Of the various types of listed houses in Vancouver, which type of shopping mall or hotel may not be as rare as it: the church!
Just recently, a nearly 100-year-old church in West Point Grey, Winwest, is for sale with a price tag of 10 million at 4397 W 12th Ave due to the congregation's recent merger with Presbyterian Church in Kerrisdale, so the church has become dysfunctional.
4397 W 12th Ave, known as UCBC Baptist Church, is currently used as a small community center that is only open two days a week.
The price of 10 million, is it reasonable?
According to the BC government valuation website, the latest estimate is 7.68 million, of which the land value is 7.643 million, and the church itself is only worth 372,000.
The land is nearly 12,000 square feet and is located on the corner of W 12th Ave and Trimble St, just steps away from the W 10th Ave business district.
At present, in the West Point Grey community of Vanwest, the market price of standard land plus old houses is between 300~3.2 million, and the standard land plus new houses are generally around 400~4.5 million.
As a UCBC Baptist Church with three standard land areas, 10 million is indeed more reasonable according to the market price. Even by the standard of luxury houses, it is not the most luxurious in the West Point Grey community, because there is no shortage of top luxury houses worth 2000~40 million in the north.
It is not a heritage building and has great development potential
Although it was built in 1927 and is 97 years old, it is not part of Vancouver's list of heritage buildings. So, the shrewd person immediately understands what it means:
The church can be demolished, so you get a 12,000-square-foot corner plot of land in a prime location! In the sale advertisement, the seller's agent also sketched out the future "blueprint" for the future of the 4397 W 12th Ave for potential buyers:
The 4397 W 12th Ave can be developed into 3 standard detached homes or a multi-unit conversion advocated by the B.C. government, with up to 12 units to generate significant benefits. Of course, if you want to build a mansion and enjoy it yourself, there is no problem.
4397 W 12th Ave距离UBC、Jericho Beach、Pacific Spirit Park都很近，新建房屋后无论是卖给自住人士还是投资人士，都不缺买家。
Locals don't have to worry about losing UCBC Baptist Church, as there are 3~4 other churches within a two-kilometer radius – the West Point Grey neighborhood has one of the highest density of churches in Vancouver.
The sale of UCBC Baptist Church has also opened up a new idea for everyone: if you change more, you don't necessarily need to change your home, but you can also change your church! So, are there only a handful of churches sold in Canadian history?
There was once a church listed for $1
One of the most astonishing church sales occurred in Brantford, Ontario in 2017, where a magnificent Anglican church built in 1871 and had a history of 146 years at the time, was listed for $1!
Push open the door of this church and you'll find beautiful frescoes, atmospheric decorations, and it was listed as a National Historic Site of Canada in 1993 as a famous attraction, but it is not protected by the Ontario Heritage Act.
Why is it so cheap? Because the church is being sold, not the land, so the buyer cannot tear down the church and build a house on the land, and the church is in disrepair and is already a dilapidated building, and it will cost at least hundreds of thousands of dollars to repair. So, the actual cost is very substantial.
After the church is restored, it can still be used for other purposes, such as a nursery, a museum, and a restaurant...... As for the return, it is up to everyone. In contrast, it is the UCBC Baptist Church that sells land more honestly and attractively.
The country church was converted into a mansion, which was once popular in Canada
Churches in big cities are expensive, but churches in the countryside are not: during the pandemic, buying a country church and turning it into a mansion was once all the rage in Canada.
In 2021, a couple living in Toronto accidentally discovered that 2.5 hours away, there was a village called Dashwood next to Lake Huron, which was selling church and land for 280,000 yuan.
The couple found the church to be well laid out, with a grand exterior and spacious interior, and that it could be renovated to its heart's content. So why not try to buy it for a low price and transform it into a church mansion?
So they bought it, applied for a change of land use, restored the church, and turned it into a private house. Their approach has also been imitated by many residents of large Canadian cities.
In general, cases of church sales are relatively rare in Canada, so every case will be widely reported. Going back to UCBC Baptist Church, can it be sold at the ideal price?