Vancouver Real Estate

Vancouver real estate continues to experience positive trends. The Vancouver real estate market, as a whole, is balancing out. This is good news for both buyers and sellers of Vancouver real estate. However, buying or selling a home in such a fast-paced and competitive real estate market can be intimidating. Peter Raab can assist you in making the most informed decisions regarding your real estate needs. Peter Raab's experience in the Vancouver real estate market is extensive, and he can help you to understand the trends, fluctuations, and marketing strategies of the current real estate market in Vancouver.

Living in Vancouver

Vancouver is a beautiful and picturesque coastal city, and is arguably one of the nicest, natural geographical locations for an urban center in the world. Known for its incredible mountain views, stunning ocean vistas, active lifestyles, and its vibrant ethnic diversity, over the past few years, Vancouver has been consistently ranked as one of the most livable cities in the world, tying with Vienna as having the third highest quality of living in the world after Zurich and Geneva.

Protected by the coastal mountain range to the north and warmed by the Pacific Ocean currents, Vancouver enjoys a mild, temperate climate year-round. The average winter temperature is 6 degrees Celsius with summer highs in the low 20's. Although the winters can be wet, it rarely snows, except on the local ski hills.

From world-class dining and shopping to incredible outdoor recreational opportunities, Vancouver offers something for everyone. For the avid skier or snowboarder, there are three local ski resorts, and Whistler and Blackcomb are only a two-hour drive away. Downhill mountain bike enthusiasts come from around the world to experience the North Shore trails, and The Chief in Squamish exhilarates rock climbers. For those looking for something less adrenalin-charged, there is a multitude of hiking trails on the North Shore Mountains, and the coastal waters offer plenty of kayaking and other boating opportunities.

History

Situated in British Columbia, Vancouver is surrounded by some of the most spectacular natural beauty in the world. For thousands of years, the Coast Salish people have called this area home. Their history and cultural traditions are tightly woven into the city's cultural fabric of today. The city was named after Captain George Vancouver who explored the Burrard Inlet in 1792, remarking on the area's "pleasing landscapes." Settlement of this area began with the discovery of gold. In 1827, the Hudson's Bay Company set up a trading post on the Fraser River, and by 1858, there was a constant influx of prospectors to the area. The Canadian Pacific Railway was also extremely important to the development of the area, bringing an influx of Chinese workers, and ultimately led to British Columbia joining Confederation in 1871.

Over the next century, Vancouver's unprecedented beauty and economic opportunities continued to draw people from around the world. Today, Vancouver is a quintessential multicultural city, made up of First Nations, British, Chinese, Japanese, German, Indo-Pakistani, French, Italian, Dutch, and other nationalities. Today, the population of the GVRD is approximately 2.2 million, the third largest metropolitan area in Canada. The population is expected to reach 3 million by 2021. Vancouver ranks fourth in North America for population density after New York City, San Francisco, and Mexico City.

The Future

With the coming Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2010, Vancouver promises to continue to be an exciting place to live, work, and play. Metro Vancouver will be host to the Olympic ceremonies, covered ice events, and cultural festivities. Cypress Mountain in West Vancouver will host freestyle skiing and snowboard events. Whistler will be home to the alpine skiing, biathlon, cross-country skiing, bobsled, and luge events.