Where did Sotheby’s go to?

Posted on July 6, 2011 by Frank
Sotheby's International Realty Canada

Sotheby's International Realty Canada

You may have noticed that the Sotheby’s International Realty offices in West Vancouver have closed. The office next to Coco Loco in Ambleside is now empty.

If you visited us at those offices you will know that they were a little lacking in space. It was hard to have a quiet chat there as there wasn’t a whole lot of privacy.

The good news is that we will be opening a new office in Ambleside. It is going to be on 15th and Bellevue. This is a great spot. The only down side is that this space will not be available until later in the year. Unfortunately too, the space is currently being occupied by Saltaire. The restaurant will be closing. Their loss is our gain.

Posted in Ambleside, Real Estate, Restaurants | Leave a comment

West Vancouver real estate market is hotter than June

Posted on July 5, 2011 by Frank

The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver just released its statistics for June 2011 and one of the hot spots in the region is West Vancouver.

Below are the figures for the benchmark prices across the region. The figures in brackets show the percentage change over June 2010 and in square brackets are the 3 year percentage change in price.

That may not be a surprise to anyone in

DETACHED BENCHMARK PRICES

  • Greater Vancouver $901,680 (13.4%), [3yr: 17.8%]
  • Burnaby $928,093 (17.7%), [3yr: 22.7%]
  • Coquitlam $715,927 (6.8%), [3yr: 4.9%]
  • South Delta $713,436 (6.8%), [3yr: 6.9%]
  • Maple Ridge $449,690 (-3.1%), [3yr: -1.5%]
  • New Westminster $644,758 (8.5%), [3yr: 7.7%]
  • North Vancouver $973,026 (9.6%), [3yr: 8.9%]
  • Pitt Meadows $540,345 (4.6%), [3yr: 7.1%]
  • Port Coquitlam $619,438 (13.4%), [3yr: 17.5%]
  • Port Moody $764,845 (-6.9%), [3yr: -6.1%]
  • Richmond $1,096,578 (22.2%), [3yr: 41.1%]
  • Squamish $508,357 (10.6%), [3yr: -14%]
  • Sunshine Coast $403,302 (-8.2%), [3yr: -7%]
  • Vancouver East $839,867 (14.5%), [3yr: 21.3%]
  • Vancouver West $2,068,857 (30.2%), [3yr: 42.1%]
  • West Vancouver $1,793,524 (27.6%), [3yr: 25.6%]

In more detail in West Vancouver in June there were 100 sales of detached homes.

Most sales were in the British Properties (17, with 5 over asking), Ambleside (14, including 7 over asking), Caulfeild (10, only 1 over asking) and Chartwell (9, with 2 over asking). A quarter of all sales were over asking and they are selling quickly – average days on market being only 32.

If you are looking to sell your home we would be pleased to give you a detailed update on the market in your area and a complimentary valuation of your home. Please contact us.

Posted in Real Estate, Statistics | Leave a comment

House sales in last 30 days in West Vancouver

Posted on March 15, 2011 by Frank
Home sales in West Vancouver

Sold!

As of March 15, 2011 there were 83 houses sold in West Vancouver in the last 30 days. Ambleside (9 sales) and British Properties (9) were the top selling areas, followed by Dundarave (7), Bayridge(6), Caulfeild(6) and Eagle Harbour(6). In these areas there were 8 sales over asking and 18 in total in West Van. The average sold price overall was $1,952,000 and homes are selling within 50 days on average.

There has been a marked increase in activity in the market and this is a good time to consider selling your home. Contact us for a complimentary valuation of your home.

 

Posted in Ambleside, British Properties, Caulfeild, Dundarave, Eagle Harbour, Real Estate, Statistics | Leave a comment

Mid February market news from West Vancouver

Posted on February 15, 2011 by Frank

At the mid point of February, it is time to look back over the last 30 days and get an idea of how the market is doing in West Vancouver.

There were 56 detached homes sold in West Vancouver in the last 30 days. British Properties had most sales (8), with Ambleside (7) close behind. All other sales were spread around the area.

Ambleside was the hottest area, however, with 4 of the 7 sales being over asking. In total there were 10 properties sold over asking. Other areas with sales over asking were British Properties, Caulfeild, Dundarave, Glenmore, Horseshoe Bay and West Bay.

The average sold price was $1.64m, that being 95% of asking price. The average days on market is now about 7 weeks (51 days).

