$799,000 GREY SUITE-ARB

1291 Marlene Rd, Roberts Creek

4 bd · 2.0 ba · 2,200 sqft · 18,700 sqft lot · built 1971 · 2 DOM · MLS R3171606

Waterfront Oil-tank era

Redfin ↗

Listing: Redfin search · fetched 2026-10-03T07:15

Description

RARE opportunity to own a side-by-side DUPLEX in sought after Roberts Creek. Live on one side, and rent the 2-bedroom on the other side! The main level has a spacious living room, which flows into the dining and kitchen area. Upstairs you will find two bedrooms, both with vaulted ceilings. This sprawling 18,700sqft lot sits on the back side of Beach Avenue, just a short walk to the waterfront, and shops in Roberts Creek. Renovate to your taste, and enjoy living in this picturesque community for years to come. Opportunities like this seldom come to market.

From listing remarks (RE/MAX City Realty)

Rating 18 /100

Equity	1.3/40	-84,328 vs limit (-9.3% of ARV)
Cash flow	0/30	-918/mo
Suite-arb	15.0/15	add-a-suite opportunity, unpriced
Motivation	2.2/15	2d on market, 1 cut(s)

Offer case

Price can't fix this. rent test — needs 3,629/mo vs 3,450 estimated. Price cannot fix this; only higher rent (a suite) or a lower ARV would.

EVIDENCE

Coast-wide, homes sell at 97.7% of list — a 2.3% discount is simply normal here.
Only 2 days on market — too fresh for a big discount.
1 price cut(s) already — the seller has shown they will move.
Already asking below the $732/sqft local sold level — little room to push.

Support score 0.0 — evidence weight that this seller would entertain the discount. Not a prediction; a checklist with numbers.

The four tests

Equity — FAIL

(price + $40,000 reno + PTT+legal closing) <= 85% x ARV

all-in = $799,000 + $40,000 + $16,480 = $855,480 ARV = $907,238 → limit = 85% × ARV = $771,152 margin = $-84,328 · at band low ($801,394): $-174,295 — GREEN needs this ≥ 0

Rent — FAIL

est. rent >= 0.40% x ARV

est. rent = $3,450/mo (whole house (4bd) $3,450) floor = 0.4% × ARV $907,238 = $3,629/mo rents table: Roberts Creek · as of 2026-08-02

Cash flow — FAIL

rent - carrying >= -800/mo (PM-managed, typical rent, at ask)

payment $3,201 (loan $639,200 @ 4.4%/30y) + tax $318 (mls) + ins $158 + maint $172 + vac $207 + PM $310 carrying = $4,368/mo · rent $3,450 → cash flow = $-918/mo (floor $-800)

Suite-arb — PASS

zone permits suite AND sqft >= 1,900 AND no suite language AND $/sqft < community median

zone R1 suite:yes · sqft 2,200 (min 1,900) suite language: no · $/sqft 363 vs median 498

Scored 2026-10-03T07:17 · thresholds from criteria.yaml

Cash-flow scenarios $/mo · hover a cell for carrying cost

Price	$3,450 typical self-managed	$3,450 typical PM	$4,000 high self-managed	$4,000 high PM
$799,000	−$607	−$918	−$118	−$478
$759,050 −5.0%	−$447	−$758	+$42	−$318
$731,085 −8.5%	−$335	−$646	+$154	−$206

Rents: rents.yaml as of 2026-08-02 · financing from criteria.yaml

Comps & ARV

ARV $907,238 range $801,394 – $1,154,857 (about half of comparable sales landed inside this band)
median $/sqft of 12 renovated size-matched sales (12 priced from list × measured sale ratio — ~3y registration lag), blended 70%/30% with assessed × 1.03 (sale/assessed, renovated) · confidence medium ($/sqft used: 433)

Cross-check: comps say $952,600, BC Assessment × sale ratio says $801,394 (+19% apart)

Sold	Dist	Sqft	Price	$/sqft	Date	Reno
4598 Whitaker Rd	4.88 km	1,707	~$712,845	418	2026-02-03	✓
4967 Laurel Ave	5.72 km	2,039	~$820,162	402	2026-02-23	✓
962 Cemetery Rd	9.89 km	1,916	~$1,049,738	548	2025-11-28	✓
5833 Heron Pl	10.08 km	1,915	~$829,927	433	2025-11-10	✓
143 Pratt Rd	10.36 km	2,223	~$795,848	358	2025-11-05	✓
6242 Norwest Bay Rd	10.46 km	1,707	~$671,344	393	2025-10-19	✓
6355 Baillie Rd	10.67 km	2,288	~$1,220,625	533	2026-01-22	✓
522 Eaglecrest Dr	10.81 km	2,375	~$1,171,799	493	2026-01-09	✓
~ = final list price × measured sale ratio (BC title registration lags ~3 years, so recent solds have no registered price; the proxy is within ~2% of the registered price when both exist)

Solds from Redfin sold-search + public-records sale prices (belowTheFold)

Price & sale history

Seller basis: $56,000, 1987-03-30 — asking +1326.8%

2026-10-02	relist	time-on-market reset — relisted
2026-10-02	price_cut	849000 → 799000 -5.9%
2026-08-03	new	849000 first seen at $849,000
2026-10-01	Listed	$799,000 GVR
1987-03-30	Sold (Public Records)	$56,000 Public Records
1980-02-15	Sold (Public Records)	$51,500 Public Records

History: Redfin belowTheFold · fetched 2026-10-03T07:15 · events observed by Coastwatch

Zoning & land

R1 — Residential One suite OK

Single-unit dwelling zone in all three bylaws, but the suite path differs. Areas B/D/E/F: suite permitted on any parcel EXCEPT inside an SCRD wastewater service area — check that first, it is the one thing that kills it outright. Also an auxiliary dwelling unit over 2000 m2 and a second single-unit dwelling over 3500 m2. Area A: no general suite right at all; an auxiliary dwelling unit needs over 2000 m2, a second dwelling needs 4000 m2. Sechelt R-1: secondary suite is a listed accessory use, plus a detached accessory dwelling unit at 2000 m2 and up (unsewered large-lot zone). [Bylaw 722.9 s.5.1.1(h), s.5.24.1, s.7.1.2; Bylaw 337 s.601.1; Bylaw 580 s.1.1.2-1.1.3]

PID	007-143-079
Parcel	1291 MARLENE RD (SCRD)
Wastewater	none mapped — septic likely (no suite carve-out)
Water	Chapman system
Fire protection	Roberts Creek FPA
Bylaw	https://www.scrd.ca/zoning-bylaws/

SCRD Planning_ZoningLanduse · fetched 2026-10-02T13:16 · meanings from zoning_rules.yaml (verify before relying)

Assessment

Assessed total	$803,000
Land / improvements	$645,000 / $158,000 (80% land — the higher, the more the value is in the dirt)
Assessed / ask	1.01 asking under assessment
BCA folio	746.02453.110

BC Assessment via SCRD parcel layer · fetched 2026-10-02T13:16

Open questions

Confirm suite legality with the planning department — zone says yes, verify parcel specifics (parking, servicing, floor-area cap).
Built 1971 — oil-tank era. Ask for a tank scan or decommissioning certificate.