Cheapest B.C. home? $1 buys you Boston Bar heritage house
The only catch? You have to be willing to preserve the historic structure
In Vancouver, you're hard-pressed to find a home for less than a million dollars.
But the town of Boston Bar in the Fraser Canyon is offering up two historic houses for $1 apiece.
"We're trying to find a way to save these houses," said Lloyd Forman, the director for Boston Bar with the Fraser Valley Regional District.
"We finally came up with a plan that if we could offer the house and the lot for a dollar, it might be worthwhile for someone to purchase it. And the only stipulation we have is that the exterior retains the heritage value it has. The interiors can be restored to whatever comfort value they wish."
The Fraser Valley Regional District owns the land. On Tuesday night, their board gave staff authority to move ahead with the plan.
Definitely fixer-uppers
"They're fairly rough. The roofs are starting to leak some," said Forman. "But the only thing is they're constructed of first-growth fir, very clear, very good wood."
"The consensus is they would be rebuildable."
They're fairly rough. The roofs are starting to leak some.- Lloyd Forman, director with the Fraser Valley Regional District.
Forman says the houses sit on a city lot of approximately 5,000 square feet, and are about 1,100 square feet apiece.
They're located right in the heart of Boston Bar, across the street from a swimming pool and community centre.
Built for railway employees
Forman says the houses were built around the turn of the 20th century for Canadian Pacific Railway employees.
There were originally eight, but six have since been torn down.
Forman says the regional district will put out a request for proposals for potential buyers soon.
They're looking to strike a unique deal.
"We'll have to have a legal contract that protects the purchaser and the community," said Forman.
He says Boston Bar is a popular community for retirees, and he'd like to see the houses go to someone who plans to fix them up and move in.