Home sales in Metro Vancouver decreased by 3.8 per cent year-over-year in September, signaling that recent reductions in borrowing costs have yet to significantly boost demand, Greater Vancouver Realtors (GVR) reports.

The region saw 1,852 residential sales in September, down from 1,926 in the same period last year. This figure is also 26 per cent below the 10-year seasonal average of 2,502.

“Real estate watchers have been monitoring the data for signs of renewed strength in demand in response to recent mortgage rate reductions, but the September figures don’t offer the signal that many are watching for,” Andrew Lis, GVR’s director of economics and data analytics explains. “Sales continue trending roughly 25 per cent below the 10-year seasonal average in the region, which, believe it or not, is a trend that has been in place for a few years now.

Lis adds that although sales are now tracking slightly below GVR’s forecast, they remain optimistic that 2024 sales will still end up higher than 2023’s.

Market overview

There were 6,144 new listings in September, a 12.8 per cent increase from last year and 16.7 per cent above the 10-year seasonal average. Properties listed for sale in Metro Vancouver totalled 14,932 units, up 31.2 per cent from September 2023.

The overall sales-to-active listings ratio was 12.8 per cent, with detached homes at 9.1 per cent, attached homes at 16.9 per cent and apartments at 14.6 per cent. 

‘All signs pointing to further (rate) reductions; it’s not inconceivable that demand may still pick up later this fall’

The increase in new listings has provided buyers with more options, leading to downward pressure on prices and a buyer’s market. “With two more policy rate decisions to go this year, and all signs pointing to further reductions, it’s not inconceivable that demand may still pick up later this fall should buyers step off the sidelines,” Lis notes.

The benchmark price for all residential properties in Metro Vancouver now stands at $1,179,700, reflecting a 1.8 per cent year-over-year decrease and a 1.4 per cent decline from August 2024. 

Detached homes

Sales of detached homes dropped 9.8 per cent compared to last year, with 516 units sold in September. The benchmark price for a detached home is $2,022,200, a 0.5 per cent increase year-over-year but down 1.3 per cent from August.

Apartment homes

Apartment sales fell 4.9 per cent, with 940 units sold. The benchmark price for an apartment is $762,000, marking a 0.8 per cent decline year-over-year and month-over-month.

Attached homes

Attached homes, however, saw a 7.4 per cent increase in sales year-over-year, totaling 378 units. The benchmark price for townhomes is $1,099,200, down 0.5 per cent from September 2023 and 1.8 per cent from August.

Review the full report here.

“Just minutes away from local schools, shopping centres and recreation facilities … ”

As one of the most commonly used phrases by realtors when describing their properties for sale, one doesn’t actually see “close proximity to hospitals” nearly as often as its more popular counterparts. But for real estate builders and developers with upcoming health care facility projects, it soon became apparent that local health care workers would be making up a sizable segment of their future home buyers.

Health care workers: Quite interested in living close to work

Barrett Sprowson, vice president of sales and project marketing at Peterson Real Estate based in Vancouver, shared his thoughts on this. One of the developer’s current projects, Ashleigh, is located in the Oakridge area of Vancouver — traditionally known as a “medical” neighbourhood in the city.

“We didn’t particularly think about health care workers specifically as a segment early on,” says Sprowson. 

But with a concentration of medical facilities nearby, as well as BC Children’s Hospital and BC Women’s Hospital & Health Centre, the idea of living close to where they work appears to be of great interest to those in the health care sector.

“Now we have lots of people coming into our presentation centre who are in the medical field in some form: doctors, dentists, registered nurses, physiotherapists,” he adds.

Higher price points out of reach for many in the profession

But with a wide disparity in income within the health care sector — a doctor can make up to $335,000 per year in British Columbia while a medical office assistant can make as little as $17.40 an hour — Sprowson is aware that the price points in this popular neighbourhood might not be attainable for everyone.

“It is a slightly higher price point,” he acknowledges. “So it has a slightly skinnier appeal in those terms.”

‘Building for humans’ despite affordability challenges

Celina Villarroel Whiting works as a practicing kinesiologist and facilities health care worker in Vancouver. However, she and her husband have chosen to live further away from her work in nearby Burnaby, with cost being the biggest factor.

