Hi,
The last factor that Dr. Warren Bland compares in his book, Retire in Style, is crime rates and safely. He looks at overall crime, violent crime and property crime per 100,000 people.
It’s an important factor to consider, and one easily forgotten if you are not used to thinking about it.
In some large cities and surrounding suburban areas crime is quite specific to neighborhoods.
Depending on where you live your experience of a particular city can be diametrically opposite to someone else. If you live in a middle or high-end area, on a leafy-tree-lined street with large boulevards and roadways, and you drive to very specific places, you might never experience any crime.
In some cities, on the other hand, taking public transit after hours or late at night, or living in a low-rent walk-up apartment can bring its challenges.
If you are moving to a new area, be sure to check out the neighborhood at all times of the day before you buy. Look around, be observant. Prices are usually what they are for a reason.
M.
Sunday, January 22, 2006
Saturday, January 21, 2006
British Columbia Hits Real Estate Record
According to a Vancouver Sun article on January 18, 2006, the province hit a new sales record in 2005 of $35.3 billion. Other articles extol the record high prices of real estate in Lotusland.
The two camps in the real-estate market are, in my opinion, divided by those who have some and those who don’t.
For those people for whom the dream of owning any remotely reasonable property within the Greater Vancouver Regional District is out of reach, their wish is that this is a giant bubble that will pop.
Like the proverbial walls of Jericho, they hope the prices will come a-tumbling down. They are banking on a faltering economy, higher interest rates, and over-extended households to trigger a sales stampede and a drop in prices.
But, if you look at the several million baby-boomers who live in terribly cold and harsh climates in the rest of Canada, that scenario probably won’t happen here. If they sell out in Ontario, for example, they can do fairly well here.
I know several couples who have moved here from the rest of Canada.
I asked a friend from Montreal the other day if he was tired of the 26 days of rain we just had.
His answer, the ever so common, “Well, at least I don’t have to shovel it”.
Vancouver is also attracting international buyers.
It’s not all bad though.
For folks who have owned for a while, the rising real-estate opens options. They can move to the smaller communities, and pay cash.
For folks who don’t own, they can move to those communities also. Vancouver suburbs are not that unreasonable. With mortgage rates as low as they are, home ownership is still a possibility.
If people are still undecided, I recommend they go on line, and look at real-estate world wide. When comparing prices around the world, Canada is a good deal.
M.
The two camps in the real-estate market are, in my opinion, divided by those who have some and those who don’t.
For those people for whom the dream of owning any remotely reasonable property within the Greater Vancouver Regional District is out of reach, their wish is that this is a giant bubble that will pop.
Like the proverbial walls of Jericho, they hope the prices will come a-tumbling down. They are banking on a faltering economy, higher interest rates, and over-extended households to trigger a sales stampede and a drop in prices.
But, if you look at the several million baby-boomers who live in terribly cold and harsh climates in the rest of Canada, that scenario probably won’t happen here. If they sell out in Ontario, for example, they can do fairly well here.
I know several couples who have moved here from the rest of Canada.
I asked a friend from Montreal the other day if he was tired of the 26 days of rain we just had.
His answer, the ever so common, “Well, at least I don’t have to shovel it”.
Vancouver is also attracting international buyers.
It’s not all bad though.
For folks who have owned for a while, the rising real-estate opens options. They can move to the smaller communities, and pay cash.
For folks who don’t own, they can move to those communities also. Vancouver suburbs are not that unreasonable. With mortgage rates as low as they are, home ownership is still a possibility.
If people are still undecided, I recommend they go on line, and look at real-estate world wide. When comparing prices around the world, Canada is a good deal.
M.
Friday, January 20, 2006
Recreation In a Natural Setting
Hi:
If you are considering moving to another community, consider the outdoor recreational activities available in that community. It's important to think about what you might like to do as possible activities, as well as what you do now.
Recreation can be divided into two areas: interaction with the natural environment and activities that use community resources.
Consider the overall weather conditions and what you might want to be doing. Moving up north may be cheap, but if you can't hike because there are not many well-laid out trails and lots of bears, your hiking expeditions may be limited, especially if you don't want to become dinner.
If you love winter sports such as cross-country or downhill skiing, spend some time in that area in those winter months, and also at various other times of the year so you can imagine what you might do there in the middle of the summer.
Or, if you love the water, either by the lake or the ocean, stay back a few weeks in the fall and see what happens when the rains start and the sun disappears. Does the boating community pack up and leave? Will you enjoy the quiet cold days with not much to do? How prepared are you to deal with snow?
Smaller places can be explored in a weekend. By spending time there in the off-season, you'll be able to make better decisions about buying or moving to the area.
M.
If you are considering moving to another community, consider the outdoor recreational activities available in that community. It's important to think about what you might like to do as possible activities, as well as what you do now.
Recreation can be divided into two areas: interaction with the natural environment and activities that use community resources.
Consider the overall weather conditions and what you might want to be doing. Moving up north may be cheap, but if you can't hike because there are not many well-laid out trails and lots of bears, your hiking expeditions may be limited, especially if you don't want to become dinner.
If you love winter sports such as cross-country or downhill skiing, spend some time in that area in those winter months, and also at various other times of the year so you can imagine what you might do there in the middle of the summer.
Or, if you love the water, either by the lake or the ocean, stay back a few weeks in the fall and see what happens when the rains start and the sun disappears. Does the boating community pack up and leave? Will you enjoy the quiet cold days with not much to do? How prepared are you to deal with snow?
Smaller places can be explored in a weekend. By spending time there in the off-season, you'll be able to make better decisions about buying or moving to the area.
M.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)