Totally understand. I am just curious of what everyone thinks about investing in those areas. I have limited knowledge so I thought I would have my ears opened up more.

Your 'limited' knowledge is more than 99% of the people on this forum already. Trust your gut, you're already winning as it is. I wouldn't trust what anyone says on this forum

Buy now or be priced out of vancouver forever.

http://15351-presscdn-0-15.pagely.ne...cket_house.jpg

Well I know a bit about investing (been there, done that) and all I can say is that investing in real estate is always a good idea, you just need to do your homework first or turn to professionals right away. The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation has voiced fears some local housing like Vancouver and Toronto have been overvalued and are presenting signs of a bubble that will only recede if prices stabilise (source: https://tranio.com/canada/analytics/...n_canada_5105/) Your option #2 seems to me more attractive, but again you should research the opportunities thoroughly

Has anyone used True North Mortgage?

I've used True North in the past.

What True North is good at is finding conventional charge, no frills mortgage products. They will likely set you up with monoline lenders, such as MCap or EQ Bank. If you want to bundle a HELOC with your mortgage, you might want to use another broker.

Ok thanks. I think a conventional mortgage is good enough. I dont think i'll be needing a HELOC

I asked a similar type of question on the Finance forum, and a few members directed me some books, quite a few of them recommended by Warren Buffett.

This is off-topic, but where did most of you pick up your investing knowledge (real estate, stocks etc.)? If there are beginner courses/seminar, I would gladly pay to take one, but unfortunately I don't know of any, or any good one for that matter.

off topic, but I think that's a sweet looking house

You require water and air to live.

Real estate: location, location, location.

Stocks: passive or active? Passive portfolios are pretty simple - Canadian Couch Potato and select your equity/bond mix based on your age. Robo-advisors like Wealthsimple make it very easy to invest passively. If you want to take a more active approach, you can start by reading The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham.

I used them when I got my mortgage 6 years ago. They were able to connect me with an ING mortgage that had the lowest rate online that I could find.

However, the actual broker was extremely incompetent. She was just so disorganized and her manager actually apologized how long it took. Anyways, it all worked out.

When I renewed, I switched to a different local broker. Much easier to deal with.

What do you guys think about dealing with a mortgage broker who is located in Ontario, but they are credited in BC, Alberta, etc.? Everything is done over the phone and online.

Positives and negatives from this approach? Or is it important of having a mortgage broker locally?

Well what would be the benefit in dealing with them?

Friend recommended them. After a few discussions, they seem very knowledgeable and on-the-ball compared to a few local brokers I have spoken with. But I have some people telling me that a local broker is a must-have, which I'm not sure I completely believe.

I use a local broker. Actually is the same person my parents used for their house over 20 years ago. He seem pretty experience.

It doesn't really matter if it's a local broker; everything is handled over e-mail and over the phone anyways.

I usually review sites such as rate supermarket and ratehub and see how the rates the broker provides compare; in my renewal last year, my local broker was able to give me a superior rate and conditions.

Oh, and he gave me a $20 Starbucks giftcard...I wish he just gave me an extra $20 cash. lol.

https://www.parkboulevardliving.com/

Pretty cool building, gonna check out the presales.

How much do you think the presales prices are?

At least $700 per sq ft.

Sweet titty fucking christ. In surrey?

i second that. where do you guys pick up your knowledge

One bedroom apartment around Metrotown is around $900sq ft, 2 bedroom is around that price as well. So $700 per sq ft in Surrey seems reasonable

Ugh. Seriously, where is this money coming from, because vancouver's median household income is like 30k.
(yes I know the obvious answers, china, mom and dad, baby boomers, credit, etc, but doesn't it end at some point?)

Gimmicky and it will only cause the strata council headaches in the long-term. When it comes to strata properties, the fewer amenities and gimmicks, the better.

It ends when people start leaving Metro Vancouver in droves. It also ends when there's a fundamental shift in the ideal of home ownership.