Yatter Matters

I received this wonderful email from a friend who felt compelled to keep me posted on current real estate events in lands far away. The following text is unedited with the exception of formatting and is a direct quote of the email. The email is provided herein for your amusement and interest.

The house In (Vancouver) below at 780 West 60th Ave was built 44 years ago out of wood. It is currently offered for sale in the desirable district of MARPOLE for a cool $1,128,000.00.

It boasts two bathrooms with flushing loos, and three bedrooms, each with closets, but has not been renovated (you can tell from the pic and the listing description) – you can check out its active MLS listing by punching in V709961.

It comes with two chimneys made of brick, and is on a slightly wider than normal, Vancouver sized lot (you can see the houses either side, for width comparison).

A friend of mine, who has just retired on a decent pension as a 30 year school teacher from the UK, was considering moving to Canada or France after selling his British property in Derbyshire – and had often perused our MLS listings to look for a bargain in Vancouver. An oxymoron for sure.

He just emailed me that he has found a comparable property (in price at least), for SEVEN THOUSAND DOLLARS LESS than the above Marpole property, a short drive from the soft sandy beaches of Normandy in north-west Europe.

The big difference being that the CHEAPER home happens to be a fully renovated 9 bedroom French Castle on 30 acres, with its own wood and gardens with detached servant quarters.

He tells me it’s a tough choice, but somehow I don’t think I’ll be bumping into him buying milk at the 711 at 70th and Granville anytime soon.

Which one would you pick if you were him?

This a real, current, property comparison, and I think it’s good to share to demonstrate how absolutely outrageous Vancouver real estate has become.

Agent Remarks

“This magnificent 9 bedroom chateau on 30 acres was built from stone in 1860 and is situated in a quiet village which has an excellent award winning restaurant boasting fine wines. Close to the historic town of Mont St Michel, with pristine beaches, etc. Constructed mostly of granite, the slate roof of the chateau has been well maintained and is in excellent condition. The chateau is fully heated by modern gas central heating which has also been very well maintained.”

“On the ground floor it has a large fully fitted and modern kitchen with a granite fireplace and log burning stove, laundry room, games room, offices and bathroom. 2nd floor boasts a large lounge with Italian marble fireplace, Dining room with grand fireplace, music room with fireplace, bar area and smoking room. 1st floor also has 2 bedroom suites with dressing rooms and ensuite bathrooms, double bedroom and family bathroom. 2nd floor contains 6 double bedrooms. The spacious attic has 2 further bedrooms that can be converted to ensuite if required. The palatial grounds boast well stocked and maintained gardens with impressive and well known trees, rose gardens, impressive gravel entrance drive, well, horse paddock and large separate building plot. Also included is a wood with an ancient monument. Coach house in good condition which is ideal for conversion for a four bedroom guest house and also a large garage and several other outbuildings. This property represents fantastic value and is an excellent investment opportunity. It is possible to include all of the carpets, curtains and furniture in the sale. We would consider a short or long term let as well as an outright sale.” Euros 725,000 negotiable ($1,121,000 CDN).

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Got a Vancouver Real Estate question? Always happy to answer it. Call or send me an email or twitter me @yattermatters.

Larry