Mayor, family turn profit on sale of townhouse
Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson and his family have made at least $223,000 with the quick sale of a townhouse in a “very hot” Kitsilano real estate market.
Robertson and his wife Amy, who separated last year, bought their 1645 Stephens Street townhouse in September 2013 for just under $1.6 million, property records show.
Robertson moved out of the townhouse last year around the time news of his separation was reported. The townhouse is steps away from the new traffic-calmed Point Grey Road bike lane, a controversial development which Robertson did not vote on, out of an abundance of caution, according to city lawyers.
After several weeks on the market, the Robertson townhouse has just sold for more than its $1.8 million asking price, realtor David Tung confirmed.
In a brief phone call Wednesday, Tung said he could not specifically say what the property sold for.
He was asked if the Kitsilano market would support sale prices of several hundred thousand over asking prices, currently.
“The market is very hot, yes,” Tung said. “I don’t really want to talk about this property, so thanks for calling.”
Robertson is reportedly looking for a new home now, after moving into a “downtown” condo last summer. Since separating from his wife, Robertson has entered a relationship with Chinese pop star Wanting Qu.
Property records show that Wanting Qu owns a condo in Mount Pleasant that was purchased for about $1.3 million in January 2012.
Little is known about the Qu and Robertson relationship, besides the “tweets” and “selfies” the pair issue on social media, and documentation of his office’s outreach to her.
Internal documents obtained under freedom of information law show that Robertson’s staff reached out to Wanting Qu in October 2012, as the mayor launched an international publicity campaign about his joining China’s Weibo platform.
In emails between Robertson staffer Lara Honrado, chief of staff Mike Magee, and Beijing consultant Joanna Wong, plans and reaction on Robertson’s Weibo launch are discussed.
Under the heading “Outreach to Wanting,” Wong wrote to Honrado saying: “Very few people on Weibo have as many followers as Wanting (500,000 fans). This is our best chance at trending, especially if she includes (Robertson’s) relationship to Bethune. As Mayor Robertson and (Nettwerk Music CEO) Terry McBride have worked together in the past, would you like to put in a direct call to his office re: a strategic Weibo tweet?”
After Robertson’s Weibo launch, Honrado wrote to Mike Magee and Robertson staffers Kevin Quinlan and Braeden Caley, saying Robertson had reached 20,000 followers on Weibo in less than two days.
“This must be some kind of record for a Canadian politician,” Honrado wrote.
“Fantastic news coverage today too,” Magee replied. “Front page of 24 (Hours)?”