Vancouver's Real Estate Market

[4444]

Originally Posted by Armind

What would be the ideal salary to live here comfortably?

that's not the question to ask, the question to ask is what is the ideal salary relative to average cost of living for an average person.

My answer to that is take home pay = 2x cost of living. live on half, invest other half. will never have to worry about money if you do that for a while.

In Vancouver, I don't think $100K gross salary allows for a comfortable life, and I do not live an extravagant lifestyle at all, nor did I when I lived in Vancouver.

[4444]

Originally Posted by originalhypa

White folk don't care about education.

i don't think that's a fair comment.

As a honky, I don't think I would put my kids in private school for a multitude of reasons. I put the emphasis on learning through experience and from one's home life. School is a great social situation, but teachers are only so skilled, and really, I do not trust them to be smarter than the average person on the street.

the one main reason to send your kids to private school is the connections. A member of my family went to Eton, no university, is now head of wealth management in the City (London) for one of the major Swiss banks after being in the Caribbean for many years.

The guy is nothing special, just made killer contacts through secondary school / college. He probably knows ppl in the Panama Papers, knowing him!

[unit]

Originally Posted by Armind

What would be the ideal salary to live here comfortably?

depends what you define as comfortably?

[Armind]

Rent + general needs, little extra money on the side for travels

[murd0c]

Originally Posted by Hehe

I think fixer uppers are actually more difficult to buy nowadays.

Yes, the price would be lower, but you are also competing with a bunch or house-flippers who see value in the place totally different than you do; they see how much would a new/fully reno'd home in that lot would sell rather than its current value.

So, it might be easier for you, as a ready-to-move-in buyer, to find houses that have some compromises (that you could work on), but it doesn't make sense get rid of yet (the entire house or kitchen/bath/floor).

No question that's a huge factor these days, the home looks shit but people see the potential so they don't mind spending that extra money when the house isn't work it yet. Fricken crazy stuff and frustrating as well.

Originally Posted by fliptuner

Most affordable would probably be DT Poco lowrises but note that generally, the older the building, the higher the strata.

Some of those Strata fee's are beyond crazy which is why I'm leaning closer to Pitt and the West side of Ridge since I can get a better bang for my buck.

[originalhypa]

Originally Posted by 4444

i don't think that's a fair comment.

As a honky, I don't think I would put my kids in private school for a multitude of reasons. I put the emphasis on learning through experience and from one's home life. School is a great social situation, but teachers are only so skilled, and really, I do not trust them to be smarter than the average person on the street.

^

There are a multitude of reasons why private school is a better choice than public school. I won't get into them all, but I will say that when you're working for the gov't and have the union backing you, it's very hard to lose your job regardless of how poor your performance is. So why care? We have had some great teachers over the years. We have also had some very bad ones.

A prime example is my daughter's high school math teacher. The lady is horribly disorganized and a poor communicator, and that makes it harder for me as a parent to monitor my daughter's math education. Rewind to when I was in private school, and the teachers were in contact with my parents the moment I slipped up. In essence, they cared a lot more than the average public servant. It goes beyond "smarts". It's more about caring and doing a good job.

the one main reason to send your kids to private school is the connections. A member of my family went to Eton, no university, is now head of wealth management in the City (London) for one of the major Swiss banks after being in the Caribbean for many years.

The guy is nothing special, just made killer contacts through secondary school / college. He probably knows ppl in the Panama Papers, knowing him!

Chances are that guy would have been a douchebag regardless of where he went to school. Going to a good school introduced him to a higher level of individual. Whereas if he had gone to a public school, chances are he would have been a great car salesman.

Your example pretty much proved the point that Z3 guy was trying to make.



PS:
I'm a white guy too. My parents figured that their only job was to put me in a good school and be done with it. That didn't work.
I thought I could put my kids in a public school, and make up for the inbalance with good parenting. That didn't work either.

The solution is to put your kids in a good private school, while being involved in their life. I wish I knew that before.....

[quasi]

Originally Posted by originalhypa

White folk don't care about education. Drive by any of the private schools other than St Georges, and you'll be hard pressed to find many caucasian kids.

Is it that they don't care or they can't afford it? I can't afford to comfortably send my kid to a private school. I want my son to have a good education but I think that falls on myself and my wife to supplement it at home. I understand he won't gain those future leader of industry friends that he would in the hoity toity schools but I'm honestly satisfied with the education he's receiving.

He was invited into the Challenge Program this year which is a program for gifted and highly able students so I feel the school, my wife and I are doing something right.

We're going to try and get him into an out of catchment high school but that's only so he can play high school football which is one of the things he loves most.

[hud 91gt]

Originally Posted by Armind

Rent + general needs, little extra money on the side for travels

65k

[4444]

Originally Posted by originalhypa

^

There are a multitude of reasons why private school is a better choice than public school. I won't get into them all, but I will say that when you're working for the gov't and have the union backing you, it's very hard to lose your job regardless of how poor your performance is. So why care? We have had some great teachers over the years. We have also had some very bad ones.

