https://eztofind.ca Curated updates from EZtoFind.ca: BC real-estate glossary, community profiles, and case studies from Doug LeMaire, REALTOR® (BCFSA #167790, Fraser Property Management Realty Services Ltd.). en-CA Copyright EZtoFind.ca — All rights reserved info@eztofind.ca (Doug LeMaire, REALTOR®) info@eztofind.ca (Doug LeMaire, REALTOR®) Mon, 31 Aug 2026 23:26:07 +0000 Mon, 31 Aug 2026 23:26:07 +0000 60 https://eztofind.ca/images/doogie-laptop.png https://eztofind.ca https://eztofind.ca/glossary/gst-new-homes https://eztofind.ca/glossary/gst-new-homes Sat, 01 Aug 2026 18:02:19 +0000 Doug LeMaire, REALTOR® Taxes & Costs The federal Goods and Services Tax (GST) applies at 5% to the sale of newly built or substantially renovated residential homes in Canada, including British Columbia. Resale of previously owned homes is generally exempt. Where the buyer occupies the newly built home as their primary residence, the New Housing Rebate… https://eztofind.ca/glossary/utility-costs https://eztofind.ca/glossary/utility-costs Sat, 01 Aug 2026 18:02:19 +0000 Doug LeMaire, REALTOR® Process & General Utility costs are the monthly or bi-monthly service charges for electricity, natural gas, water, sewer, garbage/recycling, internet and — where applicable — heating fuel (oil, propane or wood). In BC, electricity is supplied by BC Hydro or, in some areas, FortisBC. Natural gas is supplied by FortisBC. Water, sewer a… https://eztofind.ca/glossary/moving-costs https://eztofind.ca/glossary/moving-costs Sat, 01 Aug 2026 18:02:19 +0000 Doug LeMaire, REALTOR® Process & General Moving costs are the expenses associated with relocating from one home to another. Typical components include professional movers or truck rental, packing supplies, insurance for goods in transit, temporary storage, utility connection and disconnection fees, mail and address-change fees, and — where applicable — pet… https://eztofind.ca/glossary/contractor-licensing https://eztofind.ca/glossary/contractor-licensing Sat, 01 Aug 2026 18:02:19 +0000 Doug LeMaire, REALTOR® Building Code In British Columbia, contractors and trades are regulated by a combination of provincial legislation, WorkSafeBC registration, municipal business licences, and — for new homes — the mandatory Licensed Residential Builder programme administered by BC Housing under the Homeowner Protection Act, RSBC 1998, c. 31. Trade… https://eztofind.ca/glossary/deferred-maintenance https://eztofind.ca/glossary/deferred-maintenance Sat, 01 Aug 2026 18:02:19 +0000 Doug LeMaire, REALTOR® Property Value Deferred maintenance refers to repairs, replacements or upkeep tasks that have been postponed beyond their recommended service intervals. In residential real estate, deferred maintenance commonly includes items such as roofing near end of life, aging hot-water tanks, worn exterior paint, deferred window replacements… https://eztofind.ca/glossary/heloc https://eztofind.ca/glossary/heloc Sat, 01 Aug 2026 18:02:19 +0000 Doug LeMaire, REALTOR® Financing A Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC) is a revolving credit line secured against the equity in an owner-occupied home. In Canada, federally regulated lenders may lend up to 65% of a home's value on a HELOC portion (with the combined mortgage plus HELOC capped at 80% under Office of the Superintendent of Financial Ins… https://eztofind.ca/glossary/fence-act https://eztofind.ca/glossary/fence-act Sat, 01 Aug 2026 18:02:19 +0000 Doug LeMaire, REALTOR® Land Use Unlike Alberta and other provinces, British Columbia does not have a dedicated 'Fence Act'. Fence disputes are typically resolved under the common law of nuisance and trespass, the Property Law Act, RSBC 1996, c. 377, and — where relevant — municipal bylaws and Small Claims Court or the Civil Resolution Tribunal (CR… https://eztofind.ca/glossary/real-property-report https://eztofind.ca/glossary/real-property-report Sat, 01 Aug 2026 18:02:19 +0000 Doug LeMaire, REALTOR® Legal & Title A Real Property Report — sometimes called a survey certificate or building-location certificate — is a document prepared by a BC Land Surveyor showing the boundaries of a parcel and the location of buildings, fences and other significant improvements relative to those boundaries. It reveals encroachments, easements,… https://eztofind.ca/glossary/farm-status https://eztofind.ca/glossary/farm-status Sat, 01 Aug 2026 18:02:19 +0000 Doug LeMaire, REALTOR® Government & Tax Farm status is a property-tax classification under the Assessment Act, RSBC 1996, c. 20, that classifies eligible farmland as 'Farm' (Class 9). Farm classification typically produces lower assessed values for farming land and buildings than the equivalent residential classification. To qualify, the property must gen… https://eztofind.ca/glossary/wildfire-risk https://eztofind.ca/glossary/wildfire-risk Sat, 01 Aug 2026 18:02:19 +0000 Doug