“I think if we had the choice, I would have preferred to be closer to work,” shares Whiting. “In my department specifically, everyone is commuting from somewhere else.”

But despite these challenges in affordability, Peterson still aims for the principle of “building for humans” in its homes. For example, when considering the suite mix of the Ashleigh project, the team considered how they could design the space to fit as diverse a population as possible.

“We want to fit the widest range of humans possible,” continues Sprowson. “(Considering) what we’ve seen in the past, we think ‘Maybe we need this percentage of one, two or three-bedroom homes in our suite mix,’ or ‘What kind of amenities would support the type of lifestyle that people might want to have?’” These are the types of questions his team addresses.

Nearby hospital a major decision factor

Arvind Grewal is the CEO of Meritus Group, a real estate developer primarily focused on the ever-growing Fraser Valley region in B.C. One of its future residential projects is close to Mission Memorial Hospital. When they made an offer on the property in 2021, the hospital was a major factor in their decision.

“We were lucky enough that it was a big chunk of land that we could build our desired community within close proximity to all of that,” shares Grewal. 

Mix of complementary commercial tenants to existing hospital & infrastructure a ‘key priority’

Meritus Group had previously donated over $500,000 to the hospital for a new CT scanner back in 2022. Grewal hopes to continue building on this relationship as the company looks ahead to planning and building its future project. The current surrounding area is primarily made up of single detached homes, but the first two phases of the project will comprise multi-family residential units with commercial space below. Having a mix of commercial tenants that complement the existing hospital and infrastructure is a key priority for Grewal and his team.

“For a developer, it’s very significant whether a physician or a pharmacist comes into those commercial spaces,” he says. “But I think that’s something where we need to step in and have more of a careful approach into who we bring into those tenanted spaces.”

Homes can be healthy too, with plenty of light, air & access to nature

For health care workers, often surrounded by clinical spaces, Sprowsen believes that homes for these professionals can be healthy as well — albeit in a different way. Unique landscaping items, such as edible plants, garden plants and tree retention, have been incorporated into the Ashleigh project.

Growing up in Malawi, southeastern Africa, Sprowson’s mother was a horticulturist: “She would tell you a healthy building is one that has lots of greenery and plants,” he shares. “Light, air, access to nature … That, to my mind, is the foundation for a healthy building.”

Billions of dollars spent on renovations and infill development during the pandemic have boosted the overall value of residential housing and supported higher prices for single-family homes in Toronto and Vancouver, despite broader market pressures, according to the 2024 Re/Max Canada Changing Landscapes Report.

National spending on home renovations up 8% to nearly $300 billion — Toronto and Vancouver lead the way

The report highlights how ongoing revitalization efforts in these cities have significantly impacted housing supply and affordability, especially in urban cores. From 2019 to 2023, national spending on home renovations — including additions, upgrades and equipment — reached nearly $300 billion, an 8.0 per cent increase from the previous five years. Toronto and Vancouver were at the forefront of this trend.

Contrastingly, throughout the same time, residential building permits for single-family homes in the Toronto and Vancouver Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs) totaled just over $27 billion — a near-24 per cent decline from the previous five years and a trend that’s expected to continue.

However, the value of permits for multi-family housing rose by 60 per cent from 2014-2018.

“With all available tracts of land in the city committed to high-density construction, the single-detached home is quickly becoming a unicorn,” says Re/Max Canada president Christopher Alexander.

“Existing homeowners who can’t find what they want in the market will buy an older home in an area of their choice and renovate or build their vision. We expect this trend will strengthen in the years to come and serve to drive price growth in single-detached housing even further. There are a variety of variables at play, but renovation and revitalization is having significant implications for housing supply and affordability.”

Revitalization & gentrification

Revitalization is still one of the most underestimated elements impacting rising housing values.

Renovation and infill development have transformed neighborhoods, particularly in areas where land values have far outpaced the value of existing homes. Older bungalows and two-storey homes are being replaced by custom-built houses, changing the face of working-class areas into desirable hotspots.

