of those 172 homes sold , 66% were sold to Chinese buyers. To say Chinese buyers are only snatching up multi-million dollar properties is also false. Take a look around, it’s a trickle down effect. I’ve witnessed it first hand, it’s happening everywhere. This undoubtedly will and should upset Vancouverites. However, it’s important to understand this is not a race issue. This not about blaming a group of people. This is a Government issue. The blame needs to be put on the Government. We have weak immigration and tax policies that allow this to happen. It just so happens that the Chinese have figured this out and they are exposing it and taking advantage of our broken system. Foreign investors are allowed to purchase as many properties as they like. Even tho, back in China in 2006, many Chinese were being priced out of the market by foreign investors. The Chinese government swiftly introduced a law limiting foreign investors to 1 home, strictly for use as a

Steve Saretsky -

Vancouver Realtors stop being cheap. You may think its commonplace among all agents that they are getting professional photography done for their listings. In reality a lot of the agents out there are absolutely dogging it. They are going in to listings and taking pictures themselves. With their own camera. Ive seen better pictures on an iPhone, or even one of those old-school Kodak snap cameras. Heck, I even took better pictures on my Motorola Krazr back in high school.  It is upsetting that the sellers are not holding their realtors accountable. Especially considering they are paying them a big chunk of money. So why are these Realtors cheaping out on something that really only costs about $200. It truly is hard to understand, but it happens, and it happens a lot.   In this video below I included some real life examples of some of these listing photos. Don’t forget that something like 90% of people today are starting their home search online. So if you’re wondering why your home has not sold you might want to take a look at the dark upside down pictures your Realtor is advertising on the MLS.  If any Realtors are reading this

Steve Saretsky -

Why I chose Real Estate. An exclusive video behind the scenes and into my life. #TheSaretskyShow

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Steve Saretsky -

Steve Saretsky interviews Frances Bula In this episode of #TheSaretskyShow Steve sits down with Frances Bula to discuss all the issues around Vancouver housing. Frances is a highly respected reporter who does a lot of work with The Globe & Mail and has a very loyal following on her blog FrancesBula.com....

Steve Saretsky -

New Vancouver Housing Group Pushing For Change In this episode of #TheSaretskyShow Steve interviews Justin Fung. Justin is one of the members of the new housing activist group called HALT (Housing Action For Local Taxpayers) HALT is a group comprised of local citizens who are lobbying for changes within the...

Steve Saretsky -

QIIP Adding Fuel to Vancouver Housing Crisis In this episode of #TheSaretsky Show Ian Young a well respected journalist for the South China Morning Post and author of the popular Hongcouver blog discusses the Quebec Immigrant Investors program. Ian believes the program, which basically involves selling Canadian passports is not...

Steve Saretsky -

Adrian Crook the author of the popular blog 5 Kids 1 Condo sits down with Steve Saretsky In this episode of #TheSaretskyShow Adrian Crook author of 5 kids 1 condo shares a little behind the scenes of his unconventional way of living. Adrian has made headlines all over Vancouver for...

Steve Saretsky -

In this episode of The Saretsky Show Steve sits down with Vancouver housing expert Tom Davidoff. Tom is considered the expert on housing and has been highly sought after for his opinions on the subject. I was fortunate enough to sit down with him and share his insights with you....

Steve Saretsky -

In this episode of The Saretsky Show Steve sits down with the MLA of Vancouver Point Grey David Eby. David Eby discusses Vancouver housing crisis and offers some very strong insight. You will gain a ton of knowledge from this episode. David discusses the issues with Vancouver real estate, foreign...

Steve Saretsky -

Public Outrage over foreign investment. A recent Vancouver housing study has created a lot of backlash amongst Canadians. The Study released on Monday, tracked home sales in some of Vancouver’s most expensive areas, Of those 172 homes sold , 66% were sold to Chinese buyers. To say Chinese buyers are...

Steve Saretsky -

Vancouver Realtors stop being cheap. You may think its commonplace among all agents that they are getting professional photography done for their listings. In reality a lot of the agents out there are absolutely dogging it. They are going in to listings and taking pictures themselves. With their own camera....

Steve Saretsky -

Why I chose Real Estate. An exclusive video behind the scenes and into my life. #TheSaretskyShow

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The Saretsky Report. December 2022