Property Management in Vancouver

Wow! Spectacular, gorgeous, New York loft in Yaletown. Large 1 bedroom plus den.

• 2 Balconies
• Vintage Oak Floors
• Exposed Red Brick Walls
• Crown Moldings
• Gas Fireplace
• Pre-Wired Surround Sound
• Dishwasher , Garburator & Water Tank
• Gas & Hot Water included
• Underground Secured Parking
• Storage Locker

Available June 1st

To view this suite click on the link below and fill in the boxes provided at the bottom of the add.

http://listings.downtownsuites.com/unfurnished/listingdetails.aspx?ID=394&RID=14

Managed by Downtown Suites Ltd.

Green building and green communities are changing the way we imagine housing, living and land use. I was pleased to come across this article by Nicholas Heap entitled, Hot Properties How Global Warming could transform BC’s Real Estate Market. It contains some very interesting information that I  wanted to share with you.

Building for the Future

British Columbians have embraced the construction of new green buildings in the heart of their cities. Since the early 1990s, there has also been a great upsurge of interest in “green” buildings.Green buildings are designed and built in the most environmentally friendly matterpossible every step of the way. Of particular interest to the land development community, perhaps, is the stress that green building approaches place on maximizing occupant health and comfort - objectives achieved through measures such as natural lighting, openable windows, and minimal use of petrochemical-based materials, since these emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Helped in large part by the establishment of the LEED green building standards, the present decade has seen an exponential increase in the visibility and demand for green buildings. Vancouver and Victoria are both home to a series of state-of-the-art green buildings in North America, including the C.K. Choi Building at UBC, the Vancouver Island Technology Park in Saanich, B.C.65, the LEED Platinum Dockside Green development on Victoria’s Inner Harbour 66, and what is described as the world’s greenest building – the CIRS complex now under development in False Creek Flats in Vancouver .67 There have also been an increasing number of developments with green attributes within the Interior of the province in recent years, including the use of ground source heat pumps for a number of large resort condominium developments in the Kamloops region. Even with this rapid growth, one large-scale study concluded that developers of green buildings may be hampering the growth of the sector by underselling the advantages of green buildings. Although the study confirmed that green buildings are indeed “quicker to secure tenants, command higher rents or prices, enjoy lower tenant turnover,” and usually cost less to operate and maintain, it concluded that the greatest financial benefits have been consistently overlooked by the real estate industry.

The scale of productivity and health benefit is potentially enormous, and may exceed the value of all real estate expenditures (not just energy, operations and maintenance but other costs such as rent/mortgage as well). If developers, owners and valuers can understand how to tap this benefit, the commercial advantage that they would gain would become the most significant aspect of Green Value. To date, the rapid development and growth of the green building phenomenon has largely come about through voluntary and market forces, albeit with the active support of the building and planning professions and government regulators. Formal regulatory support for energy-efficient and/or “green” buildings by the provincial government has been limited to measures such as the province’s Energy Efficiency Act (which serves more to prohibit the use of grossly inefficient appliances or building components), and provincial sales tax exemptions for some energy efficient equipment. With its own municipal charter, the City of Vancouver was able to adopt the ASHRAE 90.1 (1989) energy-efficiency standard in 1991, and the City subsequently adopted the stricter ASHRAE 90.1 (2001) standard in 2004.69

Beyond this, one of the most remarkable lifestyle transitions within the past generation has been the reinvention of the downtown core in many of B.C.’s larger urban centres. High density, high-amenity urban neighborhoods are now starting to emerge throughout the Lower Mainland, on Vancouver Island, and in the Okanagan. These fast-growing urban areas are being populated by large numbers of people attracted to a completely different set of Hot Properties. Lifestyle ideals than those used to sell the old ideal of the large lot detached suburban home.

While the expert marketing of these “smart growth” ideals has been a significant factor in the success of B.C.’s emerging new urban form, it is also true that many B.C. residents are independently motivated to live within vibrant and diverse mixed-use neighborhoods in which the use of a car for transportation becomes a choice rather than an obligation.