The report also highlights gentrification, particularly in Vancouver, where single-detached homes are growing larger, while condominium units are shrinking. Despite the overall decline in single-family home numbers, new construction has led to bigger houses in the Vancouver CMA, with the average home size reaching 3,600 square feet — the largest among major Canadian cities.

In Toronto, the number of vacant land properties dropped significantly (by 6,680) between 2019 and 2021, reducing opportunities for new single-family developments. As much as 30 per cent of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA)’s housing stock was built before 1960, making renovation a key strategy for updating older homes.

Stable prices: Those who can make their moves now vs later may be better off

Renovation activity, combined with rising affluence and intergenerational wealth transfers, continues to impact the housing market. The average price of a detached home in the GTA has increased by almost 35 per cent between 2019 and 2023, rising from $1.05 million to $1.42 million. In Vancouver, detached home prices have climbed nearly 38 per cent over the same period, from $1.42 million to $1.96 million.

However, Alexander points out that prices are currently stable compared to 2023: “Those in a position to make their moves now may be better positioned than those in 2025, as prices currently remain close to year-ago levels in the Toronto CMA and modestly higher in the Vancouver CMA.”

As Canada’s major cities continue to evolve, Re/Max expects that renovation and infill development will play an even larger role in shaping the housing market in the years to come. 

“The detached housing supply in urban centres is in the midst of a monumental metamorphosis that will unquestionably impact housing inventory and composition for further generations of real estate consumers,” notes Alexander.

Review the full report here.

A new report from Re/Max Canada reveals that the detached housing market in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), Greater Vancouver and Fraser Valley is being fueled primarily by investors and move-up buyers.

With first-time homebuyers increasingly priced out of these expensive markets, those looking to upgrade or invest in real estate have become the main drivers of sales activity in the first half of 2024.

‘The first (June’s) interest rate cut did little to incentivize buyers, but the second may have struck a nerve’

“While affordability remains the top obstacle for first-time homebuyers, more experienced buyers and investors are taking advantage of softer housing values, making their moves ahead of the Bank of Canada’s (BoC) end to quantitative tightening,” says Re/Max Canada president Christopher Alexander.

“Pent-up demand continues to build, with an estimated 20,000 to 25,000 buyers currently lying in wait in the GTA, and another 5,000 buyers in the Greater Vancouver area ready to pull the trigger. The first interest rate cut in June did little to incentivize buyers, but early indications show the second may have struck a nerve.”

The Re/Max Hot Pocket Communities Report found that nearly 40 per cent of the surveyed markets (33 out of 83) reported an increase in detached home values in the first six months of 2024, while 30 per cent of markets (25 out of 83) saw a rise in the number of sales. This indicates a robust demand for detached homes, even in the face of affordability challenges.

GTA: Sales momentum and price increases

In the GTA, the 416 area code (encompassing Toronto proper) has shown the strongest sales momentum. Just over 34 per cent of neighbourhoods there either remained stable or experienced growth in detached homebuying activity, outpacing the 905 area code as well as Greater Vancouver and Fraser Valley. This resurgence is particularly notable given the region’s challenging real estate landscape, where high prices have kept many first-time buyers on the sidelines.

Specific neighbourhoods in Toronto have seen notable increases in homebuying activity. Areas such as Dufferin Grove, Little Portugal, Trinity-Bellwoods and Rosedale-Moore Park have all reported significant gains in sales.

On the pricing front, the West End of Toronto has led the way with some of the highest increases in detached housing values. For example, neighbourhoods like Kingsway South and High Park North have seen prices rise by over 7.0 per cent to 9.0 per cent compared to last year.

Greater Vancouver and Fraser Valley: Limited inventory drives price appreciation

In British Columbia, limited inventory has been a critical factor supporting price appreciation in the detached home category, particularly in the Fraser Valley, with over 83 per cent of its local markets reporting an increase in average prices. This is followed closely by Greater Vancouver, where over 70 per cent of neighbourhoods have noted rising median values.

Areas such as Squamish, Burnaby and Port Coquitlam have experienced some of the largest price gains, with median home values increasing by as much as 14.2 per cent. Despite the rising prices, demand remains strong, driven by a combination of local buyers and investors looking to capitalize on the region’s long-term growth potential.

