I don't understand Vancouver house prices

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Kimmio said:
Not easier to commute if you don't have a car or don't drive. in Edmonton you pretty much have to drive. And in many "winter" cities. I can move wherever I want now...but I wouldn't live there, only visit. In many cases owning and maintaining a car, or here, buying a 3 zone transit pass for the train/ bus just negates the small savings on rent in the outskirts, if one works in the city. I personally have no dream of owning a house, especially not in the suburbs (a downtown condo would be nice) and looking after a yard constantly...that's not something I'd enjoy. I don't necessarily mean gardening, but lawn mowing and weeding is just too much constant work. I'm a city girl through and through, now. I'd like a little place that's my own with some plants on the balcony - otherwise I am happy to rent and do the same (there are benefits to renting) - and have the freedom to move more easily - except not at these prices. They are insane.
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True, the commute usually refers to driving. It is cheaper for many of those who have to drive for work anyway, like Chemguy and those he works with. When they go out to the field they need there trucks with supplies. The bus service for areas that have arrangements with ETS aren't bad for commuting, especially during rush hour. I knew enough students doing that. The savings make up for the extra transportation costs.

I consider the suburbs to be the city, as long as within limits. Here the bus service isn't the greatest but as phases finish there are plans for it to improve. It is possible to have a condo in the suburbs close to the LRT or bigger bus station though, both in Calgary and Edmonton. A transit pass works for the city, no zones. Someone doesn't have to drive in Edmonton, I know many who don't.
 
We were living in a place, pretty much like this, in the same area...unfurnished, this was very close. We had a small outdoor pool at ours, as do many buildings like it in that neighbourhood, which we rarely used, and the converted the main floor apt into an exercise room, which we also rarely used. Now, basically the same but 2 bedroom in different neighbourhood. We paid close to $1300 which got to be too much in our circumstances...it was $1150 when we moved in and both had steady full time jobs and we were doing well...but still too high, realistically, to really enjoy all the amenities around us. They are asking $1600 for that now! Now I am in basically the same type of standard apt, 2 bedrooms for $1300, splitting that cost - in a less nice neighbourhood, so I am no better off now because I am paying that half myself now.

$1600/ mo.... Too much for this, no? Actually ours was a bit nicer and better maintained outside, but inside about the same. They are probably asking $1700 now - after we moved out!
Now you have some idea what people get for their money in Van. Professionals are living in places, only slightly nicer, like this, never mind multimillion dollar houses!


http://vancouver.craigslist.ca/van/apa/5124228451.html
 
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ChemGal said:
True, the commute usually refers to driving. It is cheaper for many of those who have to drive for work anyway, like Chemguy and those he works with. When they go out to the field they need there trucks with supplies. The bus service for areas that have arrangements with ETS aren't bad for commuting, especially during rush hour. I knew enough students doing that. The savings make up for the extra transportation costs.

I consider the suburbs to be the city, as long as within limits. Here the bus service isn't the greatest but as phases finish there are plans for it to improve. It is possible to have a condo in the suburbs close to the LRT or bigger bus station though, both in Calgary and Edmonton. A transit pass works for the city, no zones. Someone doesn't have to drive in Edmonton, I know many who don't.
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One thing about Van is, if you want to get out of town for the day, you can do it by transit. Not really in Edmonton. You have to drive to get to a lake. Not that you'd want transit trains and busses going to lakes, it's just different geography. But here, I can hop on an express transit bus and go to the North Shore and take a ferry to Bowen Island and traipse around, and it doesn't take much longer than by car. and there's plenty of woods and nature even in town so you don't even have to do that...part of the high cost here, but not the whole story.
 
and I'll struggle to stay at this minimum standard of living, I'm ok with it, nothing special but the neighbours are decent people, maybe aim a bit better, as long as it takes because I don't want to live in the DTES, or New Westminster (high crime, esp. near and at transit station), or to be stuck out in Surrey (also high crime, there seems to be a shooting there everyday)...and then have to pay high transit costs anyway. I've always opted for that in a downturn in circumstances, to be house poor, rather than end up in lower circumstances. My rationale is that most people who move to save on rent, esp. getting into the DTES...never leave it. It's a poverty trap. So, it's better to just get by with the stability of being in a clean decent apt and aim for better, than to go there because the rent is cheaper (and not by much anyway).
 
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Interesting observation of subsistence ...

People here are complaining that it costs $2900/month to keep spouse in nursing home leaving them with only $3000/month to live on a preserve their matrimonial home. My concept is that if your spouse is in a home is it not time to break down the old living standard ... sell the home and move into a seniors apt of something similar?

Yet perspective on keeping things the same as when you lived there with children is difficult for some to give up (sacrifice)?

In NB even in senior years if you sell a home for $200K or much more ... how long can you live on that? Though if you have the perspective of eternal life does this screw up perspective of the mortal aspect?

Is logic devious to other perspectives ? From a emotional distance does this appear odd? Is a limited thought like a tight emotion or just mean? Thus tight sects ...
 
$3000/ mo. Sounds like a lot to live on to me, after rent and bills, that is...but not to maintain a house...esp. If there's still mortgage payments...and $2900/ mo... Sounds pretty high too. But I've been pretty poor for a few years, so it's relative. A small house seems like the Taj Mahal to me. ;) It does make more sense to downsize in that case, though. My mom doesn't want to sell their little house, despite that my step dad is 10 yrs older than her - his health is still really good and he's active. But they always have pipes or broken down something to fix. It was built in the 40s or 50s. But gardening and maintaining stuff seems to keep my stepdad young.
 
