stuartm

Having just got back from Van and seen 1 bewd studio condos going for £370,000, im seriously looking at other options in BC and Canada generally.

For those of you who love Van but are not in possession of a kings ransom, where else you have looked in BC or outside the province as an alternative??

Stu

el_richo

Are you confusing $ with £?

Have you looked at the rest of the Fraser Valley for cheaper property?

stuartm

Nope - Condos in Yaletown CAD 560,000, which is around £340,000 (slight overestimation sorry)

Stuart

el_richo

False Creek and Kits will get you in well under that

http://www.realtor.ca/propertyDetail...ertyId=9058929

Or even North Van

http://www.realtor.ca/propertyDetail...ertyId=8897084

Or a house or condo slightly further afield in Pitt Meadows

stuartm

Thats still a ridiculous price, especially when you consider that the latest stats suggest that Vancouverites spend around 75% of their incoem on accomodation.

el_richo

Well it all depends on your level of ridiculousness. I personally find it affordable. Surely you were aware of the property prices in and around Vancouver in your research?

I fear, if you feel $249k is a far too high price for accommodation close to Downtown Van, or $350k for accommodation within the downtown core then most commutable areas for work in BC may be out of the question.

Have you thought of renting for a while? Always seems very affordable going down that route, if you'd like to live more centrally.

Failing that, we have a cabin on the outskirts of Cranbook, BC and the property there can be reasonable. Example1, Example2, and Example3.

It all depends on where your work allows you to live i guess. I couldn't comment on any of the other provinces.

Alan2005

Nobody likes smug rich bastards.

el_richo

$249k or $350k (to live downtown) is affordable.

And i'm only Rich in name

Alan2005

Not if it's in a poxy 500 sqft rabbit hutch. Anyway - condo's are for renting as you may get some arsehole of a neighbour who you are stuck with for years.

stuartm

I think ill be looking at the Avalon Hotel or a cardboard box on Hastings at this rate

el_richo

Aaah but there's a difference between affordable and acceptable

The example in Kits was 1200 sq/f

North Van was 800 sq/f

And Pitt Meadows examples were 1600 sq/f & 730 sq/f

All seem acceptable to me unless you have a huge family and a shit job

el_richo

Have you tried Vancouver Island?

http://www.realtor.ca/propertyDetail...ertyId=8983189

Or Kamloops?

http://www.realtor.ca/propertyDetail...ertyId=8952864

Or even Prince George for a whopping $7.5k

http://www.realtor.ca/propertyDetail...ertyId=8783894

lwilli63

Property in Vancouver is not cheap. Before my fact finding visit in Oct 2009 I did some research and it would appear that Vancouver has on average the most expensive real estate in Canada.

During my visit we hired a car and drove around looking for places that on the surface seemed like the sort of place we would like to live in.

We loved Kitsilano, but when we returned to the hotel to scan MLS for property in the area our hearts sank as the prices seemed to start at CAD 1.5 million for what I would call a modest sized property (2-3 bed with very small garden).

We cast our net further afield and went to visit Coquitlam (30-40 min drive due east from downtown Vancouver). We saw some decent sized properties in Spring Canyon (development on a hill overlooking Coquitlam) starting at CAD 500,000 for 3+ bedrooms. We liked Coquitlam but again I emphasize that we were visiting and only managed to get a superficial feel for the place. I have read many posts from people advising against Coquitlam (not sure why).

Also liked North Vancouver a lot, and it also appears to be somewhat cheaper than downtown.

el_richo

Yeah it's a tough call. Renting for sure is the most affordable way to live for many people who want to be as close to downtown as possible.

Unfortunately, if you're working in and around the downtown area and you want to buy more affordable property, you'd need to live further afield which equates to potentially huge commuting time and limited personal/home time.

But everybody who goes down through immigration process to live in and around vancouver knows this, right?

Rob_999

Yaletown has some of the most expensive property prices in Vancouver. If you lived in London would you be buying in Mayfair??
If its proximity to the downtown you're after check the westend, Lower lonsdale, or somewhere near the sky train.

As for other options in BC & Canada, that all depends what you're looking for. Do you need a big city, or would somewhere the size of Kelowna be okay for you?