Thanks for watching...and hope this video helps you avoid making these mistakes when YOU buy a townhouse in Vancouver! Call/Text Direct - 604-831-4837 email: sebastian@albrechtgroup.ca Book a call: www.calendly.com/albrechtgroup
This is one of the most useful videos on the topic of housing in Vancouver I’ve come across. As a townhouse owner ourselves in Vancouver, when we bought in 2021, we didn’t understand the difference between half-duplexes and townhouses well enough back then. This was even as our realtor showed us some half-duplexes as we were in the market. This makes it even more easy a choice for us to go for a detached home when look to upsize in the future. I started following this channel out of curiosity a while ago. I’ve found a surprising number of videos useful to me, a longtime Vancouver resident, even as the video tries to cater to newcomers. Thanks!
@sriniamoudane2840 Oh wow. I really appreciate you sharing that...and for the compliments. So glad to hear that you are finding the videos helpful! And yes, while the primary target is people looking to move here to Vancouver I'm also trying to make videos that are helpful/valuable to those of us already living here...like you! :)
Great info. My concern with the 1/2 duplex situation is exactly what was pointed out as a benefit. Only one neighbour to negotiate with and no rules or bylaws. If that one neighbour happens to be not interested in the upkeep of the building, and. doesn't save for repairs etc., the property value would decrease, and then there is no where to go for help. If you're lucky and get on well, then great. But if not, it could be quite challenging. Don't mean to be negative about people, but experience in these matters is varied.
@chickadddee Yes, that COULD happen. However, it's highly unlikely that someone would treat their property that was these days in Vancouver...these places are $1.5M at LEAST. Perhaps it would be more like russian roulette in the days when you could buy one for $100K, but with so much money invested few people don't want to maintain them...and on the off chance that they do, you do have legal remedies at your disposal. But, I hear you. For someone with your concerns it may not be the best fit...or perhaps you'd approach it more carefully than others (talking to the other owner for example). But in my experience you can also tell a lot about the other owner from the current condition of the property. If it's not well maintained then keep looking!
That is a valid point @chickadddeee I never thought about that. I have a coworker who has a duplex and he definitely neglects the roof and gutter repair work. The other owner wants to paint the home and he doesn’t want too. You are 100% correct. Theirs pros to townhomes over duplex too.
@@Lilmilshow Yes I think so - like with many things, it all depends on the people involved. When you think of it one way, it's a risky business venture because you don't know the neighbour. Like going into business with a stranger. But if you do get along, and realize you have to protect your investment by taking care of maintenance, I suppose there is more privacy and light compared to a lot of townhomes. I guess we just have to take each situation on a case by case basis. cheers.
Just taking a break from editing a video myself. My wife told me today that she no longer likes condos. They are too small. I think we should wait until we are shopping, but I do like the idea of a townhouse. The whole strata convention is very different. It's good for getting a roof fixed, but we do share a building. My only fear with stratas is getting bad neighbours or stratas that like to fine people to raise funds. Do you her about unreasonable stratas that fine people over really minor things like US HOAs? These videos are part of an educational series. Same country, but it feels Vancouver has a completely different set of laws, procedures and culture. Thanks for all your effort.
@OrdinaryFilmmaker Well, there are big condos and small townhouses. :) You could find some condos in the areas you prefer in the 1,200 - 1,400 sf range. You don't really have stratas that fine people with the goal of raising funds. But you can have some that are more trigger happy than others. The most militant also tend to be the ones that are best maintained, though...and we kinda are a different country as real estate and stratas are provincially regulated. :) Appreciate your continued support!
@@LivingInVancouver-BC Good food for thought Sebastian. It might seem obvious, but I never realized the best maintained could pose the greatest challenge. As someone who is getting old and a bad memory who forgets things, I don't want to run into fines because of forgetfulness ;) Thanks again for the effort you put into these videos. I didn't realize how ignorant I was until I starting watching your videos. I had assumed that housing laws were the same from province to provinces... I assumed wrong ;)
I bought a pre-sale corner unit townhouse three years ago in Burnaby and waiting for the notification of Deficiency Walk Through. The reason I bought it is because it has four levels and also it has a roof top patio and a clubhouse with gym room right behind. I don’t like I was being asked to pay CAD$6000 for a less popular NITE-ON level 2 wall charger for each of my parking stalls(I bought additional one on top of two stalls that came with the townhouse)instead of a Tesla Wall Connector which is much better and cheaper. I’m planning to buy an old detached house with a big lot probably in Capital Hill and pull it down as I want to build a new custom design house in a few years.
