There's nothing quite like the sweet scent of a real Christmas tree during the holiday season.

They require more care than artificial trees — from constant watering to disposal — but they add an undeniable festive touch.

Here are some options so you can head home with a tall Fir or petite Pine this holiday season.

Pre-cut Trees

Local tree lots are likely your best bet for pre-cut trees.

A number of local charitable groups open tree lots every year so you can buy a tree while helping others.

Vancouver South Lions Club - the lot is run by volunteers and proceeds go back to projects supported by the Lions club including projects for kids and seniors. They're located outside John Oliver Secondary at the corner of Fraser Street and E. 41st Avenue. Credit cards are accepted.

TREK Trees - Students, their parents and teachers from Prince of Wales secondary's TREK outdoor education program rally every year to open this lot. They say they're Vancouver's largest with 2000 trees available.  Prices range from $20 to $60 and they will even make free deliveries to seniors. You can find the lot at Prince of Wales 2250 Eddington Drive. 

Aunt Leah's Tree Lots - If you live outside of Vancouver, then Aunt Leah's might have the tree for you. Proceeds from purchases will support the charity's work with foster kids, teen mothers and provide retail training experience for youth right at the lot. Prices start at $15 for a tree. 

• Burnaby - All Saints Anglican Church, Royal Oak and Rumble.
• Coquitlam - Eagle Ridge United Church, 2813 Glen Drive.
• North Vancouver - Lonsdale Quay, East Plaza 123 Carrie Cates Court.
• Vancouver - St. Stephen's United Church, W. 54th and Granville Street.

Scouts Christmas Tree Lot - The North Shore Scouts host an annual tree lot to raise funds supporting a number of groups in the area. You can find them at Park Royal at the corner of Taylor Way and Clyde Avenue.

Students trim the end of a trunk at Prince of Wales high school's TREK tree lot. (Trektrees2014/Twitter)

Potted Trees

For those in smaller homes or want a live tree, potted options might be more desirable.

Keep in mind if you plan on re-planting the trees outside after you've had it in your home, it can only remain indoors for up to two weeks.

Garden Centres - stores like Figaro's Garden in East Vancouver and Art's Nursery in Surrey have stocked up on a selection of potted trees that you can nurture year-round after the decorations come down. 

Grocery stores - grocery chains across the Lower Mainland like Whole Foods and Save-on-Foods are carrying Christmas trees in pots. Some also offer pre-cut options. Prices range from $25 to $50.

U-Cut Trees

If you want to head out and cut your own tree, the B.C. Christmas Tree Council has compiled a list of farms across the province you can visit with your family. Some farms let your borrow their saws and help with baling.

Farms like Langley's Frosty's Family Christmas Tree Farm and Richmond's H&M Christmas Tree Farm even serve up hot cider and carols for a fully festive outing. 

The British Columbia Real Estate Association is out with its fourth-quarter housing forecast, and it’s predicting residential sales will decline by 10 per cent in 2018, after an expected drop of 8.8 per cent in 2017.

Association Chief Economist Cameron Muir says while demand is expected to be strong in the coming year, there are several factors he expects will temper that, including a rising interest rate environment and more stringent mortgage stress tests.

He says the supply of homes for sale is now trending at or near decade lows in most B.C. regions, resulting in higher prices.

But he thinks the combination of weakening consumer demand and a surge in new home completions next year will induce more balanced market conditions, producing less upward pressure on home prices.

But, the average residential price in the province is forecast to increase 3.1 per cent this year, and a further 4.6 per cent next year, to $745,300.

The B.C. government wants to close a loophole that allows landlords to bypass annual rent controls by flipping tenants and imposing larger rent hikes between leases.

Housing Minister Selina Robinson introduced changes to the Residential Tenancy Act in the legislature Thursday that she said would protect renters who have been vulnerable to higher rent increases and housing instability.

She said the act has allowed landlords to impose a vacate clause on leases, forcing renters out of their homes and allowing landlords to exceed rent controls for the next tenant.

“This is unacceptable, and the undue stress and anxiety this caused renters has gone on for far too long,” Robinson said.

There are about 1.5 million renters in the province and in Vancouver, vacancy rates hover near zero per cent.

Robinson said the challenges facing renters is not exclusive to Metro Vancouver and is being felt across the province.

Changes to the law would restrict the use of the vacate clause and protect tenants renewing fixed-term agreements so they are covered by rent control, which currently allows increases of two per cent plus inflation. The changes would apply to existing rental agreements, Robinson said.

“This will give renters the security they deserve and help bring integrity to the rental industry, which is good for landlords,” she said.

David Hutniak, chief executive officer for LandlordBC, said his organization has condemned the abuse of vacate clauses and fixed-term agreements.

The proposed changes would prevent bad landlords from taking advantage of renters, he said.

“Landlords who are abusing this form of tenancy are damaging our industry and really their behaviour is unfair to responsible and professional landlords,” he said.

Andrew Sakamoto, executive director of the Tenant Resource and Advisory Centre, said it receives about 8,000 calls from tenants annually and has noticed a spike in complaints about fixed-term tenancies and vacate clauses in recent years.

“Today represents a huge step forward, towards better balancing the rights and responsibilities of tenants and landlords,” he said. “Prohibiting the vast majority of vacate clauses and doing so retrospectively will go a long way toward improving housing affordability across the province.”

Robinson said the law would also streamline the dispute resolution process for the return of security and pet deposits, and ensure tenants would no longer have to wait months to get their money back.

