Premium
#4552
Near Vancouver - large heritage home, walkable, close to transit
House • New Westminster BC Canada
Exchange types accepted
Statistics
Listed October 2019
Views 3263
General overview
PLEASE READ OUR "Guaranteed Exchange Clause" UNDER THE "NOTES" SECTION.
Hello - we're David and Deanna. We are both professionals who work hard and play harder :-). And we're passionate about travelling! We are experienced home exchangers, having done 36 exchanges all over the world - South America, Australia, across Europe, Canada and the US. Our kids are well behaved and seasoned travellers. We'll treat your home with the utmost respect because we know you'll do the same in return.
We live in a heritage house that we are lovingly restoring ourselves, and is centrally located with everything we need within walking distance. Check out the local newspaper article featuring our home:
https://www.newwestrecord.ca/finding-character-on-fifth-street-1.590472
Our availability is tied to school holidays - so please reach out for longer exchanges in March, July, Aug and December, as well as local exchanges on weekends. Thanks and happy exchanging!
The space
Welcome to our 1911 home heritage home, with its 11 foot ceilings, original hardwood floors and wood trim, amazing hand-painted stained glass windows and secret servants staircase. You will have access to two full floors of our 4 floor (4800 sq foot) home, which includes 4 bedrooms (King Bed, Queen Bed, Double sized loft bed (holds one adult or two small children) and a Double sized mattress on the floor). If needed we also have a single mattress and an inflatable queen that can go in 2 of the bedrooms. Other amenities in the house include: massage chair, Japanese toilets with heated seats, washer and dryer, dishwasher, high speed internet, big screen TV, DVD, children’s books (French/English) and toys and an alarm system. We also have a large front yard filled with giant trees and plenty of shade to relax outdoors that also keeps our house cool in the summer. But we also have a portable AC unit for one bedroom that we have never had to use.
Guest access
There are 11 steps in the front and 10 stairs in the back to enter the house. Inside we have the main staircase and a secondary staircase to reach the upper floors. There is a full bathroom on both floors; bedrooms are upstairs.
Notes
We do have a completely separated basement apartment (private entrance, no shared space etc). All our home exchanges have been done with our lovely downstairs neighbours and it's never been an issue :-).
PLEASE READ:
GUARANTEED EXCHANGE CLAUSE: Sadly we hear more on the chat groups about people cancelling exchanges, often last minute. Exchanging is a way of life for us, not an "AirBNB"-like transaction. We have always exchanged with what we call our "guaranteed exchange clause". If for whatever reason we cannot go to your place, you can still have our home as promised, and we will find alternate accomodation with family or friends. We will only exchange with others who will do the same. It gives both of us peace of mind that once we plan and book plane tickets etc that our vacations will go ahead. We get it, things happen. But is easier for us to find alternate accomodation than to break our promise and ruin your vacation. It wouldn't feel right. We have never had a bad exchange experience in almost 20 years and we believe open communication and trust is a key reason why. Happy exchanging!
Features
Washer
Dishwasher
Clothes dryer
Oven
Microwave
Coffee machine
Fridge
Iron
Hair dryer
Heating
Air conditioning
TV
WiFi
High Speed Internet
Bathtub
First aid kit
Smoke alarms
Fire extinguisher
Bed sheets
Towels
Workspace
Toys
Balcony
Garden / yard
Travel Styles
Weekend
Adventure
Budget
Family
Romantic
Sport and leisure
Foodie
Relaxing
Eco
Luxury
City
Mountains
Beach
Water
Skiing
Culture
Hiking
Cycling
Good public transport
Golf
House rules
Suitable for infants under 2
Suitable for children ages 2-12
Pets not allowed
No smoking
Allergens
Cat free
Dog free
Carpet free
Smoke free
Fragrance free
Dates of Availability
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Neighbourhood
Location, location, location! We live in New Westminster - Vancouver is less than 9 km away; downtown Vancouver is 20 km away (easy access on public transit/skytrain); Whistler (2010 Olympics) is less than 2 hrs away by car. We are one block away from our main street - walking distance to shopping, banks, restaurants, public transit (bus service to Skytrain). Metrotown is 6 km away, the largest shopping complex in British Columbia (https://metropolisatmetrotown.com/). Our house is centrally located in our region, so it is convenient to visit other tourist destinations outside of Vancouver e.g. Fort Langley, Steveston Village, Horseshoe Bay and Tsawwassen Ferry terminals (to visit capital city Victoria on Vancouver Island and other nearby Gulf Islands). We are 40 min to the US border.
