The value is in the land. Betty reads it first.
Land is patient. Decisions aren't. Betty helps you see the whole picture before you commit a dollar. Zoning and land value, read early. For owners, buyers and small-scale builders.
Who this is for
Property owners
Wondering whether your lot is worth more than the house on it.
Residential buyers
Weighing what you are paying for the land, not just the building.
Investors
Testing whether a site's numbers hold up before you commit.
Small-scale developers
Infill, multiplex and laneway projects that live or die on the details.
Three pillars
What the lot allows
How much floor area and how many homes the current zoning permits, and what that is worth against the house standing there now.
The approval pathway
Reading the bylaw and the official community plan, so you know what approval would involve before you commit capital.
The right people at the table
Introductions to architects, planners, surveyors and lawyers, and a check that everyone is working from the same facts.
How Betty reads a site
Since 2024, BC’s Bill 44 and Vancouver’s R1-1 zoning have allowed three to six homes on many lots that still hold one. On a lot like this the zoning often permits a second home at the rear, floor area the listing price ignores.
Every lot is read on its own facts
- What a property is
- What the lot allows
- What it could become
What you receive
Preliminary zoning review
What the zoning permits, and the policies that may change it.
Highest-and-best-use assessment
What the land should become: the most defensible view, not the most optimistic.
Development constraints
Setbacks, easements, lot geometry, trees and access.
Density and massing
How much floor area is realistic, and what form it would take.
Consultant coordination
Architects, planners, surveyors and lawyers, all pointed at the same question.
Cost, timing and risk notes
Order-of-magnitude figures and the approval timeline to plan around.
Recommended next steps
What to confirm next, in the order that matters.
These observations are preliminary, to help you decide whether a property is worth pursuing. Formal architectural, legal, planning, engineering and financial advice comes from licensed professionals, and Betty will help you assemble that team.