Two things popped out at me on a stroll down the Main Street of a little B.C. resort town during a recent family vacation.
One was the Greek/Italian/Seafood/Steakhouse restaurant that has been serving the same spectacularly huge dishes for probably 35 years. Many, many towns have a variation of that type of establishment, and you better believe that if you go in there you’re going to see some weird stuff on the walls, possibly throw a coin into a fountain, have some delicious souvlaki/chicken Parmesan/baked lasagna/garlic shrimp/peppercorn steak, and you’re going to get a nice mint at the end of the meal. Don’t miss it.
The second thing that popped out was a storefront covered in real estate listings from the surrounding area. My son and I examined it for a while and played the “would you live here” game. Those listings offered a reminder that, in some parts, you can still buy a nice little house for less than $1 million. Or a nice huge house, for that matter.
That’s obviously not the case here. In fact, we’ve got a rundown of the most expensive and least expensive homes sold on the North Shore this summer. I zeroed in on the least expensive detached home, which sold for a cool $1.2 million. And what did the buyer get for that price? A cute but modest 1200-square-foot, two-bedroom, one-bathroom rancher built in 1956 with such features as a patio, carport, rec room and “fenced yard.” Oh la la.
So, what could you buy elsewhere in Canada for the price of the cheapest house on the North Shore? Let’s take a look.
In Osoyoos, B.C., home of Diamond Steak and Seafood House and their famous Three Diamond salad dressing, you could take your $1.2 million and buy a newly renovated, 2,202-square-foot, three-bedroom, three-bathroom house featuring mountain and lake views as well as a “heated saltwater pool,” hot tub and heated garage – so much heat! – all within a couple of blocks of a beach on Canada’s warmest lake.
In Saskatoon, Sask, $1.2 million could get you a 2,947-square-foot, four-bedroom, four-bathroom house that includes a gas fireplace, dressing room, and a 250-square-foot deck – all within the main bedroom! Elsewhere you’ll find a “sub-zero” fridge, walk-through pantry and a “bonus room” – it’s got so many rooms they just stopped naming them. The house is situated next to “unique ecosystems of native prairie grasses and an invaluable natural wildlife corridor leading to the South Saskatchewan River.” Bonus.
And in St. John’s, N.L., you could use your $1.2 million to buy a six-bedroom, four-bathroom 7,280-square-foot downtown heritage property with 12-foot ceilings, “multiple fireplaces,” and a sunroom that looks onto a “meticulously landscaped fenced garden with gazebo and painters shed.” The home was built and lived in by famed St. John’s architect John Southcott, and also housed pre-confederation Prime Minister Augustus Goodridge.
At least the North Van home has one thing in common with the Goodridge estate: they both are “fenced.” Other than that, though, the Newfie property, and all the others, seemingly outshine the North Vancouver house in most categories except one – being located on the North Shore. Is that enough?
Well, we all came back from vacation, didn’t we? We’ll see you in the fenced yard!
