A conversation split from Vancouver housing costs thread.
May 10th 2016, 9:28 pm
#1
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A conversation split from Vancouver housing costs thread.
But the jobs tend not to be in the smaller communities unless well skilled like yourself.
Take a couple like us, where the housing is within our reach there is high unemployment and very limited jobs and most of the towns not within commuting distance of a larger city.
Public transit is poor in much of Canada as well and BC has horrible transit once out of Vancouver and very time consuming.
Its not reasonable to commute on transit 2 or 3 hours one way and require at minimim 2 buses and a sky train.
That is how long it takes to get to Vancouver from this area on transit.
Its also pricey at 100 a month for the BC Transit portion and 170 a month for the translink portion. 2 seperate transit systems so need 2 seperate passes.
Living further from work and spending more time commuting is the opposite of what we should be encouraging.
But now there really is no affordable city with commute of Vancouver so its really a moot point anyhow.
Sometimes there is simply no way to housing and owning regardless of the will. If the areas with the affordable housing lack jobs they have to be taken out of consideration.
Those without high demand skills dont have mobility mentioned.
Unfortunantly its difficult to obtain skills training in BC due to high cost of tuition and lack of programs outside of Vancouver.
BC is too Vancouver centric.
Take a couple like us, where the housing is within our reach there is high unemployment and very limited jobs and most of the towns not within commuting distance of a larger city.
Public transit is poor in much of Canada as well and BC has horrible transit once out of Vancouver and very time consuming.
Its not reasonable to commute on transit 2 or 3 hours one way and require at minimim 2 buses and a sky train.
That is how long it takes to get to Vancouver from this area on transit.
Its also pricey at 100 a month for the BC Transit portion and 170 a month for the translink portion. 2 seperate transit systems so need 2 seperate passes.
Living further from work and spending more time commuting is the opposite of what we should be encouraging.
But now there really is no affordable city with commute of Vancouver so its really a moot point anyhow.
Sometimes there is simply no way to housing and owning regardless of the will. If the areas with the affordable housing lack jobs they have to be taken out of consideration.
Those without high demand skills dont have mobility mentioned.
Unfortunantly its difficult to obtain skills training in BC due to high cost of tuition and lack of programs outside of Vancouver.
BC is too Vancouver centric.
Is that everywhere or just major cities- Vancouver, Toronto, London, New York etc?. If it is the latter then the hard fact is then is to look for work outside these areas or commute in. It was like that for my parents, commuting into London a good few years ago now. Mobility has improved, public transport has also improved over the years too. Where there is a will, there is a way.
Last edited by scrubbedexpat091; May 10th 2016 at 9:34 pm.
May 10th 2016, 10:07 pm
#2
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A conversation split from Vancouver housing costs thread.
No doubt some over spend. But there are a great many who spend nothing but what they need like housing and food and basic clothing and such.
Hard to save for retirement if ones rent is 50% of their income and they are already in a low rent for the region housing.
Sometimes its simply not possible to save with every dollar in going out on essentials.
We went to a financial advisor and other then reducing rent she could not find anywhere else to cut as were were spending below average amounts on food and everything else.
No fancy phones here, no vacations, no fancy clothes. But housing eats up 40% of income alone. And we rented the lowest priced place we could find.
Hard to save for retirement if ones rent is 50% of their income and they are already in a low rent for the region housing.
Sometimes its simply not possible to save with every dollar in going out on essentials.
We went to a financial advisor and other then reducing rent she could not find anywhere else to cut as were were spending below average amounts on food and everything else.
No fancy phones here, no vacations, no fancy clothes. But housing eats up 40% of income alone. And we rented the lowest priced place we could find.
I believe that I am paying for my government pension in Canada. Am I wrong?
I plan to have a great retirement because I live within my means and I am putting lots into various retirement plans. I see a vast cross section of the finances of Calgary's population. I never cease to be horrified by how many have so little put away for their retirement. It seems that many prefer to spend all they have now, and then some, to keep up with the Joneses. No doubt, when their retirement comes around, they will be bitching about how the "government" should assist them. They won't look in the mirror when they are asked why they are in the position they are in.
