Home Sales Drop in January. Average Prices Increase Slightly.

The Vancouver Sun has reported that the number of homes sold in Canada dropped 5.2% over the reported numbers from January of 2012. News, however, was mixed across the country. About half of markets reported better number than in December 2012, with continued bad news in Vancouver bringing down the national average.

The national average sale number remains impressive, rising a steady two percent to $354,754 from a year ago. Of course, excluding inflation, the price is holding the same, but at least your average investor should be holding their own during this environment.

Cheers, and Happy Investing.

Canadian Real Estate Attracting More Chinese Investors. Real Estate Agents and Developers Target Mainland China.

Condo developments in Vancouver are selling out in mere hours as thousands of Chinese immigrants and investors are using them to make and store their money. Smart local real estate agents and developers are targeting people in mainland China in the hopes of attracting some of their capital as many Chinese citizens are becoming enamoured with the concept of real estate development and ownership. By including Chinese-specific media and targeting their marketing at mainland consumers, western-Canadian condominium developers are making a fortune. 

According to Landcor Data Corporation, an astounding 74 percent of buyers for recent luxury developments in Richmond and Vancouver were from Mainland China. Many of the investors do not even rent out or live in their units, preferring simply to leave them vacant as a store of value in a country and region that they see as safe, reliable, and politically stable. 

Toronto also is attracting significant foreign investment in real estate. A recent Etobicoke development called Westlake was largely snapped up by Mainland Chinese investors. To attract more investment, a number of realtors are opening offices in Beijing and Hong Kong to be closer to their target markets. 

For more information on this topic, check out the Globe and Mail.

Happy Investing : )