A waterfront property in Bowen Island’s Eagle Cliff neighbourhood recently changed hands after 47 days on the market, ending a family connection that stretched back to the 1950s. Listed by Realtor Mary Lynn Machado PREC*, the two-bedroom home attracted multiple offers.
The Property
- Type: Single family home, Waterfront
- Neighbourhood: Bowen Island
- Beds: 2
- Baths: 1
- Year built: 1920, renovated in 2002 and 2020
- Parking: Attached carport
- Taxes: $6,524.63
- Days on market: 47
- Listed price: $1,750,000
- Selling price: $1,720,000
- Listing agent: Mary Lynn Machado PREC*, Bowen Collective, Macdonald Realty
- Buyer’s realtor: Kevin Perra PREC*, Macdonald Realty
“The property had been in the husband’s family since the 1950s,” Machado says. “He used to come as a little boy to the cabin.” Years later, the property passed to him and his wife, who transformed the seasonal retreat into a full-time residence.
Rather than dramatically expanding the home, the couple focused on meaningful upgrades. They enlarged the primary bedroom, raised the roof and created a private courtyard with level access to the road. Heat pumps added efficient heating and cooling, while a timbre-frame carport, glass-covered breezeway and sheltered hot tub created what Machado describes as “a little oasis.”
Expanded decks nearly doubled the home’s usable summer space and framed panoramic views of the North Shore Mountains, Cypress Mountain, UBC and the Gulf Islands. Wildlife was part of the appeal, too, as Machado notes that “there’s regularly orcas and humpbacks” visible from the property.
The home’s location also reflects a distinctive part of Bowen Island’s history. “The Eagle Cliffs neighbourhood is known for quite a few old cabins that families came to in the ’40s and ’50s, and they are still in the same family,” Machado says. As those long-held properties gradually come to market, they often attract buyers looking for more than just another house.
Machado says lifestyle is key for buyers on Bowen Island. They are typically searching for water views, beaches, trails or proximity to the ferry if they commute to Vancouver. But, just as important, Machado says, is the island’s sense of community. “It’s a really tight-knit community where people support each other. We have so many organisations and groups that you can get involved with.”
The Sale
Interest on Bowen typically extends beyond Vancouver. Machado says buyers are arriving from Ontario, Alberta and even California and Washington State, often Canadians returning home after working in the U.S.
The property had previously spent four months on the market before being relisted this year at a price reduced by $50,000. That adjustment, combined with patient buyers who had been watching from the sidelines, sparked renewed interest and ultimately multiple offers.
“People are sitting and they’re waiting and they’re watching,” Machado says. “If you find that property on Bowen and it ticks pretty much all your boxes, you better be writing an offer on that before somebody else does.”
