el_richo

For a similar size property, Kelowna, i don't think, is that much cheaper than the other areas you mentioned in Van is it?

Rob_999

No way - a condo in Kelowna would be much cheaper.

el_richo

Friends of ours who live there, i know paid about $300k for a 2 bed condo 5 minutes from the lake. But it's a nice place.

Looking on MLS i notice you can get decent 1 bed places for around $180k. Although with that comes the affordability around remuneration in the area versus Vancouver as well as work opportunities.

I did like Kelowna in the summer time though. Summer Hill wine tour was interesting and has great views from the deck.

But again, it all depends on what the OP wants and needs. If it's a city, or his work can only be found in and around a city, this is all moot and they'll have to suck it up and rent in Vancouver or look at the other provinces.

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned Nunavut or Inuvik yet

ExKiwilass

the maritimes.

It's popular with british expats because the property is cheap. However, property tends to be cheap for a reason.

Outside of Greater Vancouver I'd consider living in Victoria on Van Island or maybe one of the Gulf Islands. None of these areas are cheap though.

Also, you should look at east van. lots more bang for your condo buck there. for some reason most BEs aren't into east van, except 4bells (yay!) , but I think the areas around commercial/hastings sunrise etc are gentrifying fast and it's close to DT Vancouver.

ExKiwilass

Ask Brizzle about Coquitlam.

Personally, I'd buy something smaller (i.e. townhouse) closer in rather than a big house in the deep 'burbs. If you like Kits, could you afford to buy a condo there? lots of locals choose to buy and live in condos, even with kids, so they can be in a more lively area.

lwilli63

[/QUOTE]Personally, I'd buy something smaller (i.e. townhouse) closer in rather than a big house in the deep 'burbs. If you like Kits, could you afford to buy a condo there? lots of locals choose to buy and live in condos, even with kids, so they can be in a more lively area.[/QUOTE]

You know what? I've never actually considered a condo (I believe this is what we call an apartment), now that I think about it one of the many, many reasons for moving away from London is to afford a larger house. With two boys of 8 & 12 my house looks like a tip no matter how often I tidy up (or make them tidy up). If I wanted to move up to a bigger house in London I'd be looking at spending an additional £250,000 - £300,000 that is just to add another bedroom. Oddly enough (and I know this is irrational) I detest gardening yet I would like some sort of garden.

So I'm looking for a property where the kids can have the basement to themselves and make as much of a mess as they like. Once a month I would don an NBC suit a venture in for a good tidy-up and clean.

NBC = Nuclear, Bacteriological, Chemical warfare suit.

R I C H

It depends what you're looking for, and how transferable/easy your career will be to continue over here.

Kamloops will ultimately offer cheaper accommodation, but if you want a decent sized family home with a back yard in a nice part of town, expect to spend $450k upwards. $200k is about the entry point for an apartment or condo.

ExKiwilass

You know what? I've never actually considered a condo (I believe this is what we call an apartment), now that I think about it one of the many, many reasons for moving away from London is to afford a larger house.

You'll be able to get a larger house in the 'burbs, but it's big trade-off in terms of lifestyle, things to do, commute times etc. Coquitlam is no Kits.

Bali2010

I'm aiming for Kelowna & will probably end up paying more for a house than here (which I admit is 'up north'), so I agree it is not the place to go if cheap is the aim. I'm assuming $400k for 3 bed, 2+ bath - & that is still tight - easier for town houses - then there are the strata fees - so they are to watch out for too.

Admittedly could get a cheaper house, but in a less pleasant location, (location, location) - even there.

Good job my reason for moving is not to avoid a mortgage.

I do like Kelowna though.

JonboyE

Agreed with this.

Coquitlam is suburbia, but having said that it is a perfectly good place to live. People often move out of downtown into the suburbs when they have family for the reason lwilli63 suggests: to have room for the kids to grow. There are plenty of facilities for families in these neighborhoods. When the kids are gone they can move back downtown again.

A good sized suburban house is going to start around $500,000 and if someone can go to $600,000 there is a plentiful selection.

brizzle

I don't think anywhere in BC is going to be significantly more affordable than surburban vancouver (see prices quoted for Kamloops in this thread - christ nearly 200,000 pounds for an apartment in Kamloops). Ok, somewhere like Kitimat might be cheap, but you get my point. I'm amazed at the prices in Canada compared to the USA. Pity it's so hard to move there.

What are you going to do for a living? Employment should be the first consideration before a house purchase. Vancouver is massively overpriced, with pretty cruddy wages. If you're self-employed or work on an oil patch, then you'll have more flexibility with location than if you need to work for a company in downtown Vancouver.

I live in Coquitlam. Unless you have kids and need the space, live closer to downtown and rent first (prices are quite reasonable-ish). Coquitlam is just plain old surburbia. Nice parks etc, but deathly dull. Yes, you might get a bigger house, but it really isn't that much cheaper than further in and you'll need to hide any sharp cutlery

Takes me about an hour to get downtown, which is about the same as when I lived in London. The absolute last thing I want to do on a w/e is repeat a 2hr return journey that I've undertaken all week.

printer

Yeah we have cheap here.

http://www.castanet.net/realestate/309699/

Crazy pricing still occurs here even with Condos but of course there are better deals to be had.
Problem with Kelowna is finding work which pays enough to pay the mortgage on the higher priced properties. $13 an hour is not uncommon for the average wage.

ExKiwilass

I hear that and I don't even have that long a commute.

I do think you get more bang for your condo buck out of Yaletown/dt areas. I think you can get a lot more condo in parts of east van than you can dt, but with a very small commute (10-15 minutes by bus) which is why I suggested it. But yeah, for single family homes, it's around the 500k + mark in greater Vancouver.

BumbleBeeUK

mobile homes! surely thats a bit too depressing?!

I live in NW london and am pretty realistic when it comes to property prices. I always figured if i ever get to van i would have to commute to have the type of house i really want... i thought this was common knowledge as well... but now i am starting to worry that my rose tinted glasses are not quite realistic enough!

Would be interested in hearing from people that can advise on small towns (what is the canadian equivalent of a village?!) in BC nearish to vancouver.

R I C H

Monte Lake's a 45 min drive from downtown. It's not exactly a handy place to live, nor does it offer any amenities (other than fishing).