Even if you don’t own real estate in Coal Harbour yet, Mother’s Day is the perfect occasion to get to know the neighbourhood.

Coal Harbour has so many delicious Sunday brunch options, it won’t be hard to enjoy a perfect day of food, views and people watching – and maybe a little real estate shopping.

Here’s a partial list of Coal Harbour restaurants doing Mother’s Day brunch this Sunday, May 13th:

LIFT Restaurant: We’re rolling out the red carpet and serving up love in the kitchen with Mother’s Day Brunch Buffet this Sunday, May 13; 10am to 3pm. From breakfast favourites including an omelet station to a selection of meat & cheeses, fresh fruit, pastries and chef surprises, your Mom is in for a well deserved treat.

Le Gavroche: Join us for Mothers Day Brunch at Le Gavroche we do have something special for every Mother!

Tableau Bar Bistro: Join us for Mother’s Day Brunch. Celebrate her special day with Chef MAC and the Tableau Team. Book early as space is limited. SUNDAY MAY 13TH 10:30AM – 3PM

Coal Harbour has many amazing restaurants, so come down and explore them!

If you’d like to know more about buying or selling real estate in Coal Harbour, please contact Vancouver Realtor Justin Leigh.

Thankfully, ‘green’ living is becoming more prevalent and accessible in our daily lives here in Vancouver.

If you’re thinking about renovating your Coal Harbour real estate to reflect sustainable living, here are some ideas for your kitchen from our friends at Houzz.

Sorting through the countless choices of any building material can be made easier with the help of industry-independent organizations who give their approval, or certification, to products that meet the organization’s guidelines for sustainability.

For countertops, there are three meaningful certifications:

GreenGuard certifies building products for low chemical emissions, which improves indoor air quality.
Cradle to Cradle focuses on products that are safe for both people and the planet, and are also designed for a long life cycle.

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) ensures that wood products come, in part, from responsibly harvested forests.

Be they certified, salvaged or recycled and wood, glass or resin, here are some countertops that get the green light.

Find out more about sustainable living options from May 11th – 13th during EPIC Vancouver at the Vancouver Convention Centre.

You can find out more about buying or selling real estate in Coal Harbour by contacting Vancouver Realtor Justin Leigh.

Looking for creative ideas for sustainable living in your new Coal Harbour real estate?

Check out EPIC Vancouver – the largest sustainable lifestyle show and eco-marketplace in Western Canada – on at the Vancouver Convention Centre from May 11-13, 2012

EPIC: The Sustainable Living Expo | Style Meets Sustainability

For 3 days in May, 20,000 people will celebrate Vancouver’s 6th annual expo of smarter, stylish living. Surround yourself with 300 exhibitors offering inspiring ideas, exciting entertainment, and smart shopping opportunities.

EPIC promises to inform, inspire, engage and entertain. Experience EPIC 2012
- Sit and listen to visionaries, thought-leaders, musicians, artists and even comedians
- Eat and drink your way through 90,000 sqft of local and organic goodies
- Shop for hours for the freshest fashions and beauty products
- Test drive the latest vehicle technologies from Toyota, Lexus and others
- Learn about energy solutions for the home and growing techniques for the garden
- Raise a glass of Mongozo and celebrate World Fair Trade Day with us on May 12th
- EPIC also lands on Mother’s Day again so look forward to something special…

Don’t miss out on this amazing weekend! Find out all about Epic Vancouver and buy your tickets online.

Find out more about buying and selling real estate in Coal Harbour by contact Vancouver Realtor Justin Leigh.

If you are thinking about selling your real estate in Coal Harbour, Vancouver in 2012, there are a few things that can be done to prepare it.

The first thing to do is call Justin Leigh of Coal Harbour Real Estate to discuss your timeline and current market conditions. Once you’ve made the decision to sell, the following 5 do-it-yourself steps will ensure your condo is ready for buyers.

Step 1: Think Minimalism
Many of the great architects subscribe to this philosophy. Go room by room, simplifying the space and minimizing the amount of stuff.

Step 2: Go Neutral
Many believe bold colors are “happy” or “dramatic” and bring a good vibe or elegant feel to a home. But professional stagers will tell you the best bet for appealing to the most buyers are light shades and earth tones, such as cream, tan and taupe. Dark colors can also make the condo feel smaller than it is. Remember, when it comes to selling your condo, light is right!

