If things weren't complex enough in this Metro Vancouver heated real estate market, now you have owners of older condos deciding whether to stay or sell.

Some condo owners in older buildings in high transit corridors are trying to get ahead of the market and potential strata dissolution, as they list their suites individually for top dollar, while others are hiring lawyers and realtors, and going through the 'windup' process.

Whatever the decision, condo owners should do their homework, especially in this uncertain real estate market.

The 'windup' process isn't feasable for everybody. It all has to do with location.  If you have a property in a premium zone or high density area, the value of your property as a collective piece is probably worth substantially more than the individual units in an older building that is facing long term repairs over the next 10 years.

However selling to a developer is not the 'magic bullet' because property values vary widely from  block to block and city to city. There is also the time consuming process of going to court, if only 80% of your neighbours are willing to sell.

If it takes 9 to 10 months to complete the windup, condo prices could also quickly outpace settlements, making it difficult to find an affordable place to move to in the area.

Many people think that are going to live in the same neighbourhood, or even in the new building, but they might have to downsize from 1,100 s.f. to 500 s.f for the same price.

If you happen to live in an older strata, in a key location, it is probably best that all the owners in the complex stick together during negotiations and should be realistic when deciding to sell. Make sure you make prudent decisions based on real values, not just your hopes and wishes.

Condo owners should also be choosy and make sure their realtor acts exclusively for their strata. It is also important to hire a lawyer for the windup process, including reviewing the listing agreement.

Unless you are getting 50% more value or facing a massive levy for repairs, you should seriously think about whether or not you're going to sell.

For more information on 'winding up' a strata visit Choa.bc.ca

If buying a house or a condo is too expensive these days, why not build a tiny home that's affordable?

At the Richmond Art Gallery, there is an exhibit that explores tiny houses as a solution to the housing affordability problem.

The display includes a 170 square foot wood frame house on wheels, which was contructed from scratch by visual artist, Germaine Koh.

The house has a living area and a sofa that can be pulled out to a bed at night. Behind the bedroom is a full size kitchen with some storage space and a mini bathroom with a shower and toilet. The house is also equipped with an electrical connector, a water tank and a compost system.

The house is named " Lulu Living" after Lulu Island, to acknowledge the  long history in houses in tranist in Richmond and the surrounding areas.

Koh is looking for support for different kinds of housing options that address different needs - not everyone wants or can afford a 3,000 square foot house.

Koh has also designed and built a 100 square foot, two storey, permanent micro studio prototype on the Southern Gulf Islands.

In some areas, the houses are small enough that you don't require a building permit, but in cities such as Richmond, all houses, including tiny ones, require a building permit. You will also have to submit a zoning application to have another house located in your backyard, according to the City of Richmond.

The exhibit is free to the public daily at the Richmond Art Gallery until August 26th. The house is on display on the green land outside and open to visitors on Tuesdays from 1-3 pm or by appointment.

A former North Vancouver couple have been ordered to pay $37,000 to the people who bought their home after a judge determined they deliberately concealed knowledge of a buried oil tank on their property.

The B.C. Supreme Court ordered the former owners to cover the costs of removing the underground oil tank and cleaning up the soil that had been contaminated by leaking oil.

The judge ruled the sellers were responsible for the cleanup, even though they had never used the oil tank.

The current owners bought the house in 2001, but didn't discover the underground oil tank until 2016, when they dug it up and had to pay for cleanup of the contaminated soil.

The former owners, who bought the house in 1976, maintained they were not aware of the tank or any contamination, so shouldn't be held responsible for it.

They said they removed an oil tank inside the house and converted the heating system to natural gas shortly after buying it, decades ago.

They claim that it never occured to them to ask about underground storage tanks because these were not generally the subject of concerns in the 1970's. They argued the tank was a case of buyer beware.

This is usually the case, except in instances where the sellers of a property have actively concealed or misrepresented the defect.

