BC Business
Address: 3690 Selkirk Street, VancouverPrice: $18,800,000MLS: V1137892
The skinny: A six-bedroom, 7,200-square-foot Shaughnessy heritage mansion perched on a 32,000 square-foot lot. The bling: Want to live in Vancouver’s most Tony neighbourhood but #DontHave20Million? Here’s a way to get your foot on the luxury ladder without having to wait until you’ve sequestered those stock market gains. All you need is five friends willing to match your $3 million investment—and you’re off to the races. After all, communal living doesn’t have to be the preserve of non-conformist types looking to drop out; who says smart, ambitious people can’t live harmoniously together? Think Harry Potter, all grown up. The hidden extras: Here’s the best bit: the back yard development potential. It may look like a massive expanse of flat lawn right now, but use your imagination. Persuade City Hall that rich people like density, too, and you could easily fit a sky high condo tower in there. Should rezoning not be forthcoming, you can still make a mint: pitch rows of luxury tents and post them on Air BnB. Or brand your backyard base as the latest trend in social networking and offer them as proper rentals for the upwardly mobile set. Your next mansion could be your own.