Step 3: Clean and Freshen
Break out your lean, mean cleaning skills and scour the condo like you’ve never scoured before!

Step 4: Depersonalize
Now that your condo is going to be a product for sale, you need to detach yourself from the home and make it less personalized.

Step 5: Tackle Closets and Cabinets
Closets tend to be a catchall for condos, which lack a basement or attic to stash excess belongings.

These 5 steps are a good guideline to prepare your condo for showing. Also, if your place needs any repairs or renovations have them done before buyers come to see it.

Whether you’ve already made the decision to sell, or you’re just beginning to think about it, give us a call and we’ll answer any questions you may have. Don’t forget to join our Vancouver Real Estate Facebook page too!

Those with real estate in Stanley Park are particularly lucky to be in such close proximity to one of Vancouver’s most precious gems.

Walk, bike or run there, but make sure you explore this natural wonder in its entirety.

Inside Vancouver has put together The Complete Guide to Vancouver’s Stanley Park, so check it out – and go play outside!

Ideally situated on a peninsula at the northwestern edge of downtown Vancouver, Stanley Park is one of the city’s main tourist destinations, attracting approximately 8 million visitors each year. Featuring numerous lovely beaches, miles of well-maintained paved and dirt trails, Canada’s largest aquarium and an array of can’t-miss kid-friendly spots (including a pool, water park, miniature railway and more), this 1,000-acre haven is recognized as one of the greatest urban parks in the world.

As Vancouver’s first park, with its ever-blooming gardens, pristine coastal areas and roughly 500,000 cedar, fir and hemlock trees, Stanley Park has continued to live up to its “greenspace” designation for more than 120 years. For these reasons and more, this tranquil oasis is the perfect city escape.

If you’d like to know all about buying or selling real estate in Coal Harbour, please contact Vancouver Realtor Justin Leigh.

While Howard Hughes didn’t buy real estate in Coal Harbour, he did stay at the Westin Bayshore and managed to work the town into a tizzy with his unexpected appearance.

If you own real estate here, and want to know more about Coal Harbour’s history, Heritage Vancouver tours are a great way to start.

Check out the Howard Hughes Tour, starting Wednesday April 4th at 5:30 pm.

Join Heritage Vancouver for a tour of the Bayshore and celebrate the 40th anniversary of Howard Hughes legendary visit to Vancouver. Aaron Chapman, local historian, writer and self-confessed “Hughes-ologist” will retell the fascinating story of Hughes’ arrival in Vancouver.

Chapman will separate the fact from fiction and tell stories about some of the strange things that occurred during Hughes’ stay. He will be joined by some old Bayshore staff who were there when Hughes was at the hotel. If you can’t afford the $1000 a night for the Hughes suite—this is perhaps your only chance to explore the famous hotel suite, experience one of the most exclusive views in all of Vancouver and hear the incredible and little known story of the city’s strangest hotel guest.

40 years ago one of the strangest hotel visitors arrived mysteriously in Vancouver. When word leaked out, it made international news and media camped out at the Bayshore Hotel hoping to see him—but the hotel guest never showed his face. His name was Howard Hughes. It was 1972 and Hughes—the movie producer, the aviator, one of the richest men in the world had not been seen in public for years. Yet he walked into the hotel on his own without being noticed. Rumors swirled as to why he was here. What was he doing? Who were the strange security staff that took over the hotel and guarded him with a security detail of that of a president or prime minister? Was it true he was sneaking out at night to drive around Stanley Park?

His stay at the hotel is still remembered at the Westin Bayshore Hotel, and today the Howard Hughes suite is the most exclusive suite the hotel offers.

The Coal Harbour we see today is practically a newborn, but there is history waiting to be discovered here.

If you’d like to know more about buying or selling real estate in Coal Harbour, please contact Vancouver Realtor Justin Leigh.

If you own real estate around Coal Harbour and want to get an electric car, plugging in is now easier than ever!

The Coal Harbour Community Centre is one of just a few places in Vancouver right now where you can plug your electric car in.

