Mind-boggling maps show where you can (and can't) afford real estate in Metro Vancouver

There is no denying that 2015 was a banner year for real estate prices. The cost of a home in Metro Vancouver rose on average 17.8% between November 2014 and 2015, but certain neighbourhoods took the cake for the biggest climb in prices. EstateBlock.com, a property search engine, has mapped out which specific areas in Vancouver were the most (and least) expensive this year.

The researchers created nine heat maps for each type of residential property; single family homes, condos, and townhomes, and listed their benchmark price for November 2015 along with their price change over one month and one year. The data isn’t just great for homeowners hoping to cash in on the appreciation of their property – the maps also list the least expensive neighbourhoods where first-time buyers could sink their teeth into.

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The most expensive places to live are no surprise – West Vancouver and Vancouver’s West Side are at the top of the list for all three property types. The best deals appear to be Abbotsford, Langley, Mission and North Surrey. If you’re looking to buy a detached home, Lake Errock in Mission gives you the most affordable options with the benchmark price at only $285,200.

Top 10 most expensive neighbourhoods in Lower Mainland for single family homes

1. $5,504,100 – Whitby Estates, West Vancouver
2. $5,254,300 – University VW, Vancouver West
3. $4,908,800 – Shaughnessy, Vancouver West
4. $4,382,300 – Canterbury WV, West Vancouver
5. $3,613,300 – Westhill, West Vancouver
6. $3,591,700 – Chartwell, West Vancouver
7. $3,321,800 – South Granville, Vancouver West
8. $3,233,200 – Quilchena, Vancouver West
9. $3,203,900 – Altamont, West Vancouver
10. $3,100,400 – Arbutus, Vancouver West

Top 10 least expensive neighbourhoods in Lower Mainland for single family homes

1. $285,200 – Lake Errock, Mission
2. $325,800 – Pender Harbour Egmont, Sunshine Coast
3. $350,100 – Sechelt District, Sunshine Coast
4. $366,000 – Bridgeview, North Surrey
5. $366,800 – Halfmn Bay Secret Cv Redroofs, Sunshine Coast
6. $400,300 – Mission BC, Mission
7. $405,700 – Central Abbotsford, Abbotsford
8. $417,200 – Hatzic, Mission
9. $427,300 – Durieu, Mission
10. $433,200 – Gibsons & Area, Sunshine Coast

But which neighbourhoods are the biggest movers and shakers this year? The waterfront English Bluff neighbourhood in Tsawwassen saw the greatest appreciation in price over the last year for single family homes, with an increase of 32.9% in price. The benchmark price there is now $1.3 million.

Top 10 neighbourhoods where single family homes prices have risen the most last year

1. 32.9% – English Bluff, Tsawwassen
2. 32.6% – Sullivan Heights, Burnaby North
3. 32.5% – Port Guichon, Ladner
4. 32.4% – Pebble Hill, Tsawwassen
5. 31.9% – Cliff Drive, Tsawwassen
6. 31.5% – Tsawwassen Central, Tsawwassen
7. 31.2% – East Richmond, Richmond
8. 31% – Renfrew VE, Vancouver East
9. 30.8% – Windsor Park NV, North Vancouver
10. 30.4% – Grandview VE, Vancouver East

The slowest growth neighbourhoods are mainly on the Sunshine Coast and in the Fraser Valley. Pender Harbour Edgmont grew only 6% to $325,800 and Silver Valley in Maple Ridge grew only 6.7% to $588,000. No neighbourhoods saw a decline in price, except between October and November 2015 where a number of areas declined mariginally in price, including West Bay and Cypress in West Vancouver.

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Top 10 neighbourhoods where single family homes prices have risen the most last month

1. 10.8% – Serpentine, Cloverdale
2. 6.5% – Braemar, North Vancouver
3. 6.5% – Braemar, North Vancouver
4. 6.2% – Tempe, North Vancouver
5. 6.1% – Grouse Woods, North Vancouver
6. 6% – Princess Park, North Vancouver
7. 5.9% – Mount Pleasant VE, Vancouver East
8. 5.8% – Main, Vancouver East
9. 5.7% – Lynn Valley, North Vancouver
10. 5.6% – Kitsilano, Vancouver West

Top 10 neighbourhoods where single family homes prices have risen the least or descended last month

1. -2.6% – Sumas Mountain, Abbotsford
2. -2.3% – Northyards, Squamish
3. -2% – Central Abbotsford, Abbotsford
4. -1.6% – Bowen Island, Bowen Island
5. -1.6% – Bowen Island, Bowen Island
6. -1.5% – Cypress, West Vancouver
7. -1.3% – Gibsons & Area, Sunshine Coast
8. -1.2% – Sumas Prairie, Abbotsford
9. -1.1% – Mission-West, Mission
10. -1% – West Bay, West Vancouver

The condo market was hot across the City of Vancouver, but Central Coquitlam made a solid growth of 26.1% in price, likely due to the Evergreen Line under construction from Vancouver to Coquitlam. Condo prices have gone down the most in the Granville and South Arm neighbourhoods of Richmond – sorry, not the Granville in Vancouver.

