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Machi Machi

Machi Machi – I was attracted by their flask-like bottle for bubble tea – so decided to try it out. Unfortunately, not all the items were available in the flask due to the ingredients. I prefer to get fresh fruits – and the one item that caught my eye was the grapefruit slush. Sadly, they ran out of that. Since I was there for the flask experience – I opted for the fresh strawberry latte with Panna Cotta since it was one of their most popular items on the menu. It was definitely a very cute colour combination. The bottle itself was a little cheap. I was expecting it to be a little more sturdier. The drink itself was light, but very refreshing since they made their own strawberry puree mixed with fresh milk. The panna cotta was on the bottle so you needed to shake it in order to get the full flavour spectrum. If not, you’ll end up just having panna cotta at the end. The cotta was light, but it seemed more like a pudding than cotta since it was a little denser than what I had expected. The only complaint would be that it was hard to get the remaining cotta out due to the bottleneck being a little small. 
But I felt it was a cute marketing concept and I wouldn’t mind trying out their other items.
@foodblogprec

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Tendon Kohaku – Brentwood

Tendon Kohaku – Brentwood – I relish the fact that more Japanese cuisine is stepping into the Vancouver food scene that is beyond sushi. Tendon Kohaku – a tempura focused restaurant – Tempura is a craft which requires skill and the experience to ensure the batter is light, airy and crispy. I was pretty excited for this place. Ordered the seafood tendon with the udon noodles on the bottom. The udon was a limited time offer. The selection of seafood was nice. The tempura batter was nice and airy and not greasy at all. The crispiness when you bite into the vegetable or seafood retains the taste of the food itself and not just batter. The dipping sauce was a nice complement to the tempura. It added another level of taste to the food overall. It’s definitely done well but I know the most memorable tempura I had was still in Hawaii. The texture was incredibly light but amazingly delicious and seasoned so well that there is no need for sauce.
@foodblogprec

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Highlights From the Real Estate Board October 2022

“Inflation and rising interest rates continue to dominate headlines, leading many buyers and sellers to assess how these factors impact their housing options. With sales remaining near historic lows, the number of active listings continues to inch upward, causing home prices to recede from the record highs set in the spring of 2022.”

“With fewer homes selling and new listings continuing to come to market, inventory is beginning to accumulate, providing buyers with more selection compared to last year,” Lis said. “With more supply and less demand within this market cycle, residential home prices have edged down in the region over the “Recent years have been characterized by a frenetic pace of sales amplified by scarce listings on the market to choose from. Today’s market cycle is a marked departure, with a slower pace of sales and more selection to choose from,” Lis said. “This environment provides buyers and sellers more time to conduct home inspections, strata minute reviews, and other due diligence. With the possibly of yet another rate hike by the Bank of Canada this December, it has become even more important to secure financing as early in the process as possible.”

The MLS® Home Price Index composite benchmark price for all residential properties in Metro Vancouver is currently $1,148,900. This represents a 2.1 per cent increase from October 2021, a 9.2 per cent decrease over the last six months, and a 0.6 per cent decrease compared to September 2022.

Sales of detached homes in October 2022 reached 575, a 47.2 per cent decrease from the 1,090 detached sales recorded in October 2021. The benchmark price for a detached home is $1,892,100. This represents a 1.6 per cent increase from October 2021 and a 0.7 per cent decrease compared to September 2022.

Sales of apartment homes reached 995 in October 2022, a 44.8 per cent decrease compared to the 1,801 sales in October 2021. The benchmark price of an apartment home is $727,100. This represents a 5.1 per cent increase from October 2021 and a 0.2 per cent decrease compared to September 2022.

“NOTE: this representation is based in whole or in part on data generated by the Chilliwack & District Real Estate Board, Fraser Valley Real Estate Board or Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver which assume no responsibility for its accuracy.”

Download The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver’s October statistics Package. Click Here

Download Fraser Valley’s Real Estate Board’s October Package. Click Here

Food for Thought on Real Estate – October 2022

 
  • Seller’s market – A seller’s market is when there are more people looking to buy then there are homes available. This causes a rise in price above the long-term average rate of inflation. Typically this is indicated by a sales-to-active listings ratio of 20% or higher.
  • Buyer’s market – In contrast, a buyer’s market is when there are many more homes for sale than there are buyers. As a result, prices increase slower than the long-term average rate of inflation. In extreme circumstances this can cause prices to decline. Typically this is indicated by a sales-to-active listings ratio below 12%.e
  • Balanced market – A balanced market occurs when supply and demand are about the same, with home prices rising in line with long-term average rate of inflation. Typically this is indicated by a sales-to-active listings ratio between 12% and 20%.Summary Over a sustained period of time:
    • a seller’s market is represented by a ratio of 20% or higher
    • a buyer’s market is represented by a ratio of 11% or lower
    • a balanced market rests between 12-19%

August 2022 Newsletter Introduction

How’s your Summer so far? We’re already half way thru it! The summer has been gone by so quickly with family visits and getting use to a new routine of where I’m trying to juggle between how to take care of toddler and working on my business within the time frame that I have since the hubs is back to work full time!  Anxiety and worry of trying to do fulfilling these roles leaves me a little dejected because I don’t feel like I’m doing a good enough job. Yet, I know this is just all in my head and I’m not compromising my 100% on what I’m committed to do for my family and my clients! A word of encouragement and pep talk from the people you surround with is what you need to get that confidence and support back. I know I need it from time to time. I hope that sharing this little insight can enlighten you while you read this!

