Big Fat Deal: $2.2 million for a Fraserhood duplex with a listing that doesn’t sit quite right

BCBusiness takes you inside one of the most outrageously upmarket real estate offerings in the province.

Fraserhood

BCBusiness takes you inside one of the most outrageously upmarket real estate offerings in the province

Address: 3206 Carolina Street

Price: $2,198,000

Listing: R2738554

The skinny: Six-bedroom, five-bathroom 2680 square foot duplex on 6039 square feet in Vancouver’s Fraserhood 

The bling: Okay, this place doesn’t really fit in with most of our Big Fat Deals. For starters, it’s about four times less expensive than our usual fare. And, unlike most of the glossy, perfectly photographed palatial estates we often feature, this place looks like it’s actually been lived in. It’s also in what I would personally consider the perfect neighbourhood, which should be about as surprising as me, a 30-something white dude, saying that I think the Strokes latest album is criminally underrated (it is). 

You have Sal y Limon, Savio Volpe, Straight Outta Brooklyn Pizzeria, the best jerky place in town and Bells and Whistles all within a block. The house itself is spacey, with a huge, fenced-in yard. It’s absolutely an ideal spot to get a couple of friends and throw down on. To top it off, it’s affordable (well, in the insanity that is Vancouver real estate, at least).

But it’s been sitting on the market for 57 days. That’s likely a symptom of the housing market dip we’re seeing right now, with mortgage rates ready to spur on instant buyers’ remorse. We’d like to think, however, that it’s because of the listing itself, which gives the potential buyer three options: 

“1/ Live in one side and rent out the other unit.”

“2/ Consider buying jointly with another family; like two townhouses, each with its own big yard.”

And, um, the third one…

“3/ And, of course, the option of an excellent investment/holding property with a Vancouver address that can generate substantial income.” 

“Of course.” Of course, you should continue to add to a housing crisis as bad as the country has ever seen. Sure, buying this place and renting it out is a fine idea. But please, let’s not celebrate buying a property for its holding value, or treat it as an obvious option. Let’s get people living in these places, let’s not be ambiguous about whether you give a damn if houses in the city are occupied or not.  

To quote the Strokes: 

Oh, making bad decisionsOh, making bad decisionsMaking bad decisions for youOh, making bad decisionsUh-oh, making bad decisionsI’m making bad decisions for you

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