With figures like these, I can't believe some people in this thread have the audacity to suggest renting and invest the difference vs. buying is actually a good strategy.

I'm just over here in Aldergrove paying $900 for a 3 bedroom basement, in-suite laundry, everything included. We only got the place because my gf's grandma is childhood friends with the landlord. Prices in the FV have been increasing rapidly lately.

This was a good plan up until last year when real estate went insane. But let's face it how many people would've actually invested the savings they had from not buying? These days most will spend on nice dinners, vacations, name brand clothes, car parts, nicer car/multiple cars, latest tech gadgets, etc. Lets not talk about the lower mainland , but how many people on RS actually took the rent/save approach since this thread started? Contrary to what people say these days its never a bad idea to purchase property. Ask any real estate mogul/developer.

Cloverdale 30yo house 5 bed 2 baths 2 kitchens 2600 plus utils

How do you guys afford such rent? That's ~30k a year and 40ish k pre-tax on ur income. You guys must be making a lot of money. Makes me feel bad :(

14 dolla balla here EleGiggle

In comparison, just below Burnaby mountain the mortgage on our place is only $1100 a month + utils for a 1000 sq foot 2 bed/2 bath

Obviously the initial down payment is the hurdle, but those rents are more than double the mortgage payments lol

Depends on the place you rent. GF is renting a room in a townhouse near Metrotown. Rent is only $600 per month with uilities and internet included. There are sacrifices of coz such as the kitchen, and washroom is share with 4 other females, there are no living rooms, no parking etc etc...... but rent is cheap. Personally if I am renting I would look for something like that as well. All I need is a place to put my things and sleep after work.

I'm assuming she's in her early 20s and still going to school? That's about the only time I'd want to live like that.

Yeah no. I am all for financially responsible decisions but one kitchen and washroom across 5 people, no living room, no parking... that's hardly a home, that's just a roof over your head.

Mark

Stop being so entitled.

:troll:

Think you're forgetting things like condo fees and property tax which can rack up over $5k/yr. Mortgage also depends on the down payment, not sure if that's an apples to apples comparison.

Well if you want to save you going to have to make sacrifices. Is about what you want more. Is like that guy in the news a few months ago who paid off his mortgage in a matter of 5 years. He does OT everyday and work on weekends, never goes out for food, movies. Basically work his ass off and put every penny into his mortgage. Now is a debt free and can enjoy life. Depends on what you are willing to trade off.

Back when I was 23 I sacrificed basically a year of my life for a down payment for my first condo. Even with that I couldn't have been in a place here without a bit of luck and help from my family. It was worth doing back then, and set me up well, but in current market with all situations the same it wouldn't really be doable. It would be more like 2-3 years of sacrifice.

Pay $235 strata for:

Pool/hot tub
Sauna
Weight room
Pool table/table tennis
Raquet ball courts
Party room
Laundry room (95% of suites have in-suite laundry though, only here for a bylaw)

So with strata and mortgage I'm paying about $1400 a month

$235 ain't too bad considering you have pool/hot tub and sauna.

Strata fees for a fully-equipped modern building (pool, sauna, gym) are in the 350-450 range these days. $265 seems awfully cheap, unless you have multiple buildings sharing the amenities.

Everyone's tolerance for sacrifice is different. $600 to live in essentially a hostel (5 grown adults who are not family in a townhouse?), however, is a bit ridiculous, even if you're Asian and are used to living in small spaces. A friend of mine used to rent out a solarium downtown in the 500 range and that's what I would call pushing it.

Sure would have sucked to have been hit by a truck and killed the day you paid your mortgage off. You'd have died debt free but not have done anything worth doing for your life.

I have a mortgage too, but manage to max out my TFSA and RRSPs every year and still live a life "worth living". Sacrifice is relative - I have a $15K car that I paid cash for instead of the $80K car with a payment that a lot of my peers have, but that's my "line in the sand."

All that to say that everybody has a balance of "enjoying now" to "enjoying later" but that ratio your gf sounds way off to me. But that's just me.

Mark

30 year old building, and yea 2 buildings share the pool but the rest of the amenities are only associated with my building

if you have an abundance of green space that seems to be the killer on strata fees too for landscape maintenance

My old complex was on nearly a hectare of land. Lots of grass, a pool, sauna, gym, and a decorative water pool over the parkade (wonderful idea in theory, but constant problems with the membrane and leaks).

Glad to be in a townhouse where everyone is responsible for their own hot water supply and for watering and maintaining their own plants and lawns.

it just depends on the numbers. in my building rent is about 1400 and the apartment costs 300k, so it's smart to buy.

in some places rent is like 2200 and the place is worth like 700k. in that case it's smart to rent.

Some stratas organize their own landscaping crew :heckno: saturday mornings bi weekly :lol

Maintaining your own lawn/garden seems to be a rarity with townhouses these days

The strata does hire a landscaper to cut the grass every couple of weeks, but people are expected to water their lawns and other associated plants. The rules don't prohibit planting your own stuff either, so long as it doesn't interfere with your neighbour (common sense really).

Most modern townhouses are equipped with hose bibs front and back so that owners can water their plants and grass. However, most newer townhouse stratas are more strict with respect to doing your own gardening - this probably to do with the fact that they don't want to encourage any behaviour that would void their 2-5-10 warranties.