Change in investor activity

The report highlights a notable shift in investor behaviour, particularly in the GTA. Disenchanted with the performance of condominiums, many investors are now turning their attention to detached homes, especially on smaller lots in Toronto’s east end.

A recent report by Urbanation and CIBC Economics found that condominium investors who closed on newly completed units in 2023 faced negative cash flow (of nearly $600 per month), which has prompted many to reconsider their investment strategies.

Affordable housing and the first-time buyer dilemma

While the report highlights significant price appreciation in many markets, it also underscores the challenges facing first-time buyers. Affordability remains a significant barrier, particularly in high-demand regions like the GTA and Greater Vancouver. However, there are still pockets of affordability within these markets.

Regions like Durham in the GTA and the Sunshine Coast in Greater Vancouver offer detached homes priced under $1 million, providing opportunities for those looking to enter the housing market.

The report also calls for policy changes to address the affordability crisis. One suggestion is to extend longer amortization periods (up to 30 years) to resale homes, similar to what is currently available for new construction. While it may not be enough, it could help more buyers qualify for mortgages in high-priced markets and provide some relief to the ongoing affordability challenges.

“All boats rise with the tide — once the first-time buyers segment gains greater traction, we should see a ripple effect,” says Alexander. “We’re not there quite yet, but the tide is beginning to turn … The gap is closing amid growing buyer confidence. The only dark cloud on the horizon is the possibility of a U.S. recession given stock market volatility.”

Alexander stresses that being so closely tied to the U.S. economy, Canada is not insulated, and we can expect buyers to “stay tuned to any possible economic headwinds.”

Review the full report, including market overviews, here.

A Vancouver-based startup is changing the way realtors and buyers assess condominiums and townhomes, making the process more efficient and transparent.

Eli Report is an online tool powered by artificial intelligence (AI) that scans and summarizes condominium and strata documents, culling important information with speed and accuracy.

Aims to make understanding the health of a building and rules around living easy

“We wanted to help realtors save time on critical issues,” says Eli Report CEO Thomas Beattie. “This type of knowledge, when properly equipped, allows them to improve their negotiating position. It’s delivering value for them.”

Beattie describes it as a “breath of fresh air” from the client’s perspective. “It’s a single snapshot report about any lifestyle restrictions, critical issues and other things you wouldn’t be aware of in a new community.”

The Eli Report first started about six years ago, looking to solve a simple problem: to make understanding the health of a building and rules around living easy. It’s applied to condominiums, townhomes or any buildings or developments where a board issues rules to residents and owners collectively share responsibility for common areas.

A ‘huge time saver’ — strata or condo documents can be ‘fairly long and very convoluted’

“Strata documents are fairly long,” says Greg Zayadi, President of rennie, a company that provides real estate consulting to agents, developers and communities. “Some are very convoluted, with years worth of information basically about the health of a building. If you’re a realtor representing a buyer, that’s very important information to understand when you’re advising someone what they should pay, what they should value and if there’s liability.”

An early adopter, Vancouver-based agent Hani Faraj has been impressed not by just the efficiency of Eli Report, but the accuracy as well. 

“It’s a huge time saver,” he says. “When I started using it, I was blown away by how quickly I can pinpoint stuff.” Faraj notes it can cut some reading in half, down from many hours to only a few. “You still have to read, it’s not going to read it for you, but it’s fully transparent. My clients love it. It only adds professionalism to our industry. On our team, every realtor uses it.”

Faraj relayed a story about how a colleague was fined for failing to read a strata document and providing quality support for his client. He also noted he couldn’t think of a moment when the program was wrong. 

Accuracy of the report: ‘We’re very confident we are not going to hallucinate’

Beattie cited only one time in six years that a report raised a question; it wasn’t an inaccuracy, just something that wasn’t yet programmed by the team.

Its accuracy is due in part to the fact that Eli Report does not use generative AI — it’s not trying to create or speculate, but instead, extract.

“It’s designed to pull out anything that’s possibly relevant, even if it’s potentially irrelevant,” says Beattie, who notes his team also reviews the results. “We’re very confident we are not going to hallucinate. Everything you see that’s data-driven is manually approved and reviewed by me or my team. We check everything before it goes out.”

