Lisa, her husband Tiago and their adorable son Diogo landed in Canada in December 2017, after finalizing a tough decision to pack up their lives in London and move across the globe. The move was based on Tiago’s passion for animation and the accredited status of Vancouver Film School, but grounded in adventure and new beginnings. They were in the business of making quick decisions, so Lisa hopped on a flight to Vancouver to view apartments and find a place for her and her family to call home in Vancouver – just one month before their scheduled move. She instantly fell in love with the family-friendly, quaint neighbourhood of North Vancouver and found the perfect spot at Hollyburn’s first development project, Bridgewater.
Lisa found comfort in Christine, the Resident Manager at Bridgewater, for her knowledge, support, and quick response time, which made this transition more manageable and less intimidating for the whole family.
We interviewed them to find out how they’ve chosen to Make Hollyburn Home.
Hollyburn: What do you like about renting?
Tiago: I really like that we don’t have to worry about maintenance or extra bills, and that we’re not tied down to one location. Being new to the city, it’s nice to have the option to explore other areas if we wanted.
Hollyburn: How long have you been a renter and how long have you rented with Hollyburn?
Lisa: We’ve actually never rented before! We owned a house in England, so it’s been a different experience. We’ve been here for about six months now.
Hollyburn: What’s the biggest myth/idea you want people to know about renting?
Lisa: With us being first-time renters, I like that we can bring small pieces of our family to make the unit feel more like “ours” – for example, we completed a puzzle together as a family, framed it and hung it on the wall in the entryway to remind us of memories from back home, as well as the Lego castle, which I’m super proud of!
Hollyburn: What’s your favourite décor/furniture pieces/feature about your suite?
Lisa: The Lego Castle! And the amazing mountain views and how bright the unit is.
Hollyburn: Have you developed any daily rituals or activities in your apartment?
Lisa: I love to eat dinner with Diogo at the island every night.
Hollyburn: What is your favourite room, space or nook?
Tiago: I like my work station; being in animation school, I spend a lot of time on the computer and being able to have a portable desk and a nook to call my own has been really helpful.
Lisa: I really like that the kitchen is open to the living room, so I can always keep an eye on what Diogo’s up to. I can even see into his bedroom while in the kitchen, so that’s great!
Hollyburn: What’s your staple item every renter should have in their apartment?
Lisa and Tiago together: a coffee maker and a vacuum! Hands down.
Hollyburn: Do you have a best storage tip/hack?
Lisa: Diogo has a high bed so he has room to play and store all his toys underneath. We also have storage boxes under our bed to keep items we don’t use every day.
Hollyburn: What was the most important factor when looking for a place?
Lisa: We wanted to be somewhere close to good schools and activities that has a sense of community and is family friendly. We also didn’t want to be too far from Tiago’s school, VFS.
Hollyburn: Any pleasant surprises?
Tiago: That view!
Hollyburn: How did you find the leasing process?
Lisa: It was so easy! Christine was amazing – so helpful! We only had a few days to find a place so we had to move quickly, but she made the process so straight forward and smooth.
Hollyburn: Do you like your resident managers?
Tiago: Oh, absolutely! We haven’t had any repairs needed, but they’ve been so nice and welcoming. We also got to meet some neighbours at the resident BBQ, so it’s great to get to know other people with children in the building.
Stay tuned for more blog posts just like this one in our #MakeHollyburnYourHome blog series!
If you are a current Hollyburn resident and would like to be featured, please email [email protected].
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