Vancouver Real Estate Blog - Vancouver Realtor » Vancouver Condos

New Listing – 402 4023 Franklin St, Vancouver BC (Hastings Condo)

Sebastian — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 18:13:26 +0000

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402 2023 Franklin St, Vancouver BC

Overview

This impressive suite was recently updated with fresh paint, sparkling appliances, tile flooring as well as light fixtures. You will enjoy top floor privacy (only 3 suites on this floor) and a bright southern exposure (plus skylight).

Enjoy entertaining in the open kitchen with new appliances, or sun on the enormous south facing balcony, perfect for guests, BBQ’s and gardening. The pro-active strata maintains the building in top shape.

Recent improvements to the building include new roof, landscaping, lobby and hallway updating, exterior painting, fascias, new balconies and boilers. The revitalized neighborhood is only steps to Commercial Drive, easy transit access plus only minutes to downtown, North Shore, HWY #1, + Burnaby.

More Information

You can find more information on 402 – 2023 Franklin St here. I shall be doing an OPEN HOUSE Saturday, April 17th and Sunday, April 18th from 2pm – 4pm. If you are unable to make the open house, I would be happy to arrange a private viewing for you.

New Listing – 409 4078 Knight (King Edward Village)

Sebastian — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 22:52:29 +0000

409 4078 Knight (King Edward Village)

Overview

A home like this doesn’t come onto the market very often. One bedroom units at the popular King Edward Village are incredibly rare, particularly including the features that are included with this fantastic home.

You can rest easy knowing that you are purchasing into a quality building that is less than two years old and still benefits from the balance of it’s new home warranty.

Details

This gorgeous courtyard facing one bedroom (+den) will impress. It includes a large balcony (BBQs!), fantastic layout (feels big) + sexy dark laminate flooring. It is immaculate!

Are you loking for your first home? Rest assured in this solid, well-run complex with balance of 2-5-10 warranty. Looking for an investment? A central location, no rental restrictions and fantastic amenities make this an excellent choice.

Cupboard space, breakfast bar, granite counters and tile floors highlight the kitchen. You’ll also find a soaker-tub, in-suite laundry and a den big enough for extra storage or office.

The complex is 10 minutes to everywhere, on transit routes, and includes a library, TD Bank and PriceSmart Foods. 1 parking, 1 locker, pets OK + No Rental Restrictions.

More Information

You can find more information on 409 – 4078 Knight here. I shall be doing an OPEN HOUSE Saturday, January 30th and Sunday, January 31st from 2pm – 4pm. If you are unable to make the open house, I would be happy to arrange a private viewing for you.

King Edward Village

King Edward Village is a new high-rise development in the Knight area of Vancouver. Built by the Aquilini Group’s Tri-Power Developments, it has raised the bar for quality and style for condominiums outside of the downtown core.

You can feel secure investing in King Edward Village with it’s quality, concrete construction and the balance of 2-5-10 warranty remaining. The Village offers amazing convenience with Price Smart Foods, a VPL library and TD Bank located at your doorstep plus easy access to transportation + schools.

Why Vancouver Condo Rental Restrictions Are Bad

Sebastian — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 18:04:11 +0000

Sebastian Albrecht, Vancouver realtor,discusses the impacts of implementing rental restrictions on Vancouver condos in this video blog. Rental restrictions are detrimental to a building because they restrict the freedom of the owner. If you choose to travel for three months, you will not be able to rent your home out at the last moment. 25% – 50% of buyers are investors in Vancouver. By limiting rentals you are removing this potential pool of buyers from the market. This results in lower values as well as less liquidity for your investment (fewer potential buyers means it will take longer to sell).

Please share your opinion on this, or any other Vancouver real estate topic by contacting Sebastian at sebastian@sebastianalbrecht.com. Sebastian Albrecht video blogs regularly about Vancouver real estate. You can find all of his Vancouver real estate video blogs here.

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How to Buy a Vancouver Presale Condo

Sebastian — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 20:38:32 +0000

Sebastian Albrecht, Vancouver realtor, how to buy a Vancouver presale condo. He explains in this video blog what you will want to look out for when looking at purchasing a Presale Condo in the Vancouver real estate market and how to get the best possible deal. He offers insights into the process from his own personal experience in buying a Presale Condo as well as representing his own clients. Most importantly, don’t go into a developer’s sales office unprepared.

Sebastian Albrecht, Vancouver realtor, how to buy a Vancouver presale condo. He explains in this video blog what the best way to go about purchasing a presale condo in Vancouver, what to look out for when making that purchase, and how to get the best possible deal. Most importantly, don’t go into a developer’s sales office unprepared.

What is a Vancouver Presale Condo?

Sebastian — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 18:49:25 +0000

Sebastian Albrecht, Vancouver realtor, discusses what a Vancouver Presale Condo is. He explains what exactly a presale is and how it is different from other ways of buying real estate, why presales exist and why they might be a good option for you.

Parking at Woodwards Condos (Owned vs Leased)

Sebastian — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 21:09:37 +0000

Sebastian Albrecht, Vancouver realtor, discusses parking at the Woodwards Condos in this video blog. There are two different options available, either parking on a 10 year pre-paid lease (across the street), or parking that is owned and right beneath the two towers (W43 and W32). If owning parking is important to you, be aware of the differences.

Downtown Vancouver Condos – A Tour of Woodwards (Fantastic Views)

Sebastian — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 19:56:22 +0000

Vancouver realtor, Sebastian Albrecht, video blogs about the new Woodwards condos in downtown Vancouver. The finishings inside the suites are impressive and include stainless steel appliances, Eggersmann cabinetry and exposed concrete ceilings. Sebastian shows off the view from this 40th floor suite and discusses some current opportunities available in the two towers (W43 and W32).

