Wednesday, February 06, 2008

quelle choix

Oh my. I have $800k burning a whole in my pocket, and I have capitulated. The market can only go up - what with the Olympics, and all of this wet will surely cause the available land to shrink when it dries out.

So I decided to see what was in my range. Two caught my eye as possibilities.

This one (v649911) is great because it is right on Knight St., and that will make it easy to get to Richmond and the ferries, and the airport. That is important because I like to jet-set around the world, and take leisurely vacations in the Gulf Islands. I know that it is built well too, because it is older, and all the kinks will have been worked out already.



This one (v667863) caught my eye too. It's nice and close to the Trans Canada highway which will make it handy for my ski vacations in Whistler, and the wine-tasting tours in the Okanagan. The problem is that it is tucked away on a quiet street, and all that lovely landscaping is a bit of a bore. I'm kind of turned off by the well-written features sheet though. There must be something seriously wrong with the place with all that flowery writing, and the price, it's so low! And who wants three levels in their home? All those leaves on the trees indicate that it has been on the market since last fall at least. Obviously there is something wrong with it, or it would have sold with multiple offers in this smoking market.



Most people are as concerned about where they live as the home they live in. This lovely East Hastings property fulfills both requirements perfectly. Features include 3 bdrms up, mortgage helper suite below, 4 baths, a huge main level playroom, completely private & secure backyard w/ bountiful fruit trees. All this is set in a serene family neighbourhood w/ Templeton Community Centre just a block south w/ its pool, track & park. Schools abound. Only a block north you'll find locally-renowned Donald's Market, bakeries, green grocers, coffee shops, & restaurants. Plus only minutes to downtown or the #1. A truly wonderful combination of property, location & amenities.


It's a tough choice. They are the same price ($775k). Which would you take?

15 comments:

Strataman said...

Powerlines! Thats the differance people will die of cancer with all those powerlines!

solipsist said...

Good eye strataman.

I guess mine are glazed over in disbelief.

Weird though, it looks like lens artifacts on closer inspection. The power lines appear to be casting shadows on the front of the house, and then continuing to dive into the neighbours' lawn.

Paul said...

That first one is a real gem! Nice find. lol

the pope said...

I call dibs on the first one! Opportunities like this don't come around too often.

all of this wet will surely cause the available land to shrink when it dries out.

Priceless!

Mark Fenger said...

"serene family neighbourhood"

I'm sorry, the address listed is two blocks from Hastings and Nanaimo.

I used to live 3 blocks from this listing and I can tell you it is NOT serene, nor is it very family friendly.

I also like how 2 of the pictures are of a park that's a block and a half away, 1 is of the street and only 1 is of the house. There must be something wrong with the place that would be obvious even on those tiny MLS pictures! Perhaps all those potted trees on the left side are there to hide cracks in the foundation or something?

Mark Fenger said...

Perhaps the lines are guy wires that are keeping the house from falling over? :)

solipsist said...

Perhaps the lines are guy wires that are keeping the house from falling over? :)

That made me laugh, as that was one of my thoughts. They look more like guy wires for something.

I looked it up on Google Earth, but my free version does not have enough resolution (I checked an area that I know has power lines, and it was impossible to see them).

I'm going to have to do a drive-by to satisfy my curiosity (no shooting - but for photographs).

solipsist said...

By the way Your Eminence - don't get into a bidding war with me on that one. I'm feeling kind of emotional about it.

patriotz said...

Or if you're willing to settle for Ottawa, which has a lot more high-paying jobs than Vancouver, you can get a place like this for 800K. Many embassies in this neighbourhood.

Better hockey team, too.

Anonymous said...

I'll have to go with #1. It's grow op friendly.

solipsist said...

patriotz - isn't that astounding? Thanks for that - I am just going to have to do a "compare and despair" on that one.

It's grow op friendly.

And you will only need to grow 375 pounds to pay it off.

Quick access to Highway 99 and the border too!

Clarke said...

Why pick between the two? Bring in some savvy investor friends, and thanks to a zero down, 40 year mortgage, you can likely buy both. Sure things might be tough in the short term with respect to cash flow, but thanks to appreciation of over 10% a year, you cannot lose. Do not wait, though, or you will be priced out forever.......

This is just so sad, even without the Ottawa comparison.

Panda said...

Well, if you are going to overpay anyway, why not win the booby prize for most ill-timed and overpriced purchase? Maybe you can write a book, get featured in a newspaper or give seminars on how others can avoid the same mistake? I say pick number 1.

patriotz said...

Great idea! We can call it the "JDS Uniphase Greatest Fool Award".

BTW, am I the only person who thinks that the first picture does not match the description? Did someone screw up?

J.Son said...

"Only a block north you'll find locally-renowned Donald's Market, bakeries, green grocers, coffee shops, & restaurants."

And a block west you'll find locally-renowned slums, druggies, prostitutes, and free needles on every sidewalk!