Griff

We are aiming to move to Vancouver and would like some ideas on affordable areas, we would be think of a three bed townhouse. We have friends in Pitt Meadows who have said Vancouver is an expensive place to live, but my wife may have an opportunity of gaining employment in Vancouver. We would like an area that has good schools and is commutable to Vancouver.

Tigger1

Hi,

I'm also heading out to Vancouver & from my research Burnaby & New Westminster are very nice area's, cheaper than Vancouver & it's a good commute to Vancouver. My family lived in Burnaby for about ten years & said it was lovely!! There's a website called Jurock that's an estate agents, but also has a really good list of agents all over BC, hope that helps

Tamsin

Susie Derkins

I lived in Burnaby for most of my life, and can attest to the commute being an easy one. It depends where in Vancouver you work, of course, by the Skytrain and bus system is solid and makes life pretty easy. If you work downtown and live near the Skytrain, your commute is actually less than if you drove. Also, much of Burnaby is quite family-oriented and safe. I grew up on the South Slope (off Willingdon between Metrotown and BCIT).

New Westminster is a similar situation, only slightly further out from Vancouver. That means even lower property prices than Burnaby, though. Both places have the advantage of avoiding bridges between them and Vancouver. Bridges can be messy come commuter time. Why don't you have a look at www.realtylink.org for those areas and see what the property prices are like? You can choose specific neighbourhoods, or check the box that says "search whole area".

For what it's worth, for my money I'm moving to the North Shore. The transit system is good into downtown, the prices are decent for apartments (though admittedly I have no children), and the neighbourhood is quiet and safe. Also, great views of the city!

Hudman

Depends on your budget, decent 3 bed townhouses are hitting $340,000 plus in places as far out as Maple Ridge!

Londonuck

i lived in north van which was lovely but also very expensive now, lots of brits over there. burnaby would probably be the best bet for closeness to town. port moody is nice just past burnaby.

hows the sea to sky coming along now? are people starting to move as far as dear old squarmish?

Hudman

Did Sea to Sky 4 years ago and again last year, the road is getting there but still frigging dangerous drive though.
As for Squamish the place seems to be booming, load of construction going on. So the better road link courtesy of 2010 Olympics has done the trick..much like Jubilee extension has for East London.
The prices here are getting daft, condos in Port Moody high rises are going for $450,000 plus.
I was hoping to avoid all this property inflation, having suffered it as a contractor in the late 80's London. But if market forces keep dictating the lower mainland is going to be out of reach of normal people

Londonuck

i could drive the sea to sky with my eyes shut i did it so often. tried to buy a place in port moody for $220 five years ago and was gazumped at the last minute, bassstad builder bought it. prolly worth 450 now and i'd still be there. aint life funny sometimes.

dingbat

Burnaby nice? In the ten years I have been here its become really quite grotty. Easy commute if you are near the Sky Train, driving in downtown is not bad. New West (established parts) is nice, but avoid anywhere around 4th and Columbia for about a two block radius all around it. Unless your name is Kandee or you want to purchase some unusual pharmaceuticals.

Frank'n Sense

Hi Griff,
There are Brits all over Vancouver. I think you have got good advice from others - the north shore is a good area (if expensive). Burnaby and New Westminster too. I'd add Coquitlam as worth looking at. Your budget, how much time you are prepared to commute and other "lifestyle" factors are going to be big influences.

I am a realtor in Vancouver specialising in relocation, so if you want detailed info, not only on housing but also on other aspects of relocating, then I'd be happy to help. We did it ourselves, with 4 kids, dog and elderly mother-in-law, so have some personal experience of what it is all about. Perhaps you could start by having a look at my web site - the page on Vancouver and links from there will give you a bit of a snapshot:
http://www.relocation2bc.com/greater-vancouver.htm
If you have school age children, especially older ones, they might like reading our kids diaries. They're on the site too.

Use this forum to ask questions and get people's opinions... and if you can come here on a research trip that is going to be the best way of finding areas that work for you.

Good luck,

Warmly,

Frank

poll72000

We live in Pitt Meadows and have been here 18 months. West coast express is close by. Good schools, a nice family area. House prices are going up though but we Love it!!

jandro

I lived around Columbia and 4th when I first arrived in Vancouver and never met anyone called Kandee or was offered unusual pharmaceuticals. In fact there are some luxury condos there in addition to the dumps.

dingbat

I know there are some OK condo's. My friend has one and has been broken into five times since 2004. Maybe the name was Krystal....lmao. You know what I mean though. People have to pick and choose where to live to the best of their budget ability. If you have the choice...avoid anywhere immediately next to certain Skytrain stations, New West at Columbia and 8th and Columbia and 4th, Metrotown, Broadway, Clarke and to a lesser extent Joyce downtown spring to mind. I must have that look...I get offered crap every time I go through New West.

jandro

Around New West station there are a lot of condos and more being built so I guess some people don't mind living around there-I guess many find it convenient to be near the station. However, no I wouldn't want to live there long term especially if I had kids.

Griff

Thanks to all you guys for the info, I agree that a trip out is a must. My wife may be offered a job in Richmond, and the HR staff there have mentioned Surrey and delta as possible places to live as they are a little cheaper. I would love to know what these are like.
I feel like a now as it all seems to happening so fast.

jandro

When I first arrived in Vancouver a guy in my building told me I shouldn't move to Surrey. However, Surrey is quite big and I think south Surrey is supposed to be ok. The areas around the 2 Surrey skytrain stations aren't great, particularly the Whalley neighbourhood. Waiting for a bus at King George station (or is it Surry Central?) is an unpleasant experience.