Two Reverse Snowbirds Seek a Lower Mainland Nest
When partners Susanne Duryea and Ruth Hobbs decided to immigrate to Canada from western Florida two years ago, they sold the diner they owned, cashed in their life savings, and bought an RV. A two month, cross-continental road trip brought them to the Burnaby RV park. But suffering through one Canadian winter in an unfurnished tin can was adventure enough for Duryea, a cook, and Hobbs, an legal secretary. Six months after arriving in the country, they decided it was time for a permanent home.
The couple wanted a detached house with property, but they only wanted to spend $350,000. It was a shock to find we couldnt get anything, Duryea says. In Florida, for that money, youd have a pool. Youd be hiring landscape people. Eventually, they met real estate agent Matt Kerr at an open house. They hit it off, and Kerr advised his girls, as he calls them, to start looking at condominiums.
OPTION 1: 10 Laguna Court, New Westminster
Duryea and Hobbs loved this property on the New Westminster quay when they viewed it in December 2008, but Kerr thought the listing price of $325,000 was too high.
Their opening bid was $290,000, and several back-and-forths brought that figure to $315,000. But the family that owned the condo wouldnt budge from their original asking price, so Kerr advised Duryea and Hobbs to walk away. They did.
OPTION 2: 1240 Quayside Drive, New Westminster
Sticking to the scenic New West quay, in January 2009 Kerr brought the couple to see a ground-level property going for $337,000. Duryea and Hobbs liked it, and opened the bidding with $219,000. The owners came back with 325,000, and Kerr inked a deal. But after learning that building issues meant their unit would be under a tarp for the next several months, the agreement was nixed.
Option 3: 3 Laguna Court, New Westminster
The same month, Kerr took them back to another ground-level condo on the same street as the first property they had liked.
The owners were asking $350,000, so Kerr bid $325,000. But the sellers wanted to rent the space back for a month after Duryea and Hobbs would have taken ownership, so the couple hit the streets once again.
THE SALE: 2105 St George Street, Port Moody
In February of 2009, Kerr brought another set of clients to see this two-level, 2200 square foot home. They didnt like it, so Kerr phoned his girls and told them to do a drive-by. Duryea and Hobbs did, and noticing the owner was home, got an inside tour along with another couple who seemed ready to bid.
Duryea wasnt even at the end of the driveway before she phoned Kerr to say they wanted to make an offer. Originally listed for $535,000, the price had been reduced to $515,000 and then $499,500. Kerr submitted all their paperwork and an aggressive bid of $495,000 that very same night. The next morning, it was accepted. 
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