May give pause for sellers

Maria Senajova, also out of Vancouver, is another longtime user, citing Eli Report as a tool for efficiency as well as safety. She doesn’t depend on it completely, but it serves as useful information for clients as well as a third set of eyes on the documents. 

“It offers a quick snapshot,” she says. “It’s really helpful for clients to start getting engaged.”

Senajova only uses it for her buying clients, as due diligence is on the buyer. The transparency that Eli Report offers, however, may give pause for sellers.

“I can see why sellers or listing agents are a little more reluctant,” she says. “I highly recommend it to buying agents.”

Indeed, Faraj was able to leverage information about an upcoming building assessment in a report to take some money off the sale price for his client.

Zayadi wants to see more agents and boards using Eli Report. “We’re talking about consumer protection,” he says, adding there is value in the insurance world as well, as data aggregation and access to key information could help mitigate costs when determining the health of a building.

For Beattie, it has always been and continues to be about providing all the necessary information for clients when looking to buy a condominium or townhome. “It’s the biggest investment most of us make in our lives,” he says. “Whether it’s a starter home or an investment in our future, I certainly believe it should be easier than it has been.”

Engel & Völkers recently released its 2024 Mid-Year Luxury Real Estate Market Report, highlighting that luxury properties in Halifax, Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver are outperforming market trends in the $1 million-plus market segment.

The report addresses misconceptions about “Canada’s foreign buyer ban,” which the company says has affected the country’s image and disrupted condominium market dynamics, especially in new construction. It also reveals that the market is experiencing a decline in domestic investor activity, with sluggish condominium sales as buyers await relief from higher interest rates.

“Canada’s luxury real estate markets are demonstrating impressive resilience despite the slowdown in overall sales. While interest rates impact the conventional market, particularly first-time buyers, luxury buyers often pay in cash and are therefore less affected,” says Anthony Hitt, president and CEO of Engel & Völkers Americas.

“We anticipate that Canada’s luxury markets will remain stable as real estate continues to be an appealing and safe investment.”

Key national trends

Luxury home sales go against the grain

Sales of detached luxury homes are growing strong in major Canadian cities, defying overall market trends. Rising interest rates have a limited impact on the luxury market, as many buyers pay in cash.

For example, from January to June, Toronto saw a 4.73 per cent increase in prices for homes over $8 million compared to last year. In the first half of this year, Halifax reported a five per cent increase in sales for homes over $1 million. In the same period, Ottawa’s home prices grew by eight per cent for properties between $1 million and $1.99 million, and Vancouver saw a 4.7 per cent increase in the average sale price for homes between $2 million and $3.99 million despite more listings and fewer sales.

Decline in domestic investors

Homes are now mainly being bought and sold for standard reasons like relocating, upsizing and downsizing.

Most domestic investors have left the market due to decreased incentives and higher interest rates. The report notes that in fall 2023, the Bank of Canada indicated 30 per cent of residential home purchases in early 2023 were made by investors, down from under 20 per cent in 2014.

Sluggish condominium sales

Condominiums, which are normally entry-level homes for first-time buyers, are experiencing slow sales as buyers wait for interest rate relief. This lack of competition means buyers who would usually purchase condominiums are now competing for houses. Engel & Völkers predicts that intense competition for residential properties will eventually push buyers back to condominiums.

Millennials, now focused on building families and careers, find one-plus bedroom units insufficient. Likewise, Baby Boomers, who would normally downsize to condominiums, prefer to stay where they are due to the high prices and inadequate size of current condominium inventory.

Review the full report, including regional highlights and property spotlights, here.

As Vancouver’s housing prices continue their upward trajectory, the real estate landscape is undergoing significant shifts. For younger generations, particularly Generation Z and, soon, Generation Alpha, entering the housing market has become an increasingly challenging life milestone. However, a strategic trend is emerging among Generation X and Millennial parents: purchasing homes with their children’s future in mind.

According to new data from Statistics Canada, one in five homeowners in British Columbia who were born in the 1990s co-own with their parents, underscoring the urgency to invest in real estate now.

