Taiwanese-Canadian. Putting the real in real estate news at The Realist. Contributor at @storeyspub, @WesternInvestor, @RENXca, @TheTyee, and @globeandmail.
Burnaby, British Columbia
Joined May 2009
- Tweets21.8K
- Following310
- Followers3.1K
- Likes11.6K
Pinned Tweet
SCOOP: Buyers have been found for the Hudson's Bay Buildings in Vancouver (Onni Group), Calgary (Astra Group), and Ottawa (Claridge Homes).
All still pending court approval + closing. Prices have been redacted. (I'm working on it.) #vanRE
Full story:
howardchai.substack.com/p/hu…
It's hard to keep up with all the campaign promises, but now that we know the Conservatives and Lorne Doerkson will be forming government, here's a look at their platform and what they've promised. (Focused on housing and business.) #bcpoli
howardchai.substack.com/p/bc…
Maybe David Eby called a snap election because he wanted to be put out of his misery? #bcpoli
Breaking News: David Eby announces he is stepping down as Leader of the BC NDP. #bcpoli
As a journalist who covers housing and the real estate industry: it’s gonna be a very interesting 4 years in Vancouver. #vanRE
Wesgroup and Crombie REIT / $CRR.UN.TO have unveiled plans to redevelop the Collingwood Safeway in Vancouver into 5 towers between 19 and 29 storeys.
Will this be as contentious as the Commercial-Broadway Safeway redevelopment?
Full details:
howardchai.substack.com/p/34…
As a journalist who covers housing and the real estate industry: it’s gonna be a very interesting 4 years in Vancouver. #vanRE
Howard Chai retweeted
"What Vancouver Council Did and Didn't Do on Housing" as told by @Howard__24 via @thetyee
#bcpoli #vanpoli #vanre #vanelxn2026
thetyee.ca/News/2026/10/13/V…
Howard Chai retweeted
My latest story for @globeandmail touches on the topic of completed unsold condos, but is also secretly about the mayoral race in West Vancouver. #vanRE
A thread: (1/4)
theglobeandmail.com/real-est…
Howard Chai retweeted
Something about greedy developers hoarding units?
A developer agreed to sell 23 condos at a discount. The lender said no.
Like I said, an unsold condo tax is an idiotic policy created by people with zero knowledge of how the industry works.
theglobeandmail.com/real-est…
My latest story for @globeandmail touches on the topic of completed unsold condos, but is also secretly about the mayoral race in West Vancouver. #vanRE
A thread: (1/4)
theglobeandmail.com/real-est…
A numbered company was set to buy 23 units at Sanctuary by Westbank to flip for $3.6M+ in profit. The deal failed cause lender QuadReal didn't want to take the loss, laying bare that it's often lenders that have final say on pricing. (3/4)
I was made aware of the lawsuit via a tip from a supporter of @kirklapointe. I was told West Van Mayor Mark Sager was the buyer. The tip was fed to other media. I spoke to Sager. He was involved, but not the true buyer. (4/4) #vanpoli
How many signs will Chip Wilson put up outside his mansion this election? #BCElection2026
I'm expanding my coverage into the intersection of real estate and AI.
For my first story, I wanted to figure out the land sale that undergirds Meta's Sturgeon County data centre in Alberta, which has yet to be reported anywhere.
howardchai.substack.com/p/me…
BC Housing bought the 71-unit rental building at 315 Alderson Ave in Coquitlam from Anthem Properties earlier this year. #vanRE
BCH split the purchase with Lookout Housing. BCH bought 40 units and provided a loan to Lookout to buy 31 units. Full details:
howardchai.substack.com/p/an…
