We visited The Residences at the Beach Club located in Parksville on Vancouver Island last week, and had a look at the luxurious Vancouver Island condominium suites which were being offered for sale; including two of the Penthouse suites. The majority of these Vancouver Island homes offer an ocean view and are beautifully finished. The Penthouse suites are spectacular, with unobstructed views of the ocean and oversized balconies perfect for relaxing or entertaining. The beach in Parksville is considered to be one of the best beaches on the West Coast and is only steps from The Residences at the Beach Club.

These luxury Vancouver Island ocean view condominiums provide natural lighting and are beautifully finished.  Some features included in this Vancouver Island real estate development are: engineered hardwood floors, granite counter tops, nine foot ceilings with oversized balconies and windows.

The ocean views from the Vancouver Island condominium development are stunning and you are just steps away from one of the best beaches on the West Coast. Pricing of these luxury Vancouver Island condominium suites, range from $309,900 to $999,900.

The Residences at the Beach Club is located at 194 Beachside Drive in Parksville on Vancouver Island and the suites are available for viewing from Wednesday through Monday, from 12pm to 5pm (closed on Tuesdays).

Excerpted from 1stView.ca.

Qualicum Landing is the fastest selling development in Qualicum Beach. This Vancouver Island waterfront development is now 70% sold, with only five premier waterfront lots remaining.

The next selection day will be held on October 23^rd. A selection day is an effective way for buyers to choose the Vancouver Island home and location they want and to secure their priority position. This will allow a buyer to research the Qualicum Beach development, as well as tour the Vancouver Island premier waterfront community and make an informed decision. Pricing of these Vancouver Island homes start at $399,000.

Excerpted from 1stView.ca.

The Villas at Crown Mansion located in Qualicum Beach on Vancouver Island overlook the Qualicum Beach golf course.  These luxurious Vancouver Island homes offer ocean or garden views and are situated for easy accessibility to the Qualicum Beach town centre for shopping and dining.

The Villas at Crown Mansion have revised their pricing structure and now start at $349,000.  These Vancouver Island homes at Crown Mansion are available for viewing on Saturday and Sunday from 1pm to 4pm.

Excerpted from 1stView.ca.

The Residences at the Beach Club, a Vancouver Island ocean view condominium development located in Parksville, offers luxurious design by award winning Kimberly Williams Interiors, all just steps to the beach!

A limited number of these luxurious Vancouver Island condominium homes remain and the developer has reduced prices for the summer.  The following is a developer special for the luxurious Parksville condominium development:  Unit 202 is a 1,288 sq.ft., 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom and den unit which has been reduced by $60,000 to $419,900 and is inclusive of Net HST.  As an added incentive, the developer will pre-pay one (1) year of strata fees!  With a deal like this the remaining Vancouver Island condominium suites won’t be around at the end of the summer!

This ocean view development located in Parksville on Vancouver Island, offers a 1873 sq.ft. Penthouse unit with 180 degree views of the ocean and a 600 sq.ft. deck.  It is a luxurious ocean view penthouse unit perfect for entertaining or as a private retreat.  The price has been reduced by over $200,000 and will not last long.

The multiple-award winning Beach Club Resort located in Parksville on Vancouver Island also has a limited number of fractional ownerships available for as little as $139,900 plus HST.   Ask about the Vancouver Island developer’s special offer of paying three years of Owners Association fees (and you collect the revenue)!

Contact Ernie or Kathleen today at 1-866-330-7274 for more information on developer specials in this award winning resort and the luxurious Residences at The Beach Club.

Excerpted from 1stView.ca.

Elemental Energy Advisors is excited to inform anyone building a new Vancouver Island home of the new program grants available through BC Hydro.  Permits on new Vancouver Island single family dwellings issued after the date of July 15, 2010 will be eligible for a grant in the amount of $1500.00 for EnerGuide labeling, if EGH 80 is reached. This new grant offered by BC Hydro is an incentive to get Vancouver Island builders on board with the EnerGuide for New Homes Program.

Cristi with Elemental Energy Advisors can assist in getting the new construction of yourVancouver Island home EnerGuide labeled and ensure you will make EGH 80 in order to qualify foro the new grant with BC Hydro.

For more information visit Cristi at Elemental Energy Advisors email cristi@elementalenergyadvisors.ca or call today 250.830.8000 to find out more.

Vancouver Island Real Estate Board (VIREB) released Multiple Listing Service (MLS) sales summary data for July 2010 which shows continuing declines in both unit sales volume and inventories of Vancouver Island properties listed for sale.

