There has been a rise in demand for exotic plants in recent times. With travel restrictions everywhere, people are trying to be creative about making their homes more exotic. And so the market for lush, tropical houseplants has opened up. Think plants with big shiny leaves – the type of plant that can transform any space easily.

This transformation is appealing to many of us as we are now spending so much time at home, and would really appreciate a change. Exotic plants add so much texture and scale to a space that it really makes a huge difference to bring even one statement plant into your space. When you place one of these plants in a room they cannot go unnoticed as they are very eye catching. They have a lot of personality and are obvious so the change will not be a subtle one. 

Plants are so magical, they can add a feeling of renewal as well as they can add life. They are constantly changing so you never feel stagnant. This is great for apartment dwellers who cannot have a garden of any sort. 

How to Place Your Plants for Maximum Impact

Place your plants in an intimate corner such as a reading corner or in a corner of your home office. This offers a natural way for you to add a touch of personality to your space.  

Make sure you select the right pot size and do some research on the care and maintenance of the plant you choose. You don’t want to overwater them and cause root rot. Once you have root rot, you won’t be able to recover the plant. 

Another common mistake first time plant parents make is to place their plants in direct sunlight by a window causing their leaves to burn. That is not ideal, you want them to be getting enough light, but maybe not so much a full day of direct sunlight. Now after reading that you may think that you should move the plants around. This is another no-no, you don’t want to move the plants around too much, you want them to get used to their surroundings. 

Allergies and Exotic Plants

When purchasing exotic plants you want to tell the person you are purchasing from if you have any allergies. You will also want to ask about the possibility of poisonous plants especially if you have pets or small children at home. An experienced seller can help you find the safest exotic plants for your family and your lifestyle needs. 

Qualities of Plants

Plants are givers, and among their giving qualities is the ability to provide help with mental wellbeing. Plants are natural insecticides, they help to absorb noise, and they produce oxygen. 

If you have never had an exotic plant you want to consider first the space in which you will make its home in your home. Check out the maintenance necessary for the plants you choose and be realistic about what you can manage. And finally, when it comes down to selecting your pot, make sure it goes with your decor. 

2020 saw the recovery of the presale condo market. Investors return to the market but still not in the spectacular way we saw them returning in 2016 and 2017. Due to the pandemic, prices and sales for condos, apartments, or homes have all defied the predictions. With low-interest rates, we are now in the time of what they are calling the COVID-19 real estate boom. 

But the data that doesn’t show up in the monthly real estate board information is for the new and presale condo market. In this market, buyers are purchasing condo contracts from developers who are then going to build these condos. The market for these sales was just about recovering when the pandemic hit in March 2020. In 2020, the presale and multifamily condo sales were their third-lowest since 2011. In the first quarter of 2020, the market saw 3,800 encouraging sales. But come 2nd quarter the market was paralyzed. 

But in the last quarter of 2020, there was again an increase in presale condo sales when compared to the last quarter of 2019 which only had 2,400 sales which was a drop from 2018,s 4,100 sales. The sales for 2020 were just about 300 less than 2018 thanks to the window of opportunity that opened up due to the drop in interest rates. 

Investors were staying on the sidelines and taking their time to gauge what would happen. They weren’t taking the predictions and were just waiting to see. 

What Does the Future Hold?

The prediction for the future is that the investor buyer is going to jump back into the market. With many new condos lining up for entrance into the market in 2021. So we don’t expect to see prices rising especially for projects for high-rise condos with more units available for sale. Whenever we see travel restrictions, lifting, and immigration resuming we can expect to see more sales as well. For all the people who started the immigration process and then had it interrupted by the pandemic, we will probably see them coming in and needing homes. 

Is a condo your dream home or are you more of a detached home dreamer? Give us a call, we can help you turn that dream into a reality. 

With the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a boom in real estate with many offers over asking sale prices. This was the trend for detached homes in North and East Vancouver ranging in price between $1.5 and $2 million. In the Fraser Valley area, prices were lower but the trend was the same. This trend is now seemingly moving into houses that are at high prices, particularly since mid-February 2021. Statistics show one house going for sale $700,000 over the asking price and another going $1.6 million higher. 

In a market where demand is high and there are multiple offers on properties, real estate agents and sellers are being challenged to determine asking prices based on recent sales on similar properties. This leads to asking prices that are higher by even a hundred of thousands of dollars. 

At the start of the real estate boom in 2014 to 2018, a home in Shaughnessy sold for $2 million over the asking price. Later in June 2015, a home in West Vancouver that sold for $1.1 million over the asking price. These were just one off sales but after they word sold they set higher price comparable rates and margins for sales of other houses in their respective areas. 

Real estate agents note that the low interest rates along with “cheap money” are currently driving sales prices. Current homeowners are benefiting by refinancing their properties and cashing in on those lower rates. First time home buyers are benefiting from the low interest rates but many are at a disadvantage when it comes to competing sales with this high oversells. Since they can only bid in smaller increments, they are at risk for losing out on a sale easily by someone with a higher spending power. 

Solution for Home Buyers with Limited Income

If you are searching for your home but are finding it hard to compete with the high over-asking on the market we have a solution for you. Here at SilverBeam Homes, we offer you the opportunity to build the home you can afford from the ground up. We have a team of professionals every step of the way. Contact us, so we can see how we can help you make your dream of owning a home, a reality today.