649 replies to this topic

[magmazing]

Was with a client today and very few deficiencies. I like the simplicity. I also like the hallways better than Yates on Yates for some reason.

 

 

Unless this is a different floor, I have a feeling your client might be my next door neighbour based on the view out the windows...

[MarkoJ]

Unless this is a different floor, I have a feeling your client might be my next door neighbour based on the view out the windows...

 

If that is the case you'll have a great neighbour. It is an awesome tenant I've had for the last 9 years. 

[Mike K.]

Mag, looks good! Congratulations!

[RustyNail]

Mag, have you got home insurance setup yet? If so, who did you go with?

[zoomer]

Picture from yesterday where I captured several people trying to break into Vivid condos.

Attached Images

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[magmazing]

Mag, have you got home insurance setup yet? If so, who did you go with?

I've only gotten two quotes from Western Coast Insurance (used to be Coast Capital Insurance). They apparently offer quotes from two providers.  Going to get another quote from The Co-Operators in a few days.  Honestly have no idea what what to look for.

[Victoria Watcher]

if your mortgage provider does not require it it is always less expensive to self-insure. do not buy a plan.

[Mike K.]

There are a ton of insurers. Harbord, Hub, Megson come to mind. You’d be surprised by the differences in price.

[RustyNail]

if your mortgage provider does not require it it is always less expensive to self-insure. do not buy a plan.

Self-insure? Can you explain more? I looked it up but it seems to be a sort of obscure method whereby people group their money together and cover each other's claims?

[Mike K.]

And everyone’s mileage varies. Credit checks play into cost, insurance claims history plays into cost, age, etc. Some insurers may also be better for homes and others for condos. Others also view working from home as a factor in their rate quotes. Some will have discounts if you’ve switching an existing insurer to their underwriter, etc.

So it’s important to get multiple quotes

[RustyNail]

Did walk-through, pics below. Overall, was quite happy with what I saw. Very few deficiencies, though we were limited in what we could check.

In person impressions/feelings vs expectations:
-Ceilings were higher
-Bedrooms bigger
-Living room smaller
-Fridge wider
-Hallway longer (= more wasted space)
-Kitchen smaller
-Laundry closet bigger
-Bathrooms slightly bigger
-Sound proofing with respect to outdoor noise better. (Never lived downtown before but was expecting to be able to hear more outside noise than I could after closing the balcony door - construction going on across the street too)

Other points:
-I asked the guy about sound proofing between units. He said there are 4 drywall layers. My limited understanding of his brief explanation: drywall - air gap - drywall - staggered steel studs and insulating material - drywall - air gap - drywall. The real test will be when neighbors move in.
-The windows have trickle vents you can open/close at the top. No need to open the window itself
-Bathroom has the fan always running at a low level for constant airflow. You can't turn this off.
-Unit has an intercom speaker on ceiling.
-Shower head is magnetic, super easy to detach/re-attach
-Power outlets everywhere.
-In addition to unit hot and cold water shutoffs in the laundry closet, each sink also has individual hot and cold water shutoffs.
-Per others on their walk-throughs, water was shutoff and we weren't allowed to touch anything ourselves.
-A recessed network box was in the master closet. Telus modem pre-installed. Pic below
-The breaker box was on the wall in the other bedroom... so you'll need to enter bedrooms to service electrical or network needs.
-We did not get to see the parkade or rooftop common space/amenities on the walkthrough
-The 3rd floor outdoor space between the two buildings will not be for use by people. Purely for aesthetic purposes only. This is probably common knowledge but I had forgotten this point.
-Apparently the Yates/Vivid mid block walkway is still a point of on-going discussion/change/controversy. Initially, the midblock walkway was supposed to be joined with the existing midblock walkway next door. The Yates/Vivid walkway even has the same ground pattern as next door. For whatever reason, the joining of the two has yet to happen. What that means is that the current Yates/Vivid midblock walkway is a super duper narrow, single file path, gated at both ends. Guy didn't tell me much more than that.


Front door:


Kitchen



Washer/dryer closet:


Bedrooms:




Closet hanger "rack":


Network box (in closet):


Balcony view:



Bathroom:


Rough measurements:

Edited by RustyNail, 02 April 2021 - 06:34 PM.

[zoomer]

Thanks for sharing - looks really nice

[Mike K.]

Congratulations Rusty! It’s a beautiful home, and the view is great. You’ll likely find the north side of the building will be cooler come summer when west and south frontages in upper levels can get pretty warm.

[victoriahomefan]

I had my walkthrough last week...very pleased with how few deficiencies there were in the suite. Mostly just a few paint touch ups. 

The view is better than I expected! 

 

 

[Victoria Watcher]

^ hey that view is alright!

 

  what floor are you on?

 

what do they expect you to plug in in that kitchen's 3 plugs?  toaster.  coffee maker.  what else?  george foreman grill?  

 

it's about time we had built-in toasters.  just slots in the wall like a wall-oven.  or like a electric outlet but with bigger slots.  the ground hole could be a burger warmer or hot dog cooker.  

 

 

that backsplash would look cleaner if they tucked the outlets up.  plus you could easily DIY change it every 5 years when it goes out of style.

 

 

 

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 19 April 2021 - 12:56 PM.

[Rob Randall]

^I found one of those Sony under-cabinet radio/CD players at a garage sale for ten bucks. I have it programmed with all the local radio stations, plus it has a countdown timer. I love it, more convenient than using your phone in a dock and takes up zero counter space.

 

it's about time we had built-in toasters.  just slots in the wall like a wall-oven.  or like a electric outlet but with bigger slots.  the ground hole could be a burger warmer or hot dog cooker.  

 

Why walk all the way to the kitchen, why not just have it in the centre of the mattress? Perfectly safe unless you're a man that sleeps in the nude.

[victoriahomefan]

^ hey that view is alright!

 

  what floor are you on?

 

what do they expect you to plug in in that kitchen's 3 plugs?  toaster.  coffee maker.  what else?  george foreman grill?  

 

 

Thanks, 16th floor.

 

The plugs don't really bother me...I'd rather have them in the current location than see wires dangling down. I'm also planning on installing a small kitchen island, so hopefully that will draw the eye a bit more than empty plugs. 

[RustyNail]

Thanks, 16th floor.

The plugs don't really bother me...I'd rather have them in the current location than see wires dangling down. I'm also planning on installing a small kitchen island, so hopefully that will draw the eye a bit more than empty plugs.

Yeah, great view for sure!

I was impressed by the number of outlets everywhere on my walk-through.

You have a south facing unit - did you happen to snap any pics of the 3rd floor outdoor green space between the two buildings?

Edited by RustyNail, 19 April 2021 - 04:25 PM.

[magmazing]

An 8th amendment of the disclosure statement was sent out to buyers. Strata fee estimates shot up sharply from what was in the original disclosure statement 3 years ago. 

 

Estimate for mine went from $186 to $275.  I figured there would be an increase ($200 or $225 maybe?), but a 48% jump was surprising. 

 

Reasons given are due to condo insurance premiums going up and because the Yates building had their first strata meeting and did an interim budget until Vivid closes and has an AGM. 

[Nparker]

....Strata fee estimates shot up sharply from what was in the original disclosure statement 3 years ago. ...Reasons given are due to condo insurance premiums going up...

Welcome to the wonderful world of strata ownership. Expect 10-15% increases every year. Insurance is the #1 driver of skyrocketing strata fees, IMHO.