From the Vancouver Courier article:

Owners of electric vehicles will be happy to know the park board is considering a pilot project to install more plug-ins at city parks and attractions. To date plug-ins provided by the park board can be found at Sunset, Creekside and Coal Harbour community centres, as well as VanDusen Botanical Garden and the Evans Service Yard, which isn’t open to the public. Vision Vancouver park board chair Constance Barnes told me she’s excited about the prospect of expanding the service.

If you own real estate in Coal Harbour you may not even need a car at all – its proximity to downtown Vancouver and the Skytrain at Waterfront station means you can be anywhere in the lower mainland quickly and easily. You can also walk the seawall!

If you’d like to know more about buying or selling real estate in Coal Harbour, please contact Vancouver Realtor Justin Leigh.

If you’re attending The Vancouver Wedding Fair at the Vancouver Convention Centre this weekend, why not wander around Coal Harbour and start shopping for real estate here?

Coal Harbour is a wonderful neighbourhood for newlyweds. Your real estate is close enough to downtown to jump into the action at will, but far enough to enjoy quiet nights and weekends.

The Vancouver Wedding & Honeymoon Show takes place on Sunday March 25th:

On March 25th, 2012, top wedding and honeymoon professionals showcase the very best in Vancouver’s Wedding Industry. In celebration of Vancouver’s multicultural flair, the Vancouver Wedding & Honeymoon Show has also invited some of the best Wedding specialists to lend their expertise and inspire your creative spirit. Fabulous grand prizes, luxurious dresses, culinary creations, delicious décor, and inspiration a plenty. There is truly something for everyone at the Vancouver Wedding & Honeymoon Show.

There are tons of prizes to be won at the Vancouver Wedding & Honeymoon Show, including a Grand Prize for one lucky bride.

After shopping for your wedding, take the time to shop for your new home in beautiful Coal Harbour. If you have any questions about the real estate you see here, please contact Vancouver Realtor Justin Leigh.

Can you imagine a Vancouver without Stanley Park?

If certain visionaries had not seen the importance of preserving this natural wonder, Coal Harbour’s high-rise real estate may have migrated all the way to Prospect Point by now.

Malcolm A. MacLean was Vancouver’s first elected Mayor and a real estate pioneer who immediately saw the value in preserving the Coal Harbour Peninsula – which eventually became Stanley Park.

Malcolm A. MacLean was also a charter signatory in the formation of the Vancouver Real Estate Board but is greatest legacy remains our beloved Stanley Park.

In 1886, MacLean’s first City Council drafted a petition asking that all of Coal Harbour Peninsula – known then as Government Reserve – be given to the City of Vancouver for Public Park. At the time, there was no real need to preserve such a vast area of green space as the city’s populace was small and densely confined in the Gastown area. With Governor General Lord Stanley on hand, the park was officially named in his honour and opened to the public on September 27, 1888.

Can’t picture Vancouver without Stanley Park? Well, neither could Malcolm A. MacLean some 112 years ago, extraordinary foresight from our first Mayor and a Vancouver real estate pioneer.

Stanley Park is one of Coal Harbour’s biggest perks, and being able to walk out your front door and stroll around the seawall is what makes life here so great.

If you’d like to know more about buying or selling real estate in Coal Harbour, please contact Vancouver Realtor Justin Leigh today.

In 2014 there will be a new kid on the real estate block in Coal Harbour.

The award winning MNP Tower at 1021 West Hastings Street will be the latest addition to the conglomerate of office towers here and will add an interesting twist to the skyline.

Located on the site of Vancouver’s historic University and Quadra Clubs, MNP Tower is scheduled for completion in the summer of 2014. Designed by world-renowned architects Kohn Pederson Fox, the 35-floor, 275,000 square foot office tower will have a rare full waterfront view, rising as a striking glass crest to frame the Marine Building to the east and Guinness Tower to the west. At ground level it will retain its historic club facade, while a prestigious entrance will be created within a newly landscaped public green space. The development is designed to LEED Gold Core and Shell.

New residential real estate is few and far between in Coal Harbour these days, but Harbour Green is nearing completion if you are looking for a brand new investment.

If you’d like to know more about buying or selling real estate in Coal Harbour, please contact Vancouver Realtor Justin Leigh.