Siouxie

I've lived in hamilton for 20 years and I have never seen nor heard of a caravan park here (or 'Trailer Park' as they are known in Canada)... it was probably an old RV that they parked up in a field.

The price of houses in the UK are not relevant if you are living in CANADA... and not everyone on BE comes from the UK - and most don't intend or wish to return there to live.

Perhaps you could start comparing prices in CANADA.. which is what is relevant to the majority of our members... and the subject of this thread.

dbd33

If you want to limit the discussion to a direct response to the thread title then, yes, the current level of house prices in Canada is easily sustainable. We know this because houses sell as fast as they are built. At some level of higher interest rates the current price level will not be sustainable and prices will fall.

I'm going past a caravan park in Guelph today, people live there year round. Maybe 100 caravans, parking for several cars at each one. I've always assumed the occupants to be itinerant construction workers but maybe that's where low income workers who work in Hamilton live. Such places are common enough, the one in question was up a "mountain" that wasn't really a mountain.

Moses2013

I think you are right and nothing wrong by keeping all options open, including UK. I must admit that I was also a person who wasn't always positive about the UK and we couldn't afford much in Kent, but then again I could have probably also lived in parts of Cornwall, Devon, Wales etc. and would have been happy if the timing was right. Most people who end up unhappy are always focused on one place and never broaden their horizons. How often do we see people wanting to move to Australia seeking a life in the sun and if they can't get a visa end up miserable, or are willing to invest their life savings in a business that was set up to fail.

dbd33

Shutting down young people's options is, perhaps, the worst of the Brexit crimes. So many opportunities binned.

Moses2013

Of course. Luckily In Ireland myself and already had an EU passport through parents, so obviously we don't notice it here. Then again many young British have already moved here and will continue to have all opportunities once they qualify for citizenship.

scrubbedexpat091

One upside to high rents and high housing costs, it's forcing the government to build more social housing as more and more tent city's pop up.

JamesM

That's odd. There is a whole section in the forum on immigrating to Canada and most of the people looking to move here seem to be from the UK. Of those lots will have houses to sell and will look to re-invest when they come here.

It's not even close to thread drift.

DMajor

Agree, we knew what we could afford to buy here as it was dependent on how much we got for our UK property.

JamesM

I saw something that showed Ireland now has the 3rd highest GDP in the world. Why would people want to leave?

Moses2013

You are right but I suppose GDP alone doesn't necessarily mean people are better off. For us Ireland works well and when we came 10 years ago houses were so cheap and we can afford a lot more than back in the UK and Germany before that. The other thing is that a lot of Irish might not value the things we appreciate here. We don't have kids but as an example our neighbours and Irish in general have many kids and to have 3 or 4 is not unusual. Child care is expensive here and when they look to a country like Germany, they might think it's better there. Ironically most of our friends in Germany can't afford to have more than 1 or 2 kids and wouldn't want more. Obviously it's all down to location/preferences, because what we paid for our house near Galway and a holiday home near the Costa Brava is what people in Dublin pay for a small apartment.

CanadaJimmy

Another great interview from FORMAFIST, this time with a Vancouver Island city planner, Mark Holland. Hits the nail on the head with the problems in the housing market and real estate.

beckiwoo

There is nothing special about North Van. You have two ridiculously high traffic bridges to cross compared to 3 bridges and a tunnel to get to Surrey/Fraser Valley - I know what I would choose even with a endless amount of money!

Jingsamichty

One of the key reasons for the overheated property market in the UK is the Buy To Let "industry". Huge swathes of the population have decided to become "rentiers" and have made it difficult for younger people, or people with modest means, to compete with them by driving up prices. It's a parasitical industry which has been actively encouraged by governments who are frightened of alienating the greedy elements of their voters.

It is changing,mercifully, but not by nearly enough. Private tenants should enjoy the same right to buy at a discount as council tenants. That would stop the BTL industry with one stroke.

dbd33

Surely council tenants should not have a right to buy at a discount. That was a one time gift to new tories achieved at the expense of the depleting the country's needed stock of social housing.

Moses2013

Then again at least in the UK renting seems to be more affordable for those who want to rent. In Ireland we have the problem that only a few people want to become "rentiers" so without landlords there are no rental properties. With fewer incentives the rental prices go up and a few investors control the market.