Mayan Culture Alive and Well at Royal BC Museum

Did you know there are more than six million people in Guatemala who continue to practise Maya traditions and speak Maya languages? The Mayan culture is alive and well, and guest curator Nikolai Grube will open a Mayan exhibit on Friday, May 17 at the Royal B.C. Museum to feature the largest collection of Maya artifacts outside of Guatemala. 

The immersive experience will include jungle sounds, videos featuring the 30 Mayan languages still spoken today, and many jade stone and textile artifacts that have never been displayed before. Enjoy the world premier of “MAYA - The Great Jaguar Rises” on from May 17th – December 31st, 2019.

More info: https://royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/visit/exhibitions/maya

Canadian Real Estate Sales Rise Over 4 Per Cent in April

Canadian real estate sales climbed out of its multi-year low hit last year.  CREA reported 48,461 sales in April, up 21 per cent from the month before. This represents an increase of 4.2 per cent when compared to the same month last year. For context, it’s a 9.96 per cent decline compared to April 2017. Most of the increase was a partial offset from the huge drop made last year. Over the past 5 years, April 2018 was the only month with fewer sales.

B.C. real estate markets have not followed the national trend. Vancouver real estate had the biggest declines in Canada with 1,850 sales in April, down 29.7% from last year. Vancouver had also seen sales decline 48.9% last year, when compared to the year before. Fraser Valley had the second largest drop with 1,308 sales in April, down 18.9% from last year. Last year the Valley had also seen sales decline 38.8% from the year before. In Victoria, April 2019 sales were at 665, a 10.1 per cent drop from April 2018 which saw 740 sales, and a 21.5 per cent drop from the year before which saw 847 sales.

Source: https://creastats.crea.ca/natl/index.html

Buying Investment Real Estate? Four Things to Know

Positive cash flow property is a safer investment

A positive cash flow property makes money in two ways: appreciation and rental income. On average, through the ups and downs, real estate has appreciated at around 5 per cent per year. Rental income that leaves you with a positive cash flow after expenses is important. Properties that do not rent out for enough to cover your costs, also called a “negative gearing” will eventually make money when they are sold for a lump sum but are more difficult to manage. Building real estate wealth is often a long-term plan (unless you’re renovating and flipping). You don’t want to be in a position where you’re forced to sell due to financial hardship. Cashflow really is king.

Passive income can’t be beat

While real estate isn’t quite passive income (defined as making money even when you are not working), it is certainly an excellent way to leverage wealth over time. To be profitable in real estate investing, rental income should exceed total expenses and generate excess cash returns.  This will give you a financial cushion you can count on for operational costs, your major repairs fund and management expenses if you choose to hire that out instead of doing it yourself. There’s no better feeling than making a few extra dollars to pay for a better lifestyle or to put towards more investments.

Raise that rent!

Some real estate investors do not raise the rent on a yearly basis, though they should. That’s because the costs of maintenance, repairs, and the cost of living all increase. If you keep your rental property in good shape, it will be worth the value and your renters will usually be happy living there. Your major expenses such as the mortgage payments, will stay relatively the same, so higher rental income means more cash flow returns earned per month. Build towards financial freedom.

Build wealth over time.

Real estate investing will always be in demand, and it will never go out of style. It’s an excellent asset to own and a good way to build wealth and long-term financial security. You build your equity through time and eventually gain full ownership of the rental property. If you choose, you can use this equity against buying more real estate to build your real estate business and diversify your portfolio. Make sure you consult your financial adviser and lawyer. And take the time to contact Jane Logan to learn how to find the right rental property before you make a purchase.

A Perfect Spring for Gardeners!

Delay in the onset of warm weather has delivered an extended period of perfect conditions for seeding and transplanting hardy flowers and vegetables. Not too hot. Not too cold. A Goldilocks Spring. According to Helen Chesnut’s Garden Notes in Times Colonist, the long, cool spring is ideal.