Source: Statistics Canada

This approach allows parents to not only secure a foothold in an increasingly competitive market but to also ensure their children won’t be left behind in the race for homeownership.

The ‘bank of mom and dad’

More and more, the ”bank of mom and dad” is becoming a go-to for young homebuyers needing financial help. Parents and grandparents aren’t just gifting money; they’re becoming landlords or co-investors to help their children get into the market.

In 2013, my spouse and I saw an opportunity to invest in real estate to secure a foothold in the market. We bought a pre-sale property with future generations in mind, hoping that by the time our kids were ready, they’d have a valuable asset to move into or sell. Success in Vancouver’s real estate market requires strategy and foresight.

When we made the initial investment, our children were eight and four. We realized that a proactive approach would make it easier to help them in the future. The property cost us a little over $300,000 back then, and regardless of current market trends, that put it on track to increase significantly, providing options for our children by the time they are ready to move in or resell. 

Investment properties for future generations

Throughout my almost 25-year career in real estate, purchasing investment properties as a family strategy has also become increasingly common. These investments serve dual purposes: they may not provide significant rental income in the short term, but they will largely cover mortgage and strata fee costs and act as future residences for the next generation. By securing properties now, parents ensure that their children can live nearby and benefit from generational wealth transfer.

Pre-sale properties offer an enticing investment opportunity, allowing parents to secure home ownership early and benefit from a longer period to pay off the mortgage. This strategy not only safeguards against rising market prices but also capitalizes on the property’s appreciation over time, amplifying the financial advantage. 

The Vancouver market: Rising prices and rental pressures

Over the past decade, the Vancouver housing market has experienced consistent price increases and upward pressure on rent.

According to a recent liv.rent report, today’s young people are spending over 50 per cent of their monthly income on rent, creating significant challenges in saving enough for a down payment. As a result, many are choosing to live at home longer with parents or relatives, or opting for smaller rental spaces with roommates.

Developers and multigenerational buyers

Developers are now focusing on the needs of multigenerational buyers, emphasizing properties that promise value appreciation. They prioritize prime locations with access to schools, transit, hospitals and services.

Projects like FRAME by Peterson Group showcase this trend, providing diverse unit sizes and prices to accommodate various family needs centrally located between downtown Vancouver and Metrotown. FRAME is among several developments catering to these changing preferences, ensuring families find the perfect match for their unique situations.

The broader impact of generational housing solutions

The evolving landscape of Vancouver’s real estate market, characterized by rising prices and the growing necessity for parental support, underscores a pivotal shift in how families approach homeownership.

The “bank of mom and dad” has transitioned from a supplementary aid to a foundational strategy, enabling younger generations to secure their place in the market (we had help from my parents when we took the leap in securing our first condominium investment in 2013).

Through strategic investments in properties, notably pre-sale units, families are not only navigating the intricacies of the housing market but are also laying down the groundwork for generational wealth transfer. This trend, while highlighting the challenges faced by younger buyers, also reflects a proactive and unified family approach toward ensuring long-term financial security and stability.

However, it’s important to acknowledge that this collaborative generational support is not a possibility for everyone. As the real estate market continues to evolve in Vancouver and other major Canadian cities, many potential buyers without access to help from family face increasing barriers to homeownership.

This discrepancy underscores the growing concern that homeownership may become even less attainable, contributing to a widening gap where only those with substantial family support or significant incomes can secure a place in the housing market and further reinforces the need for innovative housing solutions that serve all segments of a healthy, diverse society.

It’s sometimes hard to decide what Vancouver is better known for: its ever-prevalent and in-demand real estate market, or its well-earned reputation as Hollywood North.

For Canadians looking to break into the film and television industry, Metro Vancouver would seem the logical place to be if you want to pursue a career in acting but aren’t interested in heading south of the border. The region and its competitive markets also offer plenty of opportunities for motivated realtors.

Actors turned realtors

Tyler Burrows, now a realtor with Oakwyn Realty, didn’t originally move to Vancouver from Kamloops to pursue a life in real estate. With Christopher Reeves and Jim Carrey as some of his earliest inspirations, he realized early on in life that he wanted to become an actor. 

