It's yet another example of South Delta's red hot housing market.
Dozens of potential buyers have camped out at the new Polygon townhome development at Marina Gardens Estate in Ladner, willing to wait until this Thursday to grab a unit.
The 84 "executive townhomes" make up the new Charterhouse development, a "boutique community" with townhomes starting at around 1,550-square feet in size and starting in the mid-$600,000 range. The Charterhouse will be part of the new Hampton Cove neighbourhood. However, only 36 units will be available initially.
A show home opened last weekend and it didn't take long afterward for eager buyers to camp out for the sales centre opening. On Monday afternoon, around 35 people had already lined up outside the sales centre, sitting in the sun in their lawn chairs. Some even brought tables and plenty of extra food.
Although nobody wanted their names published, a few were willing to talk to the Optimist about why they were lining up to buy.
One man near the front of the line, a Richmond resident who was among a dozen or so also from Richmond and at the front, said he was looking to upgrade to a bigger space from his condo. He said prices in Delta for condos and townhomes were less expensive than Richmond and that it looked like a nicer neighbourhood in South Delta.
Near the back of the line, a Delta resident said he was looking to get a place for his son and daughter-in-law but there was little choice in townhomes in his preferred community. He said he felt like he was "chasing" whatever came up for sale because homes are being snapped up quickly. Also from Delta, another woman said she was looking to move up from a condo.
Located off Ferry Road, the first phases of Marina Gardens were completed over two decades ago. Over the years several residential phases and a golf course were added.
Delta a couple of years ago approved an application by Captain's Cove Marina and Polygon Homes to build 674 housing units in the Ladner subdivision, the final phase. The build-out includes 580 townhouses, 94 condos, a commercial area, a linear waterfront park and relocated golf
course amenities. Since then, the real estate market in South Delta, as well as much of the Lower Mainland, has gone through the roof.
Noting the lack of new townhomes in both Richmond as well as Delta has ramped up interest in the development, Neil Chrystal, CEO and president of Polygon Homes Ltd., told the Optimist it was a bit of a surprise so many people are lining up, but it really shouldn't be considering how the real estate market has gone.
"It's a beautiful site in a great location and it's the first new product of its kind in Ladner, particularly in that Captain's Cove neighborhood, for quite some time. Yes, we're surprised, but maybe we shouldn't considering there's been such a lack of new homes to come to market, particularly the smaller townhouse variety," he said.
The next phase of the Charterhouse will soon undergo construction.
"In a perfect world, we'd like to see those units sooner because I don't think it's right people are camping overnight," added Chrystal.
