Picture of the Day #5

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VancityAsks Picture of the Day #5
VancityAsks Picture of the Day #5

Looking down from the Granville Bridge, this is an east view of False Creek, a short inlet in the heart of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The green area is George Wainborn park surrounded by tall condo buildings, the seaside bicycle route and the marina. False Creek separates downtown for the rest of the city.

Top 5 Best Chocolate in Vancouver

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Daniel Le Chocolat Belge Canadian

Looking for delicious chocolate in Vancouver? We got you covered, here’s our list of the best chocolate in Vancouver :p

(1) Beta5 chocolates

Beta5 Chocolates is one of Vancouver’s most infamous artisan chocolatier for good reason. This award winning chocolate shop nestled in an industrial area of Strathcona by Main Street skytrain station, Beta5 Chocolates is truly a hole-in-the wall.

The chocolates along with an array of various sweets and pastries are exquisite. Their inspiration comes from their locality and they’re more unique than Vancouver’s ethnic diversity. I dare say you can’t find these chocolates anywhere else in Vancouver or Canada for that matter. Their chocolates are true works of art with much thought and inspiration into each signature chocolates development at Beta5.

Beta5’s brand of local chocolates stands by taste, complexity and ethics which is why they use only direct trade chocolates (better than fair-trade, more expensive too). We also appreciate their emphasis on local, organic, and natural ingredients with their chocolates. Fair warning that the prices are not your Hershey’s chocolate bar or Purdy’s for that matter. A bar of chocolate costs $9. Their cream puffs rings in at $5.  (Their chocolate really does show the amount of thought, intent, and creativity with each piece to reflect the industrial and beautiful natural landscape of Vancouver – you’ll notice their design also holds true to their name, Beta5 as seen with the look of their chocolate bars much like those molecule diagrams you see. Hope I’m not sounding too much like an art critic here.)

Things to try: Cream puffs is a MUST try here. They have an “Award-Winning Signature Chocolates” consisting of 12 of their award winning chocolates as the name implies.

Their name comes from the crystal structure of a perfectly tempered chocolate. They said it best here, “careful alignment of the BETA5 matrix results in our chocolates’ distinctive shine and crisp snap.”

Beta 5 Chocolates Signature Chocolate collection

Beta5 Chocolates Signature collection of several award winning chocolates! (Picture courtesy of Beta5 Chocolates)

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beta5chocolatesltd/

Zomato: https://www.zomato.com/vancouver/beta5-chocolates-strathcona-vancouver

Address: 413 Industrial Ave, Vancouver, BC V6A 2P3

 

(2) Daniel’s Chocolate: Daniel’s Chocolate is considered a staple in Vancouver as far as fine Belgium chocolates are concerned. Out of his love for chocolate, Daniel, has been making chocolates in Vancouver since 1981. Originally hailing from Belgium, he sticks zealously to only original Belgium chocolate making techniques and the absence of preservative or artificial flavorings which is what makes Daniel’s chocolate so delicious.

Their chocolates range from the classic truffles to unique creations like passion fruit ganache. If you’re looking to taste authentic Belgium chocolates in Vancouver then Daniel’s Chocolate is where you go. It’s actually called Daniel Le Chocolate Belge but Daniel’s Chocolate is more memorable when you’re caught up in bliss with the taste of their smooth and creamy milk chocolate bars. First tasted Daniel’s Chocolates almost 9 years ago and it’s as good now as it was then. (well maybe a little better back in 2007).

Daniel Le Chocolat Belge Canadian

They got great chocolates. Picture Courtesy of Daniel Le Chocolat Belge (Daniel’s Chocolates)

Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/Daniel-Le-Chocolat-Belge-135968853102606/

Zomatohttps://www.zomato.com/vancouver/daniel-le-chocolat-belge-west-end-vancouver

Address: 1105 Robson St, Vancouver, BC V6E 3V5

 

(3) Rogers Chocolate: Rogers’ Chocolates is the definition of BC born business steeped in heritage. They stay true to their extensive BC history since 1885 while continuing to innovate and improve with the times. Their chocolates are some of the BEST chocolates in Vancouver with head chocolatier, Cornell Idu, certified in Belgium is constantly innovating and testing to bring forth the best chocolate creations true to the Rogers’ Chocolates brand and history. It’s all made in BC with sustainable cocoa.

