South Surrey – Hazardous Tree Removal   From March 1, 2012 through July 20, 2012, B.C. Hydro will be conducting powerline tree pruning and hazardous tree removals in the South Surrey area. The boundaries of the service are:   North to 32nd Ave South to 0 Ave East to 200th St West to 168th St   Downed trees and tree branches can cause power interruptions, so it’s important to trim or remove these hazards. Skilled B.C. Hydro workers are trained in tree care, as well as electrical safety, and ensure the pruning or tree removal follows best arboriculture practices.  Read more about B.C. Hydro’s Vegetation Maintenance programs.   Home owners are cautioned that it is extremely dangerous to attempt to remove trees or branches near or touching power lines! 03/02/2012

Fun at the Clova Cinema – Cloverdale B.C.’s Historic Theatre       Since 1947, the iconic Clova Cinema has provided an entertainment outlet for Langley and Surrey residents.  From the first Humphrey Bogart movie presented to its modern day offerings, the Clova has been a “go to” movie theatre for families, first dates and long-time movie lovers alike.   This unique theatre offers B.Y.O.C. (Bring Your Own Container) for popcorn, matinee door prizes and special pricing for “Special People”.  Each week the Clova posts who is “special” and eligible for $5 off the ticket price – make sure you check their website!  In honor of the movie Warhorse, from Feb 17-23 the “special people”, are people pictured riding a horse.  In the horse capital of B.C. I'm sure there are many folks that have pictu... 02/21/2012

Market Report - Housing Price Index - Nov 2011 – Langley & Surrey, BC   The Housing Price Index (HPI) for the Fraser Valley for November 2011 has recently been released by the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board (FVREB).  The HPI is based on reported sale prices for the constituent cities and neighborhoods, and averaged by region.  The HPI reflects changes compared over time, from one month to five years ago.    Langley and Surrey are included in the Vancouver Census Metropolitan Area, and the housing market in southwestern British Columbia has benefited from a number of key drivers, including continued low mortgage rates, stable economic conditions, job growth, demographics (young, first-time buyers) migration (17% of new immigrants are homeowners within 6 months of arrival). At a recent C... 12/15/2011

If you want to be highly successful in this business, you have to be totally professional and your goal should be to get a reputation for being at that level. Real estate is a serious business and must be treated accordingly. When people are buying or selling real estate, they are putting their trust in you. I would not sell a house to a client that I wouldn't sell to my family or friends. You've got to have integrity and focus on building relationships with clients. Here are 7 steps that you must follow to have a highly successful real estate career. 1 - Have a business plan. Respect the business. 2 - Must work with a highly successful Real Estate Coach. 3 - Educate and train yourself continually. 4 - Embrace technology. We're in a technological revolution. Be a new school realtor. 5 -... 03/07/2011

Bob Dominick a long time Surrey resident and President and CEO of Lightyear Digital Theatre is said to have acquired the legendary Charles Aidikoff Screening Room - @ 150 Rodeo Dr. in the heart of Beverly Hills.  Lightyear recently contributed $50,000 to a theater at SFU Surrey A recent demonstration at SFU by Lightyear Digital showed how digitization of motion picture technology permits theaters to carry out enhanced and interactive educational programming. Lightyear Digital Theatre is launching a roll out of unique high defination 3D digital theatres from Surrey, BC. Compact Interactive Theatre (CIT), the business model adopted by Lightyear Digital (www.lightyeardigital.com) will blend  live events, theater, screened media, and digital technology to open a whole new world of exception... 08/08/2010

BC improves  access to Foreign Immigration : The demand for highly skilled graduates is rising in the province of British Columbia with over 95,000 jobs openings anticipated by 2020. Highly skilled labor is vital for the province to keep up in the future needs. One way of meeting this deed is attracting international post secondary students into the work force . A three -year Pilot project by the province of B.C. will enable graduates from B.C.  masters and PhD Programs. in natural , health, and applied science to apply for immigrant status before receiving or accepting a full time offer for employment eliminating the need to wait for a job offer. B.C. is well positioned to tap into this market as it has more foreign students per capita than any other province. Other changes to this pro... 08/02/2010

 Pitt Meadows has banned everything. In it's bylaws it has banned  massage parlors, strip joints, X-rated video stores, nuclear power plants, hydroponic retail outlets, used car lots, including giant advertising icons on top of buildings. Now they are all set to ban medical marijuana production for personal use, despite the fact production of cannabis for medicinal purposes is legal, when sanctioned by Health Canada. However, Individuals holding proper permits from Heath Canada can grow marijuana for medical consumption. Patients can obtain a permit from Health Canada allowing them to possess marijuana to alleviate symptoms associated with cancer, multiple sclerosis, HIV/AIDS, severe arthritis and spinal cord injuries and disease. Health Canada also issues a separate permit required to ... 07/21/2010

