It's all in the details

By Sarah Rowland

When it comes to large luxury condos in the Lower Mainland, Boffo Developments Ltd. has a loyal following.

After more than 40 years of building beautiful gems like the Mediterranean-inspired Tramonto residences in Burnaby Heights, the family-owned company has earned the respect of construction crews, real estate agents and savvy homeowners all over the Greater Vancouver Area.  So what makes their product so special?

Sure, they install premium stainless steel appliances, granite countertops and hardwood floors. But so does many developers these days.  There must be more to it, right?  Well,according to Boffo marketing manager Karen West, it’s all in the details.  That’s why Boffo rarely puts its homes on the market before completion.

“We like to point out the details that are really hard to articulate without actually seeing the unit,” says West.  “Because we really do stand out in the detail of how we build out every square inch of the unit.”  So even though they haven’t released the floorplans for one of their current developments, FIRMA, you can bet that the homes in this four-story mixed-use building will have huge patios, nine-foot ceilings (a Boffo standard) and plenty of livable space.

“People downsizing from their homes have a nice large home to move into — they don’t have to sell all the furniture, and family dinner can still be at their house.” 

Set up on the 4500 block of Hastings, FIRMA will boast beautiful mountain views, 26 residential units, retail space on the ground floor as well as first class office space on the second floor.  Sales and occupancy will start in February 2012, though the company is not yet releasing price ranges.

As far as location, Burnaby Heights still has some sweet, almost small-town, mom-and-pop charm mixed in with these kinds of contemporary developments. That’s one of the reasons it’s fast becoming a popular ’hood for young families.  The other is the convenience factor: “Because of the proximity to Vancouver and access to Highway 1, it feels like an extension of Vancouver,” West says.

So what does this convenient location and Boffo’s attention to detail translate to on the market?  “They’re priced accordingly—and I’m going to biased here—for the value you get, ”says West.

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Source: Vancouver 24 Hours