With the 2010 Winter Games a bit more than a year away, many buildings are rising in and around Vancouver, each crowned by a slender crane that hoists construction materials to the top. Some of these new buildings will be condominiums, and a significant number of them will be owned by those who plan to use them as second homes.
Those involved in local real estate estimate that about 20 percent of those second-home buyers will be Americans. “We’re really livable, which is why America likes us,” said Bob Rennie, whose company, Rennie Marketing Systems, promotes several developments in Vancouver.
There has been a lot of construction going on in Vancouver in preparation for the Games — and beyond. After the Winter Games, the 16-building Olympic Village, which will house about 2,800 athletes, is to be converted into a 730-unit luxury condominium complex called Millennium Water. About half the units have already been sold, Mr. Rennie said.