As mentioned in my last newsletter – July. As we continue on expecting interest rates to go up again later in September, many buyers are pulling the trigger to buy now since want to capture the purchase power they have remaining before another rate hike hits. As a result, there is a small flurry of activity of buyers looking to buy now. Since the buying power have gotten smaller due to the previous rate increase. So what now? Most buyers would have two choices – either they start to buy now or wait a bit longer to see how the market would do after the rates have been stabilized. This stability may not arrive till mid spring of next year. As for pricing – it will remain relatively the same with a possible small drop.

– Sam

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Hello Nori

Hello Nori – A simplistic and minimalistic open space with many wood accents throughout the bar sitting dining experience. The first hand roll maki sushi of its kind in Vancouver. I appreciate that the rolls are made right in front of you fresh. The next one is only made once you have finished the one in front of you. The rolls are eaten with your hand with no need for chopsticks. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I had the following rolls – king salmon / toro / scallop / yellow tail / truffle lobster / unagi and the salmon oshi.
The least fave was the truffle lobster since the truffle oil just overpowered the lobster that I couldn’t get any lobster flavour at all. The salmon oshi wasn’t too bad but I had better.
The most favorite roll was by far the scallop. The sweetness from the scallop made it very refreshing! The toro was exceptionally delicious with the fatty oil melding with the rice. For price and value – I would definitely come back with a friend. PS – their drinks were fun and light to have along with the rolls.
@foodblogprec

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Tokyo Katsu-Sand

Tokyo Katsu-Sand – Tried the truckstand found in the Sakura Festival. I’m always curious and excited for any Japanese cuisine to pop up in the Vancouver scene. Ordered the gyu katsu since I am a big fan of beef. I felt the sandwich was a little underwhelming since I couldn’t taste the Wasabi mayo that was supposed to complement the strip loin. I didn’t think it was seasoned enough to get a good beef taste. For the price tag – I would go for a local burger joint that is packed full of flavour with an overflowing juicy patty. Ordered the ebi-katsu for a different variety. The egg salad overpowered the ebi so I couldn’t get much taste besides the crunchiness from it. I think if they had mixed the cabbage and not added the egg salad then I think it would have been a better combo. Perhaps their other items on the menu are better…
@foodblogprec

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Food for Thought on Real Estate – September 2022

 
  • Seller’s market – A seller’s market is when there are more people looking to buy then there are homes available. This causes a rise in price above the long-term average rate of inflation. Typically this is indicated by a sales-to-active listings ratio of 20% or higher.
  • Buyer’s market – In contrast, a buyer’s market is when there are many more homes for sale than there are buyers. As a result, prices increase slower than the long-term average rate of inflation. In extreme circumstances this can cause prices to decline. Typically this is indicated by a sales-to-active listings ratio below 12%.e
  • Balanced market – A balanced market occurs when supply and demand are about the same, with home prices rising in line with long-term average rate of inflation. Typically this is indicated by a sales-to-active listings ratio between 12% and 20%.Summary Over a sustained period of time:
    • a seller’s market is represented by a ratio of 20% or higher
    • a buyer’s market is represented by a ratio of 11% or lower
    • a balanced market rests between 12-19%

October 2022 Newsletter Introduction

Fall is now fully in effect! The changing colours of the leaves is a great indicator to welcome the new Season. Missed out on sending out the September newsletter as there was some personal family matters that required my attention. As a result, I’ll include both August and September stats package to this newsletter. I’m sure many of you as well as myself that September and this first week of October have been surprisingly warm with clear skies. The crisp air that usually comes with Fall have yet to arrive so I’m trying to enjoy the warmer weathers before it quickly disappears. 

So what’s the latest for the real estate market? Answer – we’re experience a bit of a lull. The lack of inventory and demand has made the market reach a standstill. Homes that are available have been on the market for some time. Worldwide economic growth has come to a halt as we’re all being impacted by the soaring inflation. Many lenders and banks have tightening the rein to hold back on borrowing and increasing the interest rates. As Canada continues to curb the inflation, we are waiting for our next interest hike announcement later this month, and a possible hike by December. With the increase in interest rates, this would most likely to continue a downward pressure on demand and stay flat or slightly drop. However, there is a possibility that we may see some sort strategy change from the government since the Bank of England – one of the largest banks in the world have decided to pivot from the strategy of increasing rates. Would other banks follow suit? We’ll have to see….

– Sam

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Minus Cake Boutique

Minus Cake Boutique – I’m always on the lookout for some unique and fun desserts to try. This was a drive by and I went straight to google to see what I can dig up on this new cake place. I found that this cake boutique was very unique. It has come up with their own design concept of cake and drink combo as one! They have their own legal copy right patent on the design cup to ensure no infringement and they’re looking to franchise as well! They cake and drink combo in one is absolutely instagram worthy that would sure attract many people coming into their door. Their drinks are made fresh. As for the cakes – you would have to preorder them as they don’t have ready made cake for you to pick up. The store front is for the drink / cake combo only and the back is just a kitchen to bake the cakes. Ordered the Rose Oolong Peach Cake with heavenly berries ade / Mango Coconut Jelly Cake with shaken lychee black ice tea / Japanese Matcha Yuzu Cake with Matcha Latte. Out of the three, the Mango Coconut Jelly cake was the top contender. The idea of having a cake on top it’s beautifully presented but I found it to be a little challenging to eat. As for the cake itself – the sponge was nice but I felt many of the flavours didn’t meld well or either each note wasn’t distinctive for me. As for the drinks – it’s mediocre. They spent alot of time on marketing but as for flavour profile, I think they need to work on it a bit more. The berrie ade tasted like tropicana berry drink and the matcha latte was very lackluster in taste. Due to the uniqueness – each drink cost approximately around $15 which is pretty hefty for what you’re getting. However, I believe you’re paying for the novelty of it, and the convenience of getting a drink and cake combo together as there is nothing like this in the market. I don’t think I would try the combo again, but I would like to give the cakes a try again. 
@foodblogprec

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