Condo Living
Under the Radar
October 30, 2012 - 3:03pm
When looking to buy a condo or home in Victoria, people seem to gravitate toward Oak Bay, Fairfield, James Bay and Rocklands. Now don't get me wrong, those are all excellent areas of town, but there are other areas that often fall under the radar. From 2002 to 2008 I lived in Victoria West in a building called "The Edge" at 455 Sitkum. It is still one of my favorite buildings in town. Living there while I was going to University was amazing. Just a seven-minute walk from downtown after a big night out was a great thing.
Why Some Condos Allow Pets and Some Don't
October 19, 2012 - 1:08pm
When helping clients find their perfect condo, we often run into buildings that do not allow pets. This is fairly common in downtown Victoria and can be very frustrating for buyers looking to find a home not only for themselves, but for their dog and cat as well.
Mobile Website Offers New Ways to Stay Connected
July 24, 2011 - 9:33pm
We're proud to announce the launch of our new mobile friendly website. Going mobile means that we're able to provide you with current real estate information within a touch of your finger. The web plays a significant part in the success of our business and in most cases this has become a very important communication and marketing tool to our clients. We understand that looking to buy or sell your home is on your mind 24/7, so we hope that you will find this mobile version handy next time you're away from your computer.
What lawyers and teachers have to do with condos
January 26, 2011 - 1:14pm
Let’s pretend for a second that you are driving down the street in your car, obeying all the traffic laws, when you get t-boned by a big truck that sped through a red light. A week later you are ok, but you won’t be able to go back to work for a year. What’s not okay is that the truck driver is claiming he did nothing wrong, and doesn’t want you to get a dime.
Parking in Downtown Victoria.
November 18, 2010 - 3:52pm
Parking? This is seen as a major issue with a number of people when they are considering purchasing a condo in downtown Victoria. I receive phone calls and emails everyday about enquires on our listings downtown and one of the first questions is, does it have parking? We would love to say that they all do however that just isn't the case.
Vacation rentals in Victoria.
November 18, 2010 - 3:40pm
Vacation Rentals seem to be a popular thing in Victoria because of two main things: our Great Weather!!! and the amount of money people can get for their condo in peak times of the year. The city has zoning in place on a number of city blocks downtown that allow for Vacation Rentals, for example, The Corozan, Mermaid Warf, and The Leiser Building offer this zoning and the ability to do this. There are number of others as well, so I encourage you to check out this great website if you're interested.
Should I get an Inspection for a Condo?
November 17, 2010 - 5:29pm
This is a great question… and here’s my sit-on-the-fence answer: it depends. It depends on your personality, it depends on the developer, and it certainly depends on the year it was built. If it was built before 2000 I would get an inspection, no questions asked.
Are there Rental Restrictions?
November 16, 2010 - 5:03pm
This a very common question asked by buyers looking to either buy in a building that is strictly owner occupied, looking for flexibility if their situation changes and they need to rent their condo out, or strictly for investment. Now the quickest answer I can give is that every strata is different, and looking through and reading the strata documents is key to deciding on whether to purchase the condo or not.
University of Victoria area condo market.
November 16, 2010 - 1:34pm
Are you searching for a Condominium in the University of Victoria area and can’t find buildings that are rentable? The UVIC area is a prime location for student rentals and you would think that most of the Condo buildings would cater to this market.
In fact the majority of students are renting suites in residential homes that do not have the same imposed rental restrictions that are created by strata operated buildings. The majority of Condo’s in the UVIC area were built prior to 1990 which carry restrictions on pets, rentals, and age.
