Richmond, BC

Why Best of Richmond BC?

It is about time that Richmond residents write about the "Best of Richmond BC" and tell others why they nominate the restaurants, people, places, experiences, shops, etc.

As the subject is about the Best of Richmond BC, all submission are to be related to Richmond, BC.

Richmond's residents are welcomed to send in their articles, stories and photos.

Photographic enthusiasts are also encourage to submit their favorite pictures as a supplement to the "Best of Richmond".

Localism, Richmond BC

The nomination will be posted on "Localism.com/bc/Richmond". The Administrator for this online website is James Wong, a long time resident of Richmond. All appropriate articles will be processed and posted on

Merchant Sponsors

Local merchants are encouraged to sponsor and provide special discounts, coupons or gift certificates to encourage readers to write in to tell their stories and why they think their nomination is the best. The benefits to local merchants are more online exposure and buzz about their businesses. Where appropriate, links may be provided to direct readers to visit the merchants websites.

Local merchants are encouraged to test drive and find out how "Localism.com/bc/Richmond" can increase their online traffic.

Changes are coming to Richmond City Centre

Two years ago, ALEXIS ROOHANI wrote:

The rush to Richmond

Planners are preparing for a tripling of the population over the next 25 years as Vancouver's housing refugees flock to the suburb in search of affordability and a better quality of life, writes ALEXIS ROOHANI

ALEXIS ROOHANI Special to The Globe and Mail POSTED ON 06/10/06

Richmond is coming of age, and its claim to fame is beginning to reach well beyond its reputation for prolific shopping centres and tasty Chinese cuisine.

"Richmond has a higher profile. You think about moving here now," says Tracy Lakeman, a veteran of the Strathcona area who moved to Richmond with her partner in 2005, buying a home in Richmond's Seafair neighbourhood. "It's not so much a suburb of Vancouver any more; it's becoming a city in its own right."

Moreover, says Ms. Lakeman, now Executive Director of Tourism Richmond, all the development hasn't erased the area's other pleasures. "When I'm out walking, I'm watching bald eagles, hawks, coyotes, blue herons, ducks..."

Home builders have taken note.

Hani Lammam, Vice President of Development and Acquisitions for Cressey Development Corp., has watched affordability turn Richmond into one of the Lower Mainland's biggest real estate hot spots.

"We see a higher demand for real estate in Richmond than we do in Vancouver," says Mr. Lammam. "The values are better in Richmond because land is cheaper, and yet the quality of the product is comparable."
As one of Richmond's foremost developers, Cressey is responsible for kick-starting McLennan North, a major developmental collaboration with the City of Richmond that has evolved into one of the city's most coveted neighbourhoods.

"Because of Richmond's demographics and geographic advantages, we predicted that it would be a success," says Mr. Lammam of the company's decision to spearhead the master planning for McLennan North 12 years ago. "It had everything going for it."

Whether you chalk it up to clairvoyance or just prescience borne of proper due diligence, Cressey could hardly ask for a better return on its wager. The July release of Mandalay and Brandywine Lane, Cressey's crowning residential projects in McLennan North, saw more than 250 realtors in attendance, hinting at the high level of demand in Richmond's real estate market.

"It's been a tremendous success," Mr. Lammam says, "way beyond our expectations."

Sassan Pourfar, who bought into Brandywine Lane in July, chose Richmond specifically for what it offers to homeowners who don't want to sacrifice quality and lifestyle for the sake of affordability.

"Compared to other places around Vancouver, the price of living [in Richmond] is much less," says Mr. Pourfar, who researched the Lower Mainland area extensively before moving from Iran and settling in Richmond with his wife in 2001. Since then, Mr. Pourfar has purchased two properties in the city, experiences he believes provided him with a better return on his investment.

"If I wanted to buy something in Vancouver for the same cost [$600,000], I'd have to buy a 40 or 50 year-old house, and even then I'd have to redevelop it," says Mr. Pourfar. "Based on what I expect in terms of quality and design, there's no comparison for what I found with Cressey and for the price I got in Richmond."

Strong market values may be a draw factor, but Richmond's ability to satisfy diverse lifestyle needs is ultimately what keeps people in the city. The city has attempted to provide that by implementing a strict plan for densification.

"We are taking densification very seriously," says Terry Crowe, Manager of Policy Planning for the City of Richmond. "We only have a limited amount of land in Richmond that we can effectively use for urban growth. If we want to continue to have an agricultural land reserve and a sustainable region, we have to densify the areas that are designated urban now as efficiently as we can."

Urban density has not characteristically been one of Richmond's calling cards, a fact best illustrated by the uninspiring strip malls that dominate many of the city's main drags.

But with plans in place for supporting 120,000 people in the city centre by 2031 -- an increase of 80,000 over the area's current population -- it's safe to say that the times are a'changing, a point that will only be reinforced by the introduction of rapid transit over the next few years.

Focusing densification primarily on arterial roads and shopping districts (in order to protect the city's fiercely guarded single-family neighbourhoods), the city's planning department is also committed to building five high-density urban villages around each of Richmond's scheduled rapid transit stations.

These villages will be designed as individual live/work/play communities, and will strive in their planning to maximize transit ridership and effectively eliminate the need to own a vehicle.

