I have bought a rental property and found out that I was losing money every month. It is not a feeling. For a time investors in Vancouvers real estate market could ignore the fact that they were losing money every month because the value of their properties was going up. Those days are over. Now Vancouver investors are looking for properties that will give them an income.
In 2026 the prices of condominiums are down 6.8 percent from year before, and there are a lot of empty apartments so the game has changed. Investors can no longer count on the value of their properties going up to make up for the money they are losing every month.
The focus has shifted from buying and selling properties quickly to holding onto them for a time and getting a steady income from them. In this guide I will show you how to make money from Vancouver estate, where to find properties that will give you a steady income and how to build a portfolio that will make you money from day one.
The Old Vancouver Playbook: Why It No Longer Works
Let me be honest with you the old way of investing in Vancouver estate is not working anymore. For a time investors would buy properties and hope that they would go up in value. They would lose money every month. They would hope that the value of the property would go up and they would make a profit when they sold it..
For a long time this strategy worked. Now the market is different. The average price of a one-bedroom condo in Vancouver is around $708,200.
If you put 20 percent down and get a mortgage with a 4.5 percent interest rate your monthly mortgage payment would be around $3,130. Add to that the cost of maintenance, insurance and other expenses and your total monthly cost would be around $4,007. The average rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Vancouver is around $2,500 per month. So if you bought a condo and rented it out you would lose around $1,507 every month. That is $18,084 per year. In a market where the prices of condos are going down it is not an idea to count on the value of your property going up to make up for the money you are losing.
What Changed? The Market Has Flipped
Several things have happened that have changed the market in Vancouver. First there are a lot of apartments being built. 24,000 New rental units will be available in the next two years. This means that there will be apartments available for rent and the prices will go down. Second fewer people are moving to Vancouver. The population of British Columbia actually went down by 0.2 percent in 2025.
Over 41,000 people left the province. This means that there will be people looking for apartments to rent and the prices will go down. Third the vacancy rate in Vancouver is the highest it has been since 1988. This means that there are a lot of apartments and landlords are having to lower their prices to attract tenants.
The result is that the prices of apartments in Vancouver are going down. The average rent for an apartment in Vancouver has gone down by 9.2 percent from year and it is now around $2,630 per month. This is 16.5 percent lower than it was in January 2023. Landlords are even offering one or two months of rent to attract tenants. As one expert said, “This is a part of the market cycle; it’s not a sign of a weak market. For investors who are looking for a steady income, it means that they need to change their strategy.
Where to Find Cash Flow in Vancouver in 2026
So where can you find properties in Vancouver that will give you an income? The honest answer is that it’s not easy. It’s not impossible either.
Purpose-Built Rental Buildings
If you buy a building with five or more apartments, you can get a kind of financing that will help you get a steady income. The interest rates for these loans are lower. You can pay them back over a longer period of time. This means that your monthly payments will be lower and you will have money left over as income.
Surrey and the Suburbs
If you are willing to look outside of Vancouver, you can find properties that will give you an income. Places like Surrey and Langley have prices and lower expenses so you can get a better return on your investment. You can even add a suite to a house and rent it out to get more income.
Value-Add Multi-Family
If you buy an apartment building and fix it up you can increase the rent and get a better income. There are a lot of buildings in Vancouver that have low rents so if you fix them up and raise the rent you can get a better return on your investment.
Laneway Houses
If you build a laneway house in a neighborhood like Kitsilano you can rent it out for a price. The upfront cost of building the house is high. It will pay for itself over time and then you will get a steady income from it.
The MLI Select Game-Changer
If you are investing in properties with five or more units there is a program that can help you get a better income. Its called MLI Select. It offers low-interest loans with long repayment periods. This means that your monthly payments will be lower and you will have money left over as income.
Sustainable Real Estate Investing: The New Paradigm
The way people invest in estate in Vancouver is changing. Of buying and selling properties quickly investors are now looking for properties that will give them a steady income over a long period of time. They are focusing on the fundamentals of the property like the income and the location instead of just looking at the potential for the value to go up. As one expert said, “It’s all about being disciplined and having expectations”. The investors who will succeed in this market are the ones who are looking for an income and are willing to hold onto their properties for a long time.
The days of buying properties and hoping that they will go up in value are over. Now investors need to focus on finding properties that will give them an income. With the vacancy rate at 3.7 percent and the prices of apartments going down investors need to adapt to the market. There are still opportunities to make money in Vancouver real estate. You just need to know where to look. As one expert said, “The market will go up and down but if you are patient and disciplined you can make a return on your investment”.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Yes,. You need to look in different places and be willing to hold onto your properties for a long time. You can look at family properties, suburban markets and laneway houses.
The vacancy rate in Vancouver is 3.7 percent, which's the highest it has been since 1988.
If you buy a condo and rent it out you can lose around $1,507 per month, which is $18,084 per year.
MLI Select is a program that offers low-interest loans with long repayment periods for properties with five or more units. This means that your monthly payments will be lower and you will have money left over as income.
Yes, the prices of apartments in Vancouver have gone down by 9.2 percent from last year, and they are now around $2,630, per month.
For investors who are looking for a steady income and are willing to hold onto their properties for a long time 2026 can be a good time to invest in Vancouver real estate.. You need to be patient and disciplined and you need to focus on the fundamentals of the property.
Co-Founder & Director
Hafil Perincheeri is an engineer-turned-realtor, investor, and builder based in Calgary, Canada. As Co-Founder and Director of Greencasa, he specializes in home flips, property development, and investment strategies. Since 2019, he has guided clients in home buying, multifamily investing, and financing options like CMHC and MLI Select, ensuring transparent, informed decisions.