Housing: Seasonal rentals, AirBNB and leases

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A neighbour has been contemplating selling his house for over a year. Last week a man banged on his door and asked if he was interested in selling any time? My neighbour sold his house right away for more than he expected, has purchased a condo and will be moving within a few weeks!

We got our acreage that way too. Looked at maps of a suitable area that had the feature we wanted - a river. Found a bit of land with a river and a creek. I dared hubby to phone the owner and ask if he was considering selling. Turned out he had given up hope of anyone buying it and said we could have it at the price he listed it at ten years earlier. So we paid a fraction of the going rate!
 
Sigh. This is so overpriced it's despicable, imo. It is less than half as nice as the little studio cabin and lovely yard/ garden I just left, for 2.5x the rent! And it's only available for 3 months. Yes, it has a yard, but it's nothing great.

My place was affordable, but $800 wasn't nothing either, for a tiny place. It cost what it should cost. Even $800 is high, probably a 200% profit, because the renos have probably been well paid off by now, and it's mainly utilities being covered, but you won't get better than that.

$2,100 · Cadboro Bay Studio
 
Rents in my area are quite astronomical too - high demand, low supply. I imagine it would get discouraging to be looking for a new place. My son & gf live in a big older building out in the east end of Toronto - she's been there a long time, so rent is reasonable. They looked last fall at possibly moving & decided it was much more economical to stay put - rents were not much better for a much smaller place, plus all the moving costs.

And we're always getting real estate flyers in the mailbox - so they can tear down yet another single family home & put to semi's to sell for over a million bucks each! It's ridiculous around here.
 
My daughter has had three different apartments in Toronto since she was a u of t student. All west of spadina south of Bloor. All were what to me is a student slum. All were shared with three or four friends. In each case they were in a bidding war, like with buying a house. In each case they overbid to get the spot

At times we would arrive to see a place and 20 or so others were looking

The scarcity of places is astonishing. Hence the cost. Last week she saw a nicely renovated one bedroom basement. $1800 plus utilities. No laundry or parking. Yikes
 
Lastpointe said:
My daughter has had three different apartments in Toronto since she was a u of t student. All west of spadina south of Bloor. All were what to me is a student slum. All were shared with three or four friends. In each case they were in a bidding war, like with buying a house. In each case they overbid to get the spot

At times we would arrive to see a place and 20 or so others were looking

The scarcity of places is astonishing. Hence the cost. Last week she saw a nicely renovated one bedroom basement. $1800 plus utilities. No laundry or parking. Yikes
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In a world-class city like Toronto, people should expect to pay world-class rent. While it makes some degree of sense, due to all that the city offers, it is also unfortunate as it means many can not live well here. There is some government-subsidized housing available, but there is a long waiting list to get in.
 
Slumming it with a bunch of students was fun for a little while but I've matured and I value my sanity.

I'd really like a quiet, easy going, introverted roommate. Extroverts, in my experience, are a pain to live with because they've always got ten million things going on, and are often noisy by nature (always on the phone, always making plans, always barging in to ask a question, always having people over with no notice, always gossiping with the neighbours) - and living with introverts annoys them, too.

I used to have a roommate who would vacuum at 8 am on a Saturday, and (the rest is a bit exaggerated) she'd already have changed her tires, changed the neighbours tires vacuumed the neighbours house, gone for lunch with friends, organized a neighbourhood watch program, talked to 10 people on the phone, had a couple of people, over for coffee, had a painting estimate done, received 10 loud faxes, sang songs out loud to her dog...all before supper. Then had people over for drinks. Exhausting just to be around that for long. And she finds introverts exhausting to be around for long. It's important to learn that about yourself or living with others can be hellish.
 
Jae said:
In a world-class city like Toronto, people should expect to pay world-class rent. While it makes some degree of sense, due to all that the city offers, it is also unfortunate as it means many can not live well here. There is some government-subsidized housing available, but there is a long waiting list to get in.
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I live in a world class city too - it's the 3rd most expensive in Canada. Toronto is the second most, Vancouver is the most expensive.

But this city is my hometown - I suppose I maybe feel too "entitled" to find an affordable little place to rent here?
 
Kimmio said:
Slumming it with a bunch of students was fun for a little while but I've matured and I value my sanity.