I plan to have a great retirement because I live within my means and I am putting lots into various retirement plans. I see a vast cross section of the finances of Calgary's population. I never cease to be horrified by how many have so little put away for their retirement. It seems that many prefer to spend all they have now, and then some, to keep up with the Joneses. No doubt, when their retirement comes around, they will be bitching about how the "government" should assist them. They won't look in the mirror when they are asked why they are in the position they are in.
Last edited by scrubbedexpat091; May 10th 2016 at 10:10 pm.
May 10th 2016, 10:19 pm
#3
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Re: misery at Vancouver housing cost?
Most current monthly stats for Chilliwack.
530 sales for April, up 89% over previous year.
Sales by dollar volume up 132%.
Average home prices on annual month to month basis up 20%.
Highest number of homes sold were in the 400 to 599k range.
Of the 530 sales, most were sigle family homes and town houses, folowed by 54 apartments.
Inventory remains low. Realtors report bidding wars and going above asking price and being bought sight unseen.
Hot market largely created by overflow from Vancouver and western burbs becoming unaffordable and Chilliwack being the last affordable city within commute of Vancouver and along the Hwy 1.
Investors are also buying in the market.
http://www.chilliwacktimes.com/news/378713651.html?mobile=true
530 sales for April, up 89% over previous year.
Sales by dollar volume up 132%.
Average home prices on annual month to month basis up 20%.
Highest number of homes sold were in the 400 to 599k range.
Of the 530 sales, most were sigle family homes and town houses, folowed by 54 apartments.
Inventory remains low. Realtors report bidding wars and going above asking price and being bought sight unseen.
Hot market largely created by overflow from Vancouver and western burbs becoming unaffordable and Chilliwack being the last affordable city within commute of Vancouver and along the Hwy 1.
Investors are also buying in the market.
http://www.chilliwacktimes.com/news/378713651.html?mobile=true
May 10th 2016, 10:30 pm
#4
I need a walk
Joined: Mar 2014
Location: Okanagan
Posts: 4,899
Re: misery at Vancouver housing cost?
But the jobs tend not to be in the smaller communities unless well skilled like yourself.
Take a couple like us, where the housing is within our reach there is high unemployment and very limited jobs and most of the towns not within commuting distance of a larger city.
Public transit is poor in much of Canada as well and BC has horrible transit once out of Vancouver and very time consuming.
Its not reasonable to commute on transit 2 or 3 hours one way and require at minimim 2 buses and a sky train.
That is how long it takes to get to Vancouver from this area on transit.
Its also pricey at 100 a month for the BC Transit portion and 170 a month for the translink portion. 2 seperate transit systems so need 2 seperate passes.
Living further from work and spending more time commuting is the opposite of what we should be encouraging.
But now there really is no affordable city with commute of Vancouver so its really a moot point anyhow.
Sometimes there is simply no way to housing and owning regardless of the will. If the areas with the affordable housing lack jobs they have to be taken out of consideration.
Those without high demand skills dont have mobility mentioned.
Unfortunantly its difficult to obtain skills training in BC due to high cost of tuition and lack of programs outside of Vancouver.
BC is too Vancouver centric.
Take a couple like us, where the housing is within our reach there is high unemployment and very limited jobs and most of the towns not within commuting distance of a larger city.
Public transit is poor in much of Canada as well and BC has horrible transit once out of Vancouver and very time consuming.
Its not reasonable to commute on transit 2 or 3 hours one way and require at minimim 2 buses and a sky train.
That is how long it takes to get to Vancouver from this area on transit.
Its also pricey at 100 a month for the BC Transit portion and 170 a month for the translink portion. 2 seperate transit systems so need 2 seperate passes.
Living further from work and spending more time commuting is the opposite of what we should be encouraging.
But now there really is no affordable city with commute of Vancouver so its really a moot point anyhow.
Sometimes there is simply no way to housing and owning regardless of the will. If the areas with the affordable housing lack jobs they have to be taken out of consideration.
Those without high demand skills dont have mobility mentioned.
