Guildford Surrey: Established Community with Strong Value

What is here

Guildford Town Centre, one of the region's larger malls, with the grocery, services and transit exchange that go with it. The Guildford Recreation Centre with its pool and arena. The library. Green Timbers Urban Forest to the south, a large protected woodland with a lake and trails that most people outside Surrey have never heard of. Surrey Memorial Hospital a short drive south. Tynehead Regional Park to the east. And the Highway 1 interchanges at 152 Street and 160 Street, which are the reason so many people who work in Burnaby, Coquitlam or Langley live here.

The housing

Guildford grew mostly from the 1970s through the 1990s, and the housing shows it. A large stock of condos and townhomes from those decades along 104 Avenue, around the mall and up toward 108 Avenue, which are among the most affordable in Surrey. Detached homes on the quieter streets north toward the highway and east toward 160 Street, many with suites. Newer towers near the town centre as the City's plan for the area takes shape. For a first-time buyer, the 1980s and 1990s townhome complexes are the entry point; for a family wanting a suited house at a Surrey price, the detached streets are.

The strata question

The age that makes Guildford's condos and townhomes affordable also means their big-ticket items, roofs, pipes, envelopes and parkade membranes, have either been done or are due. Some complexes have done everything and are excellent value. Some have deferred for years and a special levy is coming. The depreciation report and two years of minutes tell you which, and I read them line by line with buyers here. The insurance deductible, which has risen sharply across BC, is the other number to check; in an older building with a claims history it can be very large.

Schools and transit

Guildford Park Secondary and Johnston Heights Secondary serve the area, with a dozen elementary schools across the neighbourhood. Transit is good by Surrey standards: the Guildford exchange connects to the SkyTrain at Surrey Central, and the Surrey Langley SkyTrain will bring a station to 160 Street and Fraser Highway on the neighbourhood's southern edge, which the City's plan designates for new density.

Who it suits

First-time buyers who want an established townhome and are willing to do the strata homework. Families who work north or east and want a suited detached home at a central Surrey price. Anyone who values Highway 1 access and does not need the ocean. It does not suit buyers who want new construction, a village feel or the Peninsula's beaches; for those, Clayton, Fleetwood's newer pockets or South Surrey fit better.

Guildford compared with South Surrey

A very different proposition at a very different price. South Surrey gives you the beach, the catchments and the quiet, and charges for all three. Guildford gives you centrality, Highway 1 and an affordable entry, and asks you to accept a busier, older, more urban neighbourhood. I sell in both. For a buyer whose work is in Burnaby, Guildford's lower price and shorter commute can be worth more than the Peninsula's charms. For a family set on Semiahmoo, it is not a substitute.

The short version

• Central, established, with Highway 1 access, the mall, the rec centre and Green Timbers.
• Affordable 1980s and 1990s condos and townhomes, plus suited detached homes.
• Strata documents are everything here. Check the depreciation report, minutes and insurance deductible.
• A SkyTrain station is coming to 160 Street on the southern edge.

If Guildford is on your list, send me the complexes you are considering and I will tell you which ones have done their work and which are still deferring it. That is the whole decision in this neighbourhood.