Quote:
Originally Posted by Gumby
I get what you’re saying, but if your house didn’t have a suite, depending on the neighbourhood, it could also make it harder to sell.
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Also...
Detached houses have gotten a LOT bigger over the years - it's not just land costs that have gone up but as the houses have gotten bigger they've also gotten more expensive. The advent of the laneway means you can build 3500sf on a standard lot whereas 10 years ago the max was 2800sf and 10 years before that it was 2400sf and if you wind the clock far back enough it was around 2000sf (don't know the date).
Very few of us NEED a 7-10 bedroom house on a detached lot - we just want the detached lot part but the expansion of the how big houses have gotten (and no means to subdivide) means that rental suites are a natural consequence regardless of cost - even new builds in HOPE come with suites now (
https://www.rew.ca/properties/325754...n-road-hope-bc)
I'm a family of 3 so I have no need for 2800-3500sf of space for ourselves - I want 4 bedrooms, a mud room, a laundry room, and a single or double garage. That's doable in 1600-2000sf but detached homes that size still have the same property costs as a 3500sf house and I could use the extra space for taking in my parents or in-laws or if my family grows. Suites give me that kind of flexibility - I'll rent it out while I don't need it and save on my mortgage and I avoid the need to go have to go buy a bigger house later on which is a PITA (I rent out 600sf of my 1800sf duplex right now cause I don't need the basement but if I have another kid I'm definitely taking it back)
So while some folks definitely need the rental income to make it work there's also those of us who want flexibility or who just don't need the space but want the detached life.