New residential rental property or Investor Rebate In 2000, the GST New Residential Rental Property Rebate (aka the GST Investor Rebate) was introduced for investors who buy or build new residential housing.  The HST will include a similar rebate, with the same monetary thresholds, tax rates and maximum rebate as the B.C, new housing rebate.  The B.C, HST investor rebate will also include the two 1-year qualifying conditions in the GST investor rebate program:  (a) landlords owning the property for a year; and (b) the first tenant being 'reasonably expected' to occupy it for a year.  Due to these two qualifying conditions, builders can't credit investors/buyers with the GST investor rebate on closing. Instead, investors must pay the amount of the "lost rebate" to the builder as a closin... 06/26/2010

1. Residential Tenancies : Exempt from HST.  i.e. Residential landlords can not claim HST .As a result landlords will face significantly higher cost under HST. 2. Realtor commission is subject to HST of 12%. 3. Mortgage broker Fee exempt form HST. so status quo applies, but I have heard Rumors of The government want to tax financial services. Hope it remains a rumor. 4.New homes are the ones Most Affected by HST. Get Ready here is the Big One. As of July 1st 2010  12% TAX will be charged on the entire purchase price of any new home or condominium.  less any Applicable rebates. This is how it is going to work or it is supposed to work.  First remember the figure $525,00 Less than 350,000 :    Full Federal (GST) New housing rebate (36% of the 5% of the price). Full B.C HST new housing reb... 06/22/2010

The City of Surrey continues to foster strong economic growth through capital investment and strategic partnerships, and  focus on supporting the expansion and investment in clean technology industries, announced Mayor Dianne Watts in her State of the City Address. Watts unveiled Phase 2 of the City of Surrey’s Economic Investment Action Plan.  The new six-point plan will reinforce Surrey’s position as a premier investment location and leader in the sustainability sector. “The recession has been a catalyst for change and we had to re-examine the way we conducted business,” added Watts. “With the lowest business taxes in the region, Surrey has always been a good place to invest. But, we want to make sure that we’re doing everything possible to encourage new job-creating investments.  Su... 04/12/2010

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I (and some PRES students) had the pleasure of assisting with staging a home for Janet William's home seller. We staged the townhome a week ago and the client has just accepted an offer! The home seller is a single mom who has worked all her life and she admitted focussed more on what the children needed than her own needs. Seems a sad but true tale, and we are hoping once women see how to live differently they will make similar changes when they move. With the money from the sale of the home it would be awesome if they did spend some on themselves Janet is the owner of MagicHomeStaging.ca.   ! 01/28/2010

WHAT IS YOUR HOME WORTH IN SURREY? With access to the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) data I will provide you with what youneed to: Gauge how the market is trending  Find out what sold most recently and for how much         Understand how homes compete on price with other properties selling in the area  View homes for sale with photos to better assess the market conditions ... and answer any pressing questions youmay have. MLS Market Snapshot  FOR  SURREY? 10/26/2009

FINALLY! Expansion of the skytrain track INTO Surrey!  I'm so glad to read this in the latest board newsletter.  I've been a resident of Surrey ever since moving here from Singapore in 1992 & I've always felt that the transit system could be more efficient.  I've been spoilt in Singapore where there's an AMAZING transit system - SMRT Singapore mass Rapid Transit.  I LOVE IT!  It takes less than an hour to get from one end of the island to the other end.  North to South or East to West.  A high speed train every couple minutes, frequent buses, everything is walk-able & LOW cost.  They're always building & expanding the line to make it more accessible - "a necessary investment".  I remember how I reacted when I found out how much transit cost in this country & I still don't understand why... 02/20/2008

Due to the recent flood threat, a Surrey staff report has urged city council to endorse a policy of limiting future urban and suburban development in the municipality’s flood- prone areas. Large sections of Surrey are located in floodplains. Most of these areas are part of the agricultural land reserve and zoned agricultural. But there have recently been a large number of applications for development on the fringe areas of the floodplains — proposals that would require the placement of fill in order to maximize land use. The report from Paul Hamm, Surrey’s engineering department general manager, said development in these areas would clash with the city’s policy of allowing controlled flooding for agricultural purposes. The report said that city infrastructure, including roads and sanita... 06/14/2007