We recently posted about Vancouver’s esca­lat­ing hous­ing prices and the num­ber of peo­ple mov­ing to Ванкувер for the “lifestyle” rather than for work.

But if it’s a job — rather than a search for invest­ment prop­erty — that’s bring­ing you to Vancouver, how are you going to find a reasonably-​​priced place to live?

Renting a home

Anyone relo­cat­ing to a new city — or coun­try — would do well to rent before you buy. That’s good advice for new­com­ers to Vancouver, премногу.

If you’re look­ing for a short-​​term rental, par­tic­u­larly a fur­nished home, пробај со University of British Columbia Faculty Association’s hous­ing clas­si­fieds. While many of the prop­er­ties would be suit­able for vis­it­ing fac­ulty or other pro­fes­sion­als, you don’t have to be affil­i­ated with the uni­ver­sity to access the listings.

Another site that lists short-​​term rentals in Vancouver, by the day, week, or month, е Make Yourself At Home.

Инаку, Vancouver Craigslist is the king of local rental list­ings, and other rental resources include Kijiji и Vancouver Apartment Guide.

Don’t for­get good old-​​fashioned shoe leather — walk­ing around the neigh­bor­hoods where you want to live. Look for “For rent” signs, или check the bul­letin boards of the local cof­fee shops, laun­dro­mats, and universities.

One other tip for renters: In BC, the secu­rity (dam­age) deposit can­not be more than half a month’s rent.

Buying a home

When you’re ready to buy a home in the Vancouver area, start by research­ing neigh­bor­hoods around town.

A good place to begin is the City of Vancouver’s Community Profiles страница, which has links to pro­files of 23 dif­fer­ent neigh­bor­hoods. Home prices on the East Side of Vancouver are sig­nif­i­cantly cheaper than those on the West Side.

Според Недвижнини одбор на Голема Ванкувер, as of November 2010, a detached house on Vancouver’s East Side was aver­ag­ing $744,677, while a detached house on the West Side aver­aged nearly $1.7 MIL-лав. Слично на, East Side apart­ments and con­dos were sell­ing for an aver­age price of $321,126, while on the West Side, the aver­age was just over $500,000.

But you may want to con­sider the sub­urbs if you’re look­ing for a less expen­sive home. As you might expect, prices tend to drop the fur­ther you go from downtown.

Some of the sub­ur­ban com­mu­ni­ties with the low­est aver­age home prices include Maple Ridge ($439,816), Pitt Meadows ($523,580), и Port Coquitlam ($552,833). Just be pre­pared for a long com­mute if you work in down­town Vancouver.

Most Vancouver-​​area homes for sale are listed on Realtylink. Org. Realtylink also has a “Find a Realtor” sec­tion, but the best way to find a real estate agent is to ask friends or col­leagues for recommendations.

More infor­ma­tion

For more resources for relo­cat­ing to Vancouver, have a look at our Топ 10 Места за живеење: Ванкувер страница. И search all our Vancouver posts here.

For gen­eral infor­ma­tion about rent­ing or buy­ing a home in Canada, види на Newcomer’s Guide to Canadian Housing од Канада хипотеки и домувањето корпорација. Also have a look at the Британска Колумбија Новодојденците "Водич за ресурси и услуги.

На Tenant Survival Guide, cre­ated by BC’s Tenant Resource & Advisory Centre, is a valu­able source of infor­ma­tion about legal issues around rent­ing an apart­ment or home in British Columbia.

И if you have other tips for Vancouver new­com­ers, ве молиме оставете ком-те и нека знаат.

Vancouver West End photo by stew­art (Flickr)