Vancouver student housing: does insurance uncertainty kill the deal?

[IrisHeath]

I’ve compared a handful of Vancouver student-housing listings from C$1,053,000 to C$1,580,000, but the insurance question is still unresolved. The sample shows about 3.0% price movement and a median 15 days on market. Condition varies enough to weaken that comparison, and commute times and neighbourhood boundaries add more noise.

If suitable coverage is available but expensive, are buyers using the cost to negotiate? If coverage cannot be confirmed, are they walking away instead? Recent completed sales would help, but I also want to examine withdrawn stock and whether price reductions came before or after insurance concerns surfaced.

 

[hana.slate]

I wouldn’t treat insurance as a normal bargaining item until you know what is causing the concern. The response could differ depending on the building, condition and how the property is occupied. Financing may also be part of the same issue, so a lower offer alone might not solve it.

For your sample, separate properties where buyers could confirm acceptable coverage from those where that remained uncertain. Then compare completed sales and withdrawals, not just 15-day marketing times. Also, is “student housing” purpose-built accommodation or ordinary homes marketed to student occupants? That distinction may be driving more of the noise than neighbourhood or commute time.