Food banks receive $32,500 from Fraser Valley Realtors

Surrey, BC - On behalf of Fraser Valley’s 3,200-plus REALTORS®, the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board (FVREB) has donated $32,500 to five food banks across its regional area.

“Fraser Valley Realtors are honoured to once again support local food banks and the incredible work they do for our communities,” said Charles Wiebe, President of the FVREB.

“Every day, these organizations provide critical assistance to families and individuals throughout the Fraser Valley. With this donation we hope to provide what help we can towards their efforts and the lives of those in their care.”

This is the sixth year Fraser Valley Realtors have donated to local food banks. In that time, a total amount of $132,500 has been distributed throughout the region.

As in previous years, the donation is divided proportionately based on the number of Realtors represented in each community. $13,325 will go to the Surrey Food Bank; $6,500 to the Sources Langley Food Bank; $6,825 to Sources White Rock South Surrey Food Bank; $975 to the North Delta Chapter of the Surrey Food Bank; $3,900 to the Abbotsford Food Bank; and $975 to St. Joseph’s Food Bank in Mission.

Rebecca Thuro, Communications Coordinator at the Abbotsford Food Bank, received the FVREB’s cheque on behalf of Abbotsford. “Food bank use in British Columbia has never been higher, as thousands of residents continue to struggle with the growing cost of living in our province. With every dollar or item of food donated, someone in your community – a neighbour, friend, child or grandparent - gets to live a little easier.”

“We’re grateful for this donation and the ongoing support of Fraser Valley Realtors.”

British Columbia’s food banks support over 100,000 people every year; please consider supporting the food bank organization in your community. For more information about all FVREB community giving initiatives, go to www.fvreb.bc.ca.

Attached photo: Rebecca Thuro, Communications Coordinator, Abbotsford Food Bank and Charles Wiebe, FVREB President

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The Fraser Valley Real Estate Board is an association of 3,280 real estate professionals who live and work in the communities of North Delta, Surrey, White Rock, Langley, Abbotsford, and Mission, British Columbia. The FVREB marked its 90-year anniversary in 2011.

Turns out the house had its power back on and I didn't need my flash light. Boring!

The Lunar New Year is another name for what is known as Chinese New Year and 2017 is the year of the Rooster. It starts today and will last until the Lantern Festival on February 15th. Every year represents a different animal in a cycle of 12 years which make up the Chinese Zodiac. Each animal comprises one the five elements: wood, water, metal, fire and earth. 

This year of the rooster is supposed to be the year of Fire. It is the 10th animal in the cycle. The Chinese culture believe each animal and their elements affect what the year will bring to each of us.

Chinese New Year celebrations will be happening all over the world over the next of the few days. 

Gong Hei Fat Choi

A couple weeks ago I blogged about Dine out Vancouver starting their Dine Out Vancouver Festival and completely forgot about White Rock's very own food festival "Taste White Rock" formerly known as "Bite of the Rock".

It's another great opportunity for people living south of the Fraser River in the Valley, instead of heading to Vancouver they can try some of the fabulous restaurants in White Rock. The festival starts tomorrow January 18th and runs through February 5th, there will be select White Rock restaurants offering set menus from $10, $20, $30 or $40. Many of which are also offering entertainment.

This annual event is presented by the White Rock Business Improvement Association. Taste White Rock promises to be an excellent opportunity to try a new restaurant or an old favourite for very reasonable prices. 

For details on participating restaurants and their menus visit Taste White Rock

I thought I would do the same thing I did in my last blog for Dine Out Vancouver and give mini reviews of the ones we have been to for your reference and then let you decide. If you click on any of the restaurants, you will be taken to their website to decide for yourselves. Even if you don't like the Taste White Rock 2017 menu options, most restaurants will still offer their regular menu. I am not sure we have ever been to Taste White Rock but we have been to many of the local restaurants in the past. 

Bin 101 Wine & Tapas In all fairness we have only been once, it wasn't very busy...strange for a Saturday night. But we were looking for something different and thought we would pop in last year. But we weren't ovely impressed. Perhaps we need to try them again before I can give a better review. We love to share different thigns when we go out...so Tapas you would think would be a godo idea. Not a big fan of their bruschetta as they put way too much into it and I do not liek Gorgonzola cheese. 

Five  which used to be known as Five Doors Down...I haven't been since they changed names and I believe ownership. But I have been for lunch and dinner and enjoyed both meals. Another place I think my husband and I need to make it back to. 

