It seems winter just doesn’t want to quit this year! As the colder weather persists in Vancouver, so does the drain on your wallet as we use more electricity to heat our homes. Looking for ways to offset your climbing heating bills?

If you’re thinking of listing your Vancouver house for sale, then we’ve rounded up our top tips to curb your electricity usage and prevent you from pouring more money into it while you wait to sell.

Window + Door Coverings

Keep window coverings closed to avoid heat-loss through windows. Conversely, when the sun decides to arrive for the season, this will keep indoor temperatures regulated and reduce your need for an air conditioner! Storm doors will do the same for doors.

Invest in a little weather-stripping, or a lot in proper insulation. Both will help prevent heat-loss and high energy bills.

Lighting

Consider replacing your bulbs with LEDs, which use approximately 90% less energy than incandescents. Don’t forget, nightlights count! The high cost of LED lightbulbs can be a deterrent, but long-term they will save you money. Another trick is to install dimmer switches. That way, you’ll only use the amount of light you need.

Your Fridge + Freezer

Stock your fridge and freezer well; food acts as insulation so your refrigerator doesn’t have to work so hard. Also, only store covered food and dishes that have already cooled off so your fridge doesn’t have to do double-duty.

Those Other Appliance Drains

You know all those TVs and accessories, kitchen appliances and computers that glow with the time and other settings? They’re draining your electricity. Consider plugging them into a power strip, then switch it off between uses.

Other ways to stop the drain is to turn off the “Heated Dry” on your dishwasher, only do dish and laundry loads when you have a full load, and always wash laundry on cold. Also, check when your off-peak hours are and only run appliances then for cheaper electric rates.

Hot Water Tanks

Insulate it well and drain it twice per year of sediment to keep it running at top efficiency. If you install a water heater timer so the tank only runs when you need it most, you have the opportunity to see a 5 - 12% reduction in your hot water heater’s energy costs.

If you’ve just bought your dream house on Vancouver’s Westside or are calling the East Side home now, these money-saving tactics will also help you ease into homeowner bliss!

The 2017 Metro Vancouver real estate market opened at 10.3% below the 10-year sales average for January.

“From a real estate perspective, it’s a lukewarm start to the year compared to 2016,” said Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver president Dan Morrison. “While we saw near record-breaking sales at this time last year, home buyers and sellers are more reluctant to engage so far in 2017.”

1,523 residential properties sold last month, a 39.5% decrease from the 2,519 sales in January 2016 and a 11.1% decrease from the 1,714 sold in December 2016.

Property type is proving to be a key factor as townhome and condominiums continue to be active markets while detached homes are declining in popularity by about 7% since their peak last July.

An in-depth look at January 2017 Sales:

The 2017 Metro Vancouver real estate market opened at 10.3% below the 10-year sales average for January.

“From a real estate perspective, it’s a lukewarm start to the year compared to 2016,” said Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver president Dan Morrison. “While we saw near record-breaking sales at this time last year, home buyers and sellers are more reluctant to engage so far in 2017.”

1,523 residential properties sold last month, a 39.5% decrease from the 2,519 sales in January 2016 and a 11.1% decrease from the 1,714 sold in December 2016.

Property type is proving to be a key factor as townhome and condominiums continue to be active markets while detached homes are declining in popularity by about 7% since their peak last July.

An in-depth look at January 2017 Sales:

New Listings (detached, attached, and apartment): 4,140
6.8% decrease from January 2016
215.5% increase from December 2016

Total Active listings on MLS®: 7,238
9.1% increase from January 2016
14.1% increase from December 2016

Sales-to-Active Listings Ratio: 21%

Benchmark price for all residential properties: $896,000
0.2% decrease from December 2016

Benchmark price for a detached property is $1,474,800
6.6% decline over the past 6 months
0.6% decrease from December 2016

Detached property sales totaled 444
57.6% decrease from January 2016

Benchmark price for an apartment property is $512,300
0.3% increase over the past 6 month
0.4% increase from December 2016

Apartment property sales totaled 825
24.7% decrease from January 2016

Benchmark price for an attached unit is $666,500
0.4% decrease over the past 6 months
0.7% increase from December 2016

Attached property sales totaled 254
32.4% decrease from January 2016

For a complete comparison, visitrebgv.org. Want to sell, buy, or require a consultation? Contact us today!

*REBGV Editor’s Note:  Areas covered by the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver include: Whistler, Sunshine Coast, Squamish, West Vancouver, North Vancouver, Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster, Richmond, Port Moody, Port Coquitlam, Coquitlam, Pitt Meadows, Maple Ridge, and South Delta.

Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver president, Dan Morrison, summed up 2016 best, saying it was “an eventful year for real estate in Metro Vancouver.” While it was Metro Vancouver’ housing market’s third highest selling year behind 2015 and 2005 with sales totaling 39,943; 2016 still ended on an uncertain note.

“As prices rose in the first half of the year, public debate waged about what was fuelling demand and what should be done to stop it. This led to multiple government interventions into the market. The long-term effects of these actions won’t be fully understood for some time.” said Morrison. He went on to say, “The supply of homes for sale couldn’t keep up with the homebuyer demand for much of 2016. This allowed home sellers to raise their asking price. It wasn’t until the last half of the year that prices began to show modest declines.”

2016 topped out at $897,600 as the benchmark price for all residential properties. This was with only a 2.2% decrease through the latter half of the year, yet still a 17.8% increase compared to December 2015. December’s sales alone were 8.1% below the 10-year average for the month.

Vancouver Real Estate Statistics Report December 2016:

Total December Sales: 1,714

39.4% decrease from December 2015
22.6% decrease from November 2016
8.1% below the 10 year average

New Listings (detached, attached, and apartment): 1,312

35.1% decrease from December 2015
58.3% decrease from November 2016

Total Active listings on MLS®: 6,345

5.3% increase from December 2015
24.3% decrease from November 2016

Benchmark price for a detached property is $1,483,500

18.6% increase from December 2015
1.8% decrease from November 2016

Detached property sales totaled 541

52.4% decrease from December 2015

Benchmark price for an apartment property is $510,300

17.3% increase from December 2015
0.3% increase from November 2016

Apartment property sales totaled 915

25.3% decrease from December 2015

Benchmark price for an attached unit is $661,800

20.4% increase from December 2015
0.8% decrease from November 2016

Attached property sales totaled 258

44.6% decrease from December 2015

If you’re interested in seeing the complete breakdown, visitrebgv.org for all of the detailed comparisons. Want some advice on how your home fits in? Call us for a consultation today!

*REBGV Editor’s Note:  Areas covered by Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver include: Whistler, Sunshine Coast, Squamish, West Vancouver, North Vancouver, Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster, Richmond, Port Moody, Port Coquitlam, Coquitlam, New Westminster, Pitt Meadows, Maple Ridge, and South Delta.