Games Room Properties on the Greater Vancouver MLS®

Check the Games Room Before You Put a Value on It

Games Room on a Greater Vancouver listing can mean a lower level built for the purpose or a garage somebody carpeted, so check the ceiling height, the heating and the permit history before you write an offer.

Measure first. A full-size pool table needs clear cue length on every side, and a low bulkhead or a support post in the middle of the span ends that plan quietly. Look at the ceiling height, the floor covering and where the mechanical room sits. Then look at the windows, because a room without an egress window is not counted as habitable area in most MLS® remarks, which is why the same square footage appears as a games room on one listing and as storage on another.

Ask Whether the Lower Level Was Permitted

Request the permit history for the address. A basement finished without permits can carry undersized headroom, missing insulation or wiring an inspector will flag, and it changes what a lender and an insurer will accept. Ask the listing agent when the work was done and by whom, and have your inspector open a panel rather than admire the finish.

In a condo or townhouse the question changes shape. A shared games room in the building is common property run by the strata, so read the bylaws for hours of use, booking rules and whether the space has been converted since the listing photos were taken.

Budget for What a Games Room Actually Costs

Heating and ventilation come first. A large lower-level room sits below grade on three sides in much of the real estate stock here, and it runs cold and damp without a proper supply and return. Ask what the heating source is and whether the room sits on its own zone. Factor in flooring, lighting and the cost of moving a wall if the layout is wrong. Luxury finishes downstairs rarely return their full cost at resale, so treat the room as space you will enjoy rather than as a line on the property value, and ask your real estate agent what comparable homes with and without one have sold for.