Posted in Ambleside, British Properties, Caulfeild, Dundarave, Glenmore, Horseshoe Bay, Real Estate, Statistics, West Bay | Leave a comment

How did West Vancouver’s elementary schools do in the Fraser Institute’s report card?

Posted on February 10, 2011 by Frank
School Bus

The familiar yellow school bus

West Vancouver has some really good schools. In fact I’d say they’re all good. It is one of the factors that attract families to the area since good schooling is so important.

You may know that the Fraser Institute produces reports which rate the schools of British Columbia. They have just released their report on our elementary schools. You may not agree with how these ratings are produced, if, like me, you believe there’s a lot more to a school’s success than can be measured by tests. However, since I know these ratings are well recognized, I have set out the schools below.

They are shown with their ranking with BC and then their overall score for this report. I added (I) where the school is an independent one. So for example Collingwood is ranked 14 in the Province (out of 185 schools) and had an overall score of 9.8. It is, of course, an independent school.

The Rankings

14. Collingwood 9.8 (I)
14. Mulgrave 9.8 (I)
25. Westcot 9.5
30. St Anthony’s 9.4 (I)
30. West Bay 9.4
41. Irwin Park 9.2
41. Pauline Johnson 9.2
41. Ridgeview 9.2
57. Hollyburn 8.9
66. Caulfeild 8.8
83. Gleneagles 8.5
117. Bowen Island 7.9

As you can see, all of our local schools have done exceptionally well. We can be proud of our kids and of the teachers who work so hard.

If you are looking to move into the catchment area of one of these schools, then contact us so that we can assist you to buy a home in the right area.

Posted in Altamont, Ambleside, British Properties, Caulfeild, Chartwell, Cypress Park Estates, Dundarave, Eagle Harbour, Gleneagles, Queens, Schools, West Bay, Whytecliff | Leave a comment

What should be done with the Safeway site in Ambleside?

Posted on February 10, 2011 by Frank
Option for the development of the Ambleside Safeway site in West Vancouver

One option for the site is illustrated

1650 Marine Drive in Ambleside, the Safeway site, is slated for redevelopment. The District of West Vancouver is starting the public consultation process and this is our chance to look at the choices and make sure that we are happy with the shape of our new “town centre”.

There are two main options (see the District’s web page for full details):

  1. Option A has a 15 storey residential building in the southeast corner of the site, with 3 storeys on Marine Drive, and a 3 to 5 storey street base on other frontages; and
  2. Option B has a 10 storey residential building in the southeast corner of the site, with 3 storeys on Marine Drive and a 3 to 6 storey street base on other frontages.

If you want to get involved then we suggest that you get down to the Community Consultation Meeting on Thursday March 10, 2011 at 6:30pm for the Open House, with 7:00pm Presentation & Discussion. Both in the Activity Room, Senior’s Centre, 695 21st Street.

We would love to hear your thoughts on these proposals. Why not leave a comment?

Ambleside Safeway option for redevelopment

Another illustration

All illustrations are courtesy of the District of West Vancouver.

Posted in Ambleside, Events, Real Estate | 9 Comments

Early February sales

Posted on February 9, 2011 by Frank

Top areas for sales in West Vancouver over the last month were Ambleside (9), British Properties(6), Cypress Park Estates(4) and Queens(4). There were 55 sales of detached homes over this period. Average sale price was $1.74m which is 95% of list price. Sales are taking an average of 58 days.

Posted in Ambleside, British Properties, Cypress Park Estates, Queens | Leave a comment

Gung Hay Fat Choy – Welcome to the Year of the Rabbit

Posted on February 3, 2011 by Frank
Canada Post stamp for the year of the rabbit

Canada Post issued a stamp for the year of the rabbit

Wishing everyone a happy new year as today ushers in the year of the Rabbit.

Here is a summary for those who are interested in rabbits!

Occupying the 4th position in the Chinese Zodiac, the Rabbit symbolizes such character traits as creativity, compassion, and sensitivity. Rabbits are friendly, outgoing and prefer the company of others. They also prefer to avoid conflict. In confrontational situations, Rabbits approach calmly and with consideration for the other party. Rabbits believe strongly in friends and family and lacking such bonds can lead to emotional issues.

Their serene nature keeps Rabbits from becoming visibly upset. Because they’re serene animals, Rabbits are easily taken advantage of. Their sensitive nature makes them shy away from aggressive or competitive situations. They’re overall conservative and not interested in taking risks.