Unfortunantly its difficult to obtain skills training in BC due to high cost of tuition and lack of programs outside of Vancouver.
BC is too Vancouver centric.
Last edited by Stinkypup; May 10th 2016 at 10:38 pm.
May 10th 2016, 11:34 pm
#5
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Re: misery at Vancouver housing cost?
If the link works, it will show how little housing there is in our price range that is pet friendly. In the City of Vancouver.
http://vancouver.craigslist.ca/searc...800&pets_dog=1
Last edited by scrubbedexpat091; May 10th 2016 at 11:41 pm.
May 10th 2016, 11:58 pm
#6
I need a walk
Joined: Mar 2014
Location: Okanagan
Posts: 4,899
Re: misery at Vancouver housing cost?
Part of the issue, no doubt there, I am the first to admit that. My brain has always worked like this, it's just how the thoughts are formed.
If the link works, it will show how little housing there is in our price range that is pet friendly. In the City of Vancouver.
vancouver, BC apts/housing for rent - craigslist
If the link works, it will show how little housing there is in our price range that is pet friendly. In the City of Vancouver.
vancouver, BC apts/housing for rent - craigslist
May 11th 2016, 2:58 am
#7
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Re: misery at Vancouver housing cost?
I mentioned Vancouver as its one of the few places where one can get the appropriate treatment for borderline and covered by MSP, and not necessarily living there for life. Just the hurdle that prevents us from living there which prevents me from treatment, and also from having a job in something I would enjoy like working at the airport.
We have moved to Chilliwack, but now the cost of housing has gone insane out there, so we are back to the same issue.
Kamloops and Kelowna don't look much if any cheaper, and Victoria on the island is pricey, and places like Campbell River too isolated and limited employment and housing to buy isn't exactly low cost either.
In fact except in high unemployment areas or small towns that are somewhat isolated, I can't think of anywhere in BC that offers a decent living with affordable housing that isn't isolated in the north, or in the interior.
I am not a rural living person, I need to have modern amenities and decent transit as I no longer personally drive, and I can't continue being stuck at home 8-10 hours a day and wait for my wife to drive me somewhere, but transit sucks in the smaller communities.
Because of disability we like many are tied to BC, since the moment one leaves BC, disability support ends.
Other provinces tend to offer far less as well to the disabled, so our life isn't actually likely to improve in another province as as far as I can tell from the gov't websites, BC has the best supports.
We have moved to Chilliwack, but now the cost of housing has gone insane out there, so we are back to the same issue.
Kamloops and Kelowna don't look much if any cheaper, and Victoria on the island is pricey, and places like Campbell River too isolated and limited employment and housing to buy isn't exactly low cost either.
In fact except in high unemployment areas or small towns that are somewhat isolated, I can't think of anywhere in BC that offers a decent living with affordable housing that isn't isolated in the north, or in the interior.
I am not a rural living person, I need to have modern amenities and decent transit as I no longer personally drive, and I can't continue being stuck at home 8-10 hours a day and wait for my wife to drive me somewhere, but transit sucks in the smaller communities.
Because of disability we like many are tied to BC, since the moment one leaves BC, disability support ends.
Other provinces tend to offer far less as well to the disabled, so our life isn't actually likely to improve in another province as as far as I can tell from the gov't websites, BC has the best supports.
So Vancouver is out of yours and a lot of other peoples price range JS, and incidentally mine as well. I get that- advice that we repeatedly give to newbies on the forum, therefore people do have to look further afield. This has been suggested to you before I believe..
May 11th 2016, 3:02 am
#8
I need a walk
Joined: Mar 2014
Location: Okanagan
Posts: 4,899
Re: misery at Vancouver housing cost?
I mentioned Vancouver as its one of the few places where one can get the appropriate treatment for borderline and covered by MSP, and not necessarily living there for life. Just the hurdle that prevents us from living there which prevents me from treatment, and also from having a job in something I would enjoy like working at the airport.
We have moved to Chilliwack, but now the cost of housing has gone insane out there, so we are back to the same issue.