LeMaire, REALTOR® Insurance Wildfire risk in BC refers to the probability and severity of a wildfire affecting a specific property. The BC Wildfire Service publishes hazard maps, and the FireSmart Canada program provides guidance on reducing risk through vegetation management, roofing materials, and defensible space around structures. Insurers… https://eztofind.ca/glossary/rural-insurance https://eztofind.ca/glossary/rural-insurance Sat, 01 Aug 2026 18:02:19 +0000 Doug LeMaire, REALTOR® Insurance Rural or acreage property insurance covers detached homes on larger parcels outside serviced urban areas. Coverage typically differs from urban home insurance in several ways: higher deductibles for wildfire-prone areas, exclusions or limits on outbuildings and specialty structures (barns, indoor arenas), specific r… https://eztofind.ca/glossary/road-access https://eztofind.ca/glossary/road-access Sat, 01 Aug 2026 18:02:19 +0000 Doug LeMaire, REALTOR® Land Use In BC, legal road access to a property may be by way of a public road (dedicated to the Crown or a municipality), a statutory right-of-way, or a registered easement. Rural properties may rely on private roads maintained by an owners' association or the individual owners. Before purchasing rural or acreage property,… https://eztofind.ca/glossary/riparian-areas https://eztofind.ca/glossary/riparian-areas Sat, 01 Aug 2026 18:02:19 +0000 Doug LeMaire, REALTOR® Land Use Riparian areas are the strips of land alongside streams, lakes and wetlands that support fish habitat. In BC, the Riparian Areas Protection Regulation (RAPR), enacted under the Riparian Areas Protection Act, SBC 2016, c. 12, restricts residential development within a Streamside Protection and Enhancement Area (SPEA)… https://eztofind.ca/glossary/water-rights https://eztofind.ca/glossary/water-rights Sat, 01 Aug 2026 18:02:19 +0000 Doug LeMaire, REALTOR® Rural & Acreage In British Columbia, water rights are governed by the Water Sustainability Act, SBC 2014, c. 15, and administered by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy. Surface water (streams, lakes) and groundwater (wells) are provincial resources; use for anything beyond individual domestic purposes typically… https://eztofind.ca/glossary/septic-inspection https://eztofind.ca/glossary/septic-inspection Sat, 01 Aug 2026 18:02:19 +0000 Doug LeMaire, REALTOR® Rural & Acreage A septic inspection is a professional examination of an onsite sewage system, typically performed by a Registered Onsite Wastewater Practitioner (ROWP) or an approved home inspector. The inspection generally involves locating and pumping the tank, checking the tank's condition, examining the drain field or advanced… https://eztofind.ca/glossary/septic-system https://eztofind.ca/glossary/septic-system Sat, 01 Aug 2026 18:02:19 +0000 Doug LeMaire, REALTOR® Rural & Acreage A septic system is an onsite sewage disposal system used where municipal sewers are not available. In BC, septic systems are regulated under the Sewerage System Regulation (BC Reg. 326/2004) enforced by regional Health Authorities. Systems are classified as Type 1 (septic tank + gravity field), Type 2 (adds treatmen… https://eztofind.ca/glossary/well-flow-test https://eztofind.ca/glossary/well-flow-test Sat, 01 Aug 2026 18:02:19 +0000 Doug LeMaire, REALTOR® Rural & Acreage A well flow test measures the sustainable yield (gallons per minute or litres per minute) of a private well. It is commonly performed as a due-diligence step when purchasing acreage or rural property served by a well. The test typically runs the well continuously for a defined period (often 2, 4 or 24 hours) while m… https://eztofind.ca/glossary/escrow https://eztofind.ca/glossary/escrow Sat, 01 Aug 2026 18:02:19 +0000 Doug LeMaire, REALTOR® Legal & Conveyancing British Columbia does not use a US-style escrow system. Instead, funds are held in trust by a lawyer, notary or real estate brokerage, subject to strict trust-account rules under the Real Estate Services Act (RESA), the Notaries Act, or the Legal Profession Act as applicable. Deposits on a Contract of Purchase and S… https://eztofind.ca/glossary/lawyer-or-notary https://eztofind.ca/glossary/lawyer-or-notary Sat, 01 Aug 2026 18:02:19 +0000 Doug LeMaire, REALTOR® Legal & Conveyancing In British Columbia, real estate transactions are conveyanced (closed) by either a lawyer (a member of the Law Society of BC) or a notary public (a member of the Society of Notaries Public of BC). Both are qualified to prepare closing documents, register title transfers and mortgages at the Land Title and Survey Aut… https://eztofind.ca/glossary/move-in-fees https://eztofind.ca/glossary/move-in-fees Sat, 01 Aug 2026 18:02:19 +0000 Doug LeMaire, REALTOR® Strata & Condo Move-in and move-out fees are user fees that some BC strata corporations charge to cover administrative and elevator-booking