Hot properties: How global warming could transform B.C.’s real estate sector is © 2007 David Suzuki Foundation ISBN 1-897375-12-3 Canadian Cataloguing in Publication Data for this book is available through the National Library of Canada

Author, Nicholas Heap

http://www.reibc.org/Conference/Hot_Properties.pdf

It seems the old dream of living in the suburbs with 2.5 kids, a large yard and white picket fence is not as rewarding as imagined. All the extra time sitting in traffic, wasting money on gas and spending time away from family has lead to a demand for city living. Many people come to realize what they want is the close proximity of work, family and leisure. With the high price of real estate, only some people can afford to buy a home close to all the action. Some people choose to rent and some have no choice. Whatever the reason, Downtown Suites Ltd. helps renters get into that perfect pied-a-terre.

Here is the typical tenant process for renting a suite with Downtown Suites Ltd:

We post all available rental suites on our website at www.downtownsuites.com. If a suite is posted on our website, it is available. Keeping an eye on our rental listings is a good idea, we have new listings being posted frequently. Once you are interested in viewing a suite follow the instructions on the listing. This involves providing your contact information on the form provided. Due to the volume of response, we do not take phone calls. All correspondence is through email. Make sure to send separate emails for each interested suite. We will email you back with the time for the arranged showing. If you are able to come to the showing please confirm.

When you arrive at the showing we ask you to wait at the front entrance of the building. Please arrive on time as this shows respect to the Property Manager and interest in the suite. If arriving late, you may be unable to view the suite. One of our Property Managers will let you in to view the suite. If you like the suite, an application will be provided at the showing. Viewing the suite prior to applying is mandatory. Applications will only be handed out at the viewing and all questions about the suite will be answered by our Property Managers. This is not a first come first serve basis, our approval process is based upon the merit of your application.

The application must be fully filled in. The information that the application asks for is; employment, previous employment, address, previous address, if you have any pets, email, phone number, birthdate and social insurance number. We ask for all this information so we are able to do complete checks from your current salary to your references and credit checks. We guarantee complete confidentiality, and will never divulge your information unless permitted. A good feedback from your references and a credit score of over 600 is required. This ensures minimal problems in the suites we manage.

We will inform you if you have been the successful applicant or not. If you have been chosen, you will be asked to bring in a damage deposit of half a months rent to hold the suite. All damage deposits must be in the form of bank draft, certified cheque or cash. If you have pets that will be an additional charge of a half months rent in case there is any damage from your pet.

When you bring in the damage deposit the listing will be taken off our website and the suite will be guaranteed for you. A Property Manager will then schedule a time for you to come in and sign the lease.

Jocelyn Fougere are Cissy Lei took part in Viewing many Agents Opens today Friday April 4th, 2008.

This is a new thing we will be doing every Friday to get familiar with the realtors and all new listings in the downtown core, Yaletown, West End (English Bay), Coal Harbour, Gastown and False Creek North areas. There are many buyers looking to invest in the Downtown Vancouver Market. Downtown Suites Ltd. is a great help to investors, we do all the work for you. At the moment we charge a half months rent to get new tenants then 8% each month (12% for non Canadian residents, due to the extra work). The realtors at the opens were very curious to know about the service our company offers, and our opinion on the rental market.

There are many reasons why owners would want to rent out their suites. To name a few reasons: Owners may be away and wanting to return to their suite in the future, owners may be holding their suite as a revenue producing investment or keeping the suite for future retirement plans.  Whatever the case may be, Downtown Suites Ltd. will deal with any suite needing to be rented. There is no need to worry about renters as we only rent to tenants who have a great track record and credit score of over 600.

Senior Property Manager, Tanja Milosevic, discusses the current 2 bedroom suite market with Nicholas Meyer at the Downtown Suites office.

The POMARIA! Award winning architecture of Rafi Architects, incorporating the POMARIA’S signature SKY GARDENS and one of the first buildings in Vancouver to use LEED standards [Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design] including geothermal heat to reduce costs and impact.

