This is a rare find and we looked long and hard before purchasing a unit at Clarence House in James Bay The light coming in from all the windows is fantastic as are the unobstructed views The modernism design is unique and spacious unlike many of the newer cramped designs in other areas of the city It is on a street that is only one block long making it very quiet yet one is only a few steps away from grocery shopping banks restaurants coffee shops and all the other services that make life simple easy and relaxing Best of all the ocean beaches or Beacon Hill Park is a mere 5 minute walk way

I currently own a home in Clarence House The past 8 years have been a struggle to get the forty plus years old single pane windows and siding replaced In 2015 the final phase of renewal will be completed leaving Clarence House with a brand new envelope The majority community had to make a Court Application to have this renewal finished and fortunately the BC Supreme Court agreed Recent Councils have worked hard to upgrade and keep Clarence House in good repair There is a plan for contingency contribution that will hopefully reduce the future need of levies to fund capital replacement Clarence House is a solid concrete building built with the best of the best and it appears to be the intend of the next generation to ensure this continues During the more difficult times batting for renewal I looked elsewhere to buy When I finished that search I was only more convinced I was living in the right building and the battle for renewal was worth it Clarence House has gorgeous spacious suites that feel like a home not a condo The community is friendly and caring despite the opinion of one or two individuals reviewing on this site who did not want to fix Clarence House My hope is prospective purchasers are able to see beyond the emotion of a few individuals and come to a more balanced understanding of this building

There has been a lot of emotional talk about this building When we looked to buy into it our real estate agent was very efficient at getting the facts and we examined the material she provided We knew what we were getting into when we bought and we are very happy with where the building is going and we live there still I recommend bypassing all the emotional rhetoric doing your own due diligence and coming to your own conclusions

The BC government has ended condo loans and they were only for leaky condos Older buildings are now all facing many expensive repairs because strata councils avoided raising condo fees and the law did not require large contingency funds All these factors combine to make buying in a building such as this an exercise only for people flush with a lot of money Over time if many people with a lot of money buy in it could be upgraded to compete with the newer buildings now underway or built in Victoria Or they could just buy into newer nicer buildings which don't need a ton of work Right now it's a money pit If you are a regular person with a regular income stay far away The roof deck has been removed no plans to replace it The building has nice views but so do other buildings in Victoria Suites are large fine if you like housekeeping The finishes are old the building out of date

I have been consistently involved with this building for over 5 years and know the building and tenants well Clarence House has invested in extensive building envelope upgrading over the last few years plus the original construction and building materials are of high quality The parking lot is secured and the building has a nice small indoor pool Units are roomy bright and comfortable the views are outstanding With only 4 units per floor owners know each other well and have built a strong sense of community I think this is a fantastic building for its spacious units expansive views friendly helpful neighbours and quiet location in James Bay

The majority of the owners of this building are elderly long term residents who have resisted spending any money on maintenance of the building The building has declined in recent years due to its age 40 years Since there is little cash in the reserve funds owners will be facing large expenses to bring the building up to standard Don't purchase in this building unless you are prepared to spend a lot of money to upgrade the building's infrastructure It is a shame that this building has been left to decline as it is solidly built but it has not been appropriately maintained over the years