Lets look at money and what it gets you shall we since there is some confusion.

http://www.christinakai.com/Listings...rest_drive.htm

This house sold for near $1.7 million in North Van. It's a nice house but nothing too special. I sure wouldn't call it 'baller status'. You can bet there is no Ferrari parked in the garage either.

So lets break this down.

Assume you have $500,000 saved up which if you think is easy, ask your parents if they have $500k in cash ready to do something with, someone making $340,000 a year will just qualify to buy this home. A home that again, is nice, but nothing special.

This also assumes that the said person has no other debt. So there isn't going to be that awesome $1000 a month lease payment. For fuck sake, even to finance an Infiniti is close to $100 a month. Not going to happen.

Throw in luxury items such as food, clothing, perhaps some furniture and a holiday and you're right on the edge.

There are many reasons for this, the biggest is that wealth (significant meaningful wealth) has and never will be created from wages. The other side is that Vancouver is so overpriced and fucked up, that this is where a doctor can live and that's pushing it.

You look at the US. Less tax, more money, and housing that is about 1/3 of what it is here (right now in some places it's more like 1/10th) you have to ask yourself what in the fuck?

Also, West Van average home isn't that extreme; prime Shaughnessy and Belmont Drive/Drummond Dr and Celtic Avenue in the Southlands are still the priciest.
I think Greater Vancouver's most expensive residential property is still the monster house at the end of Celtic Ave, it was like $26M?

i remember when i was temporarily blind he was the only specialist in vancouver to come see me. He looked like a regular man fairly old and dressed like a regular person...

cant read a book by its cover i guess

Want a cookie?

there was a huge article in the news paper about the most expensive homes sold in vancouver last year.

there are many houses for sale, including that one in burnaby which is for sale for 25 million, many don't sell for that much.

being on the market and being sold are two different things.

is there one for dentists?

Your post said that those with expensive homes are not selling them because they are smart enough to see that there is a downturn. The fact that there are various homes listed at over $20 million would suggest that these rich people are smart enough to at least try and get top dollar for these homes. If they sell or not isn't up to the seller as they are up to a buyer.

Anyone go to Peter Chang in Broadmoor? It says he makes 300,000+ but I'm sure hes pulling in at least 4-500,000 doing all those other cosmetic surgery shit he has being displayed all over his place.

aww none for mine. woulda been nice to know.. he's a crap doctor

No what I was saying is that MLS listings don't offer a true view of the value of houses in West Vancouver because the rich aren't being forced to sell as much as the upper middle/lower upper class.

my coworkers boyfriend is a ER doc and only cleared 130k lol

Actually $200k Net is GOOD money! Some people do things for love/belief, others do it for money. Doctors are no different. Oh and 28 isn't that old.

Good for your friend though! The experience is probably great!

Sorry for the misunderstanding. I'd agree with you 100% that MLS does not show a clear picture at all. In fact, if anything it's distorted enough to eclipse what's really going on.

Net 200k a year is in the top 0.1% of the population but it's light years away from what it takes to buy a very prestigious home in this city. Like my friend, he doesn't practice medicine for the money. The point is while doctors make good money, most are far from being rich.

If earning in the top 0.1% of the population isn't considered rich then what is? The top 0.000001%?

Mine makes 1,293,791.67!!