Nice. Well, hopefully all goes well with that deficiency walk-through! It's always exciting when you take delivery of a brand new home. :) Thanks for watching, and let me know if you have any questions!
I appreciate that @lbiggs4067. Thank you! Putting either retail or townhouses at the base of a condo tower (as well as having a podium attached) is quite common in Vancouver over the last 30 years or so.
Townhouses attached to a condo tower or towers are unfairly penalized in the allocation of strata fees since they don’t use the elevators or the main entrance.
@mrslcom Well, I'm not sure I'd quite put it that way. As I was saying in the video (at least I think I did?)...you generally pay less for these units as a result of the higher maintenance fees. Personally, I'd just stay away from them. Buy in a smaller townhouse development. Appreciate you watching and joining the conversation!
We had a basement entry 3 lvl strata townhouse. I resented so much of my unit entitlement/strata fees went towards paying for all the stairwell sqft in our home. I hated the stairs, even being fit it sucked that it took two flights coming in the front door to shower, and two to bring down laundry from the bedrooms to wash, and everything got carted up a full flight to the kicthen from the front door. Awful layout, young, old, fit or not. moved into a small one level house that feels way bigger because it's not one fifth stairwell and it's absolute heaven, and now my dog is old and I now have to carry him down the stairs outside I am so thankful we bailed when we did and we don't live in the strata anymore. but the stairs were the least of the issues. A lot of complexes seem to hate maintenance, and ours did. def read the minutes as carefully as you would w a condo in a tower- deferring maintenance gets so costly when things like leaks happen. and we dealt w resulting issues, but we were only one vote, so decided to sell and never buy a strata again :( One correction though, a potentially a very costly mistake to make, there is *no such thing* as a non conforming strata. some stratas are so small they don't need certain things, like stratas w less than 5 lots don't need to get the new electrical planning report. but all strata have to get strata complex insurance and follow SPA, even duplexes that are strata titled. it sucks and it's more cost/work with so few units but they are all actually supposed to function as a strata. I would run from any trying to create their own rules contravening SPA, and find a "fee simple" townhouse if you're lucky enough to afford one, and they even exist where you are, otherwise you are in a strata, unfortunately Greater Vancouver Realtors .ca have a post- "What's a non-conforming strata? What you need to know to avoid headaches" from April 28, 2021 about this
@user-lt9pq9fr5z Yep. You definitely want to be aware of what you purchase...floorplans and the condition of the building matter, and will impact your enjoyment of the space. There IS such thing as non-conforming stratas. Sure it's not a legal designation, but rather It's an insider reference to stratas that are not following the Strata Property Act. In practice, small stratas such as 1/2 duplexes (or a three or four unit townhouse development) won't have strata minutes, financial statements, maintenance fees, (along with many other requirements set out in the SPA) etc because following the regulations would be costly, onerous and mostly just overkill. That doesn't mean that they aren't stratas. Or, when push comes to shove (like when a dispute over paying for a new roof comes up) that the Strata Property Act doesn't cover them (the point of the article you referenced). ...but what I was saying in the video is these non-conforming stratas can be a good in between step between an overly zealous strata and a detached house. Unfortunately, fee simple townhouse are almost non-existent in Vancouver.
Great video! I'm currently a condo owner in Richmond who's looking into buying a townhome or a duplex. One question I have is do maintenance fees in townhomes include water like how it does in condos? Also, you're looking good. I thought you were in your early 40s!
@_________dd You'll usually be paying for water through your property taxes. Hot water will be paid via the strata maintenance fee IF there's a central boiler. If you have individual hot water tanks (whether a condo or townhouse) then hot water won't be included. It's much more likely for townhouses attached to a tower that there will be a central boiler (and therefore hot water is included) but not always. Basically, you need to look at every individual strata to understand what the maintenance fees include. ....and thanks for watching! Let me know if you have any other questions!
