Vancouver's Real Estate Market

[Hondaracer]

Coming from construction and now being a technician where I’m going into homes constantly, I find people are starting to hate that type of configuration.

Tear out the wall, run conduit for your low voltage and place an outlet for a wall mounted TV and you’re laughing.

I’d say no one is going to think lesser of a unit that feels more spacious and better laid out

[68style]

The only complication is a fire sprinkler on the other side of the box, contractor said he could build a ceiling box around it with pot lights and it would look nice... also I have to consider redoing my floors because I doubt I can match the hardwood to fill in the floor underneath where the fireplace was.

I’m not adverse to that either, it’s currently dark brown and the rest of the place is white and stainless steel with black marble granite countertop, so I feel the floors are a bit dark anyway and a light grey would be much more modern.

[sam0m0]

Yep always hated fireplaces, never used mine and always find them to be way too high. Most beams dont go all the way up tho so urs is more work to remove, hope not support beams. Ending up buying a tv stand instead as a tv should be at eye lvl and not staring up. I think when you sell it, it will be a plus and ppl will know since they usually look at other units in building when purchasing if available. I also noticed all new builds actually dont have them which I like. My new place has no fireplace however they put the cable outlet fairly high for mounting.

[68style]

I also got a quote for $2k to tear it all out and redo the drywall, make it look pretty and build a box around the sprinkler pipe with pot lights and relocate all the plugs / outlets.... is that reasonable?

[GLOW]

need more details on electrical: how many pot lights added (i assume also adding a switch?) and how many plugs are relocated? anything else related to electrical you're doing?

is there a baseboard along the window? only asking as i know my sister's condo had a recessed fireplace similar to your layout and the living area had no baseboard heat, so i assume the electric fireplace she had acted as the heat source for the area.

i'll let the GC's here comment overall on pricing, but considering it sounds like you're doing various scopes of work: demo, drywall/paint/(maybe framing?), flooring/tiling, electrical...and it's a small job...i don't think it's unreasonable (gotta be worth while to show up). if this is a handyman that is doing all the work himself then his costs would be cheaper than a guy bringing a several different guys in...just my 2 cents.

[Hondaracer]

2k is pretty good I’d say if that’s everything all in

[twitchyzero]

Originally Posted by Ch28

It took them like 20 years to clean up, and even now it's still not the best area. Quite a bit of crime still in the area, not to mention all the hooker dens, and sexual assaults. Obviously, this can happen anywhere, but it's not like the entire area is completely scrubbed clean.

there's been homicides in shaughnessey and repeatedly sexual attacks at UBC
does that mean they're bad location?

Originally Posted by CivicBlues

Realtors:

- Market is HOT! Buy now or be forever priced out!

- Market is slowing down! It's a great time to buy as you won't be involved in bidding wars!

- Market is dead! Great time to buy and pick up some deals!

- Asteroid crashing to the Earth! Great time to buy some new brownfield land! Cheap, cheap, cheap and hot, hot, hot!!

you mean, they are doing their job? or they should just change professions when market cools? maybe go on EI or find a evening job?

[Traum]

Originally Posted by 68style

Expert or opinion wanted: I have a 1 bed + den and it’s got a fake electric heater fireplace that has never worked since I moved in, it’s housed in a large drywall enclosure where they basically force you to hang your TV up above it... it’s annoyingly high and too close to the couch I feel I’m always staring upwards

Never understood why anyone would like those since day 1. Whatever happened to watching tv at eye level where you sit on the sofa?

I say you tear the damn thing down and just enjoy watching tv the way you want, and at the height you want.

[Mr.Money]

piece of crap fireplace doesn't even work,what an eye sore.

[winson604]

The fire place and tv on top seemed to have been quite a thing for quite a few years now but I've never understood it as the TV is always way too high and that space for it just seemed so forced.