What we love about Rogers’ Chocolates besides their tastefully decadent chocolates is their commitment to contributing to their community. Every year Rogers’ Chocolates makes donations in products and monetary gifts to local non-profit organizations such as Tim Hortons Camp day (if you read this website enough, you know how much we enjoy Tim Hortons – Canadian). YMCA, and Firefighters. They are even in our free Vancouver city walking tour to welcome visitors to Vancouver.

Rogers’ Chocolates is well deserving to be noted as one of the BEST chocolates in Vancouver. If you’re in the area (and even if you’re not), it’s worth while getting some chocolates at Rogers’ Chocolates. Not only is it fairly priced, high quality chocolates but they care about the Vancouver community. Their philosophy is to make contributions economically, socially, and environmentally.  Get their Cashew Chews and Victoria Creams.

Ps. If you’re not in their locality, you can mail order or purchase their chocolates online! As we mentioned, staying true to their history (quality, tasty chocolates) while keeping up with the times.

Rogers' Chocolates Victorian Cream Chocolates

Rogers’ Chocolates Victorian Cream are one of their signature chocolate creations. It’s a MUST try. (Picture Courtesy of Rogers’ Chocolates)

Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/RogersChocolates

Zomato: None available. The chocolates are really good though – trust us.

Address: 389 Water St, Vancouver, BC V6B 1B8, Canada

 

(4) ChocolaTas: ChocolaTas is the brainchild of Wim Tas and Veve Tas. The couple together conceptualized opening a chocolate store from their humble beginnings, making chocolates in their home. Wim was trained by Maison Wittamer in Brussels, Belgium who is also the exclusive supplier of chocolate to Belgium Royalty. Want a taste of Belgium Royalty? ChocolaTas may be that! Since opening in 2002, ChocolaTas has been serving the local BC community with an emphasis on local and fresh ingredients to their chocolates.

Their store is located in Granville Island and features various unique ganache such as Darjeeling & Lychee or Pepper & Mango. ChocolaTas is also known for their salted caramel chocolates. It also has won a few awards at various chocolate competitions. It’s worth a try after you’ve gotten the top 3!

ChocolaTas chocolates

Look at these pieces of art. Chocolates at ChocolaTas. (Picture courtesy of ChocolaTas)

Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/ChocolaTas/

Zomato: None Available

Address: 1669 Johnston St, Vancouver, BC V6H 3R9

 

(5) Charlie Chocolate Factory: Charlie Chocolate Factory has an open-concept to their chocolate factory; you can see how they make their chocolates through several windows. Family owned and established in Burnaby, BC since 1970.

Charlie Chocolate Factory is not the best chocolates in Vancouver but they have a REAL chocolate fountain in their Burnaby location; it’s an experience in itself and worth checking out. It was once of the first chocolates I remembered since arriving in Vancouver besides Daniel’s Chocolates. The rice crisp chocolates are pretty good too.

Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/charlieschocolate/

Zomato: None available

Address: 3746 Canada Way, Burnaby, BC V5G 1G4

 

Special Mention: These didn’t quite make it onto the list but still worth a mention.

Royce Chocolate: I remember seeing these in Japan at Narita airport (they have it at HND as well) and it was quite a unique chocolate. They have now arrived in Vancouver! (at 3X the price in Japan!). You’ll find this in Richmond Centre by a booth near Shoppers Drug Mart. They don’t keep long though and must be kept refrigerated unlike most other chocolates (the Nama chocolates do, not the chocolate bars)

Address: 6551 No 3 Rd, Richmond, BC V6Y 2B6

 

Coconama Chocolate: Suggested by a reader on VancityAsks.com Facebook Page. This chocolate store is in North Vancouver but well deserving to be mentioned.