Read the T.C. article online: https://www.timescolonist.com/homes/helen-chesnut-s-garden-notes-long-cool-spring-ideal-for-seeding-transplanting-1.23811771

Renovating to Improve Your Home Value?

NB: Prices quoted in this article are from Clayton DeKorne, chief editor of the JLC Group and not from Jane Logan.

Homeowners who want to maximize the appraisal value of their home should think about outside space. Renovating kitchens and bathrooms do improve values, but curb appeal and outdoor spaces are extremely important too. Clayton DeKorne, chief editor of the JLC Group, (Journal of Light Construction) has four recommendations for outdoor upgrades to help maximize your home’s value:

Garage door replacement

Average cost: $3,611 - Average resale value: $3,520 - Cost recouped: 97.5 percent

A good-looking garage door tops the list when it comes to getting cash back on your investment when you decide to sell your house, according to the 2019 Cost vs. Value report. The estimate for this job is based on the cost of removing and disposing of an existing 16-by-7-foot garage door (or two-car garage door) and replacing it with a new four-section garage door with heavy-duty galvanized steel tracks, assuming the motorized garage door opener is compatible. This curb-appeal enhancer will get you back almost every dollar you spent on it when you sell your house.

Manufactured stone veneer

Average cost: $8,907 - Average resale value: $8,449 - Cost recouped: 94.9 percent

Replacing vinyl siding with stone veneer on part of your home, such as an entryway, is a big curb-appeal upgrade for your home. For this project, existing vinyl siding is replaced with adhered manufactured stone veneer. This average cost estimate is based on installing 36 linear feet (LF) of sills, 40 LF of corners and one address block, with materials including two layers of a water-resistant barrier, corrosion-resistant lath and fasteners and more. This cosmetic improvement and accent design element can catch the eye of a potential buyer and can allow you to recoup an estimated 95 percent of renovation costs.

Deck addition

Average cost: $13,333 - Average resale value: $10,083 - Cost recouped: 75.6 percent

If you own a house with a big yard, a wooden deck can be an extra enhancement to enjoy the outdoors around your home. The average cost of adding a new wooden deck (estimated based on a 16-by-20-foot deck, including a railing system with pressure-treated wood posts, railings and balusters) is approximately $13,333.

Siding replacement

Average cost: $16,036 - Average resale value: $12,119 - Cost recouped: 75.6 percent

Old, dilapidated siding can make even the nicest house look worn-out. For the average home, replacing 1,250 square feet of old siding will cost you just over $16,000 and you’ll get back roughly three-quarters of that investment upon resale.

Source: https://www.jlconline.com/how-to/exteriors

Bicycles for Humanity

It’s springtime, and the bikes are coming out! Do you have an old or extra bike you or your family are not using anymore? The local grassroots group Bicycles for Humanity has collected 300 bicycles and have room for about 150 more to fill a shipping container headed for Africa. This will be the 11th shipment since the group started the project in 2009. Two container loads have gone to Namibia, two to Uganda and six have gone to Malawi. If you have a spare bike, consider sending it to Africa. You’d be amazed how much a bike will change lives!

More details: http://b4hvictoria.blogspot.com

CMHC’s Report on Canadian Real Estate

The Canadian Real Estate Association recently rated the national housing market as only moderately vulnerable for the first time in over two years. The national House Price Index (HPI) declined by 0.5 per cent in March, its biggest decline since 2009. But there were wide variances across the country. The HPI was up by more than five per cent on Vancouver Island, in Montreal, and in the Ontario markets of Ottawa, Guelph and the Niagara area. Conversely, it fell by more than five per cent in Greater Vancouver, in British Columbia's Lower Mainland and Barrie, Ont. Patrick Perrier, deputy chief economist, said the report is good news for Canadians. "What we want is a soft landing rather than a crash landing."

Sources:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/crea-house-price-march-1.5098120
https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/cmhc-housing-vulnerability-market-assessment-1.5119932