Larry Pynn, Vancouver Sun, May 11, 2016
It is a calm sunny morning at Third Beach in Stanley Park and not even an introduced eastern grey squirrel is bouncing around for free peanuts.
About the only thing stirring in the corner parking lot is me, hauling my kayak off the back of my pickup truck and dragging it across the grass down a small bluff to the seawall to be hoisted onto the salty shores of English Bay.
Lori Culbert, Vancouver Sun, May 10, 2016
You can skimboard at Jericho Beach, ride your bike along the Richmond dikes and hunt for crabs at Ambleside park in West Vancouver.
How has Metro Vancouver done at keeping access to the ocean open to the public? How much of our waterfront is blocked off by condo walls or industrial gates?
According to real estate data provided by Landcor Data Corp and analyzed by The Sun,
Lori Culbert, Vancouver Sun, May 9, 2016
Along Metro Vancouver’s tony waterfront, condominiums are no longer the poor man’s starter home.
Many are now the rich man’s mansion, minus the grass and plus the concierge.
There is a condo at the foot of Thurlow Street, with unrestricted views of Vancouver Harbour, which is more than 8,000 square feet and has five bathrooms. Its price tag is a cool $22.3 million,
Larry Pynn, Vancouver Sun, May 9, 2016
When we look out at the craggy industrial face of the Port of Vancouver, we see freighters from around the world, piles of sulphur and coal, grain unloaded from rail cars into silos, commercial float planes, tugs, ferries and gantries moving container cargo.
Much less obvious is the natural world that defies the odds and makes its home within the bustling waters and unyielding infrastructure of the inner harbour.
Lori Culbert, Vancouver Sun, May 8, 2016
While the romantic vision of the waterfront is of waves lapping the shore or decks on which to view the setting sun, the reality in Vancouver is that 47 per cent of the land along our oceanfront is used for industry, business or services.
That is most evident in cities like Delta, Richmond and North Vancouver, where industry on the water’s edge is most prevalent.
Larry Pynn, Vancouver Sun, May 6, 2016
One does not embark on a 10-day paddling trip without considering those who went before.
First Nations plied these waters for millennia in dugout cedar canoes described by the Bill Reid Centre at Simon Fraser University as the “single most important physical manifestation of Northwest Coast culture” existing at the “nexus between technology and living beings.”
Then came the Spanish and British in their sailing ships in the later 1700s,
Lori Culbert, Vancouver Sun, May 6, 2016
Vancouver is known for its stunning coastline, accentuated by lush parks, funky water-view restaurants, and luxurious homes.
But how well do you know the waterfront? On what portion of it can you throw a frisbee or buy a home? How much of the water’s edge is dominated by cranes or terminals?
In an effort to define our oceanfront, The Sun asked for help from Landcor Data Corp.,
Lori Culbert, Vancouver Sun, March 20, 2016
Here’s an interesting tidbit to share with friends while rehashing Vancouver’s out-of-control real estate market: Nearly 600 homes were flipped in the city last year.
It is a far higher number than in 2014, when 356 homes were re-sold within a year of a previous sale, according to a Vancouver Sun analysis of every quick turnaround of houses and condos in the city of Vancouver between January 2011 and January 2016.
Vancouver Sun / Richmond News, February 19, 2016
If you are a first-time buyer and you are buying an existing home, you are out of luck — you must still pay the transfer taxes on all sales over $475,000.
But if first-time buyers want to buy a newly built house, the thresholds to avoid paying the transfer tax have now been increased to $750,000 (for a full exemption) and $800,000 (partial exemption).
By Lori Culbert, Vancouver Sun, February 17, 2016
Will you benefit or take a financial hit from the changes to B.C.’s Property Transfer Tax that were announced in Tuesday’s budget?
If you are buying an existing home, you are out of luck — you must still pay the transfer taxes on all sales over $475,000.
But if you want to buy a newly built house, the thresholds to avoid paying the transfer tax have now been increased to $750,000 (for a full exemption) and $800,000 (partial exemption).