Address: 264 1st St E, North Vancouver, V7L 1B3

Best Vancouver Real Estate Agents

Published by:

Vancouver Real Estate Charlie Kiers

Finding the right real estate agent in Vancouver…

Picking the right real estate agent is a critical decision. Whether you’re buying or selling your home, you’re typically dealing with transactions upwards of 300,000.  You need a reliable Vancouver real estate agent. It is very easy to be misled by bad advice of real estate agents resulting in significant financial losses. (Beyond the licensing there is little quality control or practice to standardize practice of individual brokers, it’s a rather fluid market.)

It’s undeniable that integrity should be a required trait with real estate agents but unfortunately you’ll come across your fair share of real estate agents who only care about their pockets. It seems all too common for real estate agents to provide advice and post listings to their advantage. When there are thousands of commissions on the line, unfortunately some individuals put aside their values.

There are many ways that a real estate agent can be evaluated. You want a realtor who’s experienced with the Vancouver community hence familiar with your property and showing it. You also want a Vancouver realtor who’s professionally connected making it easier to sell or buy your Vancouver home. Among other things you may want a real estate agent who’s able to market your property beyond listing it. These are all worthy considerations when trying to find a real estate agent in Vancouver but in my humble opinion, what tops the list is their character and integrity. This is further highlighted by the recent scandals with New Coast Realty. We’ve still considered the points mentioned above and more in our deep reaching inquiry to find the best realtors in Vancouver; the best our city has to offer.

 

What we looked for in a Vancouver real estate agent:

This is why we’ve set forth to finding a list of the best real estate agents in Vancouver. The list consist mostly of realtor members in Vancouver who have portrayed excellence in their craft and importantly integrity with business dealings. These are people who have a record of integrity and a reputation to hold, people whom you can trust with your business and real estate transactions. Whether you’re looking to buy a home in Vancouver or sell a home in Vancouver, I’d suggest you approach either of these realtors to find one that can help you best. Integrity should be rewarded, don’t you think?

Without further ado, here’s our round up of the best Vancouver real estate agents. If you’re looking to buy or sell a home in Vancouver, these are good bets you can take. (Honesty and integrity is always important but especially cannot be understated when looking for a real estate agent Vancouver)

 

5 Good Vancouver Realtors you can count on:

1) TBD

 

2) Mike Dente Vancouver Real Estate Agent:

Mike Dente real estate

Mike Dente is a born and bred Vancouverite who is now a 
Vancouver real estate agent after completing his education at Sauder School of Business. Having lived his whole live in West Vancouver, this gives Mike an unusual advantage with this locality; buyers/sellers will appreciate his commitment, contacts, and knowledge of the North Shore real estate. Despite his experience in the North Shore, Mike serves clients across the greater Vancouver with the same diligence and integrity for which we have ranked him #2 on our list of the best realtors in Vancouver.

Mike is part of the Dexter Realty brokerage team while operating as a personal real estate agent in Vancouver, enabling him extensive support and specialized expertise as part of a leading brokerage firm in Vancouver.

Keep in mind that all real estate agents featured on our VancityAsks.com list are extensively checked. We try to get to know the brokers values and track record. Another point as we emphasized earlier, that honesty and integrity are the most important traits to find in a realtor. This is the reason Mike is the #2 best Vancouver real estate agent who resonates these same values of honesty and integrity. The Vancouver real estate agent also emphasizes on customer service and integrity.

Mike is however several years newer to the real estate field relative to the other heavy weights on the list. However, from our brief interaction with Mike, you get the impression that this determined realtor cares about his clients and experienced for his time in realty. As the icing on the cake, Mike emphasizes his interest with providing after sales support and building relationships. If you need a realtor in Vancouver, it’s hard to go wrong with giving Mike a chance.

Address – 1399 Homer St, Vancouver, BC V6B 5M9

Contact (Phone/Email) – 604-354-1084

Verified Review – “I’ve known Mike for a few years now and he has been helping my fiancee and I find a new home. He’s been absolutely wonderful to work with! He really listens to what we want and goes out of his way to show us all our options and make sure we fully understand the process. He’s extremely reliable and I know we’ll be able to find the perfect home with his help!”

 

3) Pete Shpak Vancouver Real Estate Agent:

Pete leads the Vuppie Real Pete Shpak real estateEstate team and holds extensive industry knowledge with years of experience. Pete’s clients know him as a man who works tirelessly to provide proper representation whether when buying a Vancouver home or selling.

