A home in Dunbar, Vancouver, where prices of single-family detached homes have appreciated by more than 100 per cent over the past five years.
3938 WEST 34TH AVE., VANCOUVER
ASKING PRICE $3,888,000
SELLING PRICE $3,750,000
TAXES $10,666 (2011)
DAYS ON THE MARKET eleven
LISTING AGENT Judith Adamick, Sutton Group West Coast Realty
THE ACTION: Just two blocks east of Pacific Spirit Regional Park, this detached, two-storey house was listed for sale on a Monday and opened its doors for about ten interested house hunters over two days. By Friday, three offers had materialized. The strongest of the three was accepted and a deal finalized the following week.
WHAT THEY GOT: In 1998, this 4,920-square-foot house was built with four bedrooms upstairs, eight bathrooms and several areas designated for social gatherings and solitary activities on the main and lower levels.
On the main floor, there is no central hallway, so each room flows into another. Moving counter clockwise from the foyer, there is a fireside living room, a dining room, a rear eat-in kitchen, an open family room with a second fireplace and a walkout to a deck, and an office on the other side of the foyer.
The basement is a multi-purpose space with an extra bedroom, workshop, two dens, a media room and large recreation area with one of three walkouts to the 66 by 130 foot grounds.
On the top floor, the master bedroom was outfitted with vaulted ceilings, a walk-in closet, a sky lit bathroom and access to a deck that is also connected to another bedroom.
Additional luxuries range from hardwood floors, crown mouldings and pot lights to high-end appliances and two-car parking.
THE AGENT'S TAKE: "It was a large home on a large lot," says agent Judith Adamick. "It was a Shaughnessy-looking house with four bedrooms up, which is rare."
Its unconventional design and details both inside and out also riveted buyers, including realtors who wanted to claim the place as their own. "They all mentioned that it was a great floor plan and was very unusual," says Ms. Adamick, who cites the openness of entertaining areas to the rare inclusion of a mudroom off the prized yard.
"The garden was to die for. There was at least $100,000 spent on the garden with unusual plants blooming throughout the year."