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Frank O’Brien, Western Investor, September 2008

As Western Canadian housing prices laddered up incredible level after another, and as rental rates tightened to zero per cent vacancy, the call went out for government to create affordable housing.

That is now possible due, ironically, to the greed that created both the boom and the current downturn.

Just months ago, people were camping overnight clutching brochures and afraid they would miss the chance to spend $600 per square foot for a city condominium or a suburban rancher.

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Dermot Mack, Western Investor, September 2008

According to the Kootenay Real Estate board, the dollar volume of MLS sales processed surpassed the billion-dollar barrier for the first time ever in 2007, exceeding $1.13 billion, a 34 per cent from a year earlier. A study by Landcor Data Corp. found that Kootenay buyers are primarily from Alberta, which accounted for 67 per cent of all real estate buyers in 2007; half of these from Calgary.

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Peter Mitham, Western Investor, September 2008

The activity is a sign of the promise the line holds for property owners and developers throughout the Lower Mainland.

The potential is obvious. From 1986 to 2007, the value of land within 500 metres of SkyTrain stations increased 628%, according to a survey by Landcor Data Corporation, compared with 352% for other land in host municipalities during the same period. The study also found that multi-family housing starts in the 10 years after SkyTrain’s Expo line opened increased by more than 600% near such key stations as Surrey’s Gateway,

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Kerry Gold, Special to The Globe and Mail, August 29, 2008

VANCOUVER — Big parts of Vancouver are grousing about the Canada Line, and much of the Lower Mainland is fretting about real estate prices – except for those with property along the Canada Line.

Construction of the new light-transit line could give a big boost to the value of real estate along its flanks, says a report by Landcor Data Corp.,

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Alan Campbell, Richmond News, August 22, 2008

Investing in real estate within 500 metres of three of Richmond’s new Canada Line stations could spark a cash bonanza.

A report released this week by real estate experts Landcor Data Corporation predicts it might take a few years for property values to increase substantially.

But the report adds that Richmond’s current plans for urban villages near the stations makes the city more prepared than anywhere along the line for the arrival of the Canada Line.

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Derrick Penner, Vancouver Sun, August 21, 2008

History suggests the Canada Line rapid transit corridor could spur a post-2010 Olympics residential growth spurt around its stations for decades after the Games, according to a research report released this week.

It is the patterns of development that sprouted around SkyTrain’s Expo Line that also point to the Canada Line’s potential, Landcor Data Corp. said in its report.

Landcor also found that Squamish recently has also received an infrastructure-aided boost to its real estate market with improvements to the Sea to Sky Highway,

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Jeff Nagel, Surrey North Delta Leader, August 21, 2008

Construction of new SkyTrain lines around Metro Vancouver will spur dense real estate development and drive nearby property prices up, a new report predicts.

Landcor Data Corp. concludes sharp price gains along SkyTrain’s Expo Line since 1986 was due to the rapid transit line’s arrival – and the same trend will likely play out along the Canada Line in Vancouver and Richmond.

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Nathan Vanderklippe, Financial Post, Tuesday, August 19, 2008

VANCOUVER —It doesn’t take much of an eye to see that Capes Lake, a 5,100-hectare plot deep in the heart of Vancouver Island, is a magnificent piece of property. The size of Bermuda, its wooded stretches encompass a waterfall, lakes and alpine meadows in such pristine seclusion that its current owners call it the Garden of Eden.

But for TimberWest Forest Co.,

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Marty Hope, Calgary Herald, Saturday, August 16, 2008

Whether it’s a lakeside home, mountain retreat, or golf course bungalow, B.C. continues to be the playground of many Albertans, says a Kelowna-based expert.

It’s not hard to figure out why, says Elton Ash, regional executive vice-president of Re/Max of Western Canada: “Alberta winters, B.C.’s sun, sand and lakes with a wide choice of various kinds of recreation property all over the province.”

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Jeff Nagel, Surrey Leader, August 7, 2008

Today’s real estate frenzy consists of property owners hustling to sell and get their money out of a declining market.

Industry experts say buyers are now in command and motivated sellers are having to cut their prices – and in some cases offer extra incentives – to sell.

The market downturn, coupled with the subprime mortgage meltdown in the U.S.

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