Vancouver realtor Jay McInnes tells us about shopping for homes in Vancouver to match your lifestyle and budget:
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Vancouver is a city of neighbourhoods and if you’re looking to invest in real estate in Vancouver, there will definitely be one that suits your lifestyle. There are over twenty neighbourhoods to pick from, each with its own character, some more unique than others. But regardless of whether you’re looking for high end real estate on the West Side, a luxury townhome in Kitsilano, or a loft in the trendy and eclectic Mt. Pleasant area, all Vancouver neighbourhoods are great places to live.
Affordable Kitsilano real estate
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Kitsilano, with its proximity to beautiful beaches and parks, is one of the most popular places to live in Vancouver. Once a hippie and counterculture haven, Kitsilano is now home mainly to young urban professionals. In fact, it has thesecond highest number of people aged 25-34, the highest being in the Downtown Vancouver West End. Vancouver realtor Jay McInnes says that, although the real estate there is admittedly pricey, almost 90% of the residences are apartments, so there are still some affordable condos for sale in Kitsilano.
Luxury properties in Point Grey
Photo credits (two above): Jay Mcinnes on Instagram
A bit further west is the affluent Point Grey neighbourhood. As far as Vancouver westside real estate is concerned, this is the epitome of luxury realty. With the price of homes averaging at $3.8 million, Point Grey is where you will find spectacular, custom built, waterfront properties. And while the area itself is not exclusively wealthy, any Vancouver realtor would agree that it is one that has held its value over the years. So if you have a few million dollars available, Point Grey real estate is a great investment!
Good options in Kerrisdale
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Also on the Westside is Kerrisdale, which has a mix of heritage homes, bungalows and low rise condominiums on beautiful tree lined streets. While single family homes are very expensive, there are a number of Kerrisdale condos for sale that are surprisingly affordable. The shopping district, also known as “The Village” is quaint and charming. In the past, residents of Kerrisdale were primarily of English descent, but the face of the community is gradually changing due to an influx of Chinese immigrants.
Affordable housing on the east side
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While the westside is experiencing some recent demographic changes, ethnic diversity has been a characteristic of the east side of Vancouver for a long time. In neighbourhoods such as Grandview-Woodland, more commonly called “Commercial Drive”, over 40% of the residents are immigrants. Although very different from Kitsilano, “the Drive” was also popular with hippies, artists, and political activists, especially in the 80’s. Today, it is still a colourful neighbourhood, packed with restaurants and European style cafes, bars and entertainment venues. (Hastings-Sunrise, considered as one of Canada’s next great neighbourhoods is also ethnically diverse, where you’re more likely to hear Cantonese, Vietnamese, or Italian than English.) And although property value in Vancouver is still on the rise, real estate on the east side is noticeably more affordable.
Exciting Mt. Pleasant properties
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Smack in the middle of the east-west divide is Mt. Pleasant, currently one of the hottest markets of real estate in Vancouver. Formerly home to several of the city’s breweries, the area underwent gentrification in the 90’s, and is now an up and coming neighbourhood, home to young professionals, artists, and writers. If you’re interested in lofts for sale in Vancouver, Mt. Pleasant is a good place to check out. A stylish loft in the newly converted Brewery Creek building is on the market for just over half a million.
With such a wide variety of Vancouver properties available throughout the city’s diverse neighbourhoods, the more challenging task will be to choose just one – not a bad problem to have!