Air conditioned suites, Robert Ledingham designer interiors, 8′ stained oak entry doors, 9′ over height ceilings, imported Italian porcelain tile for the entry, bathrooms and kitchen, gourmet appliances including Grohe, SUBZERO & GE MONOGRAM appliances and fixtures. The building features 24 hr concierge, spa, yoga room, outdoor terrace an much more! Award winning building for 2007!

To view the available suites at The Pomaria got to www.downtownsuites.com

1201 & 1801 - 1455 Howe Street,Vancouver Downtown, BC

Beautiful two bedrooms, two bathrooms, 919 square footage, for $2300 a month for #1201 & $2400 a month for #1801.

Suite Features include: dishwasher, gas stove, built-in microwave, Air Conditioning, Separate bath tub & shower, Hot water & gas included, Suite is West-facing, In-suite laundry, and One underground parking stall

Building Amenities: Bicycle storage, 24 hour Concierge, Steam room & Sauna, Gym with change rooms, Rooftop garden, Children’s playground

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 Harbour Ferry to sail across the water Granville Island.

To schedule a viewing of the Pomaria suites go to www.downtownsuites.com

Brand New Luxury Suites in Coal Harbour steps away from Stanley Park and the Seawall.

Downtown Suites Ltd. has 4 new available suite rentals, ranging from $3000 - $3500, 1240 - 1310 square feet.

Two bedrooms, two gorgeous bathrooms, stunning open kitchens with 6 appliances, large balcony, beautiful fireplace, in-suite laundry, storage room and 2 parking stalls. Breathtaking Rooftop with state of the art gym equipment, large hot tub, sunbathing, BBQ and Fire Pit areas, Urban Fare at street level, small library, playground/ocean view relaxing area on second floor. One Year Lease, please no pets and no smoking.

Cielo - 1205 West Hastings Street

Please view the Cielo listings at www.downtownsuites.com

Be the first to live in these new suites!

The much anticipated Spectrum buildings are finished and ready to be occupied. There are four Spectrum buildings centrally located in False Creek.

The interior of the suites have a fresh modern look and provide all the features you desire in your home. Laminate flooring in entry, living & dining room and kitchen, ceramic tiling in bathrooms, den and enclosed balcony. There is an exterior open balcony in every suite. Impressive kitchens including built-in wine rack, ceramic kitchen back splash, white euro- style appliance package with electric ceran cook top electric wall oven, hide-away hood fan, garbureator and dishwasher. All suites have in suite washer & dryer.

The neighborhood surrounds you in the middle of Vancouver’s best shopping, dining, nightlife, entertainment and the seawall. You are just steps from BC Place Stadium, GM Place, Costco, the skytrain and parks, and Tinseltown is just around the corner.

The Spectrum buildings have the Ozone club and fitness. It provides excellent amenities such as: 80′ in door pool, whirlpool, sauna, showers, exercise room, theatre room, party room, outdoor terrace, lounge, and concierge service.

Visit Downtown Suites Ltd. to view the available suites in the Spectrum buildings.

These suites are popular so contact Downtown Suites Ltd. today to arrange a viewing.

In this video blog, I discuss some of the current rental market forces. Wages in Vancouver haven’t increased as much as property values, which means the rents landlords charge must reflect that reality.

(first posted July 2, 2007)

Before you buy, consider who is going to be renting your suite and whether that sector can afford what you wish to rent. Be aware that a person on a salary of $45, 000 per year (well above average wages for office/retail workers etc in the Vancouver BC area) takes home $1,300 every two weeks. So ask yourself the question: how can these people afford my suite? Some developers are selling new one bedrooms for $450,000 which cannot rent for more than $1500, how many people will be able to rent them? Furthermore with $100, 000 down mortgage payments will be over $2000 per month + maintenance and taxes. So, don’t buy if you need the cash flow. If you are in the market for long term appreciation - and I mean long term - then go ahead as the average price of a British Columbia home will rise 10% this year and a further 5% in 2008, and hopefully this will keep on going up over the years.

Here at Downtown Suites Ltd. we know how important it is that landlords understand Vancouver’s current rental climate.
(originally posted June 29,2007)