With his track record, experience, integrity, and personality, Pete has gain quite the reputation as a go-to Vancouver real estate agent. Pete’s real estate services combines integrity, customer service, and experience to serve his clients. Read consistent feedback from clients noting his first-grade customer service, care, and follow-up help.

Address – 100 – 856 Homer St Vancouver, BC V6B 2W5

Phone # – 604-220-7490

Verified Review – “From the moment we first met with Pete to the moment we closed the deal on our first home, we felt as though we were his only clients. His attentiveness and desire to fulfill our needs was beyond impressive and made the entire process, which could have been stressful and tiring, comfortable and enjoyable. Pete’s high level of service and knowledge combined with his charismatic personality made him a joy to work with. We wouldn’t have wanted to deal with anyone else and we already know who we will be calling when it comes to selling our place.

 

 

4) Charlie Kiers Vancouver Real Estate Agent:

Vancouver Real Estate Charlie KiersCharlie Kiers is noted as one of the industry leaders in Vancouver real estate. Respected by other real estate agent as a man who works tirelessly for his clients and equally passionate about leadership and community involvement, Mr.Kiers has rightfully earned an impressive reputation in Vancouver real estate.

Charlie operates his real estate business with integrity as all the other realtors listed on our best Vancouver real estate agent list. The man is also highly networked and connected (don’t know how but apparently I have him on LinkedIn too). This helps his clients by providing a comprehensive realty solution.

If you’re buying a home, expect Charlie to go the extra mile researching the ideal homes for your choosing and then walk you through each tour. Some of his clients have noted as many as 15 viewings (don’t worry, if you don’t have the time for this many viewings, just let Charlie know – he’s attentive to his clients’ needs.) For those looking to sell their Vancouver home, Charlie has significant experience with real estate sales in Vancouver including negotiating, promoting, network usage, and problem resolution should a matter arise. It is so important to have the right realtor to guide you through this complicated process and especially useful to have their experience if a complicated situation comes up. We’ve listed Charlie as the #4 best real estate agent in Vancouver for good reason though some of his clients think he should be 1st (it’s taken though).

Address – 2899 Commercial Drive Vancouver, BC V5N 0A6

Phone # – 604-897-3559

Verified Review – “Charlie did great work for me, he is tireless in his efforts to find his clients the perfect home. Couldn’t be happier in my new place, and without Charlie I would still be renting! A huge help to a first time buyer, a friend and a great resource. Thanks Charlie!”

 

 

5) Elliot Tan Vancouver Real Estate Agent:

Vancouver Realtor Elliot TanElliot Tan has varied experience with Vancouver Real Estate. In his career as a real estate agent, Elliot has worked on several brokerage and is currently with the Bryant and Lasko Real Estate team. Elliot also brings experience as a previous Mortgage broker and has helped numerous individuals with investment properties.

As a genuinely real estate broker with a strong work ethic Elliot tries to help his clients’ in their best interest. You can expect good real estate services from Elliot. Realtors talk about providing after-sale support, but Elliot has a proven track record of providing extensive after-sale support.

Address – 3195 Oak Street Vancouver, BC V6H 2L2

Phone # – 604-209-2525

Verified Review – None Available. (Up for re-consideration.)

 

The importance of a good Vancouver realtor:

As a further emphasis on the importance of choosing the right real estate agent (and the propensity for bad real estate agents). I can recall a personal experience from family who engaged a Vancouver real estate agent while still yet in Toronto. They trusted the realtor to help find an investment property in the tri-cities. The real estate agent recommended a condo and advised against a townhouse that would have been a better purchase investment wise. It was discovered later, the condo offered realty agents a higher commission. The price of the condo has remained about the same since purchasing while the townhouse has similar properties selling much higher from the would-be purchase price. While this individual wanted initially to purchase the townhouse, he was advised strongly against doing so by the real estate agent. This re-emphasizes the importance of choosing a Vancouver real estate broker who will look out for your best interest; a broker who has integrity. As we like to emphasize on VancityAsks.com, true success comes only with excellence and delivering value; it’s about the long run beyond the temporary gains. (One may gain a few thousand extra but lose out on their reputation and further business opportunity. After all, it’s good to help others) This is why we hope to discover and feature those who strive for excellence in our articles.