I have no idea why anybody would want to live in town houses. Duplexes seem like a much better choice. It is much cheaper and much easier to get things done. The only reason I think townhouses are ideal for some people is that some of them have a dual car garage whereas many duplexes have a small garage. Town houses are often sandwiched between two other units, creating a scenario where noise may be an issue. With a duplex, you only have noises from one side to deal with.
fee simple townhouse over a strata duplex any day of the week, and for less noise get an end unit. fee simple townhouses are not strata and you are responsible for your own maintenance. closest thing to the fully freehold townhouses we had in Ontario. otherwise pick a strata with enough individual lots that if one owner is difficult it doesn't hamper the operation of the complex-you don't want to have to pay the entire sum of your duplex's strata corp insurance and have to chase the other side for their portion at the CRT each year. "Small strata, big trouble: Tribunal rulings show how duplex disagreements can get messy" was in the CBC and detailed what can happen in small stratas. but I would take the crummiest smallest house to not share walls.... sort of what we did to get out of our strata :)
@user-lt9pq9fr5z Fee simple townhouses barely exist around here. I didn't bother mentioning them because they are such a miniscule part of our market...as opposed to Toronto or NYC. I don't find that issues are common in duplexes...especially the ones that are more recently built. When someone spends $1.5M - $2M on their home they are generally on board with making sure it's well taken care of. But yes, there can be exceptions. In general, I'd agree with @hammertimee777. But the main reason people would go with a townhouse over a 1/2 duplex is price. Like for like, you are probably having to spend at least 25% more for the luxury of a 1/2 duplex.
Why don’t you talk about the fact a lot of townhouses are leaseholds ? A lot of realtors and listing agents deceptively to hide this information from buyers .
@RMD992-f2n Hmm. You are probably right that it would have been worth mentioning...not just in this video but in the condo version as well. I just didn't think of it when I was putting the video together. If I do a second one, I'll try and remember!
@@LivingInVancouver-BC it’s fine. It’s a broader things buyers should pay more attention to and not just townhouses are leaseholds but a lot of diff housing types
![Where NOT to Live When Moving to Vancouver [AVOID THESE AREAS!]](/img/n.gif)
Thanks for watching...and hope this video helps you avoid making these mistakes when YOU buy a townhouse in Vancouver!
Call/Text Direct - 604-831-4837
email: sebastian@albrechtgroup.ca
Book a call: www.calendly.com/albrechtgroup
This is one of the most useful videos on the topic of housing in Vancouver I’ve come across. As a townhouse owner ourselves in Vancouver, when we bought in 2021, we didn’t understand the difference between half-duplexes and townhouses well enough back then. This was even as our realtor showed us some half-duplexes as we were in the market. This makes it even more easy a choice for us to go for a detached home when look to upsize in the future.
I started following this channel out of curiosity a while ago. I’ve found a surprising number of videos useful to me, a longtime Vancouver resident, even as the video tries to cater to newcomers. Thanks!
@sriniamoudane2840 Oh wow. I really appreciate you sharing that...and for the compliments. So glad to hear that you are finding the videos helpful! And yes, while the primary target is people looking to move here to Vancouver I'm also trying to make videos that are helpful/valuable to those of us already living here...like you! :)
Great info. My concern with the 1/2 duplex situation is exactly what was pointed out as a benefit. Only one neighbour to negotiate with and no rules or bylaws. If that one neighbour happens to be not interested in the upkeep of the building, and. doesn't save for repairs etc., the property value would decrease, and then there is no where to go for help. If you're lucky and get on well, then great. But if not, it could be quite challenging. Don't mean to be negative about people, but experience in these matters is varied.
@chickadddee Yes, that COULD happen. However, it's highly unlikely that someone would treat their property that was these days in Vancouver...these places are $1.5M at LEAST. Perhaps it would be more like russian roulette in the days when you could buy one for $100K, but with so much money invested few people don't want to maintain them...and on the off chance that they do, you do have legal remedies at your disposal.
But, I hear you. For someone with your concerns it may not be the best fit...or perhaps you'd approach it more carefully than others (talking to the other owner for example). But in my experience you can also tell a lot about the other owner from the current condition of the property. If it's not well maintained then keep looking!
That is a valid point @chickadddeee I never thought about that. I have a coworker who has a duplex and he definitely neglects the roof and gutter repair work. The other owner wants to paint the home and he doesn’t want too. You are 100% correct. Theirs pros to townhomes over duplex too.
@@Lilmilshow Yes I think so - like with many things, it all depends on the people involved. When you think of it one way, it's a risky business venture because you don't know the neighbour. Like going into business with a stranger. But if you do get along, and realize you have to protect your investment by taking care of maintenance, I suppose there is more privacy and light compared to a lot of townhomes. I guess we just have to take each situation on a case by case basis. cheers.
