Who got the GOLD?

The winners are revealed!

No, not the Oscar Award winners … the 2011 GEORGIE AWARDS® recipients!

Vancouver, BC (February 25, 2012) – The Oscars aren’t the only gold being handed out this weekend. Closer to home, BC’s top residential builders and renovators were honoured tonight at the 2011 Georgie Awards® gala, Saturday, February 25, at the Vancouver Convention Centre West.

Hosted by the Canadian Home Builders’ Association of BC (CHBA BC), tonight marks the 20th anniversary of the awards, bringing a true celebratory feel to the gala. With BC’s residential real estate market eyeing a promising future after several years of slower economic growth, all the home builders and renovators in attendance truly had something to celebrate. But the spotlight was on the winners announced in the xx categories.

“From Whistler, to the Lower Mainland, to the Okanagan, the winners of this year’s Georgies are golden examples of what excellent residential construction is all about,” says Doug Wittal, President of CHBA BC. “The winners – and indeed all the finalists – have shown us that BC is truly at the forefront of the country when it comes to innovative design, quality construction and great customer service.”

The winners are a varied mix of longstanding member companies who have been participating in the Georgies for many years (like Vancouver’s Concert Properties and Portrait Homes, which both won Customer Choice Georgie Awards® powered by AVID™this year), along with exciting up-and-coming firms (like Rannala Construction in Victoria, which won for Best Single Family Detached Home 3,000 Sq. Ft. and Over, and Intermind Design Inc., of New Westminster, which won for Best Residential Renovation under $100,000).

The premier housing event for the province, the Georgie Awards® recognize the best of the best in residential home construction, renovation, design, development and sales/marketing. Industry watchers and consumers alike look for the Georgie Award® seal when reviewing new home construction and renovations, as there is no recognition more respected in distinguishing top-quality construction.

Winners were chosen with objectivity and anonymity, by an esteemed judging panel from outside BC.

Go online to view all the winning companies and project, www.georgieawards.ca

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MEDIA CONTACT:
Lauren Carter
604.603.8442
lauren@georgieawards.ca

ABOUT THE GEORGIE AWARDS®
The Georgie Awards®, owned by the Canadian Home Builders’ Association of British Columbia (CHBA BC), is Canada’s premier housing awards program that highlights and celebrates excellence in home building.

The awards are provincial in scope and aim to showcase the commitment and dedication to the high standards that CHBA BC member companies strive to uphold.

A Georgie Award is recognized as an industry stamp of quality. Award entries are at a record high, and the calibre of projects is a testament to the talents and efforts of CHBA BC members.

All member companies of CHBA BC are eligible to enter the Georgie Awards®.

THE 2011 GEORGIE WINNERS LIST:

Customer Choice Georgie Awards® powered by AVID for Stacked Multi-Family Production Builder- Alamar
Mibroc Group

Best Single Family Detached Home up to 2,000 Sq. Ft. under $350,000
Naikoon Contracting Ltd.
The Watercolour House

Best Single Family Detached Home up to 2,000 Sq. Ft. over $350,000
RDC Fine Homes Inc.
Read Alley

Best Single Family Detached Home 2,000 – 2,999 Sq. Ft.
Icon Developments Ltd.
Rainforest

Best Single Family Detached Home 3,000 Sq. Ft. and Over
Rannala Construction
The Portsmouth

Best Single Family Detached Home $1,000,000 – $2,000,000
Gordon Hemsworth Construction Ltd.
Touchstone

Best Single Family Detached Home valued between $2,000,000 – $4,999,999
G.D. Nielsen Developments Ltd.
Serenity

Best Single Family Detached Home valued over $5,000,000
M. Knight Construction Ltd.
Windward Oaks

Best Single Family Detached Home valued over $10,000,000
Homescape Building & Design Inc.
Holler Residence

Best Townhouse Development
Adera Development Corporation
seven35

Best Multi-Family Low Rise Development
Larco Investments Ltd.
Morgan Crossing

Best Multi-Family High Rise Development
Solterra Development Corporation
Dolce at Symphony Place