I'd really like a quiet, easy going, introverted roommate. Extroverts, in my experience, are a pain to live with because they've always got ten million things going on, and are often noisy by nature (always on the phone, always making plans, always barging in to ask a question, always having people over with no notice, always gossiping with the neighbours) - and living with introverts annoys them, too.

I used to have a roommate who would vacuum at 8 am on a Saturday, and (the rest is a bit exaggerated) she'd already have changed her tires, changed the neighbours tires vacuumed the neighbours house, gone for lunch with friends, organized a neighbourhood watch program, talked to 10 people on the phone, had a couple of people, over for coffee, had a painting estimate done, received 10 loud faxes, sang songs out loud to her dog...all before supper. Then had people over for drinks. Exhausting just to be around that for long. And she finds introverts exhausting to be around for long. It's important to learn that about yourself or living with others can be hellish.
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Life with an extrovert can be interesting, that's for sure.
 
Jae said:
Life with an extrovert can be interesting, that's for sure.
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In my 20s it was interesting. Now, less so. I would like to find a middle aged female bookworm to room with. Maybe a retired librarian who's a writer, who isn't particularly materialistic or after a fancy home, and lives a modest lifestyle.
 
I'm pretty sure there must be women in a similar position to me out there. In a transitional phase in life, maybe single or divorced and retiring on a modest pension. Maybe a bit older or younger - but with housing being what it is - meeting with potential roommates for coffee, might be a good option.
 
Kimmio said:
In my 20s it was interesting. Now, less so. I would like to find a middle aged female bookworm to room with. Maybe a retired librarian who's a writer, who isn't particularly materialistic or after a fancy home, and lives a modest lifestyle.
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Why necessarily female?
 
I would just be more comfortable with that. No need to explain. It's going to be my home - not work - where I need to be able to relax and feel safe - that's a personal life choice, so I can discriminate in that regard.

In the past I have had male roommates. I prefer to live with a female unless I was in a coupled relationship.
 
I think sometimes places get rented just by word of mouth. At least that is often the case with my dtr in Whistler - they put the word out when they're looking for a roomie (fb sometimes) and friends recommend friends. Anything like that around you Kimmio? Maybe through church?
 
Carolla said:
I think sometimes places get rented just by word of mouth. At least that is often the case with my dtr in Whistler - they put the word out when they're looking for a roomie (fb sometimes) and friends recommend friends. Anything like that around you Kimmio? Maybe through church?
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Oh, my church friends all know! I'm going on a weekend retreat in a couple of weeks (someone donated their fee because they can't go.) I'm going to be rooming for the weekend with a woman I don't know yet...I think my pastor who organized the retreat, might be trying to do roommate matchmaking with us. She definitely does friend matchmaking with newcomers, and she's good at it. Lol. She has a gift for it. The woman I will be rooming with on the retreat, has to move pretty soon too, I think. We'll see. Maybe that'll work out.
 
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And I hope I can go. But between laying (lying around (n) my grammar is failing me) around here, and laying around somewhere else, I might as well have a change of scenery. Workshops are optional. I'm...so...bored! 2 more weeks and I hope this brace can come off! I digress, but I wish I 'could' pound the pavement and go around looking for places.
 
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Writing and sketching interest me...looking at places interests me, reading interests me, watching Netflix interests me, being on WC2 interest me, getting into a more regular work routine interests me (a little bit, I kinda need the money)...but summer's upon us here and I want to be out more. Not necessarily busy, or socializing lots, just out and about on my own, checking out the scenery.

Really, I spend most of the day in/ on my bed with my leg up. Tired of these four walls (technically 5, there's a nook with a dresser in it).
 
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IMG_0074.jpg I also like to spend time playing on the interior design app but I forgot about it for awhile (they changed it and made it so you have to pay if you want the 'premium' design tools and templates. The designs almost look real. I made this one...now if I could only move in! I might have to rethink the loft bed, though.
 
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Kimmio said:
View attachment 1452 I also like to spend time playing on the interior design app but I forgot about it for awhile (they changed it and made it so you have to pay if you want the 'premium' design tools and templates. The designs almost look real. I made this one...now if I could only move in! I might have to rethink the loft bed, though.
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Better? It's very late 80s/ early 90s, except for the TV and phone. Lol. Oh, wait...I forgot to delete the ladder. Oops.

Anyway. I have to look at real places...
 
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