Uli's Restaurant They have the best hamburgers ever. First time I tried a burger that wasn't well done. Because they grind their beef fresh, they can cook it to your desired temperature. I was a little skeptical when we went a few years back, but they really did make a delicious burger. Unfortunately, I can't really comment on anything else...since we haven't been back. Not because we didn't enjoy our meals, but because we usually head down for dinner and I would rather have a burger for lunch than dinner. 

Onyx Steakhouse nothing but good things to say about Onyx. We have had their prime rib dinners on the weekend and steak at other times. Wec love Burrata cheese and their salad is delicious..I wouldn't expect anything less. If you love cheese, you have to try this salad.

The Hemingway We tried them for the 1st time this past summer. Every one of the Joseph Richard Group locations is slighlty different then the next. We went knowing what to expect and knowing we would get a decent Townhall type meal. Great place for a casual affair. Again you cannot go wrong with any one of their locations. 

Cosmos Greek Restaurant Ok I have mentioned many times that my husband and I are big foodies. He grew up working in a Greek restaurant and we have had Greek friends. So we finally tried this place last summer and were disappointed. We always judge a Greek restaurant by their ambiance and most of all by their "Tzaziki" if they don't make good Tzaziki then they don't make the cut. Sorry Cosmos we likley won't be back. We may have been tainted by the mediocre Tzaziki but it made the rest of the meal mediocre too. 

Help support mental health here in Canada by supporting Bell Let's Talk today!

For every text message sent, long distance call made, tweet and Instagram post using the #BellLetsTalk orFacebook video view and use of Snapchat geofilter share of the Bell Let's Talk image - Bell Canada will donate 5 cents to help fund mental health initiatives across Canada.

Clara Hughes as the face of Bell Let's Talk gives people a sense that if an Olympic athlete who always seems to have a smile on her face can have mental health issues and be okay...than so can anyone. It also goes to show that it doesn't matter what walk of life you come from, mental health issues can affect just about any one of us. The stats are that 1 in 5 of us will suffer some form of mental illness in their lifetime. Clara and Bell are not only trying to bring awareness to mental health but help to remove the stigma that always seems to follow. I know from my own family...if there was ever any issues it was better not to talk about it and hope that it will just go away instead of dealing with it. Which likely only makes the problem worse as people ignore that the family member needs help or makes the family member feel ashamed.

At this time of year when it is cold and wet or snowy outside depression seems to hit even the least likely of us. If Bell Let's Talk can help spread the word I am all for it. Whether you tweet, make a call send a text, post on snapchat and instagram or share the image on facebook...it's easier than doing just about anything and it's a way to make a difference. So help me support Bell Let's Talk day!

For more information on Bell Let's Talk visit their website at the following link:

Bell Let's Talk 

Saturday nights' are typically date night for my husband and I. Which usually means dinner and a movie or dinner with friends. Last night we tried to get into a local restaurant for an early dinner...but they were all booked up until 8pm. But that didn't work since our movie was to start at 7:30. We decided to head to White Rock to see what we could find along the strip. Along the way we decided we should check out My Shanti again. It's been 2 years since our last visit, we were due. 

Being the foodies that we are and that we love Indian food, we can't figure out why we haven't been back. Unfortunately there aren't many places in the Fraser Valley that we love to frequent, so we end up heading to Vancouver most times....we forgot all about My Shanti.

We were pleasanty surprised to see Vikram Vij working when we walked in. We have followed him on Dragon's Den and even before. Still haven't had the pleasure of trying his Vancouver location "Vij" but were excited when he opened "My Shanti" a couple years ago. Even more excited we got to meet him during our visit this time.

I admit I "fangirled" and wanted to get this photo taken with him, I was honoured to meet him. But more importantly I was impressed with his presence in the restaurant. He's become a Canadian celebrity, but you could tell he was a restauranteur first and foremost. There wasn't a single table that didn't get his attention more than once. He wanted to ensure that everyone was enjoying their "My Shanti" experience to its fullest. The table beside us the woman looked as though she was cold and he wanted to ensure she was comfortable. Then he visited our table a short time later and commented on how he liked my nose ring. As he recently had his nose pierced with his daughter. He took her to get hers done and decided why not get his done too when she said it didn't hurt...well he disagreed...IT HURT! 

We have often visited a busy restaurant and never understood why the owner or manager wasn't pulling up his sleeves and helping out when things were falling behind. Either in the dining room or the kitchen. But not at My Shanti, Vikram Vij barely stood still the entire time we were there for dinner. He was quite happy to have his photo taken with me, without hesitation. Then helping to serve a table or even visiting our table again while we ate our dinner insisting on giving me more sauce to eat with my roti. We couldn't have had a better host. We will surely be back, the servers were attentive and the food was delicious!