Classy, sophisticated, expressive, well-mannered and stylish, those born under the Sign of the Rabbit enjoy leaning about cultural issues and learning about people from other countries. Rabbits are most comfortable being home, and their homes are always neat and organized. Home is also where Rabbits prefer to entertain. Rabbits are conservative in their decorating tastes.

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How is West Vancouver doing compared to elsewhere?

Posted on February 2, 2011 by Frank

The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver has just released figures for January 2011. So how did West Vancouver fare in this period?

DETACHED BENCHMARK PRICES

West Vancouver benchmark prices for detached homes have dropped marginally over the last year (1.2%) but if we look back over 5 years we have seen the benchmark price increase by 23.9%. This is still somewhat less than seen in the region as a whole (38.7%).

  • Greater Vancouver $810,045 (2.7%), [5yr: 38.7%]
  • Burnaby $812,874 (6%), [5yr: 38%]
  • Coquitlam $680,383 (-1.5%), [5yr: 31%]
  • South Delta $655,818 (-0.8%), [5yr: 25%]
  • Maple Ridge $438,983 (-4.3%), [5yr: 20%]
  • New Westminster $567,582 (-5.4%), [5yr: 16.9%]
  • North Vancouver $877,180 (-3.3%), [5yr: 22.1%]
  • Pitt Meadows $485,528 (-2.5%), [5yr: 26.1%]
  • Port Coquitlam $507,426 (-9.6%), [5yr: 22.3%]
  • Port Moody $643,628 (-18.1%), [5yr: 20.1%]
  • Richmond $1,037,689 (22.6%), [5yr: 80.3%]
  • Squamish $568,619 (20.3%), [5yr: 39.9%]
  • Sunshine Coast $381,183 (-8.1%), [5yr: 6%]
  • Vancouver East $749,886 (2.7%), [5yr: 41.7%]
  • Vancouver West $1,765,927 (12.2%), [5yr: 76.9%]
  • West Vancouver $1,397,025 (-1.2%), [5yr: 23.9%]

APARTMENT BENCHMARK PRICES

Apartments don’t make up a significant amount of the real estate in West Vancouver, though they are certainly important, particularly as the urge to downsize strikes! Here, as for detached homes, prices slipped a bit over last year, but have increased by 26.6% over 5 years. This too is below the figures for the region as a whole.

  • Greater Vancouver $390,935 (1.4%), [5yr: 35.6%]
  • Burnaby $355,927 (1.8%), [5yr: 40.4%]
  • Coquitlam $299,062 (0.8%), [5yr: 35%]
  • South Delta $343,931 (-8.6%), [5yr: 24.2%]
  • Maple Ridge & Pitt Meadows $223,330 (-7.2%), [5yr: 15.9%]
  • New Westminster $297,382 (5.4%), [5yr: 42.2%]
  • North Vancouver $379,620 (-0.9%), [5yr: 27.5%]
  • Port Coquitlam $253,224 (0%), [5yr: 33%]
  • Port Moody $298,472 (-0.7%), [5yr: 21%]
  • Richmond $346,037 (5.9%), [5yr: 47.8%]
  • Vancouver East $328,913 (-2.5%), [5yr: 37.4%]
  • Vancouver West $502,227 (2.5%), [5yr: 33.9%]
  • West Vancouver $606,425 (-5%), [5yr: 26.6%]

If you want to buy or sell or even think about downsizing, then please contact us.

Posted in Real Estate, Statistics | Leave a comment

Home sales in January are off to a good start

Posted on January 31, 2011 by Frank

I have just had a sneak peak at the sales over the last month. There were 38 sales of homes in West Vancouver with an average sale price of $1.7m. Ambleside was the busiest area with 8 sales (avg of $1.22m), then Eagle Harbour with 4 (Avg $1.37m). British Properties (avg $1.54m) and Cypress Park Estates (avg $1.23m) both made 3 sales over the last month. Altamont is worthy of mention with 2 sales but an average sale price of $5m.

Last year at the same time there were 36 sales in West Vancouver, but the average sale price was $1.53m. At that time Ambleside (7), British Properties (6) Chartwell (4) and Eagle Harbour (4) were the pack leaders.

Posted in Altamont, Ambleside, British Properties, Chartwell, Cypress Park Estates, Eagle Harbour, Statistics | Leave a comment