A prime example is my daughter's high school math teacher. The lady is horribly disorganized and a poor communicator, and that makes it harder for me as a parent to monitor my daughter's math education. Rewind to when I was in private school, and the teachers were in contact with my parents the moment I slipped up. In essence, they cared a lot more than the average public servant. It goes beyond "smarts". It's more about caring and doing a good job.




Chances are that guy would have been a douchebag regardless of where he went to school. Going to a good school introduced him to a higher level of individual. Whereas if he had gone to a public school, chances are he would have been a great car salesman.

Your example pretty much proved the point that Z3 guy was trying to make.

you're absolutely bang on - i suppose the difference is that my wife and I will be taking a massively proactive interest in our kids' development and learning - when they are born, my life will be all about generating wealth to leave to them (via a trust accessibly at age 65 - sorry kids, no freebies!) and developing them to live a life better than the one i have had (as should be all parents' desire, in my opinion, no matter where you come from).

To me, school is there as a social thing and to provide text books. Beyond this, and I will get chastised for sounding arrogant, but what do i care, i believe I can teach my kids better than some government employee. (One should note that I have taught finance courses at UBC and in post graduate professional designations).

I absolutely see the value of private education to most. If someone else were paying for it, i would strongly consider it.

[4444]

Originally Posted by quasi

I understand he won't gain those future leader of industry friends that he would in the hoity toity schools but I'm honestly satisfied with the education he's receiving.
.

Leaders are usually born with certain traits. They usually rise to the top regardless.

But private education does help - but fuck it, if life were easy, what'd be the fun!

[6thGear.]

When I was making $50k gross a year I always thought $70k-$80k gross is a nice comfortable salary. Now that I've been making that the past 5-6 years its still not enough for me. Cost of living has risen too fast for that salary to be comfortable.

Originally Posted by 4444

that's not the question to ask, the question to ask is what is the ideal salary relative to average cost of living for an average person.

My answer to that is take home pay = 2x cost of living. live on half, invest other half. will never have to worry about money if you do that for a while.

In Vancouver, I don't think $100K gross salary allows for a comfortable life, and I do not live an extravagant lifestyle at all, nor did I when I lived in Vancouver.

When I was still living at home making $50k/yr that's exactly what I did. 50% was my cost of living 40% went to rrsp/mutual funds and 10% was my liquid savings. In 2 years I saved $40k for a down payment for my first condo in surrey. Sold that 2.5 years later and was able to move back into Vancouver. Now to make more than $80k a year ......

[westopher]

Originally Posted by 4444

if life were easy, what'd be the fun!

Driving the huracan my dad bought me for getting C's in my arts program at UBC sounds like fun!

[hud 91gt]

Originally Posted by 6thGear.

When I was making $50k gross a year I always thought $70k-$80k gross is a nice comfortable salary. Now that I've been making that the past 5-6 years its still not enough for me. Cost of living has risen too fast for that salary to be comfortable.

I've felt the same way. But as my gross earnings increased, a more expensive lifestyle seem to have developed as well. It takes a strong will to make more money, and spend the same amount.

[Harvey Specter]

Vancity posted this today...

High shelter costs and lower incomes could mean going into debt for a basic lifestyle

May 11, 2016, Coast Salish Territory/Vancouver, B.C. – A typical millennial couple that buys a property at an average price in Vancouver will go into debt by $2,745 per year, says a new report by Vancity credit union.

The report, No Funds City: why Vancouver millennials have the lowest discretionary income in Canada, found that Vancouver millennials have the least amount of discretionary income compared with their counterparts in 10 other Canadian cities.

In 2015, a typical Vancouver millennial household of two, aged 25-34, earned $72,291 —the second lowest rate in Canada. After essential expenses including taxes, clothing, healthcare premiums, food, public transportation and utilities, about $41,609 would be leftover. Subtract ownership costs of more than $44,354 annually for a property at an average cost in Vancouver, and millennial families are in debt.

After Vancouver, Toronto had the next most expensive housing market at $33,405 annually for a property at an average price purchased in 2016. It also had the next lowest discretionary income at $3,379 annually for millennial couples who purchased property. While millennials in Victoria are better off than their counterparts in Vancouver (instead of being in debt, couples who purchased a property at an average price in 2016 have a discretionary income of $12,200 annually) overall they still ranked third lowest when it comes to discretionary income. By comparison, the average millennial in Edmonton has more than $47,000 in annual discretionary income —the highest in Canada.

The report also found:

By limiting themselves to purchasing a townhouse at an average cost, Vancouver millennial couples would have about $9,549 annually in discretionary income.
By limiting themselves to purchasing a condominium at an average cost, Vancouver millennial couples would have about $16,422 annually in discretionary income.
By renting outside the city centre, Vancouver millennial couples would have about $27,940 annually in discretionary income for a typical one-bedroom unit, or $15,183 for a three-bedroom unit.

For average millennial families with one child in full-time paid care at an average cost of $14,580 annually, affordability is a much bigger challenge:

An average millennial family that purchased property at the average Vancouver price in 2016 would go into debt by $17,325 per year just to cover basic expenses once childcare costs for one child are introduced.
If the same family purchased a three-bedroom condo (more suitable for a family over a smaller condo) in Vancouver at average cost in 2015, they would go into debt to the tune of $29,597.
By renting a three-bedroom unit, Vancouver millennial families save on shelter costs but will still only maintain $771 a year for spending, saving, giving or paying down debt.

