Are some of the newer communities in Surrey good places to live? (real estate market)

[jaymr]

I'm planning on moving to the Greater Vancouver area. I want a nice/newer affordable detached house ($550,000-$650,000) in a safe neighbourhood. I know Surrey in general has a bad rap for its high crime rate, but are some of the newer communities in Surrey good places to live? I'm thinking of Sullivan and Cloverdale. Any other recommendations?

[Liberated in TO]

Sullivan Heights, anywhere in South Surrey (South of Hwy 10, W of 176th St) is great.

Cloverdale can be fine depending on where you are. Personally I would avoid the Clayton Heights area (north of Fraser Hwy, W of Langley border/196th St). It's a newer clean, family neigbourhood but it seems to have a high crime rate with so many people packed into a small area. Many of the new homes have basement suites, as well as coach houses above the garage. Lots of low rent accomodations here.

Personally, I would favour Langley over most of Surrey.

[Drowningintherain2]

I think most of Cloverdale is fine, I don't like Clayton Heights. As the poster above states it seems a bit higher crime although I wouldn't really be concerned. My problem with the place is that it seems way out there and it's really tightly packed. The nice parts of Surrey are all mostly in South Surrey.
It has a totally different vibe from the rest of Surrey. There are huge estaes out there, the beach is close, lots of shopping. It is overall quite an upscale area. I'm sure you could find a townhome in your price range. There are several large townhome complexes. I don't know about finding a SFH for that price though.

[jaymr]

Thanks for your responses. Very helpful info.

I'm also considering Willoughby/Milner Heights in Langley. Any thoughts on that area?

[Liberated in TO]

Both good areas. I would prefer Milner Heights because it lies next too protected farmland and will likely be a little quieter and detached once the Willoughby area gets built out.

[jaymr]

Thanks for the info, Liberated in TO.

Will there be a new shopping centre in Willoughby? I thought I read about it somewhere. Is there only Willowbrook Mall at the moment for supermarket shopping?

How long does it take to drive from South Surrey to North Surrey taking 176 Pacific Hwy.? The kids might be going to Pacific Academy so daily travel time is a consideration.

It looks like South Surrey will be a bit more expensive, I might have to raise my budget. Can you buy a new single family home in South Surrey under $700,000?

[Liberated in TO]

Langley has no plans to build another major mall, like Willowbrook that I'm aware of, but there are plenty of smaller commercial nodes planned for around the city.

There is also a smaller village style retail centre planned for 208th St / 84th Ave area.

Lack of retail/shopping would be the least of your concerns living Langley, it has the highest concentration of retail and commercial sq/ft outside of the Downtown Vancouver core.

From South Surrey, taking Pac Hwy should take you 20 - 25 minutes going to North Surrey. I know Pacific Academy well (my mother used to teach there), and plenty of families do the drive everyday.

I prefer S. Surrey over Langley, because of better schools and more upscale amenities, but if you're sending your kids to private school anyways and removing public schools from the equation, Langley compares very well. I honestly couldn't tell you what $700K buys you in either city as I haven't kept up with the Metro Van real estate market for at least a year.

[afici0nad0]

i'd say the newer master planned communities south of 88 avenue are very nice. surrey may get a bad rap, but in reality, it's no worse than any other in the GVRD.