Getting more affordable townhomes to market – What would it really take? A recent report, Getting to Goundbreaking (G2G), was produced by the Greater Vancouver Home Builders’ Association (GVHBA) in partnership with the Urban Development Institute and Simon Fraser University’s Urban Studies department. The report examines the residential building approval process for a townhome development to: … Read more
To the consumer a warranty should insure that a product meets their quality expectations, and the word quality is understood to mean the absence of any defect. A warranty usually addresses the integrity of a product and the responsibility for the repair or replacement of defective parts by the supplier. So how is a defect … Read more
While the Olympic Pillage Village was under construction there were TV news clips aired nightly of short cuts being taken to complete the project in time for the athletes. Should it be any surprise that CTV News reported on March 17th, Nicholas Gao and Yoko Chen, who took possession of their $600,000 suite in … Read more
We recently learned of “The Future of Housing”, an upcoming conference being hosted in Metro Vancouver on May 8, 2009, by the Canadian Home Builders’ Association’s BC chapter. The conference will be bringing together a diverse group of builder and real estate insiders to focus on the issues facing the housing market today and into the … Read more
Canada’s Investigative Consumer Show, Marketplace, and Mike Holmes, HGTV’s contractor of Holmes on Homes, collaborated for a CBC episode entitled, “New Home Nightmares“. Although it only scratches the surface, this production demonstrates how the legislative system in Canada is badly broken leaving home buying consumers at the mercy of unscrupulous home builders and developers, and … Read more
http://www2.news.gov.bc.ca/news_releases_2005-2009/2008HSD0079-001459.pdf It is difficult to understand the motivation of our provincial government to throw so much of the housing ministry’s resources into another initiative (this time 6-storey wood frame buildings) that does nothing to improve homeowner protection in BC. How are the same people that can’t build a 4-storey building right, possibly going to achieve … Read more
As a British Columbian outsider I am utterly disgusted reading this article on the plight of the Shuman’s. I have a great deal of difficulty comprehending how a certain percentage of performance value or work disqualifies a claim for sub-standard workmanship or materials. Okay, so it is none of my business poking my BC nose … Read more
For many years the home builders association has been holding seminars for homebuyers at the Sheraton Guildford Hotel. Leaky Surrey hotel at centre of lawsuit -Ted Colley, Surrey Now – Published: Tuesday, August 26, 2008 As a co-founder of the Coalition of Leaky Condo Owners, I along with some of my concerned colleagues attended these … Read more