A recent New York Times recommendation to readers to consider B.C. when thinking about a second home abroad had the developer of the Bayview new-home project in Victoria thinking . . .
Turns out, publicist Patricia Dunn reports, that the number of Americans purchasing residences in Victoria has increased every year since 2003, research from the Landcor real estate analyst shows.
Americans have bought 600 homes in Victoria since that year, accounting for 75 per cent of all sales to foreigners.
TO HIS CREDIT, THIS FLIPPER HAS NONE
A recent USA Today story about the rise and fall of an American property-flipper contained some remarkable numbers: eight homes; in four states; bought in one year; seven of them no money down. Casey Serin bought his first property at the age of 19, an apartment. At 24, he owes $140,000 US on his credit cards and lines of credit and the five homes from his one-year buying orgy that he could not sell are in foreclosure.
GARDENING BY JACKHAMMER
The ultimate story on that lowly home-ownership task, breaking up concrete, may be found on the San Francisco Chronicle's home and garden website (sfgate.com).
The front yard of their Berkeley home covered in concrete, a couple nonetheless installed a garden on a tight budget.
A gardener who professed a keenness to use a jackhammer, and the fortuitous presence in the neighbourhood of "concrete experts for days on end" to fill a city sidewalk-contract expedited matters.
CRAWL STARTS NEXT WEEK
More than 300 artists in 43 buildings in Vancouver's Eastside will open their studios in the 10th Eastside Culture Crawl next Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Visit eastsideculturecrawl.com on the Internet for details.
© The Vancouver Sun 2006