[unit]

Originally Posted by Eff-1

We're a family of 3 and been looking for a detached home in North Van for a few months now. Our budget is entry level so, so that means $1.5 - $1.8. To have a chance, your offer needs to be subject-free.

And for that money, you get is a 50+ year old house that has never been updated, with tiny bathrooms, tiny closets, no master ensuite, single pane windows, and no garage. If you're lucky, a carport.

And yet, here we are. We've put offers now on a few places and lost out each time. It's literally every penny we have. Cash. Stocks. All of it. It also assumes we'll be able to sell our condo above a certain amount, once the time comes to list it.

Once we buy the house, we'll be starting all over building our savings. We're really not used to that, we've always had enough disposable income to do whatever we wanted without stress. Now it will all go into the house. The hope is we'll eventually be able to renovate and update it, but not for a long time. Maybe 24 months away.

Yes, there are less expensive areas around, but we love it on the North Shore, my family is close by, our kid goes to daycare here, etc etc. It's our home.

It's mind boggling. What a world we live in.

we did the same thing, nuked literally every bit of savings we had except rrsps. all stocks, savings, everything gone. also had to borrow a bit from my parents for bathroom renos. honestly i don't regret it one bit... having a detached house is a totally different level of freedom than a TH or condo. having a property line that you can do whatever the f you want in is seriously liberating.