Yeah that's what I've been trying to convince them. He's too weak to put his foot down and be like stfu, this is all the money we have so either live in an old dump and love it, or move to a new place in Coquitlam, Surrey, etc.

The Tri-Cities are nice! If all of my support network isn't already in CoV, that is probably where I'll be.

130k income with 200k available for down and only approved 400k? Their credit score mist be hurting them here i think

I know a lot of people that are expecting their first place to be brand new (or nearly new) and in their preferred neighbourhood. Hardly anyone seems to be willing to go for the older starter home and upgrade as their situation improves anymore.

I'm just happy, my GF and I are on the same page, in terms of expectations, comprise and seeing the big picture. The reno's at our TH aren't done yet but our lease is up at our rental. Fuck it. Plywood counters, subfloor kitchen, no mouldings, whatever.... we'll make due til the materials and time afford it.

What happens when you can't come up with a $100k reno fee though?
Do you have to sell?
Legit question. I have no knowledge of strata

i wouldn't feel entitled enough to have a brand new place off the bat

but 130k combined income regardless of funny math better yield an apartment in a preferred suburban neighbourhood

half a fucking million USD can buy you a decent house in like 98% rest of country/continent

I'm currently renting in a 2 year old building. It's a nice place that feels upscale.

But in no way would I ever consider buying a unit here. I would feel ripped off even with dropping prices.

Though I must say, any place is great if it doesn't have shitty neighbours...

EDIT: I can't wait till condos start looking like Concept Art from the movie 'Oblvion"

If you own the place there is no obligation to reno the interior

The exterior renos i mean.
Like what are the options in that situation?

you pay up your portion

Any upcoming condo presales? Or are they all quietly disappearing, and developers are not starting new projects in this economy?

This thread is depressing lol, but informative.

As a single guy, I think I'll just stick it out and keep investing in Index funds.

The new incentive of shared equity doesn't even seem worth the hassle.

I guess you could say that any apartments over 15 year is going to have a higher strata fee and also the value when you sell might be a lot lower if you plan to live in it for 7+ years. There might also be lump sum payments you have to make towards maintance. I would read the minutes to see what's fix and what need fixing in the next 5 to 7 years and see how munch fund the building have saved up.

I think if people are buying an apartment getting something in 3 to 5 years in the sweet spot.

That's what I'm thinking too based on assumptions.

I'm single regular joe and before all the new mortgage regulations kicked in, bank offered me $400-450K. With new regulations, I'm thinking $300K now?(drawing a number out my ass lol). So with the couple being approved $400K, something doesn't quite add up.

People that feel they need to keep up with the Jones'. :facepalm:

I get it. Partly generational, partly cultural, partly upbringing.

As far as I'm concerned, if people are going to judge me on my car, home, clothes, etc. - fuck off. Judge me on my merits and shortcomings, otherwise gtfo out of my life. Last thing a grown-ass man needs to give a shit about, is what other people think of his possessions. Especially people who don't enrich my life in any way.

And while I'm on my soapbox, people need to get off their entitled ass and realize they're not above a 40 minute commute or living in a small, old place. If you're not lucky enough to have family money, put your head down, do some work and improve your situation. No one owes you shit. Sick of hearing about living wages and affording to live in the city. Motherfucker, I can afford to live in the city but I still commute cause I have other priorities.

Anyways, my 2¢ for the day.

The hard truth is, people CAN afford the monthly mortgages, there is NO WAY in HELL you can't because it's on par with the rental rates. I don't know what the fuck the banks are smoking, but they are just not approving hard working people. All they care is their bottomline and as the prices are tanking, they just don't want to approve loans unless you have 50% plus down payment. In a way it's like the bank wants to only approve you the down payments, you have to have saved enough for the rest of the cash.

I feel the pain that people are having with banks. The BS reasons banks give out about people not being able to afford mortgages are complete BS in the lower mainland. In other places i get it, but not here.

My old building had a pool, sauna, gym, full sized raquet ball courts, a workshop and paint room (which was by far the best feature for me) and you could rent parking spots, up to 4 per suite, at $25 a month

We had a 970 sq ft 2 bed 2 bath, and paid $230 a month in strata, the building was built in 1986.

There was going to be a $12,000 special assesment on our unit in 2022 due to replacing metal windows with vinyl, but outside of that the contingency was great and there were no other major ticket items to address.

$220 for all those amenities is fucking PEANUTS compared to some buildings where people are paying 300-500 for literally nothing, like a party room.

There is a sweet spot for every building, you've got to do your homework. In general poorly maintained new buildings with no contingency are way more likely to have a higher strata fee while also risking special assesments due to poor maintenance etc.

Personally i dont think the age of the building should have any bearing on a long term decision if you're looking for a true "home"

wow thats really good all that for only 220 !

yup i'm paying 289 a month 2 bed 2 bath 834 sq ft and pretty much only party room and gym and piano room. 4 year old building

And all those amenities were incredibly well mounted for their age. I’d assume that’s the exception and not the norm however for buildings that age

With the way the banks are nowadays, I'd imagine you're going to see people that don't have their parents' help, decide to skip on a big wedding and just use that money towards a new home.

If you're not well off it's not too smart spending a ton of money on a wedding if you're also trying to buy a place. One day vs. everyday, not hard to choose.

I would say getting your own apartment/house is still going to cost more than say renting. With owning you have to pay for strata/maintance, property tax, hydro, insurance(not sure if rental insurance is higher than home insurance).

That's really cheap for strata fee. Currently paying $270mo with a party room. But the care taker does their job really well. Last night someone parked at the loading zone and I sent them a pic of the car and they responded withn 5 mins and the car got tow. It wast 10:12pm when I message them. At my old place strata fee was $240(I think) for a one bedroom 505sq ft. But then there is a concierge, heat/air conditioning is included. Oh how I miss that place in the summer with A/C on and knowing I don't have to pay much for it =D. Gym, swimming pool, bowling alley are all included but I never use them.

^^ that's the same thing as leasing vs buying, leasing is always cheaper but at the end of it you own nothing. I'm sure some people don't mind, but with my old school mentality I prefer to own so no one can evict me out of my own shit.

My post wasn't in regards to owning vs. renting. It's the fact that I keep reading about affordable living. Just cause you work DT, doesn't mean you should be able to afford to live there. Take a train/bus to Surrey or the Tri Cities.

Hell, when I was a teenager, my family moved from East Van to Coquitlam but I didn't want to change schools or work (DT). Before I got my license, I'd catch a ride with my dad in the morning and be at school at 7:30 and wait for him to pick me up at 4:30. If I had work, I'd bus DT, then bus back to Coquitlam.

My son lives in Poco and decided to take a course at Langara, off Cambie and he likes his job in N. Van. He has a car but chooses to bus at 5:45am. I thought he was crazy but whatever, he's sticking with it, so kudos to him. He doesn't have a wife and kids, so he has all the time to focus on work/school, as he sees fit.

Bottom line, there are a lot of lazy, whiners, that should be putting more energy into bettering their situation.