Kitsilano
 

hi everyone

Does anyone live or know someone who lives in Kitsilano?

This is one of the areas I think would be a nice place to live. I know it is not near the skytrain, but from what I´ve researched it has a good bus system which can get me to the nearest skytrain stop, if anyone can confirm this that would be great.

Also there are secondary schools to choose from. My son is 12 years old. From my research I found that there is a Kitsilano secondary school and a private school called St Johns nearby.

I want a town which is young and lively but has a community atmosphere where children can go to the local park and be safe. If there is anyone who lives in this town it would really be great to hear first hand experience on the pro and cons.

Thank you very much and look forward to the feedback.

Re: Kitsilano
 

Greetings I live in Kits. I am up again with my regular insomnia bout so may waffle on for a bit!

Sounds like the area is exactly what you are looking for. Great for families but hip enough for the younger crowd, though much more quiet than down town. Tons of great restaurants and coffee shops also more than a few bars. Also some great shopping along west 4 th ave. Granville Island is also a short walk. Very much like a small town on the edge of the city. Some accuse it of being yuppiefied - but I don't agree, although there are certainly those with money here (not me).

Real mix of older established residents, families, and younger folk. Your son would love it. Very safe area with relatively little crime (believe me I know - I'm a copper) and no agro from anyone. I've never had a single problem here with anyone (although I cant say I have anywhere in the city and I've been here 17 years). You do get the odd dumpster diver but they are harmless and you find them everywhere in the city looking for empty bottles and cans to take back to the store for a 10 cent refund.

Also the area has arguably the best beaches all within walking distance (Kits beach, Lorcano. Jerhico and Spanish Banks). Further west the area becomes point grey. The west end of broadway has a great mix of bars, restaurants and stores. The south granville neighbourhood is also fairly close to kits which is known for its higher end stores and numerous art galleries along gallery row. Great theater there - the Stanley.

What I like about the area is that it is more livable than downtown in that it's less congested, more laid back and issues around panhandling, homelessness and drug use tend to stay on the other side of the Burrard Street Bridge for the most part.

There is very easy access to downtown and commuting is not an issue at all. Lots of transit along the Broadway corridor. There is also the new Canada line station at Cambie (Olympic Station I think) and another at Broadway and Cambie which hook up with transit from Kits.

Now for the bad news. Given the popularity of the area, it is pricey. In terms of buying it's about the most expensive neighbourhood in Canada. Reckon on at least 1.2 million for a modest detached house (if you can find one) and an average of around 550 - 600 per square foot for a nice apartment or town house, more if they have a view or high end finishings. In short around 600,000 for a decent two bed apartment or 750,000 - 800,000 for a townhouse.

Renting is not bad and although more than other areas of the city not astronomically so. A decent two bed apartment is around 1500 - 1600 ( although you can certainly pay a lot more - includes principal bills - no council taxes). Also plenty of street parking so no need to rent a parking spot.

Following video although a bit long shows the best of the area - it truly is a great place to live - just wish it wasn't so darn spendy (thanks Oink!). I would love to stay here but real estate prices will more than likely force me out in the end. :(

Another alternative is Fairview which is very close to Kits but a lot cheaper - Cambie Village is also another great area that is fairly close to Kits but cheaper.

Good luck - feel free to pm me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caDXXzufXLU

Re: Kitsilano
 

hello dboy

Thanks for your reply, that was a very detailed explanation you gave.

Well, it seems I know how to pick the most expensive things then!!!!!!

Trust me to choose one of THE MOST expensive areas in canada lol. I think I better have a plan B and C. I still like the idea of sending my son to one of the schools in the that area, and Kitsilano school is still in the catchment area of Fairview so maybe that will be a possibility.

I thank you again for making me aware of how expensive this area is and I hope I can draw on your experience with more questions later.

Re: Kitsilano
 

Glad I'm not the only one that gets up at 3:30am or 4:00am. :(
It gives you a chance of getting tasky without interruptions though.

