rental

Nicholas Meyer’s latest video market update for Winter 2009 is posted on the Downtown Suites News Site. If you are viewing this info in your feed, here’s the video:

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With the 2010 Winter Olympics just around the corner, we’ve been asked many times just what is the policy at Downtown Suites.

And in our recent email to our owners, we gave them this brief outline:

• Please be advised we do not have a program for Olympic short term accommodations next February.
• We are involved in long term rentals and this short term two week window is not something that we wish to deal with.
• To acquire furnishings and equipment for a suite for such a short period is really not feasible. In addition, there will be strict rules prohibiting eviction of tenants for this purpose – and do you want your place turned into a hotel room?
• We will also advise tenants that sub letting is prohibited.
• One thing we are certain of is that there will be a glut of inventory on the unfurnished market when they are over.
• Margaret went to a meeting with VANOC last April which outlined some of the realities of this market, I would encourage you to read her notes from the meeting: Letter from Margaret re: Olympics.

Earlier in the year we addressed this situation, and you can see the video commentary here at Vancouver and Olympic Rentals (Aug.09), and also Upcoming Olympics (April 09)

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Whether it’s golfing, sailing, or skiing, you can enjoy more of it when you put your property in our hands.

Downtown Suites, a boutique property management company, specializes in management of strata-titled suites, apartments, town homes and town houses in Downtown Vancouver and the Westside. As licensed professionals under the B.C. Real Estate Act, we have been serving our clients for more than 25 years.

We provide expertise and individual attention to all the properties we manage. We offer comprehensive, fully customized suite management. Our clients enjoy profitable and carefree ownership.

Find out how we can help you manage your property!

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In this video, Nicholas Meyer of Downtown Suites in Vancouver goes over the responsibilities for suite maintenance – for both owners and tenants.

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Be careful that you only rent from legitimate companies. Over the weekend we found fraud was getting very close to home when we were informed of a bogus ad for a suite on Craigslist. A suite for $700 is not very likely in downtown Vancouver is  it? And, get this, the address of the so-called suite was the address of our company offices! We own the space and are not renting!

A helpful reader responded to an ad on craigslist.ca for a 1 bedroom listing for $700.00 and then sent us this email she received from the “owner”.

Thanks for your email response.. The Apartment is still available for rent on #247-515 West Pender St., Vancouver, BC, V6B 6H5 , ready for move in at $700monthly. ready for move in. I inherited the Apartment from my late father.. I lived in the Apartment with my younger sistser, i but presently now i am in West Africa and i will reside here for some time due to my current assignment. I just need someone with an open heart, love and clean to occupy the Apartment and put all my worries off concerning the maintenance of the Apartment for, since i am not residing there for now. …(and so forth)

Recalling a similar incident, Lisa Taylor in our office said, ” I encountered a fraud rental in Vancouver last fall, for a fully furnished 1 bdrm in False Creek…  the building existed but not the suite…”

We have never had any problem in using Craigslist for our rentals and they have good advice about what to watch for. Below is their list of who to contact in case of a scam. See more on their About Scam Page.

* FTC toll free hotline: 877-FTC-HELP (877-382-4357)
* FTC online complaint form (http://www.ftc.gov)
* Canadian PhoneBusters hotline: 888-495-8501
* Internet Fraud Complaint Center (http://www.ic3.gov)
* Non-emergency number for your local police department.

If you suspect that an item posted for sale on craigslist may be part of a scam, please email the details to “abuse@craigslist.org”. Be sure to include the URL (or eight-digit post ID number) in your message.

It goes without saying that at Downtown Suites we have direct relationships with all our clients, and we are scrupulous to ensure that we meet and screen all prospective tenants face to face, on site at the actual suite.

This is in keeping with Craigslist #1 scam preventer: “DEAL LOCALLY WITH FOLKS YOU CAN MEET IN PERSON – follow this one simple rule and you will avoid 99% of the scam attempts on craigslist.”

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We just did another of our checks on the number of rental listings on Google.
Last weekend we saw 48 studios, 277 one bedrooms, 185 two bedrooms, 56 two bedrooms over $2500 and 65 three bedrooms. Many of the units are downtown.
Our market continues to be slow and extremely price sensitive.

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Here are the new listings for Downtown Suites this week:

1702-928 Richards St:$1150, 490sf in Yaletown
Beautiful Studio, gas fireplace, storage locker, 1 parking spot

2802-198 Aquarius Mews:$1750, 804sf in Yaletown by the Marinaside
2 bedroom, 2.5 bath, in suite laundry, magnificent views of the city and the marina

2501-1328 W Pender: $1850, 810sf in Coal Harbour
2 bedroom, 2 bath, gas fireplace, in suite laundry, great views of the city, ocean and north shore mountains

1901-1111 Alberni St: $2950, 1530sf in Downtown
2 bedrooms both with ensuite bathroom in the Shangri La, fantastic modern kitchen with top of the line appliances, patio with west facing views of the city

PLEASE NOTE THAT WE WILL BE CLOSED FROM DECEMBER 24TH AT 3PM-JANUARY 1ST. WE WILL RESUME SHOWINGS ON THE 2ND.

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The holiday season is upon us and we have had a good turn out this week. There are people still apartment hunting during the cold and treacherous weather!

Just a reminder to everyone applying to view our suites that we will be closed on December 24th at 3pm and will reopen on Friday January 2nd and resume showings on that day.

This week at Downtown Suites the outcome of all viewers for each suite are as follows:

In the $1000-$1500 per month price range: 2 people
In the $1600-$2000 per month price range: 20 people
In the $2100-$3000 per month price range: 9 people

In the $3100+ per month price range: 1 Person

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

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Many years ago when travelling in Egypt, I was staying in the home of a devout Coptic Christian in Luxor. My travel companion was a woman, a completely platonic friend. When the Coptic gentleman had to go on a journey, he kindly let us stay alone in his home, but he was quite concerned, surprisingly, not for any of his possessions but that we might defile the place by an illicit sexual act.  Of course we assured him of our chaste relationship and he left trusting us.

At the time his attitude seemed quaint, but all these years later it now makes much more sense to me. In our modern hectic life, there is so little understanding of energy, and the reactions the various forces have on our lives.

I recalled that time in Luxor yesterday when I had the unfortunate duty of serving a breach notice to a tenant. Tanja Milosevic, our senior Property Manager, and I met with the tenant to warn her that an outbreak of disorderly conduct in the suite by her new husband’s friends was cause for termination.

On behalf of our clients, we do not tolerate any infractions or unreasonable conduct. We believe, however, that everyone deserves a warning before termination of the tenancy so I personally went to the suite to talk with the woman. It was an embarrassing and unfortunate moment for us all. While we talked the TV blared on in the background and her cell phone rang several times.

We didn’t talk only of regulations. I reminded her that her home was really her sanctuary and her place of refuge. I felt she understood, even though I must have sounded as old fashioned to her as the generous Copt in Luxor had sounded to me, years ago.

Remembering Luxor

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