Copyright © 2009 Vancouver real estate in the Vancouver Realtor Blog bySebastian Albrecht, Vancouver Realtor with Royal LePage Vancouver ”Downtown Vancouver Condos – A Tour of Woodwards (Fantastic Views)”

Parking at Woodwards Condos (Owned vs Leased)

Buying a Vancouver Condo? View the Parking and Storage!

Sebastian — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:01:06 +0000

Vancouver realtor Sebastian Albrecht video blogs about the importance of personally viewing parking spaces and storage lockers. Buying a Vancouver condo? You will want to see both the parking space and storage locker in person. Recent experiences highlight the importance of personally inspecting the parking and storage. It can affect the long-term value and saleability of your investment.

More Information

Parking at Woodwards Condos (Owned vs Leased)

Leaky Condo Loan Program Scrapped

Sebastian — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 19:14:36 +0000

The provincial government announced on July 31st, 2009 that it was ending the loan program of the Homeowner Protection Office. You’ll recall that I first drew attention to the matter at the beginning of the month when the Homeowner Protection Office first indicated that there were funding problems for the interest free loan program.

The loan program was initially set-up by the NDP government in 1998. At the time, many advocates were calling on the government to pay outright for renovations required by the leaky condo mess. The loan program was intended to last 10 years and have a $250 million budget to refurbish condos built prior to 1999 (when the building code was changed to require rainscreening). Instead, it lasted until 2009 and loaned out $670 million.

The loan program had funding issues that resulted from the decline of the BC real estate market in the last year. Funding for the program came from a levy placed on new construction by the provincial government. With the decline in the market there was a fall in new housing starts that dried up the funding source.

When announcing the end of the program, Colin Hansen claimed that there is no longer a need for the loan program. I strongly disagree. As a Vancouver realtor I know of many buildings in this city that were built before 1999 that have yet to be fixed. Where will funding come from for the financially strapped owners of these buildings when the time comes?

In addition, there are also a number of buildings built under the new building code that have building envelope issues. Rainscreening, or concrete construction, are not guarantees of sound construction. The provincial government needs to continue this loan program in order to maintain confidence in the quality of our construction industry and our real estate market.

Interestingly, while the government is going to stop funding the program they will continue to collect the $750 levy on new housing starts (used as the funding source for the program).

Please Donate

On June 22nd, 2009 I broke the record for the most ascents of the Grouse Grind for charity. The Royal LePage Shelter Foundation is an incredible organization which is there to help women and children suffering from domestic abuse. Of every dollar donated, 100% goes directly to those in need (Royal LePage covers all administrative costs of the charity).

Donate to the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation

More Info on Vancouver Real Estate

If you’d like to learn more about the Vancouver real estate market generally you can check out this page.

Are you thinking of buying or selling, or just have questions then you can contact me here or send me a quick email.

Homeowner Protection Office Faces Challenges – What Does It Mean To You?

Sebastian — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:24:31 +0000

You probably have never heard of the Homeowner Protection Office. It’s an agency that most of us never hear about unless we find ourselves in dire straights (facing a large assessment on a condo, for instance). The HPO was created out of the height of the Leaky Condo crisis that leveled the Vancouver real estate market in the mid-1990s.

Protecting consumers of new construction is the mandate of the HPO. Since 1998 it has given out $670 million in loans that have helped over 16,000 homeowners. Unfortunately, due to the slowdown in construction in Vancouver real estate (as well as the entire province) it has entered into it’s own crisis and may need to seek it’s own protection.

Funding for the HPO comes from the constructions of new homes. Every time a unit is built $750 goes to the HPO. This money is used to fund it’s operations, but is also used as interest free loans to consumers that purchased leaky condos.

Last week the government announced that the HPO had run into financial difficulty. In fact, leaky-condo repair loans had been halted in some cases. This was a direct result of the slowdown in the Vancouver real estate market and the resulting cutbacks in construction. Without a funding source, the money in the bank began to quickly dry up.

The result is that many condo owners have been put in a precarious financial position. How will this situation be resolved? It would appear that the provincial government will step in and fill the funding gap. Given the cyclical nature of real estate and construction, it would appear to be a wise decision to look at alternate funding methods.

If the provincial government steps in quickly to provide funding to the HPO, I doubt that this news will have much impact on any of us (other than the handful of owners currently inconvenienced by the delay in loan payments). However, if the province does not step in there could be dire consequences for us all.

The most direct impact could be a significant lose of consumer confidence. Consumers need to feel confident in the products they are buying for a robust market to exist. Should that confidence falter in new buyers we may find that we all suffer from the effects.

Please Donate

Donate to the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation

Copyright © 2009 Vancouver real estate in the Vancouver Realtor Blog by Sebastian Albrecht, Vancouver Realtor with Royal LePage Vancouver ”Homeowner Protection Office Faces Challenges – What Does It Mean To You?”

Vancouver Real Estate Blog - Vancouver Realtor » Vancouver Condos

New Listing – 402 4023 Franklin St, Vancouver BC (Hastings Condo)

f 402 2023 Franklin St, Vancouver BC Overview

More Information

New Listing – 409 4078 Knight (King Edward Village)

Overview

Details

More Information

King Edward Village

Why Vancouver Condo Rental Restrictions Are Bad

How to Buy a Vancouver Presale Condo

What is a Vancouver Presale Condo?

Parking at Woodwards Condos (Owned vs Leased)

Downtown Vancouver Condos – A Tour of Woodwards (Fantastic Views)

Buying a Vancouver Condo? View the Parking and Storage!

Leaky Condo Loan Program Scrapped

Please Donate

More Info on Vancouver Real Estate

Homeowner Protection Office Faces Challenges – What Does It Mean To You?

Please Donate

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402 2023 Franklin St, Vancouver BC

Overview