Kamloops and Kelowna don't look much if any cheaper, and Victoria on the island is pricey, and places like Campbell River too isolated and limited employment and housing to buy isn't exactly low cost either.
In fact except in high unemployment areas or small towns that are somewhat isolated, I can't think of anywhere in BC that offers a decent living with affordable housing that isn't isolated in the north, or in the interior.
I am not a rural living person, I need to have modern amenities and decent transit as I no longer personally drive, and I can't continue being stuck at home 8-10 hours a day and wait for my wife to drive me somewhere, but transit sucks in the smaller communities.
Because of disability we like many are tied to BC, since the moment one leaves BC, disability support ends.
Other provinces tend to offer far less as well to the disabled, so our life isn't actually likely to improve in another province as as far as I can tell from the gov't websites, BC has the best supports.
We have moved to Chilliwack, but now the cost of housing has gone insane out there, so we are back to the same issue.
Kamloops and Kelowna don't look much if any cheaper, and Victoria on the island is pricey, and places like Campbell River too isolated and limited employment and housing to buy isn't exactly low cost either.
In fact except in high unemployment areas or small towns that are somewhat isolated, I can't think of anywhere in BC that offers a decent living with affordable housing that isn't isolated in the north, or in the interior.
I am not a rural living person, I need to have modern amenities and decent transit as I no longer personally drive, and I can't continue being stuck at home 8-10 hours a day and wait for my wife to drive me somewhere, but transit sucks in the smaller communities.
Because of disability we like many are tied to BC, since the moment one leaves BC, disability support ends.
Other provinces tend to offer far less as well to the disabled, so our life isn't actually likely to improve in another province as as far as I can tell from the gov't websites, BC has the best supports.
May 11th 2016, 3:09 am
#9
Pea Brain
Joined: Jun 2005
Location: TBD
Posts: 6,005
Re: misery at Vancouver housing cost?
Jsmth321: Housing here starts at well under $100k for a studio apartment, and $200k would get you 2 bedrooms. Plenty of $15p/hr+ jobs available. Enjoy all the resort amenities, walk to work and continue to access BC's health care.
If you worry about a roof over your head, the rising cost of rent, and finding reasonably paid work, you could do a lot worse.
If you worry about a roof over your head, the rising cost of rent, and finding reasonably paid work, you could do a lot worse.
May 11th 2016, 3:22 am
#10
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Re: misery at Vancouver housing cost?
Jsmth321: Housing here starts at well under $100k for a studio apartment, and $200k would get you 2 bedrooms. Plenty of $15p/hr+ jobs available. Enjoy all the resort amenities, walk to work and continue to access BC's health care.
If you worry about a roof over your head, the rising cost of rent, and finding reasonably paid work, you could do a lot worse.
If you worry about a roof over your head, the rising cost of rent, and finding reasonably paid work, you could do a lot worse.
Besides outdoor things, is there anything else to do?
Other then retail, hotels, and food service any other kinds of jobs?
Close to things like movies, and aquarium stores?
Good transit so one can get out of the region without a car?
We are a good 6 to 7 years from being in a position to buy at this point, so who knows what will be left in that time frame, a lot can change. If wife and I had known one another 7 years ago, and assuming current income, Chilliwack was an option, but its gone up so much in the last 7 years, its become unaffordable.
May 11th 2016, 3:26 am
#11
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Re: misery at Vancouver housing cost?
It's true. We both have mental health issues which cloud our judgement and thinking, and I have major mood swings that I find difficult to control on a good day, and hard to hide sufficiently to keep people from noticing.
I've been trying alone to fix my issues through the years with various self help books and websites, and clearly have not done well and have gotten quite a lot worse especially in the last 4 or so years, so not sure what else I could actually do at this point to fix the issues at hand, self help can only go so far.
I've been trying alone to fix my issues through the years with various self help books and websites, and clearly have not done well and have gotten quite a lot worse especially in the last 4 or so years, so not sure what else I could actually do at this point to fix the issues at hand, self help can only go so far.
May 11th 2016, 3:31 am
#12
I need a walk
Joined: Mar 2014
Location: Okanagan
Posts: 4,899
Re: misery at Vancouver housing cost?
