the thirties grind

Absurd Vancouver Property: May 10, 2013

We’re almost halfway across Canada!!  This week we’re in Ontario and, for the sake of keeping the comparisons in one area, I’m going to focus on Toronto.

First up is this gorgeous home for just over $2 million:

Located in Central Toronto near some of the city’s esteemed private schools (woo hoo!), this classic home has 6 bedrooms, a big family room, modern kitchen with breakfast area, spacious master suite with 6 piece bath, and a finished basement with nanny suite!

Read more…

What I really hear: positive Vancouver Real Estate spin

The constant positive outlook I see about the state of Vancouver real estate can be nauseating.

Nearly halfway through April, we’re on track for 2400-2500 sales. No big rebound yet, more below-trend sales vols #vanre

— YVR Housing Analyst (@YVRHousing) April 13, 2013

Greater Vancouver home sales still well below historical averagesvancouversun.com/business/real-… #yvrre #VanRE

— FVREB (@FVREB) April 3, 2013

Vancouver Real Estate Market Stabilizes | BCBusiness bcbusiness.ca/real-estate/va…

— tart and sell (@tartandsell) April 12, 2013

Vancouver housing prices stabilizing sco.lt/76OK5x

— Terry Burgess (@VanWestTerry) April 12, 2013

Around springtime of every year, it’s about all we hear.  Doesn’t change the fact that, for most, a Vancouver home is still out of reach.  Here’s how it all sounds to me:

Absurd Vancouver Property (March 27, 2013)

Keep coming here for funny, sarcastic, tongue in cheek Vancouver property comparisons…like this one.

A budget of $2.4 million can stretch pretty far…in most places.

In Beverly Hills, California, you could buy Canadian comedian, Mike Myers’, compound:

The two-story house has a formal dining room, family room, office and bonus room. The parklike grounds have a pool, spa and patios.  There is also a pool house that can accommodate guests.   Read more…

Absurd Vancouver Property (March 14, 2013)

I feel like $4 million is a good amount of money to spend on a luxury home…That kind of money affords one a certain kind of lifestyle, I would assume (I have to assume because I don’t actually know!).

In Georgetown, Washington, $4 million buys you this mansion, which formerly housed the Field School (a distinguished prep school):

Photo by Beasly Real Estate

Read more…

Absurd Vancouver Property (March 6th, 2013)

We got a little glimmer of sun here in Vancouver this weekend…and that glimmer was all it took to get me dreaming about warmer days that are coming soon (but not soon enough!!).

To tie me over, I thought I’d look at properties in places where the sun shines almost all the time.

Places like Scottsdale, where for $1.7 million you could live in this 5000 square foot getaway:

4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, chef’s kitchen and sun. Every. Single. Day. Read more…

My must see Vancouver open houses (March 2, 2013)

For those looking to buy a home in Vancouver, the season of spending every weekend getting in and out of your car and trudging through open houses has begun.  I secretly loved this process when we were looking for our home, particularly the voyeurism of it – some homes were absolutely pristine and perfectly staged, while others were a den of hoarding, disrepair and grime.

Thank goodness I don’t have to go looking at open houses, but if I did, these are the ones I’d want to check out this weekend.  Not necessarily to buy (I couldn’t afford most of them), but just to see a little bit more than what the images show (you can click on the photos to view the listings).

Located in the heart of Kitsilano, this home has 3 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms.  It is the “garden level” suite in this heritage conversion…I’d want to see it just to know what a $700K basement apartment looks like up close. Read more…

Absurd Vancouver Property (February 7th, 2013)

Well (*claps hands and rubs them together*), things should be getting fired back up again after the Christmas slump in Vancouver Real Estate.

Prices are taking a bit of a dip, however.  Wonder what $1.3 million will get you these days.

In LaLa Land, you can scoop up the former home of American Idol contestant, David Cook:

The 3,000 square foot home features a recording studio, customized yard and a spectacular view of the Hollywood sign. Read more…

Absurd Vancouver Property (January 11, 2013)

With the recent drops in the Vancouver real estate market, I anticipated that it might be difficult to find an Absurd Property to feature.  I wasn’t disappointed, however, there are still many homes listed with shocking price tags.  I hovered around the $2.6 million dollar range, which in Los Angeles, could buy you the home of former Grey’s Anatomy alum, Katherine Heigl:

Read more…

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!

Read more…

Absurd Vancouver Property (November 23, 2012)

It’s Black Friday…and seemingly we’ve now adopted this tradition in Canada.  I’m not sure when that happened, but we sure do like to copy what our pals down south are doing, so I guess it was just a matter of time.  There are a few bargains happening in various markets – some decent celebrity abodes up for sale.  Are you wondering if the same is applying up here in Vancouver?  Seemingly our market is stagnating…great news if you’re a buyer who’s been patiently waiting and, hopefully, saving your pennies.

Check out this Silver Lake (L.A.) property recently put on the market by Adam Scott (Parks and Recreation).

Sold for just over a million dollars, the 2,171 square feet, 2 bedrooms, 1.75 bathroom home is stunning inside and out. Read more…