As well, a funding increase for the Residential Tenancy Branch previously announced by the government will increase its ability to enforce laws and go after repeat offenders, Robinson said.

Whether that funding increase has improved wait times for tenants filing complaints is still unclear but Robinson said the government is monitoring the situation.

The City of Vancouver has begun rolling out empty homes declarations, asking homeowners to divulge whether their property in Vancouver is their primary residence, in preparation to start collecting the new empty homes tax.

The forms are arriving by email and snail mail and ask homeowners to say whether their home is their primary residence, a secondary residence or rented out to tenants. Homeowners need to declare by Feb. 2, 2018 or risk automatically being charged a higher tax rate.

"This empty home tax initiative is all about creating more long-term rental housing and addressing the rental crisis that we have across the city," Mayor Gregor Robertson said at a press conference Tuesday.

 

This file image shows homes in the Coal Harbour neighbourhood.

 

The city estimates there may be as many as 25,000 empty or under-occupied homes in Vancouver. Robertson said the tax is an incentive for people with investment properties to put those homes on the rental market.

The new tax is one per cent of the property's assessed value. That's $10,000 on a million dollar home. The city says the declarations will be audited to ensure owners are telling the truth.

While the tax comes after calls to address the housing affordability crisis in the city, some homeowners are calling the new levy unfair and are even taking the city to court over it.

Bruce Kaufman, a California resident, is part of a group called Unfair Vancouver Tax [LINK] that's pursuing legal action with the city

"We all have reasons to be here," he said. "I don't mind paying more taxes but I do mind paying an unfair tax."

He says the city has an unreasonable definition of what they consider an empty or unoccupied home. Kaufman has been coming to Vancouver for the past 17 years—he usually stays from April-October.

"We came up for vacation… and we just seemed to love it," he said. "So we went out and said we're going to buy a place for our retirement."

He says several of his Coal Harbour neighbours have legitimate reasons for holding a second residence in the city—from grandparents caring for grandchildren to a patient undergoing chemotherapy to a doctor who frequently gets called into the city.

Kaufman says he'll declare his home vacant on the form, but it may soon be for sale.

"After 17 years… we have given serious consideration to leaving Vancouver," he said

Against objections from the industry, B.C.'s real estate watchdog will prohibit the controversial practice of "dual agency," where realtors represent both the seller and buyer on a transaction.

Metro Vancouver* home sales exceeded typical historical levels in October with the majority concentrated in the townhouse and apartment markets.

The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV) reports that residential property sales in the region totalled 3,022 in October 2017, a 35.3 per cent increase from the 2,233 sales recorded in October 2016, and an increase of 7.1 per cent compared to September 2017 when 2,821 homes sold.

Last month’s sales were 15 per cent above the 10-year October sales average.

"Conditions continue to vary significantly based on property type. The detached home market is well supplied with homes for sale, which is relieving pressure on prices," Jill Oudil, REBGV president said. "It remains a much different story in the townhouse and apartment markets. Buyers of these properties continue to have limited supply to choose from and are seeing upward pressure on prices."

There were 4,539 detached, attached and apartment properties newly listed for sale on the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) in Metro Vancouver in October 2017. This represents a 14 per cent increase compared to the 3,981 homes listed in October 2016 and a 15.6 per cent decrease compared to September 2017 when 5,375 homes were listed.

The total number of properties currently listed for sale on the MLS® system in Metro Vancouver is 9,137, a 0.1 per cent decrease compared to October 2016 (9,143) and a 3.5 per cent decrease compared to September 2017 (9,466).

For all property types, the sales-to-active listings ratio for October 2017 is 33.1 per cent. By property type, the ratio is 16.8 per cent for detached homes, 44.8 per cent for townhomes, and 66 per cent for condominiums.

Generally, analysts say that downward pressure on home prices occurs when the ratio dips below the 12 per cent mark for a sustained period, while home prices often experience upward pressure when it surpasses 20 per cent over several months.

"The growth in our provincial economy and job market is contributing to today's demand," Oudil said. "The federal government's announcement of plans to tighten mortgage requirements for the seventh time in the last eight years also helped spur activity in the short term. Many buyers are trying to enter the market before the changes are in place."

The MLS® Home Price Index composite benchmark price for all residential properties in Metro Vancouver is currently $1,042,300. This represents a 12.4 per cent increase over October 2016 and a 0.5 per cent increase compared to September 2017.

Sales of detached properties in October 2017 reached 940, a 44.2 per cent increase from the 652 detached sales recorded in October 2016 and a 34.6 per cent decrease from the 1,437 sales in October 2015. The benchmark price for detached properties is $1,609,600. This represents a four per cent increase from October 2016 and a 0.5 per cent decrease compared to September 2017.

Sales of apartment properties reached 1,532 in October 2017, a 30.1 per cent increase compared to the 1,178 sales in October 2016 and a 0.7 per cent decrease from the 1,543 sales in October 2015. The benchmark price of an apartment property is $642,000. This represents a 22.7 per cent increase from October 2016 and a one per cent increase compared to September 2017.

Attached property sales in October 2017 totalled 550, a 36.5 per cent increase compared to the 403 sales in October 2016 and a 17.4 per cent decrease from the 666 sales in October 2015. The benchmark price of an attached unit is $802,400. This represents a 17.7 per cent increase from October 2016 and a two per cent increase compared to September 2017.