$419,000 – ACTIVE

2 Beds / 1 Baths / 844 sq.ft / Condo

[MLS®#: V797060] Gorgeous 2 bedroom 844 sf condo DT Vancouver. Open floor plan with H/W tile floors. Modern kitchen with breakfast bar, S/S fridge, D/W, built-in microwave, newer ranger & garbage disposal, pot lights, built-in glass front floor to ceiling pantry. Lots of natural light. Master bedroom has walk-in closet & access to 4 piece bath & sliding door to covered balcony with view of Grouse Mountain. Insuite laundry & storage room with durable tile floor. Heat. Small pets okay. Huge 2,000 sf roof to deck, party room, large parking spot. More parking available at additional fee. Built in bike storage. Close to Coal Harbour, Denman Street, Starbucks, hotels, rec centre & more.

Please visit our properties for sale page to view photos of all rooms. If you would like to purchase or sell real estate on Vancouver’s Westside feel free to contact Jacob Krause or Mike Rampf, your Vancouver Real Estate Experts.

$289,000 – ACTIVE

1 Beds / 1 Baths / 609 sq.ft / Condo

[MLS®#: V791577] Beautiful 1 bedroom & 1 bath. North mountain view, balcony, bright, quiet top floor, shared laundry, suite partly renovated. No dogs, cats okay. No rentals. Good building, excellent location. All meas approx. Maintenance fees include heat & hot water. Immediate possession.

Please visit our properties for sale page to view photos of all rooms. If you would like to purchase or sell real estate on Vancouver’s Westside feel free to contact Jacob Krause or Mike Rampf, your Vancouver Real Estate Experts.

$399,000 – ACTIVE

1 Beds / 1 Baths / 687 sq.ft / Condo

[MLS®#: V791577] Tasteful renovation by a professional interior decorator. 11 foot ceilings in the living room, designer colours, renovated kitchen and updated bathroom. South Facing bright unit with a great patio to BBQ and have a glass of wine. Desirable location just steps to Granville St, centre of South Granville- great place to shop and eat. Cats Yes, Dogs No, No rentals.

Please visit our properties for sale page to view photos of all rooms. If you would like to purchase or sell real estate on Vancouver’s Westside feel free to contact Jacob Krause or Mike Rampf, your Vancouver Real Estate Experts.

The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV) reports that residential property sales in Greater Vancouver totalled 3,559 in September 2009, an increase of 3.4 per cent from the 3,441 sales recorded in August 2009, and an increase of 124.5 per cent compared to September 2008 when 1,585 sales were recorded.

“As homes sales in Greater Vancouver continued at an elevated pace in September it’s encouraging to see that more homes were listed on the MLS® in the month than any other so far this year,” Scott Russell, REBGV president said.

New listings for detached, attached and apartment properties in Greater Vancouver totalled 5,764 in September 2009. This represents a 6.2 per cent decline compared to September 2008 when 6,142 new units were listed, but a 26.8 per cent increase compared to August 2009 when 4,544 properties were listed on the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) in Greater Vancouver.

At 12,596, the total number of property listings on the MLS® increased 5.5 per cent in September compared to last month and declined 36 per cent from the 19,852 homes listed for sale during the buyer’s market that was experienced at this time last year.

“During this period of renewed demand in our marketplace, home values have gradually recovered from the declines that occurred in 2008,” said Russell.

Since the beginning of the year, the MLSLink® Housing Price Index (HPI) benchmark price for all residential properties in Greater Vancouver has increased 13 per cent to $547,092 from $484,211, while home prices compared to Septembers 2008 levels are up 1.6 per cent.

Sales of detached properties increased 160.6 per cent to 1,423 from the 546 detached sales recorded during the same period in 2008. The benchmark price, as calculated by the MLSLink Housing Price Index®, for detached properties increased 2.1 per cent from September 2008 to $741,632.

Sales of apartment properties in September 2009 increased 94.9 per cent to 1,489, compared to 764 sales in September 2008. The benchmark price of an apartment property increased 1.5 per cent from September 2008 to $374,686.

Attached property sales in September 2009 are up 135.3 per cent to 647, compared with the 275 sales in September 2008. The benchmark price of an attached unit increased 0.4 per cent between Septembers 2008 and 2009 to $466,276.

First off, we would like to thank all our friends and clients that voted for us in the 2009 Best of Vancouver in the Georgia Straight. Last year we were excited to be voted the runner up but this year we must have done something right- we were voted the Best Realtors in Vancouver. Click here to read the article detailing all of the winners.

I got a phone call from the editor at The Straight and he told me I had won the Best Realtor award in the BOV 2009. I was very surprised and again we say thank you to everyone that voted for us. Jacob and I are dedicated to top-level service to all of our clients buying and selling real estate in Vancouver. The majority of our business comes from referrals, this is a great testament to our commitment to our clients and our great work ethic to ensure all our clients are being treated like the VIP clients they are.

We were invited to City Hall this morning to take some pictures and a breakfast for all the winners. I have attached a few pictures- Jacob and I are in the middle row on the left hand side of the picture.  We were also blessed with Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson- (middle of the crowd). I had a good chat with Mayor Robertson; we are both very excited for the Olympics and what the major event will do for our amazing city.