The report makes recommendations to increase the amount millennial families will have to invest toward their well-being, including providing more incentives to support rental housing. Millennials may also need to reconsider home ownership as a primary wealth-generation tool.

"The status quo isn’t good enough if we want this generation to be able to put down roots, possibly have a family and still enjoy a basic quality of life in Vancouver and Victoria."
William Azaroff, Vancity’s vice-president of community investment

https://www.vancity.com/AboutVancity...ryincomereport

[Infiniti]

Originally Posted by unit

depends what you define as comfortably?

(insert pic of coke and hookers)

[SumAznGuy]

Dude. NSFW.
Least you could do is spoiler it with a NSFW tag.

[Hondaracer]

I hate how all those articles are framed around Vancouver and buying "homes" as in a place to raise a family.

Like yea..if you need a 3 bed room condo, your "average" person is going to go into debt, period.

Has one of these articles ever been framed from a lower mainland point of view as opposed to "Vancouver" ?

5 months ago a 1 bed room den at Hastings and renfrew was 200k, that's not good enough to be a "home"?

I can't sell my 200k 2 bedroom condo in Surrey at a loss right now, that's not good enough for a "home" ?

[unit]

Originally Posted by Armind

Rent + general needs, little extra money on the side for travels

Still a bit vague.. where are you renting, what kind of building, are you single, do you go on 5k vacations every year?

I think if you rent a modest place in bby, coquitlam, or surrey, and don't have 3 expensive hobbies and don't go on 3 week overseas vacations every year, you can get by with 50k just fine.

If you want to live in a newer condo, have expensive tastes, and go on big trips every year, then yeah you need like 65k.

[CivicBlues]

Originally Posted by Harvey Specter

...
May 11, 2016, Coast Salish Territory/Vancouver, B.C. – A typical millennial couple that buys a property at an average price in Vancouver will go into debt by $2,745 per year, says a new report by Vancity credit union.
...
https://www.vancity.com/AboutVancity...ryincomereport

Sorry I was reading the Vancity report when the bolded section caught my eye.

Are they fucking serious? Is this how PC we are nowadays, we have to refer to Vancouver as "Vancouver/Coast Salish Territory"?

Between this and the whole private school debate, It's just another SMH day today .

edit:
found this on the link:

About Vancity

Vancity is a values-based financial co-operative serving the needs of its more than 519,000 member-owners and their communities in the Coast Salish and Kwakwaka’wakw territories, with 59 branches in Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley, Victoria, Squamish and Alert Bay. As Canada’s largest community credit union, Vancity uses its $19.8 billion in assets to help improve the financial well-being of its members while at the same time helping to develop healthy communities that are socially, economically and environmentally sustainable.

If I wasn't forced to bank with Vancity I'd drop them for this stupid crap at the drop of a hat.

[yray]

should call themselves coast salish credit union

[CivicBlues]

Originally Posted by yray

should call themselves coast salish credit union

No, they should rename themselves the Kwakwaka’wakw Credit Union

[GabAlmighty]

Didn't realize/was oblivious to the following behind private schools... I'm a little surprised to be honest. Although I see and understand most of the arguments presented I still don't agree and think that public school is perfectly fine. The best support/mentor you can have is your parents. Mine gave me my space at times but definitely were realistic with me about what the consequences were should I not succeed.

I just think private schools are a waste of time. Had a few friends that went to them but for the most part we just "made fun of the rich kids", and they probably did the same to us lowly public schoolers.

[Adorkami]

Bit off topic:

Malcolm Gladwell wrote the book David and Goliath that talks about strengths and weaknesses and how our perception of them is not always accurate. In the book it discusses how small classrooms have a negative effect because they have less diversity and it leads to less discussion. His book Outliers also points out that being from a prestigious university doesn't increase your odds on winning a Nobel Prize. I'm going to be sending my kids to public school, I know people that went to public school and others that went to private, I don't see that much of a difference career wise.

[CivicBlues]

Originally Posted by Adorkami

Bit off topic:

Malcolm Gladwell wrote the book David and Goliath that talks about strengths and weaknesses and how our perception of them is not always accurate. In the book it discusses how small classrooms have a negative effect because they have less diversity and it leads to less discussion. His book Outliers also points out that being from a prestigious university doesn't increase your odds on winning a Nobel Prize. I'm going to be sending my kids to public school, I know people that went to public school and others that went to private, I don't see that much of a difference career wise.

This. I grew up in this country thinking we paid more than just lip service to equality. But it seems like with each passing year we're getting closer and closer to the ME ME ME!! state of things South of the Border or over the Pacific.

[Spoon]

I doubt there's a significant difference between public/private schools in terms of quality of education. However, assuming the student attending either schools has average or above average social skills, I absolutely expect them to be better connected in the future in a private school environment.

Unfortunately, not everything in life is about how smart you are. If you sell widgets for a living and have billionaire buddies vs a bunch of scrubs who are scraping by. I fully expect you to do better in life, money wise.