costs when a new occupant moves in or out. Fees are set by strata bylaw and are capped by the Strata Property Regulation (currently $200 per move in or out for most strata corporations; verify… https://eztofind.ca/glossary/strata-rental-restrictions https://eztofind.ca/glossary/strata-rental-restrictions Sat, 01 Aug 2026 18:02:19 +0000 Doug LeMaire, REALTOR® Strata & Condo Effective November 24, 2022, the BC Government amended the Strata Property Act to remove the ability of strata corporations to prohibit or limit long-term rentals of strata lots (Bill 44). Rental-restriction bylaws that were in force before that date became unenforceable. Age restrictions were also amended: strata c… https://eztofind.ca/glossary/strata-management https://eztofind.ca/glossary/strata-management Sat, 01 Aug 2026 18:02:19 +0000 Doug LeMaire, REALTOR® Strata & Condo Professional strata management refers to a licensed brokerage engaged by a strata corporation to provide administrative, financial and, where retained, on-site management services. In BC, strata management brokerages and licensees are regulated by the BC Financial Services Authority (BCFSA) under the Real Estate Ser… https://eztofind.ca/glossary/strata-minutes https://eztofind.ca/glossary/strata-minutes Sat, 01 Aug 2026 18:02:19 +0000 Doug LeMaire, REALTOR® Strata Documents Strata council meeting minutes are the official record of strata council meetings and any general meetings of a BC strata corporation, as required by the Strata Property Act, SBC 1998, c. 43. Owners and prospective purchasers commonly review the last two years of minutes to understand issues such as pending special… https://eztofind.ca/glossary/form-f https://eztofind.ca/glossary/form-f Sat, 01 Aug 2026 18:02:19 +0000 Doug LeMaire, REALTOR® Strata Documents Form F is a strata-corporation certificate under Section 115 of the Strata Property Act. It confirms whether any strata fees, special levies, fines or other amounts owing under the strata bylaws are outstanding against a strata lot as of a specified date. A current Form F is required by the Land Title and Survey Aut… https://eztofind.ca/glossary/form-b https://eztofind.ca/glossary/form-b Sat, 01 Aug 2026 18:02:19 +0000 Doug LeMaire, REALTOR® Strata Documents Form B is a strata-corporation certificate defined by Section 59 of the Strata Property Act, SBC 1998, c. 43. It provides a snapshot of information about a strata lot, including monthly strata fees, any special levies owing, agreements involving the strata lot, whether there are outstanding bylaw fines, and current… https://eztofind.ca/glossary/deductible-coverage https://eztofind.ca/glossary/deductible-coverage Sat, 01 Aug 2026 18:02:19 +0000 Doug LeMaire, REALTOR® Insurance Deductible coverage — sometimes called loss assessment coverage — is an optional coverage on an individual condominium (strata-lot) insurance policy that responds when the strata corporation's own deductible is charged back to the owner following a covered loss originating in the owner's strata lot. BC strata deduct… https://eztofind.ca/glossary/strata-insurance https://eztofind.ca/glossary/strata-insurance Sat, 01 Aug 2026 18:02:19 +0000 Doug LeMaire, REALTOR® Strata Documents Strata insurance is the master insurance policy held by the strata corporation covering the buildings (excluding tenant improvements in some cases), common property and common assets. Under Section 149 of the Strata Property Act, the strata corporation must obtain and maintain full-value insurance based on the repla… https://eztofind.ca/glossary/freehold-strata https://eztofind.ca/glossary/freehold-strata Sat, 01 Aug 2026 18:02:19 +0000 Doug LeMaire, REALTOR® Strata & Condo A freehold strata is the most common form of strata ownership in BC. Each owner has a freehold (fee simple) interest in their strata lot and an undivided share in the common property, governed by the Strata Property Act, SBC 1998, c. 43. Freehold strata differs from leasehold strata (where the underlying land is lea… https://eztofind.ca/glossary/double-cost-period https://eztofind.ca/glossary/double-cost-period Sat, 01 Aug 2026 18:02:19 +0000 Doug LeMaire, REALTOR® Buying & Selling The double-cost period is the interval during a buy-first transaction (or a briefly overlapping simultaneous transaction) during which the consumer is carrying costs on both the existing home and the newly purchased home at the same time. Costs typically include two mortgage payments (or one mortgage plus bridge-fin… https://eztofind.ca/glossary/interim-occupancy https://eztofind.ca/glossary/interim-occupancy Sat, 01 Aug 2026 18:02:19 +0000 Doug LeMaire, REALTOR® Legal & Conveyancing Interim occupancy is a period during which a buyer occupies a residential unit but does not yet hold legal title. In BC, interim occupancy is most commonly discussed in the context of newly built condominium units