Agree with your assessment of Kits. Only really downsides are the architecture is naff and it can get a bit busy in the summer.

Re: Kitsilano
 

Ooh i miss breakfasts at Joe's Grill on W4th. Mind you that probably why im 2 and a half stone lighter these days!

Re: Kitsilano
 

We often go there. I love the chirizo sausage! I always call it 'Big Joes! Not sure what Joe is doing as I never see him.
:thumbsup:

Re: Kitsilano
 

Hey dboy, you like chorizo sausage!!! well when I get there I'll bring you some. I live in Spain at the moment and they are delicious. I didnt like them at first but then I went to this restaurant and they did a sizzling version straight from a old style oven, I was hooked after that. Then I tasted them in the traditional Potaje dish, which is lentils soup with veg and meat.

It took me a while to like the spanish dishes I know I will miss them when I live in Canada. Its quite funny actually, when I first moved here, I was craving for all the british food and now I guess I will be craving the spanish food. loll.

Oh actually, you arent allowed to bring meat over are you? Oh well there goes that idea!

Re: Kitsilano
 

one thing which you might bare it in mind.....

we've just spent two weeks house hunting and were blown away by how competitive it was.

basically, it is like looking for work. so go dressed up. landlords / letting agents will not be happy when you inform them of a lack of work / lack of credit history / lack of local references......

and so before you fill in their application forms (which if they accept, you will be obliged to honour!!!) make sure they have seen any number of bank statements to prove you can pay the rent; work references to prove you are employable; offer even the most tenuous local referee if you have one to prove you are honourable!

otherwise, they will simply give your dream home up to the next person to come along.....and believe me, there will be a line forming behind you!

the best of luck!

incidentally, despite Kitsilano being our primary objective, we settled for a basement garden suite in Kerrisdale.... which is no bad thing.

Re: Kitsilano
 

Wow really, thanks for that, I would never have thought it was so competitive. I guess logically it makes sense because they dont want people to waste their time.

Re: Kitsilano
 

Did they include a free zimmer frame? :)

Re: Kitsilano
 

no zimmers.... but the ramp access is good for my dicky hips:D

Re: Kitsilano
 

You shall soon be enjoying to love Sushi!

Re: Kitsilano
 

I lived in Kerrisdale for a while, well Mackenzie Heights anyway. Nice enough areas but a bit stuffy and boring, although close enough to Kits etc.

Re: Kitsilano
 

Kerrisdale always struck me as 'gods waiting room'..... especially as i am more used to the wilds of Hackney and the like.....

but the place we found is furnished, with all bills included, with 2 bed rooms and door step parking more or less guaranteed.

there is the #49 bus heading east - west and the #16 north - south.... we've got one ice rink a 10 minutes walk away and another 8 within an hour's drive..... and a local fruit and veg store which is half the price of IGA or Safeway.

for sure it is somewhat uptight, blue rinsed and gentrified..... but considering the above, the pro's exceed the con's.

and of course.... it's ALL canada!!!:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

i remain chuffed even with no complimentary walking aids or bed baths.

Re: Kitsilano
 

What about pets? Do people in these areas mentioned have cats and dogs. I mean it must be hard to keep pets all locked up in all these condos and apartments.

Re: Kitsilano
 

It will vary from building to building depending on what the strata has decided. I used to live here:

http://www.6717000.com/2655cranberry/

(I am not even going to say how much I paid when we bought off plan in 2001 - before the real estate boom - or how much it would be worth now!)

This building allowed (and I think still does) pets and has a really nice greenway behind it that is a popular onleash dog walking area.

Re: Kitsilano
 

Agreed. I didn't mind it too much really. There used to be a great Thai place on the main drag and the Cheshire Cheese was ok in a pinch for a pint.

Re: Kitsilano
 

Arbutus walk know the area well. Some nice places around there. But i would expect around 600 dollars per sq foot to own and over 2 dollars per square foot to rent.