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Someone in the article says rent prices are a "bargain" now. I call BS on that because landlords (slumlords) can also kick people out for "renovations" i.e. Usually means some leftover paint and replacing old cheap carpet with new cheap carpet or polishing the floor, maybe buying some bargain veneer kitchen cupboards from Home Depot - but not really renovations just cheap little surface fix ups not worth an extra $100/ mo. or $300 in the case of our old place - same age and neighbourhood - and then jack up the rent as high as they can. A very opportunist business here in Vancouver. And everytime someone moves out they can raise the rent ridiculously, too, as much as they can get away with, for the next tenant. I know that in other cities, like Edmonton, the apartments people pay decent chunks of money for here would be considered run down hovels that rent for way less. Unless you know somebody who knows somebody who is leaving a great apartment, it's a really tough renter's market.
 
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Many will kick out a perfectly good tenant for another perfectly good tenant as a way to get more rent...but yeah, the ones who wouldn't pull that are worth their weight in gold. Not all landlords are like that but I have heard several such stories. There are a few notoriously bad management companies I've been told to avoid renting from.
 
Does monis corrupt all go_de things ...

Theme: Be cautious about gods and avoid the thinking devil sos you won't know when you've encountered a ripper ... this non-knowing missal is becoming endemic as it is good for busy Ness .. the modern Go_de!

This goes without saying and is thus part of aus void as poorly understood!
 
Kimmio said:
@Luce NDs I was thinking about aiming for something like this...

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/briti...sq-ft-tiny-house-in-north-vancouver-1.2927417

Or I could save up for this...I'd have to build a chute to get down from the bedroom loft though!:D:eek: And some better hand railing or way to get "upstairs"...it's pretty funny, one has to walk right over the kitchen counter to get up the stairs! Lol.

http://www.vancitybuzz.com/2013/10/25000-vancouver-micro-home/
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Would you call a chute house ... dumpy? A shot in the dark if no lights?
 
Kimmio said:
Someone in the article says rent prices are a "bargain" now. I call BS on that because landlords (slumlords) can also kick people out for "renovations" i.e. Usually means some leftover paint and replacing old cheap carpet with new cheap carpet or polishing the floor, maybe buying some bargain veneer kitchen cupboards from Home Depot - but not really renovations just cheap little surface fix ups not worth an extra $100/ mo. or $300 in the case of our old place - same age and neighbourhood - and then jack up the rent as high as they can. A very opportunist business here in Vancouver. And everytime someone moves out they can raise the rent ridiculously, too, as much as they can get away with, for the next tenant. I know that in other cities, like Edmonton, the apartments people pay decent chunks of money for here would be considered run down hovels that rent for way less. Unless you know somebody who knows somebody who is leaving a great apartment, it's a really tough renter's market.
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What's the vacancy rate there? I know around the time we had moved into our house rents went up, and then they shot up again last summer, Calgary had it worse with the floods. Both Edmonton and Calgary had availability problems, so getting a decent apartment that wasn't expensive was difficult, the vacancy rates were the lowest in the country, Calgary being a bit worse than Edmonton.

There's a bit of a correlation between house prices and rent, but it's not perfect. If we had stayed our lease was going to go up to $1400 and we weren't downtown. I haven't been out to compare, but I wouldn't be surprised if renting in Edmonton is tougher than you think - especially a year ago, I think things are a bit easier now, the vacancy rate has increased again.

Edit - Just saw you did post the vacancy rate, I agree, that would make things tough.
 
Luce NDs said:
Would you call a chute house ... dumpy? A shot in the dark if no lights?
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No, not dumpy. To me as long as it's clean, has no bedbugs (a big problem here in Van - along with low vacancy there's also a site you can look at to determine if a place you are inquiring about has had a problem with bedbugs - could be a reason for vacancy) or other vermin, no black mold, and the plumbing works reasonably well, it's not dumpy...you can make it into home even if it's not chic. So what. A chute house would be pretty cool...one would have to stay very well organized so it doesn't become dumpy though. It's a very good reason, a small space like those, not to accumulate too much stuff!
 
A dark shot out of a Canan would blow the bugs out 've it ...

Even if the bugs were critical thoughts ... a crisis in the domain of emotions ...
 
ChemGal said:
What's the vacancy rate there? I know around the time we had moved into our house rents went up, and then they shot up again last summer, Calgary had it worse with the floods. Both Edmonton and Calgary had availability problems, so getting a decent apartment that wasn't expensive was difficult, the vacancy rates were the lowest in the country, Calgary being a bit worse than Edmonton.

There's a bit of a correlation between house prices and rent, but it's not perfect. If we had stayed our lease was going to go up to $1400 and we weren't downtown. I haven't been out to compare, but I wouldn't be surprised if renting in Edmonton is tougher than you think - especially a year ago, I think things are a bit easier now, the vacancy rate has increased again.

Edit - Just saw you did post the vacancy rate, I agree, that would make things tough.
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Here there is no difference in rents downtown, or other decent areas in the city, as far as rent goes. the further you are from a beach, not view but walking distance (doesn't matter if you face the beach or the alley the rents are still high), it seems to me, is a determining factor (right now I am not close to a beach and it is a tiny bit cheaper - a bit more space for the same $ - maybe apartments like the one I am in are bigger inside by a few feet), but Van is surrounded by beaches, so that usually means moving way out of town to get a noticeable break on rent...but if you take transit, as so many do, the transit fees eat up rent savings, and time, significantly. And if you're driving, the parking is limited in town and prices are outrageous.... so no savings anyway.
 
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oh, and they are building higher and higher, but the higher you are, you might pay more and more. I guess the view justifies it. We were on the 3rd floor of a tall building, and our view was trees. It was nice, kind of like being at a lake house - felt less like being right downtown, a tiny reprieve - but other than in winter, could not see across the street, and still paid $1300. Like I said, it's probably way higher now than 6 months ago, after we moved out.
 
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