[sam0m0]

I hate fireplaces that go all way up too cuz it limits the size of the tv you can have. I have a 55 for like 9 yrs now but feels too small. Still deciding if I want to mount it low with floating stand or just leave it on a tv stand. Fuck my developer is a fucktard too. Rather not say who tho, Been here for a month and nothing but headaches so far that I didnt catch during inspection. Hot cold water taps were all backwards in both bathrooms, tub water didnt get hotter than warm, cat5 cable living room doesn't work and fiber was never pulled cuz telus said it broke halfway and never told developer. Ended up making 3 giant holes in my wall to pull it and cheap ass potlights 6 already blew. Went costco replaced then all with leds

[yray]

you have more pics of the sprinkler head etc?

[Adorkami]

Do you need approval from your strata before you have the work done?

[winson604]

Originally Posted by Adorkami

Do you need approval from your strata before you have the work done?

Yes.

[G]

Originally Posted by yameen

you might've gotten it mixed around. but for me, when i bought into the lowrise wall centre, i had a few options but i chose a unit that's smaller (520sqft) with a more efficient layout over a larger unit (560sqft) which seemed smaller because of walls everywhere and an impractical layout. they were roughly around the same price. I don't know why the lowrises in the wallcentre has been selling for more than the high rises or maybe it's just a coincidence? but I believe i bought at the peak when i bought in May =(

I am having a hard time pricing mine for that reason...

Smaller units, no island, and worse layouts are selling at 450-550k in the third tower. My unit is bigger and has the most efficient layout but no units in my building have listed so there is no benchmark...

[68style]

Originally Posted by Adorkami

Do you need approval from your strata before you have the work done?

Thankfully the strata president lives next door to me and wants to do the same thing, so that's not an issue. Thanks everyone for the input, much appreciated!

[68style]

Originally Posted by yray

you have more pics of the sprinkler head etc?

It's just one sprinkler head up near the ceiling... floor heaters are all around the other 2 walls and I rarely ever turn the heat on anyway even in the winter so that doesn't matter much. Fireplace didn't work anyway so it was not a heat source. There are baseboards... and only 1 cable outlet to relocate as well as 1 light switch panel that controls the patio light and the ugly single light currently above the TV.

[Ch28]

Originally Posted by twitchyzero

there's been homicides in shaughnessey and repeatedly sexual attacks at UBC
does that mean they're bad location?

Well yeah, considering the amount of money laundering foreigners that live in those areas. Last thing I'd want to do is move into a neighbourhood full of empty homes or mainlanders.

[twitchyzero]

so Joyce isn't clean, fine, but the endowments (basically surrounded by water) and van west (despite being sandwiched between the downtown core and richmond with plenty of green space) is not desirable for you?

why dont you tell us where you live or where you believe is a more ideal neighbourhood

[winson604]

Originally Posted by 68style

Thankfully the strata president lives next door to me and wants to do the same thing, so that's not an issue. Thanks everyone for the input, much appreciated!

It wouldn't be uncommon if the work is approved that you would also need to sign an Indemnity Agreement to transfer any risk down the road should something happen as a result of the work that was done. Technically speaking anytime you change anything that isn't part of the original condition of the place you would need to but I do say "Technically" because if we went all hardcore you'd be signing one even if you mounted a TV on the wall.

[Mr.HappySilp]

Waiting for the buyer condition to clear sold the unit for 615k for a 505sq ft unit. Works out to be $1217.8per sq ft.

[yray]

Originally Posted by 68style

It's just one sprinkler head up near the ceiling... floor heaters are all around the other 2 walls and I rarely ever turn the heat on anyway even in the winter so that doesn't matter much. Fireplace didn't work anyway so it was not a heat source. There are baseboards... and only 1 cable outlet to relocate as well as 1 light switch panel that controls the patio light and the ugly single light currently above the TV.

might not be up to code with the box as sprinkler can't spray anything below the box

might be a problem when you resell and the buyers inspector is half competent

[Hondaracer]

Originally Posted by Mr.HappySilp

Waiting for the buyer condition to clear sold the unit for 615k for a 505sq ft unit. Works out to be $1217.8per sq ft.

You probably mentioned before but how old is the building?

[franco1]

I just sold my place out at UBC and will have a chunk of cash sitting there - any tips on good rental spots to invest in?

[Acurapinoy]

Congrats Mr. happysilp

But geezus. 615k for a 500sqft spot. Where and how old was your building