Just taking a break from editing a video myself. My wife told me today that she no longer likes condos. They are too small. I think we should wait until we are shopping, but I do like the idea of a townhouse. The whole strata convention is very different. It's good for getting a roof fixed, but we do share a building. My only fear with stratas is getting bad neighbours or stratas that like to fine people to raise funds. Do you her about unreasonable stratas that fine people over really minor things like US HOAs? These videos are part of an educational series. Same country, but it feels Vancouver has a completely different set of laws, procedures and culture. Thanks for all your effort.
@OrdinaryFilmmaker Well, there are big condos and small townhouses. :) You could find some condos in the areas you prefer in the 1,200 - 1,400 sf range. You don't really have stratas that fine people with the goal of raising funds. But you can have some that are more trigger happy than others. The most militant also tend to be the ones that are best maintained, though...and we kinda are a different country as real estate and stratas are provincially regulated. :) Appreciate your continued support!
@@LivingInVancouver-BC Good food for thought Sebastian. It might seem obvious, but I never realized the best maintained could pose the greatest challenge. As someone who is getting old and a bad memory who forgets things, I don't want to run into fines because of forgetfulness ;) Thanks again for the effort you put into these videos. I didn't realize how ignorant I was until I starting watching your videos. I had assumed that housing laws were the same from province to provinces... I assumed wrong ;)
@OrdinaryFilmmaker My pleasure! And yes, easy to assume everything is the same across the country. :)
I bought a pre-sale corner unit townhouse three years ago in Burnaby and waiting for the notification of Deficiency Walk Through. The reason I bought it is because it has four levels and also it has a roof top patio and a clubhouse with gym room right behind. I don’t like I was being asked to pay CAD$6000 for a less popular NITE-ON level 2 wall charger for each of my parking stalls(I bought additional one on top of two stalls that came with the townhouse)instead of a Tesla Wall Connector which is much better and cheaper. I’m planning to buy an old detached house with a big lot probably in Capital Hill and pull it down as I want to build a new custom design house in a few years.
Nice. Well, hopefully all goes well with that deficiency walk-through! It's always exciting when you take delivery of a brand new home. :) Thanks for watching, and let me know if you have any questions!
Great job. Strata’s are similar to HOA’s in the U.S. but never seen other structures connected to a high rise. Interesting
I appreciate that @lbiggs4067. Thank you! Putting either retail or townhouses at the base of a condo tower (as well as having a podium attached) is quite common in Vancouver over the last 30 years or so.
Townhouses attached to a condo tower or towers are unfairly penalized in the allocation of strata fees since they don’t use the elevators or the main entrance.
@mrslcom Well, I'm not sure I'd quite put it that way. As I was saying in the video (at least I think I did?)...you generally pay less for these units as a result of the higher maintenance fees. Personally, I'd just stay away from them. Buy in a smaller townhouse development. Appreciate you watching and joining the conversation!
Great video, thank you!
@91483 Thank you so much! Glad you enjoyed it. :)
We had a basement entry 3 lvl strata townhouse. I resented so much of my unit entitlement/strata fees went towards paying for all the stairwell sqft in our home.
I hated the stairs, even being fit it sucked that it took two flights coming in the front door to shower, and two to bring down laundry from the bedrooms to wash, and everything got carted up a full flight to the kicthen from the front door. Awful layout, young, old, fit or not. moved into a small one level house that feels way bigger because it's not one fifth stairwell and it's absolute heaven, and now my dog is old and I now have to carry him down the stairs outside I am so thankful we bailed when we did and we don't live in the strata anymore.
but the stairs were the least of the issues. A lot of complexes seem to hate maintenance, and ours did. def read the minutes as carefully as you would w a condo in a tower- deferring maintenance gets so costly when things like leaks happen. and we dealt w resulting issues, but we were only one vote, so decided to sell and never buy a strata again :(
One correction though, a potentially a very costly mistake to make, there is *no such thing* as a non conforming strata. some stratas are so small they don't need certain things, like stratas w less than 5 lots don't need to get the new electrical planning report. but all strata have to get strata complex insurance and follow SPA, even duplexes that are strata titled. it sucks and it's more cost/work with so few units but they are all actually supposed to function as a strata. I would run from any trying to create their own rules contravening SPA, and find a "fee simple" townhouse if you're lucky enough to afford one, and they even exist where you are, otherwise you are in a strata, unfortunately
Greater Vancouver Realtors .ca have a post- "What's a non-conforming strata? What you need to know to avoid headaches" from April 28, 2021 about this
@user-lt9pq9fr5z Yep. You definitely want to be aware of what you purchase...floorplans and the condition of the building matter, and will impact your enjoyment of the space.