While a vibrant and diverse downtown core satisfies the requirements of a complete community, What makes Richmond appealing to many residents are the city's 1,500 acres of open park space and comprehensive network of recreational facilities -- assets that city planners are making every effort to balance with growth.

"We have to grow to make the community livable at the end of the day, and what makes it livable are parks and other amenities," says Mr. Crowe.
A livable city also means job opportunities, which proves to be yet another area of surprising wealth for Richmond. According to Craig Jones, Executive Director for the Richmond Chamber of Commerce, current figures estimate a total of 1.5 jobs per resident, a ratio that even Vancouver can't boast.

"We've got a number of industries that have decided to locate here because of the talent pool that's available and the city's proximity to the airport, the U.S. border, and the local port authorities," Mr. Jones says.
Several industry hubs have been cultivated by the city over the past few decades, including high-tech, agriculture, biotech, manufacturing, transportation, and the overflow from Vancouver's diminished warehousing sector.

"Companies like to locate here because it's affordable for their staff to live and work in their community," explains Mr. Jones of the 12,000 companies that call Richmond home. "In Vancouver, that's changed dramatically."

Another Major City Centre Project Approved

A new Richmond City Centre project located at the current site of Lansdowne GM’s car dealership was proposed to the city’s planning committee, and councillors unanimously agreed with a staff recommendation to support a rezoning bid by W.T. Leung Architects. The proposed development is consisting of a new 33,000-square-foot community centre - City Centre South Community Centre, a 22,000-square-foot campus for Trinity Western University and a $1-billion residential development, comprising five high-rises with nearly 600 apartments and dozens of stacked townhouses.

There are many older and newer resale condos available for sale in and around Richmond City Centre. Click here to view some of the Richmond City Centre condo available for sale.

For more inforamtion on buying a condo in Rihmond City Centre, kindly contact me at 604-721-4817 or email me.

As reported by CBC News

A Statistics Canada study that shows people in Richmond, B.C., have a higher life-expectancy than those in Japan has stumped at least one expert.

The report Health Indicators, released Tuesday, shows that babies born in Richmond today can expect to live to an impressive average of 83.4 years, two years more than the average in Japan, which tops the World Health Organization's rankings.

"That's ridiculously high," John Hsieh, a professor of biostatistics at New York's University of Rochester, told CBC News Online. Hsieh said that Richmond's average age means that there are many people living to almost 100 and very few who are dying in their 60s.

Click here to read the full article

Relocating To Richmond

If your are retiring, you may want to consider settling down in Richmond. Richmond is a vibrant, safe and colorful City. It has the lay-back rural farming atmosphere all around it...you can take life at your own pace, while all the modern convenience, amenities and shoppings are just a short distance from your home.

There are many neighborhoods like Steveston Village, Terra Nova, Garden City Park, Minoru Blvd, etc with great amenities to support your lifestyle needs.

If you like to have more information on trading up or down sizing to relocate to Richmond, you are welcomed to contact me for information on the real estate market of Richmond.

Richmond, British Columbia, Canada - A usual question of a prospective homebuyer is whether it is a good time for him or her to finally buy a home, or perhaps, wait for a little while, until he or she feels that the market is totally down. In this way, the homebuyer thinks he or she can speculate and avail of a much lower property price.

Hence, the wait-and-see attitude is evident. Thus, resorting to renting backed by his or her own reasons is what he or she is likely to act upon.

Renting for some people is probably something they prefer. Who could argue that?

However while in the period of waiting, a renter still pays his or her rent. The amount in the long run could be quite substantial. Let's say you pay for your monthly housing rental for eight hundred dollars ($800.00). In twelve months, you actually had accumulated an amount of nine thousand six hundred dollars ($9,600). This amount goes to your landlord (who may be holding a mortgage on the property you are renting and pays the mortgage to the lender).

When you convert your rental payments into mortgage payments, the amount that you pay for your own property goes directly to your lender. You will be in a better position because as time goes by, the property that you now own can let you enjoy leverage as you build equity.

If you are currently renting and would like to see if home buying could be a good option for you, you may browse through www.iclickproperty.com or call me at 778-896-4493

Richmond, British Columbia, Canada - Thinking about your Mortgage???

Is your mortgage up for renewal?
Do you need to access funds through your home equity?
Do you want to grow your investments?
Do you need cash flow for your business?

When you have a mortgage, the responsibility to look at your mortgage in every aspect of it is something that you will have consider prior to deciding on your next step.

You will have to look at the following questions and see if you are quite ready to deal on your mortgage:

What interest rate was offered to you by your bank? Do you need to shop for rates? Is there an effect to your credit scores when you do the shopping yourself? Are you comfortable with your bank officer? Do you know what questions to ask? Do you know exactly what mortgage products are are available from your bank? Were you offered these products?

How do you know when you are actually getting a good deal, if not the best deal around?

Consulting to learn more about your options is always recommended. A mortgage broker can help you, as they work for you and not the bank or lender. Mortgage broker doesn't charge you fees. The bank or lender pays the mortgage broker for helping you meet your needs. Fees are only charged on situations that require a challenging solution. If you need to inquire about mortgage, please visit: http://www.iclickmortgage.com