Living in South Slope: What the Listings Say

South Slope in Burnaby runs on two housing types in near balance. Detached houses make up 31 of the 77 active listings, a 40. 3 percent share, with a median price of $2,188,000. Condos sit right behind at 30 listings and a 39 percent share, where the median is $633,500. The gap between those two numbers tells you most of what you need to know about who buys here. Half duplexes and townhouses fill out the rest, 8 of each, at 10. 4 percent apiece. Half duplexes carry a median of $1,799,000. Townhouses land at $844,500. The median year built is 2004, so much of this stock is newer than the Burnaby average you might expect. New builds account for 13 percent of what is listed. The median living area is 1,451 square feet, and you pay about $721 per square foot at the middle of the market.

A median strata fee of $471 sets the monthly floor for most condo and townhouse owners here. That covers the common costs on a unit near 1,451 square feet, which is the typical size at this address book. Budget for it. On a two-bedroom, the most common layout at 21 listings and a median of $728,000, that fee shapes your carrying cost as much as the mortgage does. The Green building leads the resale pool with 5 active units. Cortina and Francisco Lane each list 2. Daily life at a 2004 median build year means fewer major repairs than older stock, though the fee still pays for upkeep you do not see. One-bedroom homes start lower, 9 of them at a median of $518,000, so the entry point stays open. You get newer construction and a predictable monthly line. That predictability is the trade for the strata rules that come with it.

Start with the price bands, because they tell you where to point. Twenty-two listings sit between $1. 5M and $2. 5M, the largest single band, and another 12 clear $2. 5M. If that is your range, detached houses are the fit, and 31 of them are active right now. At the other end, 4 listings come in under $500K and 18 fall between $500K and $750K, where the one and two-bedroom condos live. Pick your band first, then book showings in it. With 25 new listings in the last 30 days against 77 active, inventory turns over fast enough that a weekly check is worth your time. Line up financing before you tour. The homes priced to move will not wait for you.