Spring is in the air… and in my garden. The snow has finally cleared from the darkest recesses of the back yard and today some pink blossoms can be seen on yet another unknown plant in my front yard!. Things are definitely looking up on all fronts. As has been reported in local media, February saw an uptick in reported sales through the Vancouver Real Estate Board and further afield. Open homes continue to be very busy with an obvious consumer profile… first time buyer couples. With kids and pre-approved mortgages in hand, they’ve been beating the streets and banging on doors for the past few weekends. It’s exciting to finally see an opportunity for these first timers to get a piece of the action in Canada's most reported and previously unaffordable housing market.

Opportunities in this market are not only limited to the first timer… “Trading Up” is a term used for those who seize an opportunity to leverage the equity in an existing property and take...