RENT OR BUY?

RENT OR BUY?
27 Sep 10

Rent or Buy: Kits Condo at the Beachcomber

RENT OR BUY? / VANCOUVER REAL ESTATE — 8 comments

Rent or Buy lets you compare similar properties in your neighbourhood to see whether it makes sense to be a tenant or an owner.

Today’s Rent or Buy looks at a renovated 1980′s condo in a prime Kits location, if you’re ok with a bit of bustle on Yew Street.

It’s a three bedroom 1,373 square foot unit in the Beachcomber which sits at 1512 Yew St., between York and Cornwall on the edge of Kits beach. It’s in the thick of the small but lively restaurant and bar scene near the beach, and should never want for demand from renters.

So let’s take a look at whether it makes sense to rent or buy this Kits beach condo…
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RENT OR BUY?
07 Sep 10

Rent or Buy: Palais Georgia in Coal Harbour

RENT OR BUY? / VANCOUVER REAL ESTATE — 2 comments


Rent or Buy lets you compare similar properties in your neighbourhood to see whether it makes sense to be a tenant or an owner.

Today we venture to Coal Harbour to a slightly older building that still has some pretty slick views. We’re looking at the Palais Georgia, built in the early 1990′s and located at 1415 West Georgia. We’ve got a single unit that is currently rented and listed for sale, so we can get a solid comparison.

So follow us to our 15th floor two bedroom that looks north to Coal Harbour, and see whether it makes sense to rent or buy…
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RENT OR BUY?
19 Aug 10

Rent or Buy: Mariner in False Creek North (918 Cooperage Way)

RENT OR BUY? / VANCOUVER REAL ESTATE — 1 comment


Rent or Buy lets you compare similar properties in your neighbourhood to see whether it makes sense to be a tenant or an owner.

We’re looking at False Creek North in today’s Rent or Buy. Specifically, we’re profiling a rental and sale listing at Mariner, a 2009 Concord Pacific tower just northeast of the Cambie bridge. It’s a building with some of the usual Concord Pacific amenities (use of the “Esprit” club pool and bowling alley, concierge, etc.) and a location on the water. After the jump, we scope out two bedroom units above the 20th floor to see if it makes sense to rent or buy…

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RENT OR BUY?
27 Jul 10

Rent or Buy: Millennium Water Two Bedroom (181 West 1st)

RENT OR BUY? / VANCOUVER REAL ESTATE — 2 comments

Rent or Buy lets you compare similar properties in your neighbourhood to see whether it makes sense to be a tenant or an owner.

Today’s Rent or Buy looks at probably the most talked about development in Vancouver these days, Millennium Water. Specifically, we profile a sale and a rental listing for comparable units in 181 West 1st Avenue, a building that sits on the southwest edge of the Millennium Water site. The units have primary views west over false creek, and are on the good side (as Al Czervik would say) of the specific building. After the jump, check out pictures and an analysis of the financial case for renting or buying…

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RENT OR BUY?
19 Jul 10

Rent or Buy: Five Bedrooms in Arbutus Ridge

RENT OR BUY? / VANCOUVER REAL ESTATE — 4 comments


Rent or Buy lets you compare similar properties in your neighbourhood to see whether it makes sense to be a tenant or an owner.

This episode of Rent or Buy features a large, but dated, home in the very comfortable arbutus ridge neighbourhood. It’s home to good schools, parks, nice streets and is a bit easier on the wallet than some of its west-side neighbours. The home itself is roomy at 2600 sq. ft., and has some nice views of the north shore mountains from the top floor. It’s a bit older, and could definitely use a bit of love or some good interior design – but is perfectly liveable for an owner or a renter. So do you rent or buy? Photos and analysis below…

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RENT OR BUY?
13 Jul 10

Rent or Buy: W-43 Woodward’s Building

RENT OR BUY? / VANCOUVER REAL ESTATE — 1 comment

Rent or Buy lets you compare similar properties in your neighbourhood to see whether it makes sense to be a tenant or an owner.

The old Woodward’s building was a Vancouver icon, and the residential towers (known as W32 and W43) that have inherited it’s legacy are a lynch pin in the city’s forays into improving the downtown east side. The project includes hundreds of units reserved as social housing, and the building has been billed by the city as a “neighbourhood core” which can be an anchor for social and economic rehabilitation of  a controversial neighbourhood. Few observers are apathetic about the building – people tend to either love the history and idea of revitalizing an icon, or hate the notion of being the front line of gentrification in the downtown east side. Today we look at similar rental and sale listings on the 5th floor of W43 (128 West Cordova St.) to compare renting versus owning at in Gastown/Downtown East Side…

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