It's true. We both have mental health issues which cloud our judgement and thinking, and I have major mood swings that I find difficult to control on a good day, and hard to hide sufficiently to keep people from noticing.
I've been trying alone to fix my issues through the years with various self help books and websites, and clearly have not done well and have gotten quite a lot worse especially in the last 4 or so years, so not sure what else I could actually do at this point to fix the issues at hand, self help can only go so far.
I've been trying alone to fix my issues through the years with various self help books and websites, and clearly have not done well and have gotten quite a lot worse especially in the last 4 or so years, so not sure what else I could actually do at this point to fix the issues at hand, self help can only go so far.
May 11th 2016, 5:12 am
#13
Pea Brain
Joined: Jun 2005
Location: TBD
Posts: 6,005
Re: misery at Vancouver housing cost?
There are physical jobs (labouring/maintenance, mechanics), recreation related work (customer service, golf course/sports centre, ice rink), property management roles, gardening contractors, snow removal etc.
Kamloops is 40 mins away and offers what any regular 100,000 population city does. Airport, Greyhound and train station if you want to go visiting elsewhere.
May 11th 2016, 7:02 am
#14
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Re: misery at Vancouver housing cost?
I am in Canada, that is my compromise. I compromised by staying here, and originally coming here, but then maybe that is part of the issue, always compromising for others vs doing what is best for me.
I am not sure if living in a small region where a car is essential is a positive. The interior is so isolated, and by isolated I mean far from the mainland, and US border.
Where do people look for rentals there? Kijiji doesn't seem to have much rental wise, and google doesn't bring much up either.
Sun Peaks | Apartments & Condos for Sale or Rent in Kamloops | Kijiji Classifieds
Or is the town called something different?
I am not sure if living in a small region where a car is essential is a positive. The interior is so isolated, and by isolated I mean far from the mainland, and US border.
Where do people look for rentals there? Kijiji doesn't seem to have much rental wise, and google doesn't bring much up either.
Sun Peaks | Apartments & Condos for Sale or Rent in Kamloops | Kijiji Classifieds
Or is the town called something different?
Anywhere you live is likely to be a compromise, and that's the same for the vast majority of the population. I'm suggesting somewhere affordable, attractive, low crime rate, reasonable wages and a relaxed environment - all the things you often suggest aren't available.
There are physical jobs (labouring/maintenance, mechanics), recreation related work (customer service, golf course/sports centre, ice rink), property management roles, gardening contractors, snow removal etc.
Kamloops is 40 mins away and offers what any regular 100,000 population city does. Airport, Greyhound and train station if you want to go visiting elsewhere.
There are physical jobs (labouring/maintenance, mechanics), recreation related work (customer service, golf course/sports centre, ice rink), property management roles, gardening contractors, snow removal etc.
Kamloops is 40 mins away and offers what any regular 100,000 population city does. Airport, Greyhound and train station if you want to go visiting elsewhere.
Last edited by scrubbedexpat091; May 11th 2016 at 8:45 am.
May 11th 2016, 8:58 am
#15
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Re: misery at Vancouver housing cost?
So is Kamloops a pricey rent city? Is there a lack of pet friendly rentals?
Somewhere else locals there use to find rentals?
Not much comes up on these websites.
https://kamloops.craigslist.ca/searc...900&pets_dog=1
Rent, Buy or Advertise 1 Bedroom Apartments & Condos in Kamloops | Apartments & Condos | Kijiji Classifieds
I am not familiar with the area really, and I like to check the rental market of an area to see if its even viable, but I am not finding much.
But those are the only 2 sites I know of.
Somewhere else locals there use to find rentals?
Not much comes up on these websites.
https://kamloops.craigslist.ca/searc...900&pets_dog=1
Rent, Buy or Advertise 1 Bedroom Apartments & Condos in Kamloops | Apartments & Condos | Kijiji Classifieds
I am not familiar with the area really, and I like to check the rental market of an area to see if its even viable, but I am not finding much.
But those are the only 2 sites I know of.