B.C. real estate: Bidding wars again hitting high-end housing market
One recent sale went more than $1.6 million over the asking price, while another went $700,000 higher.
Author of the article:
Joanne Lee-Young
Publishing date:
Feb 24, 2021 • 2 days ago • 3 minute read • comment bubbleJoin the conversation
House at on West 41st Avenue in Vancouver was up for sale, asking $3.98 million. It sold for $5.66 million.
House at on West 41st Avenue in Vancouver was up for sale, asking $3.98 million. It sold for $5.66 million. Photo by Arlen Redekop /PNG
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When the COVID-19 real estate boom started, multiple offers and over-asking sale prices were mostly happening for detached homes in the $1.5 million to $2 million range in parts of East Vancouver and North Vancouver, and lower-prices houses in the Fraser Valley.
Now, there are signs of this moving into more expensive housing. In particular, there were two eye-popping sales in mid-February, one that went for over $700,000 the asking price, and the other for more than $1.6 million higher than the asking price.
B.C. real estate: Bidding wars again hitting high-end housing market
In a fast-escalating market with heated demand and multiple offers, it can be challenging for sellers and real estate agents to determine an asking price by relying on a property’s assessment or recent sales of a similar property. This can lead to sale prices that are hundreds of thousands of dollars over the asking price.
For example, at the beginning of the real estate boom between 2014 to 2018, a home in Shaughnessy sold for $2 million over the asking price of $5.99 million in March 2015. Later, in June 2015, there was a sale of a home in West Vancouver that caught attention for selling for $1.1 million over the asking price of $2.98 million. These were one-off sales, but they help set a higher comparable price or margin for next sales.
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Real estate agents say “cheap money” or very low interest rates are spurring sales and prices. Existing homeowners are refinancing at low rates and taking that cash to make another property investment. First time buyers or those with less home equity also benefit from low interest rates, but they are at a disadvantage when it comes to competing for sales that involve multiple and over asking price offers because they have to bid in smaller increments and take fewer risks such as forgoing a house inspection before the sale closes.
Vancouver real estate agent Muzda Stenner described the recent scene at a West Vancouver detached home on Queens Avenue that was on sale for $2.877 million.
“It was almost like a garage sale (with) cars lined up on the street,” said Stenner. “Even with COVID, and people wearing masks, it was a full house, and people were trying to get in.”
The home is assessed at $2.69 million. She helped her client bid “$3 million, with subjects” to buy the home. “And it was like, ‘no, no, no.’ I had one of the lowest bids.”
With some 19 other offers, the home went under contract in mid-February to be sold for $3.6 million or $723,000 over the asking price.
“It had great potential, but it was a very small house,” said Stenner of the 3,000-square-foot, two-storey home on a 12,000-square foot lot with ocean views that was built in 1957.
On the West side, a 4,000-square-foot, five bedroom, rancher-style home on West 41st Avenue just west of Granville Street went under contract in mid-February to be sold for $5.66 million.
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The property, which is assessed at $3.95 million got one offer at the asking price of $3.98 million, but three other offers that were all above that, according to the listing agent, Sarina Han. The sale price was $1.68 million over the asking price.
Han said the property has RS-3 zoning, which allows for a single-family home in keeping with the design and density of the surrounding area, even though it is on busy 41st Street near a major intersection at Granville Street.
The condo market, which has been described as more balanced in pricing because there is more supply of listings and because more buyers were seeking larger homes with outdoor space to cope with the pandemic, is also seeing some of this frenzied activity, according to some real estate agents.
Ian Watt said he was juggling two multiple offer situations for potential condo buyers one recent evening. One condo they were interested in got five offers and the other had 14 of them. It was a one-bedroom, 965-square-foot condo in Kits that was asking $899,999, but sold for $1.107 million or $207,001 over asking price.
“I lost out with my buyers because someone totally overpaid,” said Watt.
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