$2,795,000 – SOLD

5 Beds / 5 Baths / 3,659 sq.ft / House

[MLS®#: V790415] GST included in price! Custom built family home in prestigious Angus Drive. This is a must see. Traditional exterior with lots of modern details and designer finishes. Five bedrooms, 2 baths up with exceptional suite in basement suitable for inlaws or home office with front entrance. Enormous chefs kitchen with tons of storage space and bright open place which flows out to landscaped garden. 10′ ceilings, 2 fireplaces, dark wood floors and 1/2 blocks to Quilchena Park makes this new home a winner. Quick possession possible! OPEN HOUSE – Sat & Sun, Oct 3rd & 4th from 2 – 4pm.

Not all rooms and bathrooms were featured in this video. Not shown in the video, lower-level 1 bed suite with entertainment room.

Please visit our properties for sale page to view photos of all rooms. If you would like to purchase or sell real estate on Vancouver’s Westside feel free to contact Jacob Krause or Mike Rampf, your Vancouver Real Estate Experts.

$499,000 – ACTIVE

2 Beds / 1 Baths / 885 sq.ft / Condo

[MLS®#: V788890] Beautiful 2-Bedroom Unit with views of the Downtown & Northshore mountains. Only 3 Units per floor. Larger Corner Suite with lots of windows & light, wired security, insuite laundry, balcony, solarium, underground parking, storage locker. Pet friendly & limited number of rentals. If you’re looking for a wonderful Fairview apartment already renovated this one is for you.

Please visit our properties for sale page to view photos of all rooms. If you would like to purchase or sell real estate on Vancouver’s Westside feel free to contact Jacob Krause or Mike Rampf, your Vancouver Real Estate Experts.

$449,000 – SOLD

2 Beds / 2 Baths / 885 sq.ft / Townhouse

[MLS®#: V788859] Beautiful Townhouse-Style Condo in Kitsilano with private entrance. Great for garden lovers, large private patio off your living area and another one accessible from the master bedroom. 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, laundry, laminate floors, gas fireplace, updated lighting and paint. Excellent location – 1 block from Broadway. Short walk and you’re shopping on W 4th Ave and at Kits Beach.

Please visit our properties for sale page to view photos of all rooms. If you would like to purchase or sell real estate on Vancouver’s Westside feel free to contact Jacob Krause or Mike Rampf, your Vancouver Real Estate Experts.

I would like to evaluate the Real Estate market in Vancouver West NOT the GVRD- If you look at some of the numbers you will see the peak of the market was around May 2008. Since then the market slowed down drastically, with lower amounts of buyers looking for a new home or investment property. The number of sellers increased dramatically due to noticing external factors predicting a turn in the market so numerous homeowners and investors tried to offer their property at an overly optimistic price trying to maximize their returns. The banks also started decreasing the amount of money being leant out- also halting the buyers being able to spend/borrow any money.

As we approached the end of 2008 the Bank of Canada reduced the prime rate resulting in “cheaper” money. Couple this with lowering prices of real estate on the West Side and your dream home is now closer to becoming a reality. This was greatly appreciated by the first time homebuyers who missed the opportunity to purchase their first home the last time the market was at a low.

Since the number of buyers increased- with basic supply and demand- the price of real estate needed to increase, and it did. With a huge amount of buyers looking for a similar product, multiple offers was a common word coming out of the selling realtor’s mouth. Now, once again our buyers are going through the stressful process of doing everything they can to purchase their dream home above asking price in a timely manor. I predict this “crazy” market will continue till the middle of July and then it should slow down till September.

Jacob Krause and I have been involved in hundreds of multiple offers over the last 5 years- if you are considering purchasing your first home in Vancouver- please feel free to email or contact us directly and we can take you through the process of purchasing in a multiple offer while keeping the stress to a minimum.

Saying all of that- when is a good time to buy? The Real Estate market is very cyclical through out each year. The spring and fall months are generally a lot busier than other times in the year. The summer is when most families are out of town, enjoying the few sunny days and looking after the kids when they are not at school.  A great time to buy is in the summer months- there is less competition when purchasing in these times of the year but also less inventory because most sellers will be waiting for the busier buying times. The fall months in 2009 will be a very interesting time to buy; depending on the interest rates will also influence the amount of buyers you will be competing with.

$1,380,000 – ACTIVE

2 Beds / 3 Baths / 1656 sq.ft / Townhouse

[MLS®#: V786841] Prestigious home on the Coal Harbour Waterfront-perfect location. Luxurious, 1,635 sq. ft. 2 level, South facing. Polished granite counters. Italian porcelain floor tiles. Sub Zero fridge. Miele gas cooktop. Kohler hardware. 2 patios. Amenities include 24/7 concierge, games & billiards room, virtual golf center, 70′ swimming pool, whirlpool, sauna, steam room, gym, private room for spa treatments, well equipped guest suite. Double garage [2 parking & locker.]

This video does not feature all the rooms in the house. Please visit our properties for sale page to view photos of all rooms. If you would like to purchase or sell real estate on Vancouver’s Westside feel free to contact Jacob Krause or Mike Rampf, your Vancouver Real Estate Experts.