Re: Kitsilano
 

I think you are right on the money, possibly be even more in our old building as it was a decent new concrete one! :). We had 800 sq feet with a good ground floor patio. We paid about $225,000 IIRC when we bought in 2001. The market was so slow then that we had the choice of units and took a couple of weeks to decide which we wanted. I think you would be looking at over 500K now. Nice, but not that nice would be my view :)

Re: Kitsilano
 

The Thai is still there and the Cheese is great for a Guinness; we live a block from the community center. Best thing about living here (and there does seem to be an awful lot of young folk with kids around, contrary to popular perception) is that we're less than four blocks from pretty much anything you might need. There's some great stuff in this area, especially if you like sushi.

However: just sold up, moving into a rental in Dunbar to await the housing downturn that never really arrived in Vancouver and you and I both feel is coming. Finding a home rental proved difficult; the housing market is flooding with ex-rentals as Landlords offload their inventory to take advantage of this dead cat bounce. But that's another thread.

Digression aside, we've loved living in Kerrisdale :)

Re: Kitsilano
 

Went back to London last weekend and actually found a good cheap sushi place in Lavender Hill, Clapham Junction. It was like being on Lonsdale N Vancouver again, apart from the constant police sirens.

God i miss sushi. I'd swap it for curry any day... and to think we used to sit and dream of a good madras.

Joe's was great for breakfast. Apart from my chinese mate who insisted on popping his egg on the edge of his muffin... biting off the front of the yolk and sucking out the rest. The chinese love a slurp!

Re: Kitsilano
 

I've been thinking of moving to lower lonsdale (or more accurately the missus wants to). We found a little pub there called the rusy gull, it is actually the first place that felt like a real brit pub in 17 years! Great live music in there.

Lots of development there of late (you wouldn't recognize it), and only 12 mins by sea bus to downtown. I work in Burnaby so actually closer for me.

What did you think of living in the area?

Agree with you on the sushi front. I spent 6 weeks in the uk one time and went in to withdrawl. There was a place at selfridges in manchester but god was it expensive!

Re: Kitsilano
 

My ex and I bought in 1996 for 180,000 (loft in fairview north of city hall on 6 th ave) - one is for sale two doors down - exact same layout and north shore views for 580,000. Too bad my ex got it in the divorce:frown:

http://www.loftsvancouver.com/Proper...02/#viewdetail

Re: Kitsilano
 

I came across statistics for the percentage of people who rent in Kitsilano and the figure was over 60%!! wow.

From what everyone is saying townhouses and apartments are between 300,000 and 600,000 CAD, and rent is between 800 to 1600 per month, so wouldnt it just be better to pay that amount towards your own mortgage?

or am I missing something. I guess a mortgage is difficult to get, so can someone shed some light in this area for me.

Re: Kitsilano
 

My friend has an 800 sf condo in kits. Market value is about $560,000. It depends on how much you have to put down as a deposit, but a mortgage of $500,000 will cost you about $2,725 at the bank's posted rate (and you need a family income of $120,000 to qualify). On top of the mortgage you have property tax and condo fees - so about $3,500 a month.

Rental yields suck.

Re: Kitsilano
 

And you could likely rent the same place for around 1600 - 1900 per month. Depending where it is, views, etc.

You could buy an older one bed for around 300,000 (one sold in my building for 315,000 - around 550 sq feet. So with a typical 5 year fixed term, you are easily at 1500 per month and 130 in taxes and 150 in fees so around 1800 per month. Same place to rent: 1000 - 1200 tops.

Re: Kitsilano
 

This is a 2 bed in West 4th and Fir area. Great views over downtown/Stanley Park. We go there to watch the fireworks.

Re: Kitsilano
 

Loved it on the North Shore mate. I was further up on 19th. I forgot about the Rusty Gull. On the opposite side of Lonsdale, around W 3rd, there's the Sailor Hagar. They have quite a lot of Brits and makes their own beer. V good aswell.

Also, the there is excellent sushi on Lonsdale. Hachi Hana, opposite Jack Lonsdale Pub is superb. Everyone raves about Gen Sushi further up, but i dont think its as good.