Vancouver's housing crisis and real estate market are rarely out of the headlines.

As politicians look for solutions amid a seemingly endless parade of stories of everyone from families to artists being squeezed out, and court cases surface revealing the underbelly of the market, here's a list of terms to help make sense of it all:

Snow washing: Think money laundering in a safe, respectable country like Canada. Essentially, snow washing is when international businesses hide illegitimate financial transactions in Canada, often for the purposes of tax evasion.



Think money laundering in a safe, respectable country like Canada. Essentially, snow washing is when international businesses hide illegitimate financial transactions in Canada, often for the purposes of tax evasion. Fuerdai: A Chinese term that refers to rich second generation children. It's essentially new money as the parents have often earned their wealth within their lifetime.



A Chinese term that refers to rich second generation children. It's essentially new money as the parents have often earned their wealth within their lifetime. Bare trust: Corporations and wealthy individuals hold properties in bare trusts so they can avoid paying property transfer taxes.



Corporations and wealthy individuals hold properties in bare trusts so they can avoid paying property transfer taxes. Ghost immigrant: A person who secures permanent residency, purchases property in Canada and then returns to their home country.



A person who secures permanent residency, purchases property in Canada and then returns to their home country. Shadow flipping: In the past, some Realtors abused a clause in real estate contracts, known as an assignment clause, that allowed their clients to transfer the purchase of a property to another buyer, pocketing multiple commissions along the way. The B.C. government put an end to the practice in March of 2016..



In the past, some Realtors abused a clause in real estate contracts, known as an assignment clause, that allowed their clients to transfer the purchase of a property to another buyer, pocketing multiple commissions along the way. The B.C. government put an end to the practice in March of 2016.. Affordable housing: The holy grail that's nebulous in dollar amounts. The rental incentive guidelines the city has defined for for-profit affordable rental housing put it between $1,730 and $1,903 for a one-bedroom rental or between $3,365 and $3,702 for a three-bedroom unit.



The holy grail that's nebulous in dollar amounts. The rental incentive guidelines the city has defined for for-profit affordable rental housing put it between $1,730 and $1,903 for a one-bedroom rental or between $3,365 and $3,702 for a three-bedroom unit. Renovictions : Evicting tenants under the guise of doing renovations in order to increase the rent.



: Evicting tenants under the guise of doing renovations in order to increase the rent. Speculation tax : A provincewide tax introduced in the 2018 budget that targets secondary homes that are not occupied. Some areas, like Bowen Island and Squamish, are exempt.



: A provincewide tax introduced in the 2018 budget that targets secondary homes that are not occupied. Some areas, like Bowen Island and Squamish, are exempt. Foreign buyer ban : A proposal by the B.C. Green Party earlier this year to copy countries like New Zealand and only allow permanent residents to buy property. Premier John Horgan rejected the idea.



: A proposal by the B.C. Green Party earlier this year to copy countries like New Zealand and only allow permanent residents to buy property. Premier John Horgan rejected the idea. School tax: A levy — intended to pay for school seismic upgrades — that would increase property tax by 0.2 per cent on homes valued between $3 and $4 million and 0.4 per cent on the value above $4 million.

With files from SOLD!, a CBC Vancouver original podcast that digs into Metro Vancouver's real estate scene.