There IS such thing as non-conforming stratas. Sure it's not a legal designation, but rather It's an insider reference to stratas that are not following the Strata Property Act.
In practice, small stratas such as 1/2 duplexes (or a three or four unit townhouse development) won't have strata minutes, financial statements, maintenance fees, (along with many other requirements set out in the SPA) etc because following the regulations would be costly, onerous and mostly just overkill.
That doesn't mean that they aren't stratas. Or, when push comes to shove (like when a dispute over paying for a new roof comes up) that the Strata Property Act doesn't cover them (the point of the article you referenced).
...but what I was saying in the video is these non-conforming stratas can be a good in between step between an overly zealous strata and a detached house. Unfortunately, fee simple townhouse are almost non-existent in Vancouver.
Duplex/Triplex/Fourplex FTW 🙌🏻
@Lilmilshow Yeah, a duplex video is definitely in the works.
Great video! I'm currently a condo owner in Richmond who's looking into buying a townhome or a duplex. One question I have is do maintenance fees in townhomes include water like how it does in condos?
Also, you're looking good. I thought you were in your early 40s!
@_________dd You'll usually be paying for water through your property taxes. Hot water will be paid via the strata maintenance fee IF there's a central boiler. If you have individual hot water tanks (whether a condo or townhouse) then hot water won't be included. It's much more likely for townhouses attached to a tower that there will be a central boiler (and therefore hot water is included) but not always.
Basically, you need to look at every individual strata to understand what the maintenance fees include.
....and thanks for watching! Let me know if you have any other questions!
Super helpful
@AlexSuperTramp- Glad to hear it! And, thanks for continuing to support the channel!
I have no idea why anybody would want to live in town houses. Duplexes seem like a much better choice. It is much cheaper and much easier to get things done. The only reason I think townhouses are ideal for some people is that some of them have a dual car garage whereas many duplexes have a small garage. Town houses are often sandwiched between two other units, creating a scenario where noise may be an issue. With a duplex, you only have noises from one side to deal with.
An end unit town house would solve the noise problem.
fee simple townhouse over a strata duplex any day of the week, and for less noise get an end unit. fee simple townhouses are not strata and you are responsible for your own maintenance. closest thing to the fully freehold townhouses we had in Ontario. otherwise pick a strata with enough individual lots that if one owner is difficult it doesn't hamper the operation of the complex-you don't want to have to pay the entire sum of your duplex's strata corp insurance and have to chase the other side for their portion at the CRT each year. "Small strata, big trouble: Tribunal rulings show how duplex disagreements can get messy" was in the CBC and detailed what can happen in small stratas.
but I would take the crummiest smallest house to not share walls.... sort of what we did to get out of our strata :)
@user-lt9pq9fr5z Fee simple townhouses barely exist around here. I didn't bother mentioning them because they are such a miniscule part of our market...as opposed to Toronto or NYC. I don't find that issues are common in duplexes...especially the ones that are more recently built. When someone spends $1.5M - $2M on their home they are generally on board with making sure it's well taken care of. But yes, there can be exceptions. In general, I'd agree with @hammertimee777. But the main reason people would go with a townhouse over a 1/2 duplex is price. Like for like, you are probably having to spend at least 25% more for the luxury of a 1/2 duplex.
Mistake 1 should be that one is buying anything in “Vancouver” period!
@Seektruth-59 Right. Tough to argue with that solid argument.
Why don’t you talk about the fact a lot of townhouses are leaseholds ? A lot of realtors and listing agents deceptively to hide this information from buyers .
@RMD992-f2n Hmm. You are probably right that it would have been worth mentioning...not just in this video but in the condo version as well. I just didn't think of it when I was putting the video together. If I do a second one, I'll try and remember!
@@LivingInVancouver-BC it’s fine. It’s a broader things buyers should pay more attention to and not just townhouses are leaseholds but a lot of diff housing types