Top 10 neighbourhoods where condo prices have risen the most last year

1. 37.9% – Shaughnessy, Vancouver West
2. 31% – Marpole, Vancouver West
3. 28.9% – S.W. Marine, Vancouver West
4. 28.8% – Oakridge VW, Vancouver West
5. 26.1% – Central Coquitlam, Coquitlam
6. 26.1% – Central Coquitlam, Coquitlam
7. 25.6% – Fairview VW, Vancouver West
8. 25.6% – Fairview VW, Vancouver West
9. 24% – Mount Pleasant VE, Vancouver East
10. 23.8% – Downtown VE, Vancouver East

Top 10 neighbourhoods where townhome prices have risen the most last year

1. 24% – Coal Harbour, Vancouver West
2. 23.2% – Victoria VE, Vancouver East
3. 21.3% – Shaughnessy, Vancouver West
4. 20.9% – Walnut Grove, Langley
5. 20.5% – Westwood Plateau, Coquitlam
6. 20.1% – East Central, Maple Ridge
7. 19.9% – Seafair, Richmond
8. 19.8% – Killarney VE, Vancouver East
9. 19.6% – Renfrew VE, Vancouver East
10. 19.3% – Grandview VE, Vancouver East

Top 10 neighbourhoods where condo prices have risen the least or descended last year

1. -9.2% – Granville, Richmond
2. -9.1% – South Arm, Richmond
3. -6.5% – Sapperton, New Westminster
4. -2.9% – West Central, Maple Ridge
5. -2.3% – Northwest Maple Ridge, Maple Ridge
6. -1.6% – Mid Meadows, Pitt Meadows
7. -1.3% – Central Meadows, Pitt Meadows
8. -1% – East Central, Maple Ridge
9. -0.7% – Broadmoor, Richmond
10. -0.4% – Maillardville, Coquitlam

Top 10 neighbourhoods where townhome prices have risen the least or descended last year

1. -5.9% – Fraserview NW, New Westminster
2. -4.7% – Uptown NW, New Westminster
3. -4.4% – Government Road, Burnaby North
4. -4% – GlenBrooke North, New Westminster
5. -1.5% – The Crest, East Burnaby
6. 0.1% – Queen Mary Park Surrey, Surrey
7. 0.3% – Grandview Surrey, White Rock
8. 0.6% – Highgate, Burnaby South
9. 0.8% – Morgan Creek, White Rock
10. 1% – Langley City, Langley

As for where you can drop only a couple hundred thousand dollars on a condo or townhome, the best bets are in Granville and South Arm in Richmond, Aldergrove Langley, Abbotsford, and much of the Fraser Valley. Don’t bother looking in West Vancouver unless you have over $800,000 to spend, and the West Side is even more out of reach at a steady benchmark price of $1-1.5 million for a townhome.

Top 10 most expensive neighbourhoods in Lower Mainland for condos

1. $890,400 – Panorama Village, West Vancouver
2. $865,200 – Quilchena, Vancouver West
3. $859,900 – Dundarave, West Vancouver
4. $851,200 – Park Royal, West Vancouver
5. $824,800 – Oakridge VW, Vancouver West
6. $809,000 – Coal Harbour, Vancouver West
7. $679,200 – Yaletown, Vancouver West
8. $671,900 – Kerrisdale, Vancouver West
9. $669,000 – False Creek, Vancouver West
10. $661,000 – University VW, Vancouver West

Top 10 most expensive neighbourhoods in Lower Mainland for townhomes

1. $1,597,400 – Shaughnessy, Vancouver West
2. $1,318,300 – South Cambie, Vancouver West
3. $1,293,500 – Coal Harbour, Vancouver West
4. $1,286,700 – Quilchena, Vancouver West
5. $1,202,800 – Oakridge VW, Vancouver West
6. $1,119,000 – University VW, Vancouver West
7. $1,117,900 – Yaletown, Vancouver West
8. $1,055,700 – Kerrisdale, Vancouver West
9. $957,000 – Cambie, Vancouver West
10. $851,600 – Mount Pleasant VW, Vancouver West

Top 10 least expensive neighbourhoods in Lower Mainland for condos

1. $107,600 – Granville, Richmond
2. $117,800 – South Arm, Richmond
3. $126,300 – Otter District, Langley
4. $132,600 – Cedar Hills, North Surrey
5. $133,400 – Annieville, N. Delta
6. $146,800 – Central Abbotsford, Abbotsford
7. $151,700 – West Central, Maple Ridge
8. $154,100 – Abbotsford West, Abbotsford
9. $170,700 – East Central, Maple Ridge
10. $170,700 – East Central, Maple Ridge

Top 10 least expensive neighbourhoods in Lower Mainland for townhomes

1. $207,800 – Aldergrove Langley, Langley
2. $215,800 – Abbotsford West, Abbotsford
3. $221,500 – Central Abbotsford, Abbotsford
4. $225,000 – Abbotsford East, Abbotsford
5. $230,900 – Mission BC, Mission
6. $249,600 – Guildford, North Surrey
7. $258,800 – Langley City, Langley
8. $271,600 – East Newton, Surrey
9. $282,600 – Queen Mary Park Surrey, Surrey
10. $283,400 – Annieville, N. Delta

More details on these trends in real estate are available on EstateBlock.com. Check out the heat maps below to see where your neighbourhood falls in:

Single family homes: Benchmark price for November 2015

Single family homes: % change over one year

Single family homes: % change over one month

Condos: Benchmark price for November 2015

Condos: % change over one year

Condos: % change over one month

Townhomes: Benchmark price for November 2015

Townhomes: % change over one year

Townhomes: % change over one month