High End Rental Suites

by Nicholas Meyer on June 30, 2009

Nicholas Meyer and Lisa Taylor discuss high end rental suites in Vancouver BC, June 2009, while in the lobby of the Shangri La.

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Hiking on a Wordless Wednesday

by DTSuites on June 24, 2009

There are myriad of hiking options in and around Vancouver.  This is at Lions Gate.

There are myriad of hiking options in and around Vancouver. This is at the Lions.

Image by Gillicious

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Fabulous views to the South, East & West

by DTSuites on June 21, 2009

2 Bedroom Penthouse available 48 Stories High above the city of Vancouver

suite733-wall-centre

#4803-938 Nelson St, Vancouver

Rental: $5,500.00/month
Square Footage:1,554   2 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms

On top of the world, 48 floors up in the sky in Downtown Vancouver. You want it all - majestic views spanning Vancouver and English Bay;
living in the heart of the city, offering entertainment, dining, theatres, financial district - all within walking distance.
This 48th floor penthouse offers magnificent finishings; curved lines; hardwoods throughout and so much more!  A must to view.
At One Wall Centre with 24 hour concierge, valet and room service.

view-wall-centre

To view, contact Lisa at Downtown Suites.

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View Suite in the Pomeria Building

by DTSuites on June 21, 2009

Exceptional modern bright condo ~ 2 BEDROOM WITH FALSE CREEK VIEWSLiving room, suite 730

#1204-1455 Howe Street, Vancouver

Downtown Vancouver
Rental:$ 2,800.00/month
Square Footage:1,121, 2 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms

In this location you have it all, you are just steps from the restaurants, markets and outdoor life of False Creek and English Bay. Also just a few blocks away from the shopping centres and business district of Downtown. Just moments away from the Seawall where you can catch the Aqua Bus to sail across the water to Granville Island.
The Pomaria:  an upscale building offering upscale living.  Stroll along the waterfront, sip a coffee or cocktail as you watch the boats docking at the marina; experience Vancouver living at its finest.

suite730-kitchen

Pomaria is one of the first residential towers to pursue LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification.

For more info, contact Lisa at Downtown Suites.

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Heritage Restoration at the Gate of Chinatown

by DTSuites on June 21, 2009

Suite now Available in Historic Chinatown Heritage Building ~ 1 Bedroom Artisan-Style Loft Bedroom Condo
5-w-pender-suite

#201-5 W Pender St, Vancouver

Rental $1,050.00 per month
Square Footage:650, 1 Bedroom, 1 Bathroom

This suite in a historic restored building is available July 1.  Walk to parks, seawall, shopping, restaurants, movie theatres, Gastown and more. Right near Chinatown Gate, across from Tinseltown and on the new Carrall Street Greenway.

Gastown Cool ~ Exposed Concrete Floors & Ceilings; 3rd floor with breezy french-door opening to hang your rail planters. Floor to ceiling windows with sunny South exposure. 1 Parking stall included, in-suite washer/dryer, dishwasher.

Check the renovation history of this landmark building, here at the Architectural Library site.

5-w-pender-before-restoration

Before Restoration

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After Restoration

For more info, contact Lisa at Downtown Suites.

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EcoDensity Action Proposals for Vancouver

by DTSuites on June 18, 2009

Councillor Suzanne Anton sent out this info in her recent newsletter, with links to download PDFs of the proposals from the City of Vancouver. We thought we’d share these with you here.

Bigger basements, suites within suites, and laneway housing:  EcoDensity is making an impact

  • EcoDensity Action item C-6:  More Options for Rental Secondary Suites (basements):

Those of you with tiny crawl space basements will appreciate that the city has been needing to change the zoning around basement space for some time now.  Well, coming from the EcoDensity initiative, this has now been accomplished.   In return for a slightly smaller area above ground, the basement can be significantly bigger and higher out of the ground in new homes.  Renovations to existing homes can accommodate bigger basements, with some qualifications.  If you are thinking basements, have a look here: PDF Download

  • EcoDensity Action item C-6:  More Options for Rental Secondary Suites (suites within suites):

You may have been hearing about the tiny suites. This proposal, for public hearing in July, would allow all townhouses and condos to be built with a lockable separate suite within the main unit.  Mortgage helper for new condo owners, baby’s bedroom later on. Have a look here: PDF Download

  • EcoDensity Action item C-5:  Laneway housing:

And the famous laneway housing proposal (your garage could be a home for a person instead of a car) is also coming up for public hearing in July.  One of the big decision points is (a) 2 parking spaces, 1.5 stories or (b) 1 space, 1 story.

Public hearing is coming up - send in your comments to mayorandcouncil@vancouver.ca.

And for inspiration, be sure to check out Smallworks, the Vancouver design-build company that developed the prototype laneway house shown at the BC Home Show February 09.

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Video from the Shangri La

by DTSuites on June 17, 2009

Recently Lisa Taylor and Nicholas Meyer recorded some video at the Shangri La, one of Vancouver’s premier luxury residences.

While in the lounge, and over iced tea, Nic described the features of Zubrovka vodka with bison grass.

Lisa gave an overview of the rental market to date, from a view suite on the 44th floor:

In the kitchen of the suite, Nic and Lisa went over the room service menu:

Downtown Suites manages hundreds of unfurnished suites, ranging from basic downtown studios to luxurious waterfront penthouses.

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Computer Cat on a Wordless Wednesday

by DTSuites on June 17, 2009

Any catlovers out there?

Any catlovers out there?

Image by Zenera

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Check My Reviews on Yelp

by Nicholas Meyer on June 16, 2009

I’m now on Yelp and having fun adding reviews. You can find my profile and latest reviews here. Let me know what you think.

This is one of the videos we did in a suite we manage at Shangri La. We’ll be posting more from that shoot soon.

And don’t forget, Downtown Suites is on Twitter,  @DTSuites. Let’s connect.

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“BC Home Sales Continue to Climb” says BCREA

by Nicholas Meyer on June 11, 2009

Vancouver, BC – June 11, 2009. The British Columbia Real Estate Association (BCREA) reported that Multiple Listing Service (MLS®) residential sales in the province rose 3 per cent to 8,270 units in May 2009 compared to the same month last year. It was the first year-over-year increase since December 2007. The month of May also posted the highest number of residential sales since April 2008, on a seasonally adjusted basis, and was the fourth consecutive month of rising home sales.

Home sales have bounced back from the extraordinarily low levels recorded during the winter months,” said Cameron Muir, BCREA Chief Economist. “Improved affordability and less uncertainty about the future are the main factors driving home sales higher.”

“The combination of stronger consumer demand and fewer homes for sale is stabilizing home prices in many BC markets,” added Muir.

BCREA Chart, June 11,09

Year-to-date, MLS® residential sales dollar volume was down 31 per cent to $11.7 billion over the same period last year. A total of 26,359 units were sold in the first five months of 2009, down 26 per cent from 2008, while the average MLS® price declined 7 per cent to $443,252.

For more details, go to the BC Real Estate Association site.

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