The current owners explained to the judge that excavation of the tank revealed its vent pipe was within inches of both an irrigation system and a sewer line on the property, which the seller, a retired plumber and gasfitter had installed both system, and would have seen.

The judge agreed that the seller either knew or had very good reason to believe there was an underground storage tank on the property and was ordered to pay the $37,000 clean up.

Racers will be speeding down 6th Avenue in Tsawwassen tomorrow during the third annual Soap Box Derby.

Presented by the Rotary Club of Tsawwassen and the City of Delta, the event will see racers head down the hill at a time beginning at 11am. The family event will have food trucks, face painting and an awards ceromony at the intersection of 6th Ave and 52nd Street.

Nearly 50 racers will take part. Participants come out of the starting gates at Milsom Wynd and roll towards the finish line at 52nd Street.

A new aspect of this years event is a show'n shine taking place today at Save-On-Foods in Tsawwassen. Carts will be shown off from 7pm to 9pm and a panel of judges will select a 'Best Cart' winner. The public can vote on a 'Best Dressed' honour at tomorrows derby.

If you ever wanted to own your own castle, well now's your chance. A 2017 custom built house in East Van with a castle like exterior has been listed for $2.298 million.

The Fraser Street house, which fronts Mountain View Cemetery, may look medieval in style on the outside, but don't let that fool you. The ultra contemporary interior is complete with epoxy flooring and 12 foot ceilings.

There are 4 bedrooms, an office, an open concept main floor, a gourmet kitchen, a glass wine wall under the stairs and 4 ultra modern full bathrooms.A balcony off the front bedroom offers a castle-like flair, while the entire

rooftop terrace comes with a 360 degree view, outdoor kitchen, bbq and wet bar.

Since it was built just last year, it is still well  within it 2-5-7 new home warranty.

The London Heritage Farm Classic and Collectible Car Show and picnic is only a couple of weeks away.

Sunday, June 24th the farm will once again play host to a fabulous day of vintage cars, with some delicious tea and cakes.

Selected car clubs and owners have been invited to display their classic cars at the farm, where last year's event was a big success with dozens of beautiful cars.

This show is basically a show-and-shine with no judging or other formalities. There is no charge for entering the vehicle and picnic area, but you may want to enjoy a great tea in the farmhouse with cakes and sandwiches.

There will be picnic tables available around the historic farmhouse with modern toilet faciilities.

The event will be relatively informal with a great chance to spend a pleasant afternoon on the edge of the Fraser River.

Organizers would like to have all the cars in place by 11am with the event winding up at about 3pm.

If you love peeking inside other people's beautiful homes - well nows your chance.

This Sunday is the 25th annual Parade of Homes, which allows the public inside 15 stunning new custom homes and tranformative renovations across Metro Vancouver.

The self guided  tour is between 10am and 4pm, and those who register can enter as many of the 15 homes as they like, provided they get around to them all.  And since they are spread from West Vancouver to Langley, this will be no small feat.

The parade is organized by the Greater Vancouver Home Builders Association, with all the homes' building and renovations work on display carried out by member companies, and is sponsored by FortisBC.  Representatives of the member companies will be on hand throughout the day to answer questions about home building and renovations.

For more details, to register for your passport and get a map of the tour click here. Registered participants will also get access to an additional 10 virtual home tours.

A pair of senior Delta civic staff members are travelling to Ottawa this week to see if they can figure out how to do things right. When it comes to odour problems which East Ladner is now experiencing...is it time to fully enclose the facility?

The pair are going to tour the Green for Life and Orga World composting facilities in Ottawa. The Green For Life facility operates in the same manner as is being proposed for the Enviro-Smart facility in East Ladner.

They are interested to see the facility in order to help determine whether a similar facility could address the odour problems being experienced in East Ladner.  The Orga World facility is a fully enclosed operation which processes 150,000 tonnes of organic waste a year, the scale being proposed for Enviro-Smart.

The odour has been the complaint of hundreds of air quality complaints for the past couple of years, prompting Metro Vancouver to begin discussions with the company last summer about an air quality management permit.