Vancouver has regularly been chosen as one of the best places to live in the world. The fresh clean air, mountains, oceans and mild climate makes it an enjoyable destination year-round. It's often possible to golf in the morning and ski in the afternoon during the winter months. Look up! You may see some bald eagles flying up in the sky. Here are some good viewing spots for bald eagles: https://www.hellobc.com/stories/3-places-to-view-eagles-near-vancouver/
Some Vancouver things to do (SEE https://www.destinationvancouver.com/ for more): Granville Island, Stanley Park (walk the Seawall), Downtown Vancouver, historic Gastown, Chinatown (the second largest Chinatown in North America), Capilano Suspension Bridge, Vancouver Art Gallery, shopping on Robson Street, VanDusen Garden, Museum of Anthropology, Science World, mountains (Grouse Mountain - climb the famous Grouse Grind); Cypress, Seymour), beaches (Kitsilano, Spanish Banks, Jericho, English Bay).
Our city New Westminster is one of the Top 10 places in Canada for millennials “Diversity, walkability, central location, greenspace - and people - are some of the reasons local millennials say they love living in New Westminster” https://www.newwestrecord.ca/in-the-community/new-west-deemed-to-be-a-millennial-hot-spot-in-2021-3839916.
Within our city, you can walk past historic heritage mansions to nearby Queens Park (1.5 km away) with a large children’s playground, water park, running trails, rose garden and outdoor bandstand. Two kilometres away is the River Market and boardwalk, where you can stroll along the Fraser River. Please check out the information about what to “Eat, Explore and Do” in New Westminster – almost everything is less than 3 km from our home. http://www.tourismnewwestminster.com
Vancouver (especially New Westminster) and the surrounding area is known as “Hollywood North” as many movies and TV shows are filmed here. If this is something that interests you, check out a list of what’s been filmed or is currently filming – perhaps you’ll spot a celebrity!
https://www.creativebc.com/services/provincial-film-commission/in-production/
Or check out what's currently playing on Netflix that was filmed here: https://www.netflixinyourneighbourhood.ca/explore/
For tickets to shows, concerts and other events you might want to attend while visiting:
www.ticketmaster.ca
Information on visiting Vancouver Island or other nearby Islands (Salt Spring, Galiano etc)
https://www.bcferries.com/
Sea to Sky Gondola – located ~ 1 hr from our home, halfway on the route to Whistler - highly recommend it!
https://www.seatoskygondola.com/
Whistler
https://www.whistler.com/
River Market at Westminster Quay
http://www.rivermarket.ca/
Getting to my home
Arrive at Vancouver International Airport – approximately 21 km away. Depending on the time of day, an Uber or Lyft costs ~ $33 - $ 53 CDN, and it is about a 25 min drive to our house. (You could take transit to 1 block away but it would involve both Skytrain and bus, would be ~ 1.5 hr).
Nearest airport
Vancouver International Airport (YVR) - 21 km away.
Getting around
Downtown Vancouver is 20 km away – easy to reach by car or transit. Public transit is only one block away, with a 15 min bus ride to the Skytrain and 22 min skytrain to downtown Vancouver. If spending the entire day in downtown Vancouver, it is often easier to buy a Compass card (transit pre-loaded card) or transit daypass. We also do a car exchange as well when we swap, for easier access to more farther away places.
New Westminster is centrally located in the Metro Vancouver area so it is convenient to visit other tourist destinations outside of Vancouver during your stay.
We are one block away from our main street - you will find all the amenities you need within 1.5 km on foot (restaurants, coffee shops, grocery, shopping, bank, pharmacy, medical clinic etc).
Map of Approximate Location
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People Like Us Local Guide
Introduction to the neighbourhood, answer questions and/or give local tips/info.
Feedback
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You can tell Deanna & David are experienced exchangers by the way they communicated with us, the home instruction they sent us and the very well organized home manual they left at home. Every details were addressed and they gave us a lot of excellent suggestions, especially for food. Communication with Deana was wonderful and she was very thoughtful. Deanna & David's place is truly magical - its beautiful, clean and very family friendly. Their place was beautifully restored heritage home that we didn't know even existed in New Westminster. The "hidden" stairway was a favorite of the kids and the amazing kitchen was a highlight for the adults (stocked with everything you could ever need). Being centrally located we were able to hit all of our favourite spots in Vancouver with no problems. The highest praise we can give is that our kids would rather stay at Deanna's home rather than going to playgrounds or other attractions.
Premium
Deanna and David
Hello - we're David and Deanna. We are both professionals who work hard and play harder :-). And we're passionate about travelling! We are experienced home exchangers, having done close to 40 exchanges (almost all reciprocal) all over the world - South America, Australia, across Europe, Canada and the US. Our kids are well behaved and seasoned travellers. We'll treat your home with the utmost respect because we know you'll do the same in return.
We've been profiled in a national magazine article on House Exchanging (see the online version here): https://sage60.federalretirees.ca/en/april/great-house-swap
Travelling group
Desired Destinations
Open to any destination
Dates flexible
"Looking for March 25-30, 2025. Ideally room for 7 (4 adults, 2 teens, 1 pre-teen) but also open to room for 4 people. Simultaneous or globe. Thanks!"
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