The Top 10 Absurd Vancouver Properties of 2012
Believe me, it was hard to decide. So much absurdity and ridiculousness to choose from! I’ve narrowed down my Top Ten Absurd Vancouver Properties…let me know if I’ve missed any of your favourites!
1. March 28th, 2012
Listed at $1.2 million, this home in “prestigious” Point Grey never sold and the listing was terminated. Surprise, surprise.
2. April 9th, 2012
This property did sell (I know, because I live in the same neighbourhood)…it was listed at $900K but I’m unsure what the actual sell price was. Such a beauty.
3. June 7th, 2012
This post generated a whole bunch of conversation…from the old “Vancouver is a world class city,” to my personal favourite, “if you don’t like it – get out.” The listing expired and I believe this house never actually sold…although it was a bargain at just under $3.2 million.
4. June 13th, 2012
This one was a doozy. Listed at $789K, this property did eventually sell…foor $650K. That’s over $100K under the list price. I guess deals can still be had in old Lotus land!
5. June 19th, 2012
This was one of the most expensive properties I featured this year. Some argued that because it was located in the Endowment Lands that it was worth the almost $6 million price tag. Guess not…the listing expired and, as far as I know, it has not been sold.
6. August 9th, 2012
And this was one of the cheapest properties I featured…but even a price tag of $499K couldn’t entice a buyer. This listing also expired.
7. August 30th, 2012
The famous $650K basement suite. This one really got people fired up. Looks like no one got fired up enough to buy it, though. The listing expired. Not sure if it’s been put back on the market yet. We shall see.
8. November 1st, 2012
$1.2 million for a laneway/coach house. It is definitely beautiful, but for that price the fact that you are sitting at the back of another house and on a lane way leaves much to be desired.
9. November 23rd, 2012
Is it really any surprise that no one has picked up this gem in need of “…a little TLC”? At just under a million dollars and with “peek-a-boo” views of the Fraser River, it’s definitely a mystery.
10. December 6th, 2012
This listing is still active…so you still have a chance to snatch up this “starter home” in Dunbar for $2.2 million!
Thanks for a year of laughs Vancouver real estate! For the sake of my blog, I hope the absurdity continues in 2013…however, for the sake of all the young families in this city who are looking for a home to call their own, I hope things begin to reach more of a “normal” (remains to be seen what this actually means here) state in the new year.
I have thoroughly enjoyed reading your Absurd Property of the week…I look forward to it. I am originally from Victoria but now live in Australia. I forward this on to lots of people here! Thanks again for the laaughs. Look forward to next year.
I am surprised that the laneway house could be sold. Looks like it’s just another nod to pressure from greedy folks and not to actually provide housing at an “affordable price”, whatever that means in the Lower Mainland. Thanks for all the laughs. Keep ‘em coming!
Pure awesomeness.
Nice to hear about the conclusions of some of these listings and its great to hear a lot of them didn’t sell!
Happy New Year!
Waiting to see your interview on Global. All you “horney house virgins” NEED to read this blog:
http://www.greaterfool.ca/
and I cant get 277,000 for 10 acres with 4 bedroom home, 2 garages,barn and hay shed? wow.
[...] down with Sophie Lui and Steve Darling of Global BC’s Morning News, to discuss some of my Top Absurd Vancouver Properties of 2012. I was really excited to do my first live TV spot! I was so worried that I would over-sleep, so [...]
Vancouver is A world class city.. humm.. Where did that come from? Huh..
Thanks for all the laughs! My personal favorite from this year (or maybe it was was last year?) was the basement suite selling for over a million at Kingsway & Knight. Gotta love Vancouver!
Great job getting the word out. In addition to Garth’s blog, you might get a kick out of Vancouver Price Drop, one of the newest and most exciting Van RE blogs, as well as Vancouver Condo info.
FINALLY !! I’ve stumbled upon your blog after watching your segment on Global News…I’m so glad that I did…I have the same convo’s with friends that are already sucked into this illusion of Vancouver RE ! Being someone in their late 30′s, who has moved back to Van., after a long absence, I’ve become severely jaded by whats happened to the City I used to call home ! Regardless, I’m optimistic that the market will correct it’self on a value that justifies a “living wage” that we all strive to earn !
We in Alberta find the incredible overvalued real estate market hilarious. We live in a province of an unemployment figure of 4%. You can buy a palace for what a shack goes for in the lower mainland with a much higher disposable income.
Say what you want about our winters but our standard of living like heaven compared to the lower mainland. Our 33% of family budget spent on a mortgage for home that would have a value of millions on the lower mainland give us the ability to live an extremely comfortable life compare to you.
Yes we shovel snow but we also do not get the rain,wind,gloom and hockey riots that embarrassed all of Canada.
We have the luxury to see the world with our greater disposable income not to mention lower taxes,quality healthcare,a larger budget for infrastructure maintenance and a bright economic future which is the reason many people from BC move to Alberta.
There are people who do not know what to do with their money,nothing new there and that showing off is more imported then a real life