“In high school, I got into theatre and acting class there and really developed a love for it,” he shares. “So I decided that was what I was going to pursue.”

Lucas McCann, another realtor with Oakwyn Realty, also moved to Vancouver with acting aspirations. 

“I had no clue what I wanted to do and spent six months in college. I realized it was just not for me”, says McCann.

A friend of his invited him to a workshop in Victoria, where he’s originally from, where his interest in acting first developed. Two years later, after completing an acting program, he made the leap and moved to Vancouver. 

So how did Burrows and McCann find themselves where they are today, as realtors in arguably the hottest real estate market in Canada?

A deep curiosity about the real estate process; a desire to ‘control my own fate’

For Burrows, it was a case of life imitating art. He and his partner, a dancer, purchased their first home together in Vancouver in 2018. As two self-employed creative professionals, the process was a little bit more complicated for them. The learning curve he experienced during this time inspired him to dig deeper into the real estate industry.

“I didn’t know these nuances back then … I was thinking, like, what else do I not know about this industry?” Burrows confesses. “I never got off the real estate track after that.”

In McCann’s case, he found himself motivated to try a different career path after years of grinding it out at auditions and long days on set:

“I wanted to be able to control my own fate. I need to be in a profession that I could put however much hard work I put into it, I’m actually getting out of it,” he adds. “As an actor, I felt like it didn’t matter how good you were. You may be the best in the room. But it didn’t come down to that.”

A passion reignited

On the flip side, Sean Gartland, a realtor with Angell Hasman & Associates, finds himself now pursuing his passion as an actor. Growing up in Vancouver, he was part of the theatre program and acted in several productions in high school. Yet he decided to pursue a more conventional career path in business, and eventually real estate.

“Society can sometimes squash those dreams,” reflects Gartland.

Coincidentally, it was through meeting Burrows one day at an open house that reignited Gartland’s interest in acting. While he still maintains a healthy and robust real estate practice, he is now also exploring the acting profession by working with a coach and taking classes.

“I do enjoy real estate professionally, but it doesn’t do anything for me creatively,” he says.

More in common than meets the eye

One thing that Burrows, McCann and Gartland have in common is their belief that being an actor and being a realtor have more in common than meets the eye.

It just takes one look at Burrows’ social media channels, particularly his video tours, “Touring With Tyler” which are growing in popularity, to see how years of working in film and television have translated well into his current realtor marketing game.

“For my social media, I’ll go out in one day and shoot 10 different places, or two or three days and shoot a bunch of different places,” explains Burrows. “Then I’ll edit them all in one night and do all the voiceovers in one night. I took my film career and blended it into my real estate career.”

If he was approached by any actor interested in becoming a realtor, the first question McCann would ask them would be, “Have you ever worked in the restaurant industry?”

“If you ever served somebody as a bartender, or just talked to people in a common conversation, that’ll help … It’s about building a relationship with your clients,” he shares.

Gartland echoes this sentiment, albeit from an inverse perspective: 

“If you don’t put in the work to truly connect with people during a scene, it’s going to fall flat. And if you don’t connect with people in real estate, they’re not going to trust you.”

Whether you’re getting ready to watch the next blockbuster or you’re carefully watching the real estate market activity in Vancouver, be sure to get the popcorn out this summer.

Engel & Völkers recently announced Monique Badun and her team have joined its Vancouver shop from Sotheby’s International Realty.

Badun and her team, including Kim Craig and Vito Longo, will work from the Kerrisdale location, representing clients across Westside and downtown Vancouver neighbourhoods.

Known as a top Vancouver real estate professional, Badun brings 35 years of real estate experience. The company says she’s partnered with them because of an aligned ethos, powerful global network and team camaraderie.

“Monique is the epitome of what a real estate professional should be and I have looked up to her and admired her as an industry leader for many years. It’s an honour to have her join us at Engel & Völkers, enriching our team with expertise, professionalism and a true passion for real estate.

Her unrivalled knowledge of Vancouver’s real estate market and high-quality customer service perfectly aligns with Engel & Völkers’ mission,” says Andrew Carros, chief operating officer, Engel & Völkers Vancouver.