Best Interior Design Display Suite – Single Family
Marcraft Homes Ltd.
The Terraces

Best Interior Design Display Suite – Multi-Family
Solterra Development Corporation
Dolce at Symphony Place Sub Penthouse

Best Residential Renovation under $100,000
Intermind Design Inc.
Kaleidoscope

Best Residential Renovation $100,000 – $299,999
TQ Construction Ltd.
Adderley Addition

Best Residential Renovation $300,000 – $499,999
Frits de Vries Architect Ltd.
Quinton Place Residence

Best Residential Renovation $500,000 – $799,999
Blackfish Homes and Construction Ltd.
St. Andrews

Best Residential Renovation $800,000 and Over
Harald Koehn Construction Ltd.
Country Classic

Best Kitchen Renovation under $100,000
maison d’etre design-build inc.
Everything and the Kitchen Sink

Best Kitchen Renovation over $100,000
Kenorah Construction & Design
Modern Open Kitchen

Best Condo Renovation
Intermind Design Inc.
Moscow

Best Renovation – Any Room
Harald Koehn Construction Ltd.
Ben’s Room

Best Kitchen under $40,000 – New
RDC Fine Homes Inc.
Read Alley Kitchen

Best Kitchen $40,000 to $100,000 – New
Gordon Hemsworth Construction Ltd.
Touchstone

Best Kitchen over $100,000 – New
Homescape Building & Design Inc.
Holler Residence

Customer Choice Georgie Awards® powered by AVID for Single Family Custom Home Builder
G.D. Nielsen Developments Ltd.

Customer Choice Georgie Awards® powered by AVID for Residential Renovator
maison d’etre design-build inc.

Marketing Campaign of the Year
MAC Marketing Solutions
Maddox

Residential Community of the Year
Vesta Properties Ltd.
Milner Heights

High Rise Residential Community of the Year
Solterra Development Corporation
Dolce at Symphony Place

Custom Home Builder of the Year
Homescape Building & Design Inc.

Residential Renovator of the Year
maison d’etre design-build inc.

Large Volume Single Family Home Builder of the Year
Portrait Homes Ltd.

Large Volume Multi-Family Home Builder of the Year
Concert Real Estate Corporation

Special Platinum Award Presentation
Portrait Homes Ltd.
27 Georgie Awards® Won in the Past 11 Years

Special Platinum Award Presentation
MAC Marketing Solutions
27 Georgie Awards® Won in the Past 7 Years

If you’ve not already heard, new mortgage qualification guidelines are coming into effect. If you have not arranged financing or are considering buying, here are a few highlights about how you may be affected:

The Federal Government, concerned over mounting household debts, announced adjustments to the rules for government-backed insured mortgages. Any mortgage that has less than 20% down has to be insured by government backed insurance. The new rules are as follows:

- Reduce the maximum amortization period to 30 years from 35 years.The maximum amount of the value of a home that can be re-financed will drop from 90 per cent to 85 per cent.

- Government insurance will no longer be available to financial institutions wishing to insure home equity lines of credit.

This is going to make qualifying for a mortgage much tougher for some buyers, especially first time home buyers.

These new rules only apply to government insured mortgages, so if you have 20% or more to put down this does not apply to you.  That being said most banks sell their mortgages off to government backed securities so if these changes affect those securities we could see these changes across the board.

How does this affect you?  On a $250,000 purchase with 10% down your payment today based on a 4% rate and 35 year amortization is $1,023.  Under the new rules and a 30 year amortization that same condo will cost you $1,103 a month or roughly 9% more.  The income required to qualify for the loan goes up  $2,000 a year.

These changes do not take effect until March 18th, 2011 and the line of credit rules don’t take effect until April 18th, 2011.

For more information or to discuss how this impacts your purchase decision at Talasa, visit the Presentation Center located at 1090 Sun Rivers Drive from 12 pm to 5 pm daily (except Monday for the winter season) or contact us by phone Toll Free: 1.877.514.4343 or email: info@talasaliving.com,  at your convenience.

SICA – Talasa Sustainable Living