Vancouver Condo Developer Floats Test Drive Units

In Canada’s current glut of condos, a developer is leaning into experience as incentive and inviting buyers to move in for a weekend before they commit.

Vancouver-based Wesgroup Properties is offering prospective buyers at its Ace On The Drive project the chance to spend a free weekend living in a unit, part of a “Try Before You Buy” program aimed at jumpstarting interest in a sluggish presale and new-construction market. Canada’s National Post reported that the 6-story, 61-unit building includes one-, two- and three-bedroom condos.

Buyers prequalified for a mortgage can apply to stay in furnished one- or three-bedroom units, complete with curated neighborhood guides and gift certificates to nearby cafes, bars and restaurants, according to the outlet.

The strategy is part of a reaction to mounting pressure on developers across the Vancouver metro, where thousands of completed condos remain unsold.

Sales volume plunged well below historical norms, with just 5,822 presale units sold in 2025 compared to a 10-year annual average. The annual average of presale condos sold in Metro Vancouver was 15,123 for the past decade, or an almost 62 percent decline from the 10-year average. The previous low of 7,722 units was set in 2019, according to the publication, and there are currently an estimated 3,400 unsold units on the market.

The market has pushed developers to deploy more creative incentives. Industry observers describe an “arms race” among developers, with offerings ranging from cash credits and low deposits to giveaways like cars, bikes and even lottery-style penthouse upgrades, according to the outlet.

— Eric Weilbacher