Kelowna area events & Real Estate Recap

Overall weekend weather forecasts say mainly sunny with highs of 26C to 27C with a titch of wind ~4km.  For some  of you this is a bit cool for this time of the year but let's face it, the sun is out and it's the weekend!  Here are few area events that caught my eye:

• Okanagan Summer Wine Festival July 8 - 17, 2011
• Okanagan Lavender Discovery Day July 9, 2011
• Kelowna Dragon Boat Festival July 9-10, 2011
• Inaugural Valley First Granfondo Axel Merckx Okanagan, Penticton July 10th, 2010...over 2,500 cyclist of all skill levels challenging themselves to 160 km cycle!
• Merritt Mountain Music Festival July 7- 10, 2011
• and find a Farmers Market in the Okanagan!
• List of area webcams to check the traffic, weather out look where ever your heading this weekend

In addition to catching a local community event or two this weekend it's also time to catch up on all the things we didn't personally find time to do during the week like giving 'Shasta' a bath, wash the vehicle, garden maintenace, cleaning house, shopping for stuff for the bbq with friends, etc. ~  have a fun, safe weekend and if you have any quiet moments you might glaze through a recap of my tweets for the past week:

KELOWNA REAL ESTATE NEWS

• Kelowna area real estate market stability an ongoing trend for balance of 2011? - June Conway
• Okanagan second Quarter housing outlook - June Conway
• Who's buying homes in the Okanagan? - June Conway
• Kelowna lots and acreage activity - June Conway
• Kelowna's manufactured home market - June Conway
• Scoop on Kelowna's strata market - June Conway
• Kelowna and West Kelowna house markets - June Conway
• Kelowna house numbers are in! - June Conway

OKANAGAN NEWS

• Fine times for Canadian wine - The Province
• Off-the-radar wine regions: B.C. #1 - International Living

CANADIAN REAL ESTATE NEWS

• Canadian housing prices - Beware of averages - CIBC
• Comox Valley profile of home buyers 'surprisinly consistent' - BlackPress
• StatsCan, real estate industry say house prices likely to moderate - The Gazette
• Housing market hot in Winnipeg - Winnipeg Free Press
• Ottawa resale housing market remains in balance - EMC News
• Victoria average housing prices on decline - TheHookBlog
• Asian buying of Vancouver real estate underestimated - CBC News
• Will the housing boom last indefinitely? - Globe and Mail
• Average house prices a misleading gauge of the health of the Canadian real estate market - Digital Journal
• After six good months, hous prices  may have peaked - Globe Advisor
• Reports offer different views of affordability in Vancouver Market - Vancouver Sun
• New home price edge up 0.4% in May: Stats Canada - Canada.com
• Prince Rupert property sales drop in the first half of 2011 - BC Local News
• Nanaimo home sales slipped in June but average price is up over 2010 - Canada.com
• Housing market at near-term peak - CTV News
• New homes cost less thanks to HST? - Chilliwack Times
• House prices may have hit the top - Globe and Mail
• Vancouver home sales dip in June - Globe and Mail
• Balanced market takes root in Lower Mainland - Vancouver Sun
• Canadians spent $23 billion on home renovations in 2010 - OneLinkMortgage
• Canada housing makret will see values drop 25% over next 3 yrs... - CanadianRealEstateMagazine
• Affordability: How does our housing measure up? - TheRedPin
• This Toronto parking spot costs $100,000 a year - TheStar.com
• Victoria real estate balanced despite inventory - Times Colonist
• Why condo-villes don't work - Globe and Mail
• Hot market driven by Asian immigrants, not offshore investors - Vancouver Sun
• Calgary MLS sales soar in June - Calgary Herald

U.S. REAL ESTATE NEWS

• In U.S. debt fight, a nation on the brink - Globe and Mail
• U.S. housing prices: No rebound in sight - CNN Money
• Foreign buyers lifting U.S. home sales - USA Today

INTERNATIONAL REAL ESTATE NEWS

• 10 worst economies in the world for 2011 - Vancouver Sun
• World of debt: Five countries that borrowed beyond their means - Globe and Mail
• 30 Cheapest cities in terms of living costs - Vancouver Sun

MORTGAGE NEWS

• Competition in the Canadian Mortgage Market - Verico
• Serveral big banks raising mortgage rates - Globe and Mail
• Check out video: Mortgage rates rise - Globe and Mail
• Banks competing fiercely for borrowers - Globe and Mail
• How mortgage refinancing affects your net worth - Globe and Mail
• The afermath of the new mortgage rules - RateSuperMarket.ca
• Ask the Expert: The mortgage game - Vancouver Sun
• Down payment size & housing bear market - Canadian Mortgage Trends
• Bank of Canada - larger the inflation higher the chances of - rate increase - Canadian Mortgage Advisor
• Rate yields at record low fuel Carney rate bets: Canada Credit - Vancouver Sun

HOUSE SELLING or BUYING TIPS

• Gifting property tricky ~ tips - National Post
• Before you write an unconditional offer, consider the risks - JoshNekrep.com

HOME DECOR & MAINTENANCE TIPS

• An eco-friendly lawn you don't have to mow - CNN Money
• Plywood designs from 60's have lessons for today - TreeHugger
• Reno rationalization: investment or self-gratification? - Globe and Mail
• Ideas if your planning an outdoor wedding at home - House and Home
• Why you should hire a professional painter - tips - PurePainters
• Some ideas for: Outdoor BBQ Kitchens - HomeStars.com

WEIRD, MISC NEWS

• Canada foyal tour making of us -Duke of Cambridge [video] -  BBC News UK
• Royal dissapointment for some on Calgary Stampede parade route - Metro
• Kate Middleton almost loses her dress at Calgary airport - Herald Sun
• William says Canada 'far exceeded' expectations - CBC News
• A white hat for Will and Kate - Yahoo.ca
• What should Kate and William wear for the Calgary Stampede? - Vancouver Sun
• B.C. Hydro starts smart meter install - Globe and Mail
• Hollywood's highest paid actresses - Forbes
• IPads generate 1% of the world's web traffic - Mashable
• Why it's the best time ever to be a Canadian - Macleans.ca
• The 15 most terrifying food scaes - Business Insider
• A song for Canada - June Conway

REAL ESTATE RECAP

• June 25
• June 18
• June 12
• June 3
• May 28
• May 21
• May 14