In July of 2010 there were 347 single family properties sold on Vancouver Island in the VIREB area, down from 536 sales in July of 2009.

Vancouver Island single family properties listed for sale in July 2010 were also down by 12% from the end of July 2009.

The 12-month average sale price for Vancouver Island homes across the VIREB region for the July 2010 was $342,982, indicating a 1% increase from the $340,382 posted at the end of July 2009.

For the 12-month period from the end of July 2009 to July 2010, average sale prices across VIREB’s six zones on Vancouver Island rose in all but two markets:

• Campbell River increased 4% (to $303,056);
• The Comox Valley inched up 1% (to $349,033);
• Nanaimo is up 5% (to $382,672);
• Parksville/Qualicum grew 2% (to $377,506);
• Port Alberni dropped 18% (to $194,765); and
• The Cowichan Valley was down 6% (to $327,549).

Excerpted from 1stView.ca.

BC Hydro is providing funding to cover approximately 90% of the cost towards EnerGuide labeling, when building a new Vancouver Island home. There is a time frame in regards to this funding and it will only be available until the BC Building Codes changes in 2011. Changes in the BC Building Codes could result in mandatory EGH labeling of all new construction on Vancouver Island.

In the City of Vancouver, it is now mandatory to have EGH labeling on all new construction in order to obtain an occupancy permit.

In order to gain a competitive market edge on Vancouver Island, why not prove that the construction of your new Vancouver Island home is energy efficient through a Natural Resources Canada EGH label on your breaker panel.

Cristi from Elemental Energy Advisors on Vancouver Island, can assist you on EGH labeling, air leakage testing and help Build Green Builders register their homes.

Excerpted from 1stView.ca.

Vancouver Island Real Estate Board (VIREB) released the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) sales summary for June 2010. This summary indicates a decrease in Vancouver Island home sales on a year over year basis, while the average residential home sale price is beginning to level out.

In June of 200, the average sale price for a Vancouver Island home across the VIREB region was $345,118 being a 5% increase from the $329,638 which was posted at the end of June 2009.

It seems that the Vancouver Island real estate market is balancing out. It is reported that the inventory levels onVancouver Island are still growing even though the sales volumes have somewhat dropped.

The following statistics are for the period from the end of June 2009 to June 2010 of the average sale prices forVancouver Island homes across VIREB’s six zones:

• Campbell River saw an increase of 12% to $298,126;
• Comox Valley is up 7% to $362,222;
• Cowichan Valley slipped 5% to $350,024;
• Nanaimo is also up by 7% to $362,018;
• Parksville/Qualicum is up 1% to $396,488; and
• Port Alberni increased by 27% to $242,752.

At the start of 2010, the Vancouver Island real estate market began to recover from the recession and as we proceed into the second half of the year, the market has started to level out due to supply and demand. For sellers of Vancouver Island homes this means that proper pricing is required and buyers have more of an inventory of residential homes to choose from.

Excerpted from 1stView.ca

Vancouver Island home owners have an advantage they have never had before.  When purchasing Vancouver Island real estate, a home owner may have access on how energy efficient their home is, or the new residential home they are about to purchase.

EnerGuide is an energy efficiency rating service offered by Certified Energy Advisors through Natural Resources Canada for new residential homes. Vancouver Island builders are able to have the construction of their new projects accessed by a Certified Energy Advisor and generate a label through Natural Resources Canada in order to prove the efficiency of the newly constructed home. The products used to build Vancouver Island homes, the craftsmanship and practices used during the construction, is all taken into account in the EnerGuide rating and confirmed once construction of the home is completed, by the Certified Energy Advisor.

The technology for Vancouver Island real estate purchasers to know what their utility expenses are going to be in their new Vancouver Island home for the next 20 years, has arrived.

Contact  Elemental Energy Advisors to find out the proactive builders in your Vancouver Island area who are willing to prove the quality of their new residential homes by having them EnerGuide rated.

For more information visit Elemental Energy Advisors or call Cristi Guttormson (250) 830-8000.

Excerpted from 1stview.ca.

The British Columbia Inter-Governmental Partnership (BCIGP) and the Alberta Low Impact Development Partnership (ALIDP) have completed the Water Balance Model Technical Manual.

This manual is an online text that is navigable and organized in a way which allows users to understand a variety of aspects of the Water Balance Model in varying degrees of detail. The user can drill down into data variables, equations and other components of the system.

To learn more and access the online manual visit Technical Manual enables Water Balance Model users to “follow the numbers”.