We have looked extensively, sought personal recommendations, and believe we have identified some of the best real estate agents in Vancouver. Considerations were given for industry experience, reviews & reputation, knowledge, network, and character. If you’re looking for a reliable real estate broker, I encourage you to contact these professional realtors.

The usage of the word realtor in this article denotes an individual’s affiliation as a member of the NAR/CREA.

 

How to choose the right Vancouver real estate agent:

…it’s more than sales performance. Here are further readings you may be interested in to find out the importance of choosing the right Vancouver real estate agent. Someone performance as a “top real estate agent” doesn’t necessary imply a good real estate agent:

http://www.theprovince.com/business/selling+vancouver+realtor+licence+cancelled+after+allegedly+doing+business+while+under/11647443/story.html

When choosing the right Vancouver real estate agent, consider our list above that takes in to consideration (1) integrity (2) character and willingness to help (3) connections and networks (4) marketing and diligence (5) experience. When you’re looking to buy a home in Vancouver, you don’t want a Vancouver real estate agent to rush you into buying just to close a deal and get their commission. When you’re looking to sell a home, you want a real estate agent who would be able to represent your property best and get the best bid for you! (Which may differ depending on your priorities.) Either ways, you want a Vancouver real estate agent who will take your personal interests into consideration and look beyond the commission and care about you!

 

Thanks for reading about Vancouver real estate agents on VancityAsks. If you have any questions or comments, please add your voice bellow! Feel free to suggest a Vancouver realtor that you’ve had experience working with as well.

 

Best Real Estate Agent Updates:

We make an effort to ensure our content is relevant and recommendations for real estate agents are reliable. As such, we periodically conduct reviews and revisions of the content to ensure the best real estate agents recommended according to our opinion at VancityAsks.com… are reliable, up to date, and accurate.

Here is a catalog of the changes over time. All recommendations are done as impartial as possible seeking truly to find the best realtors in Vancouver.

– October 13, 2018:

(1) Remove Tim Wray from the recommendations: Broker changes (Description Bellow)

(2) Move Mike Dente from #2 to #5: Review

1) Tim Wray Vancouver Real Estate Agent:

Tim Wray real estate

Tim Wray is an all around nice guy (but nice guys don’t finish last.) Tim carries a friendly and approachable demeanor backed with years of experience. Tim relies largely on referral transactions which speaks a lot about the experience he provides his clients.

We can wholeheartedly say you’ll likely enjoy your experience with Tim. Change is hard and especially so when it’s something like moving which can cause a lot of stress. It’ll be useful to have an experienced real estate agent to help you along and be a professional help. Tim shares that his desire is to make a stressful time a little less stressful; especially with a smile like his.

Mr.Wray arrived in Vancouver almost 9 years back in 2007 and has been working in real estate since. Prior to his real estate experience, Tim, has broad top management experience in San Francisco and London along with large contract negotiations; a realtor has to be a jack of all trades sometimes and a keen eye which Tim has displayed with his work experience. He is familiar with the downtown Vancouver core where his expertise lies. Engaging Tim as your real estate agent, you can expect professionalism, understanding, and honesty. Tim works with Prompton Real Estate Services which makes him a one-stop solution for investment properties.

Much like Mike, Tim shares our believes that a sustainable and profitable business is one that adds value to your customers/clients. It’s about creating value and providing great service with integrity. Tim does this for his clients. Tim shares that his mission is to provide such an seamless and wonderful experience that you want to tell your friends because you believe it’ll help them. (much like what we’re doing here.)

At VancityAsks.com, we spend hours upon hours to verify we have genuinely created the best lists we can. Each real estate agent we featured on this list is thoroughly checked and Tim is no exception.

Address – 179 Davie Street Vancouver, BC V6Z 2Y1

Contact (Phone/Email) – 604-781-5692

Verified Review – “Great personality, amazing detail-oriented & professional service. When you love what you do, it shows… and makes all the difference.”

Soli Deo gloria |VancityAsks.com| Colossians 3:23