Vancouver

They're the two halves of the city as the real estate boards divide it, split roughly along Main Street and Ontario Street. The west side (Kitsilano, Point Grey, Dunbar, Kerrisdale, Shaughnessy, Fairview, and downtown) generally carries higher prices, while the east side (Mount Pleasant, Grandview-Woodland, Hastings-Sunrise, and others) offers more character homes and a wider range of price points.

No. They're separate municipalities on the North Shore — the City of North Vancouver, the District of North Vancouver, and the District of West Vancouver — each with its own council, taxes, and school district. They connect to Vancouver by the Lions Gate and Ironworkers Memorial bridges and the SeaBus.

Three SkyTrain lines serve the city: the Expo and Millennium Lines through East Vancouver, and the Canada Line from downtown south through Cambie to Richmond and the airport. The SeaBus links downtown to North Vancouver, and an extension of the Millennium Line along Broadway is under construction.

Yes. Manan Bhullar is a Surrey-based REALTOR® licensed in British Columbia, and he works with buyers and sellers in Vancouver and throughout the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley — a BC licence covers the whole province. He can pull recent comparable sales, arrange viewings, and price and market a listing, drawing on his BBA in Marketing from SFU's Beedie School of Business. Because his practice also covers commercial and industrial real estate, he can help with an investment or business property in Vancouver too. Call or text (604) 727-9542.

Yes. Given what Vancouver is known for, the opportunities that fit best are rental condos and multi-family buildings close to transit. Vancouver also suits storefront retail, small strata commercial units, and established businesses such as restaurants and convenience stores. Commercial financing works differently from a home mortgage, usually with a larger down payment and closer scrutiny of the property's income or your business, and for this kind of property the key checks are the rent roll, existing tenancies under BC's Residential Tenancy Act, and the building's condition. Manan handles commercial and industrial sales and leasing; his apartment building, retail, restaurant, and convenience store guides go deeper on each property type.

Housing in Vancouver includes condos, townhomes, character houses, and detached homes. For condos and townhomes, the strata documents — meeting minutes, the depreciation report, and the contingency reserve fund — deserve as much attention as the unit itself.

It depends on what you're after. Vancouver is best summed up as “BC's largest city”, and it tends to suit a range of buyers depending on budget and lifestyle priorities. Visiting at different times of day and comparing it with nearby communities is the best way to judge the fit.