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Lori Culbert, Vancouver Sun, May 15, 2016

Does it seem like cranes and dump trucks are constantly on seaside streets, as bigger, newer homes are built on the water?

Seventy-nine new homes have been built on the oceanfront in Metro Vancouver during the past five years, the most (24) in West Vancouver, according to a spreadsheet of waterfront properties provided to The Sun by Landcor Data Corp,

The colour-coded map below shows the location of the newly built houses along the Pacific Ocean from Lions Bay to South Surrey.

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Lori Culbert, Vancouver Sun, May 13, 2016

If you don’t mind the border crossing, the place you should buy oceanfront property near Vancouver is, of course, Point Roberts.

There is a four-bedroom, two-bathroom, waterfront house for sale on the American peninsula for $658,000 US. Even with the low Canadian dollar, that’s a relative bargain ($825,230 Cdn) for this 1,792-square-foot home built in 1974 on a 0.23 acre lot.

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Lori Culbert, Vancouver Sun, May 12, 2016

When we think of waterfront homes, we often think big: The palatial mansion on the expansive lot with the eye-popping price tag.

And while there are many teeny tiny places squeezed onto precious seaside land, there are indeed some impressively large homes to tell you about.

There are 275 oceanfront homes bigger than 5,000 square feet — 16 of them condos.

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Lori Culbert, Vancouver Sun, May 11, 2016

Commercial properties may only take up two per cent of the land lining Metro Vancouver’s oceanfront, but this includes nearly 600 businesses that will feed, entertain and pamper you along the shoreline.

There are at least 77 office buildings, 73 hotels, 37 stores, 12 restaurants and five theatres directly on the Pacific Ocean between Lions Bay and South Surrey. (There are likely even more stores and restaurants that would not have been listed separately if,

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Lori Culbert, Vancouver Sun, May 10, 2016

You can skimboard at Jericho Beach, ride your bike along the Richmond dikes and hunt for crabs at Ambleside park in West Vancouver.

How has Metro Vancouver done at keeping access to the ocean open to the public? How much of our waterfront is blocked off by condo walls or industrial gates?

According to real estate data provided by Landcor Data Corp and analyzed by The Sun,

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Lori Culbert, Vancouver Sun, May 9, 2016

Along Metro Vancouver’s tony waterfront, condominiums are no longer the poor man’s starter home.

Many are now the rich man’s mansion, minus the grass and plus the concierge.

There is a condo at the foot of Thurlow Street, with unrestricted views of Vancouver Harbour, which is more than 8,000 square feet and has five bathrooms. Its price tag is a cool $22.3 million,

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Lori Culbert, Vancouver Sun, May 8, 2016

While the romantic vision of the waterfront is of waves lapping the shore or decks on which to view the setting sun, the reality in Vancouver is that 47 per cent of the land along our oceanfront is used for industry, business or services.

That is most evident in cities like Delta, Richmond and North Vancouver, where industry on the water’s edge is most prevalent.

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Lori Culbert, Vancouver Sun, May 6, 2016

Vancouver is known for its stunning coastline, accentuated by lush parks, funky water-view restaurants, and luxurious homes.

But how well do you know the waterfront? On what portion of it can you throw a frisbee or buy a home? How much of the water’s edge is dominated by cranes or terminals?

In an effort to define our oceanfront, The Sun asked for help from Landcor Data Corp.,

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Lori Culbert, Vancouver Sun, March 20, 2016

Here’s an interesting tidbit to share with friends while rehashing Vancouver’s out-of-control real estate market: Nearly 600 homes were flipped in the city last year.

It is a far higher number than in 2014, when 356 homes were re-sold within a year of a previous sale, according to a Vancouver Sun analysis of every quick turnaround of houses and condos in the city of Vancouver between January 2011 and January 2016.

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By Lori Culbert, Vancouver Sun, February 17, 2016

Will you benefit or take a financial hit from the changes to B.C.’s Property Transfer Tax that were announced in Tuesday’s budget?

If you are buying an existing home, you are out of luck — you must still pay the transfer taxes on all sales over $475,000.

But if you want to buy a newly built house, the thresholds to avoid paying the transfer tax have now been increased to $750,000 (for a full exemption) and $800,000 (partial exemption).

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