Yesterday I was doubting the justice system, having to sit in Court through several foreclosure proceedings before getting to Finch Hill. Invariably the owners blamed the appraiser (too low) and the work of the realtor. I represented the lenders who luckily had the best foreclosure lawyer : Andrew Bury.Still when my turn came I was not prepared for the avalanche of lies by the owner’s lawyer. But I guess judges are used to all this. Judge Melnick decided to read the affidavits over night and this morning at 9:30 he read his ruling. A beauty. The house is sold. Sadly not to the first bidder who had put so much time and money into this purchase. He lost by a few thousand dollars to a second bidder. The most beautiful thing was hearing an apology from Mr. Taylor (Hamouth’s lawyer) in front of everybody! He came to me, introduced himself, and said ” Ms. Hartree, I want to apologize for the things that I said yesterday. I have only heard good things about you. But it was my job…” It totally compensated for yesterday - all of yesterday.

We are up to 385 listings in West Van. 89 sales in January/ February and early March. Not bad. My 2277 Inglewood sold in a heart beat for $2150,000. Lots of offers on 2273 Mathers but the seller is waiting for her price. We got close but not there yet. It is an architect designed home in Dundarave with a panoramic view, walls of glass, throughtfully designed so that you can see the view from every angle in every room (we call it the Glass House). Warm floors - a pleasure to show in the winter and cool air conditioning in the summer. A few updating touches and it would be amazing…Millions of showings on my listing on Kings. An outstanding home with top quality design by Gordon-Collins, stunning landscaping by Paul Shanga…a very rare combination at the asking price of $2495,000. A few offers but the best one had the wrong closing dates.

Coming from a family of Academics I must say that a carier in real estate took some time adjusting to. I remember early days - 25 years ago - when my very smart manager Tony Astles sent me to do open houses with classy ethical realtors so that I could have the correct associations in my mind. Then I took motivational courses, the best being Tony Robins and Brian Tracy. Still today I enjoy Brian Tracy’s daily e-newsletters and his quote of the day. Today’s newsletter is about the Four Rules of Time. I love the concept “Time cannot be saved . In fact time can only be spent - all you can do is spend it differently”. What a concept. Forgetting other areas and just sticking to business - every day I have several tasks to chose from - between showing my listings to other realtors with their buyers, or sending my wonderful associate Ian Eggleton, doing evaluations…showing homes to my buyers…spending a whole day in Court (today), and going back tomorrow, because I chose to take a foreclosure listing on Finch Hill - which I had to show personally about 60 times in the past 9 months -meanwhile foregoing a whole number of other tasks that might at least have been financially rewarding…

I always watch the Olympics for the inspiring value of the athletes. This time I feared 17 days of traffic gridlock and almost left the country. I’m so glad I stayed! Nothing prepared me for the energy of the crowds simply walking by Canada Place and Robson Square, all the amazingly inspiring stories and performances and the awsomness of a Nation celebrating . The World celebrating. After our Gold in hokey today I got e-mails from all over the world! CTV did an amazing job broadcasting not only the games and events but also the feelings ! It was pure beauty. Down to the gorgeous studio at Canada Place and Brian Williams impecable in his Armani suits. All with the most glorious natural backdrop of Coal Harbour and the North Shore moutains! Soooo beautiful. Gold medal to CTV !Can’t believe it’s over…

We are up to 353 listings in West Van. My Dundarave listings are getting about 3 showings a day. And even some offers… that are not accepted…
However land in Dundarave is again attracting multiple offers. I went to see 2302 Palmerston when it was first open for realtors. Side split, probably a tear down by most standards, great view…asking $1495. Sold for $1605.
Nothing compared to a 33 ft lot with a livable house on 2727 W 13th in Kits.
Listed at $1488, sold with - 27!!! offers- for $1800.
I did a search of January sales in Vancouver West, every single one was sold way over asking! What is with West Vancouver, our lots are double the size, at least, most with great views…What is the problem with crossing Lions Gate???

Once in a while I do think about the price of gold, even more so when so much new money is being printed and inflation fears may be justified. I remember the early 1980’s when gold went up to $800, gas was scarce and inflation was rampant. This is 30 years later. What happened to gold? It is trading around the $1000 mark ,up and down every day. Any property purchased 30 years ago has gone up at least 400%. And you can live in it, rent it out, grow veggies…I have to agree with Warren Buffett on this. There is no gold standard. “Gold gets dug out from the ground, then we melt it down, bury it again and pay people to stand around and guard it. Anyone watching from Mars would be scratching their head” I love his way of expressing ideas simply. My simple idea for the day: When in doubt - buy real estate.

The number of listings in West Van is creeping up from 275 in early January to 330 today. It’s normal for this time of year - listings that were cancelled in December are now back. There are some really new ones like my listing at 935 Highland - ideal for 2 families!

I hear a lot of criticism in the media about government spending. It’s something that bothers me . Where do these people think the money is going? Government spending creates jobs, keeps businesses going, it is the one stimulus that keeps going even when the private sector is struggling…The Olympics - think of all the new infrasture and all the jobs created during construction… That’s just one example.

This is amazing. Only a year ago we were struggling with 600 listings in West Van and a frozen market. I had 25 listings in January 08. Now I have 4! And 2 of those received several offers that were not accepted. 2 showings/day on average on each listing. It’s a strong sellers’ market. But nothing available for my buyers…

I must admit that I thought buyers would be avoiding pre-sales for quite a while. Assignments are still unsellable. However, the Mark by Omni , on the corner of Pacific and Seymour sold 76% this weekend with line ups for 2 days (and nights) ! Omni was the first developer to understand that prices had to come down and jump started the market earlier this year by getting rid of all their unsold inventory all over the Lower Mainland.at 40% discounts .Now they are pricing at a level that clearly attracts a lot of activity. Major point - the market is price/value sensitive, but ready to jump in.
In West Van the first sign of recovery to peak prices is in Dundarave, followed by mega newer homes (over 9000 sq ft) on large lots. Older homes on over 20,000 sq ft level lots are also selling fast, as are older homes with panoramic views. It’s time to buy quality at prices that are still below peak prices in early 08 .