where the buyer moves in before the strata plan is registered and title can be conveyed. During interim… https://eztofind.ca/glossary/simultaneous-closing https://eztofind.ca/glossary/simultaneous-closing Sat, 01 Aug 2026 18:02:19 +0000 Doug LeMaire, REALTOR® Legal & Conveyancing A simultaneous closing (also called back-to-back or same-day closing) is a real estate closing structure where the completion of a sale of one property and the purchase of another property occur on the same day, typically with the proceeds of the sale used to fund the purchase. In BC, simultaneous closings are coord… https://eztofind.ca/glossary/subject-to-sale https://eztofind.ca/glossary/subject-to-sale Sat, 01 Aug 2026 18:02:19 +0000 Doug LeMaire, REALTOR® Legal & Contract A subject-to-sale clause is a condition in a Contract of Purchase and Sale that makes a buyer's offer conditional on the sale of the buyer's existing home. The clause typically sets a deadline by which the buyer must remove the subject once their existing home is firmly sold. Sellers often accept a subject-to-sale o… https://eztofind.ca/glossary/buy-first https://eztofind.ca/glossary/buy-first Sat, 01 Aug 2026 18:02:19 +0000 Doug LeMaire, REALTOR® Buying & Selling The buy-first approach describes the sequence where a consumer purchases (or firmly commits to purchase) their next home before selling their existing home. Consumers commonly research this approach when they want certainty of housing between transactions, when the target market is highly competitive, or when their… https://eztofind.ca/glossary/sell-first https://eztofind.ca/glossary/sell-first Sat, 01 Aug 2026 18:02:19 +0000 Doug LeMaire, REALTOR® Buying & Selling The sell-first approach describes the sequence where a consumer sells their existing home before purchasing (or committing to purchase) their next home. Consumers commonly research this approach when they want price certainty from the sale before making a new-purchase offer, when they do not want to carry two mortga… https://eztofind.ca/glossary/mls-photography https://eztofind.ca/glossary/mls-photography Sat, 01 Aug 2026 18:02:19 +0000 Doug LeMaire, REALTOR® Buying & Selling MLS® photography refers to the professional photographs displayed on a Multiple Listing Service® listing. CREA and each BC real estate board publish standards on the number, quality and copyright of images uploaded. Photos are typically taken by a professional real-estate photographer engaged by the listing REALTOR®… https://eztofind.ca/glossary/mls https://eztofind.ca/glossary/mls Sat, 01 Aug 2026 18:02:19 +0000 Doug LeMaire, REALTOR® Buying & Selling MLS® (Multiple Listing Service®) is a certification mark owned by the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) and, in BC, jointly used with participating real estate boards. An MLS® listing is a residential or commercial property offered for sale through a REALTOR® member of a CREA-affiliated board, with agreed coop… https://eztofind.ca/glossary/property-disclosure-statement https://eztofind.ca/glossary/property-disclosure-statement Sat, 01 Aug 2026 18:02:19 +0000 Doug LeMaire, REALTOR® Disclosure A Property Disclosure Statement (PDS) is a BCREA-standard form completed by a seller that provides information about the seller's knowledge of the property. Common versions include the PDS for a Detached Home, Strata Title Properties, Land Only, and Manufactured Homes. Sellers are asked yes/no/unsure questions about… https://eztofind.ca/glossary/property-tax https://eztofind.ca/glossary/property-tax Sat, 01 Aug 2026 18:02:19 +0000 Doug LeMaire, REALTOR® Government & Tax Property tax in BC is an annual tax levied by municipalities and taxing authorities on the assessed value of real property. Each July 1, BC Assessment establishes an assessed value under the Assessment Act, RSBC 1996, c. 20. In the following calendar year, the municipality (or Surveyor of Taxes in rural areas) sets… https://eztofind.ca/glossary/estate-planning https://eztofind.ca/glossary/estate-planning Sat, 01 Aug 2026 18:02:19 +0000 Doug LeMaire, REALTOR® Legal & Title Estate planning in a real estate context is the process of arranging how your real property will be dealt with during your lifetime and after your death. In British Columbia, estate planning commonly considers the Wills, Estates and Succession Act, SBC 2009, c. 13 (WESA), joint tenancy versus tenancy in common, life… https://eztofind.ca/glossary/downsizing https://eztofind.ca/glossary/downsizing Sat, 01 Aug 2026 18:02:19 +0000 Doug LeMaire, REALTOR® Process & General Downsizing in a real estate context refers to selling a larger residence and purchasing (or renting) a smaller one — commonly a condo, townhome, or smaller detached home — often at a later life stage. Consumers considering downsizing typically research capital-gains treatment on the principal residence, moving costs…