An ‘easy decision’

Badun says she’s delighted to join the Engel & Völkers Vancouver shop, and, “Its collaborative group of advisors and the brand’s prestigious reputation and influential global network made this an easy decision … Our shared commitment to providing exceptional service to clients made Engel & Völkers the ideal choice.”

Photo source: Instagram.com/moniqueandkim/

For Brenda Knights, CEO of BC Indigenous Housing Society, the recent announcement from the City of Vancouver about a land transfer agreement at 990 Beatty Street was a long time coming.

“It was really hard to keep to ourselves because we’ve known about it for a while,” she now enthusiastically shares with us.

The agreement will facilitate the creation of over 670 affordable rental homes across three sites.

Project is about housing ‘in proximity to culture and community services access’

Knights is a member of Kwantlen First Nation. The ancestors of its members were guided by their seven traditional laws: health, happiness, generations, generosity, humbleness, forgiveness and understanding.

In a similar fashion, Knights believes in four areas which Indigenous people need support for healthy communities. “There needs to be good governance, access to community services, access to culture and some form of an economy,” she says.

To Knights, the delivery of affordable rental homes through this new project goes beyond just housing, as it touches on some of these areas: “The housing announcement is much more than just providing housing for Indigenous people,” she explains. “It’s having housing in proximity to access to culture, having housing in proximity to access to community services.”

Keeping families together: A key priority

Kelly Lin, partner at Terra Social Purpose Real Estate, has also been involved in this project through work with Brightside Community Homes Foundation. While she has worked in the real estate development sector for almost two decades, she’s the first to acknowledge that she still has a lot to learn. Lin firmly believes that all Indigenous projects should have a subject matter expert involved. 

“As a non-Indigenous person, I don’t know what’s best for the community,” she explains.

The 990 Beatty Street project will also bring a new child-care facility and firehall to the community. Keeping families together was a key priority for Knights in helping develop the residential unit mix.

“The first thing we want to try is to get in as many larger units because we look at our waitlist and we’re needing more family units. Unfortunately, the economics of the site, sometimes with land costs, don’t always work out that way,” Knights explains.

Creating spaces to share culture, gather, set up for success

Knights says the next way to keep families together is to work with them on applications. “So, we could have an elderly couple staying in a one-bedroom and then have a family in a two- or three-bedroom. They’re in the same building, at least, so that they can support one another.”

Childcare programs such as Head Start also serve as safe spaces; community hubs for Elders to pass on culture and stories to the next generation. The benefits can carry over well beyond the sandbox, in Knights’ opinion. This is reinforced by the Public Health Agency of Canada’s 2022 research that shows highly positive feedback and evaluation findings from participants in the Aboriginal Head Start in Urban and Northern Communities Program.

“We’ve seen success in my own community, where we have more people going into post-secondary than we’ve ever seen, so we want to bring some of those things to the urban environment for our tenants, and help them be set up for success. I think it starts with their youth having a safe place where they can come and gather, where Elders can come and they can share their culture.”

The Indigenous perspective in their own communities ‘hasn’t always taken first precedence’

These differences in culture are apparent even at the earliest stages of the development process itself, according to Lin’s years of experience as a development manager. When working on projects that involve Indigenous communities, she’s found that their perspective hasn’t always taken first precedence.

“How we typically work with development is thinking through a non-Indigenous lens,” says Lin, “But Indigenous people have very different processes; there are multiple levels of detail. We need to build the capacity for Indigenous people, build their confidence and capacity in the development industry.”

How the industry can do better and truly help

Education is the first path she recommends for anyone in the real estate development sector looking to work more closely with Indigenous communities.

“I get more and more people chatting with me about the question, “How can I really help?” … The very first thing one can do is try to educate yourself and open your mind,” Lin advises.

Indigenous-led developments seem poised to continue making a major impact in shaping the future of Metro Vancouver. But Knights knows there’s still a long way to go.

“My Nation name, Kwantlen, translates to “Tireless Runner,” says Knights. “I’ve been taught intergenerationally that when there’s a job to do, the job’s never done. So we’re just going to continue to try and get as much housing until we no longer have waitlists.”

Photo credit: Vancouver.ca