 

I don't usually take photos of my food. But I wanted to share the delicious dishes we enjoyed. When we first sat down we were served an array of tasty seasoned light chips. Then we wanted to try a few things that we hadn't tried before. We started with Vikram's Favourite Snack (which was crisp naan bread with a creamy cashew sauce and pieces of portabello mushroom...Similar to a small flatbread). 

For dinner we ordered Paneer (which is Indian cheese served with vegetables...slightly spicy flavour). Chicken Korma (chicken in a cashew garlic sauce)...probably our favourite dish....the chicken was so tender and moist and the sauce it was in was delicious! So delicious there was only a very small piece of  chicken left but enough sauce to dip naan in...so we had them wrap it up and we brought it home. The last dish we shared was the beef dish, short ribs in coconut milk with curry leaves and saffron. To help soak it all up we ordered roti and the meal was rounded off with jasmine rice. 

My Shanti is not your typical Indian restaurant, it is a fusion of the various regions Vikram has travelled throughout India. The decor is colourful and inviting. The staff friendly and attentive. We highly recommend visiting their restaurant if you haven't yet!

Ok don't laugh this really is a thing! I saw something come up online and had to check it out.....and guess what January 19th is National Popcorn Day. Not only that but there's also a National Popcorn Month, but that is not until October. Who comes up with these things I wonder....

Since Popcorn is probably one of my favourite if not my favourite snack, I thought I would blog about it..A healthy snack too, that is until you put all kinds of stuff on it. I admit I do like a little butter on my popcorn sometimes...I am a sucker for "Kernels" popcorn with Salt and Vinegar on it and of course who does not love Caramel corn.

Hope everyone enjoys a little popcorn today in honour of National Popcron Day!

Have you ever had a real estate question, or just wanted to know what the market was like? Well Kara, Erinn and myself will be on hand at one of the Starbucks locations in Cloverdale - 17967 56th avenue (Hwy.10 beside the RBC branch) to answer as many questions as we can this coming
Saturday January 21st from 1-4pm.

We will be offering FREE Starbucks Regular Coffee and treats. It's an opportunity to ask us questions about what the market is doing in your neighbourhood, or maybe something you heard in the news. This week the new BC partnership program came into affect for First Time Home Buyers...maybe you were wondering how this might benefit you as a First Time Home Buyer. 

Maybe you have been thinking of selling your home and/or buying a new home...but you don't know where to start, or who to call. Come by and meet us! We would be happy to help you with your next move!

No pressure, no sales pitches, no obligation! Just a chance to meet a local team that has been helping homeowners for over 10 years. We come with lots of experience and knowledge to share.

I am not usually one to toot my own horn...and debated on whether to post or not....but I was too excited not to share. 

I am ranked #2 in my office for the 1st time ever, but I wouldn't be there without an amazing team behind me. Without amazing clients, without their trust in me and the team, I would never rank at all. I wouldn't be here without my wonderful husband who has been my biggest cheerleader for the last 10 years and supported me through the ups and downs of many markets over the years. Without my daughters understanding when I was so busy I barely had time to spend with them this last year. 

I shared our accomplishment in an earlier blog about ranking top 1% out of all Fraser Valley Realtors, but ranking #2 in our office was never expected. I have consistently been in the top 5 for a good number of years and knew I would remain in the Top 5, but was so excited when I found out where I ranked in my office out of 40 realtors. 

Happy to be a part of such an amazing office that was ranked #1 in our category overall for 2016! A year of many great accomplishments and a great way to start 2017 off, looking forward to all that this year has to offer. 

The BC Liberal government's Home Partnership Program starts today. The program is intended to help First time home buyers with their 1st home purchase. With housing prices having climbed so much over the last year, this is supposed to be a measure to help alleviate some of this concern. For Buyers that have saved some money but not quite enough as prices have climbed, this loan will help bridge that gap.

The BC Home Partenership Program  is a loan to assist First Time Home Buyers with their minimum 5% down payment. It is not designed to be their only source of downpayment. The loan will be interest free and payment free for 5 years and registered on title as a 2nd mortgage. 

In order to qualify you must have been a Canadian citizen or permanent resident for the last 5 years. 
- have lived in BC for a year
- Of course have never owned a home anywhere in the world 
- qualify for a high ratio mortgage 
- Home purchase $750,000 or less
- combined gross family income cannot exceed $150,000
- the home purchased must be the principal residence for 5 years 

At any time during the 5 years you can repay this loan without a penalty. In the 6th year interst will then start to accrue and payments will be required to be made on the principal and interest amortized over 20 years. 

To read more about how to qualify and how to apply visit the following link or speak with your mortgage broker:

The BC Home Partenership Program