Author Topic: Work from home culture  (Read 743 times)

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Offline Squidward von Squidderson

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Re: Work from home culture
« Reply #45 on: December 21, 2021, 03:44:16 pm »
I'm sure I've said this before but as someone who left an unaffordable major city for a cheap small city I can say with absolute certainty that it sucks ass. Sure things are more affordable, but wages are lower and there's sweet f**k all to do in these places.

What would you consider the downsized city?  (As an example…. Don’t need to know where you live).

Depends entirely on the person.  I would never live in a major city.  Maybe Calgary…. If that’s considered major.  Victoria maybe…. But that’s not ‘major’,is it?    Cities are soul-sucking and unfriendly to me. 

Give me some green-space close by (where I don’t have to see anyone) and close to outdoor activities. I can visit Vancouver anytime if I need to go to the theatre, or concert or whatever. 

ETA:

Plus, I would need room for a kayak, a boat/trailer and a couple outboards.  Sooo….  My lifestyle is not conducive to living in a city, unless I could afford a house with a big yard.  But I definitely cannot.
« Last Edit: December 21, 2021, 04:43:17 pm by Squidward von Squidderson »
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Offline Squidward von Squidderson

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Re: Work from home culture
« Reply #46 on: December 21, 2021, 04:04:21 pm »
My retirement income wouldn't afford this place, if I had to get a mortgage on it at the price it was when I bought it, which was under $200,000.  As long as the bank simply renews my mortgage here, then they'd never look at my income or do a stress test, which I'd fail after retirement.  I might qualify for a very small mortgage after retirement, but unless SA prices stay fairly flat and my place continues to increase in value, it and my equity are unlikely to be enough.  A mobile home is my best option, at this point, but also has some drawbacks - like pad rent and being homeless if it's bought out by developers, which is what's happened to three parks along King George in the last few years. 

I've looked at smaller places but being near a hospital/ medical facilities is also a factor, cause partner.  If it was just me, I'd have more options.  I like Enderby, close and less expensive, but what I've seen so far needs TLC, at least. 

I'm sure I'll figure something out, just have to keep working at it.  Planning to talk to a mortgage broker again in the Spring and a realtor when we visit next year.   Might have to get a mortgage with my son, an option the partner dislikes.

Needing to be close to medical facilities certainly limits your options.    I see a condo in a 55+ building for $259k right in Salmon Arm.

Or, better yet, get your kids to move into a big house with a suite and live in the suite!  Win-win!  :) 

Offline Dia

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Re: Work from home culture
« Reply #47 on: December 21, 2021, 06:21:11 pm »
Needing to be close to medical facilities certainly limits your options.    I see a condo in a 55+ building for $259k right in Salmon Arm.

Or, better yet, get your kids to move into a big house with a suite and live in the suite!  Win-win!  :)

If that's one of the ones I saw, it's "no dogs" or "small dog only" or 800 SF, too small.

Kids + suite would be good, and that's something we'll talk about with broker and realtor.

Offline Black Dog

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Re: Work from home culture
« Reply #48 on: December 22, 2021, 11:56:16 am »
What would you consider the downsized city?  (As an example…. Don’t need to know where you live).

My current city is just a hair over 100K people. I think you need a critical mass of around 200K people for a city to feel vibrant. I also think a lot of these places need someone with a time machine to go back and put a bullet in the head of anyone who proposes building a shopping mall or "power center".

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Depends entirely on the person.  I would never live in a major city.  Maybe Calgary…. If that’s considered major.  Victoria maybe…. But that’s not ‘major’,is it?    Cities are soul-sucking and unfriendly to me.

Give me some green-space close by (where I don’t have to see anyone) and close to outdoor activities. I can visit Vancouver anytime if I need to go to the theatre, or concert or whatever.

Are you sure it's the cities that are unfriendly or is it that you just don't like people?

« Last Edit: December 22, 2021, 03:02:14 pm by Black Dog »

Offline eyeball

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Re: Work from home culture
« Reply #49 on: December 22, 2021, 01:37:46 pm »
My regional district and local municipalities on the west coast of the island are just as stricken with the the issues of availability and affordability for housing.  Housing has always been tight for the 46 years I've lived here and still is.  Tofino led the pack with its affordability issues but prices everywhere in the region have skyrocketed.  Despite the apparent abundance of unoccupied land in the form of tree farms and parks the old adage; land, they ain't making it anymore, couldn't be truer around here.  Notwithstanding that at least one 1st nation here has developed and built housing and single-handedly been responsible for increasing housing stock by some 60% in the region. Some houses have been rented and others let on long term 100 year leases.

Everyone else is looking at increasing density within the limits of their respective jurisdictions. This has increased the ire of nimby's especially in the municipalities. In the regional district density changes will result in rules that allow two residences on as little as one acre instead of 2.5 acres, subject as always to the capacity of a property to deal with sewage and provide potable water.  Nimbyism isn't as nearly as pronounced as it is in the towns.  There was more of that in the past when cottage residential zoning was brought in that allowed for a residence and up to 4 rental cabins. The collapse of logging and fishing as mainstays in the economy 20 odd years ago however put pressure on planners to allow the zoning so people could have an income and a lot of the nimbyism seemed to fade away.  In contradiction to appearances the explosion of tourism and advent of things like Airbnb seem to have whittled nimbyism down somewhat, not everywhere but it certainly has in my neighbourhood. STR's remain a hot topic in the towns.

There has been a noticeable increase in the number of city folk selling their places for big bucks and buying a place here with a cottage or bnb they could run.  Proposed zoning changes seem to have increased interest in this but prices are going up so fast - not having the ability to generate an income is often the deal breaker especially for younger people trying to get in while or where they can.  I see a bit of a zoning compliance shock coming up given how few applications for STR permits have surfaced.  I know full well there are way more STR's operating in lieu of a permit at the moment but that said, virtually all the long-term rentals are just as illegal in the sense they're unregulated and without a permit as well.  A lot of what people do around here has always hinged on someone not complaining but with that on the increase too...stay tuned I guess.  Old timers around here get a kick out of the newly landed city-slickers who've become nimby's. Fortunately they seem to mostly pick on one another.

It appears resistance to increasing density is probably the number one factor causing housing issues in Canada's big cities.

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/angry-neighbours-block-housing-that-canada-s-cities-badly-need-1.1698918
« Last Edit: December 22, 2021, 01:46:10 pm by eyeball »

Offline Squidward von Squidderson

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Re: Work from home culture
« Reply #50 on: December 22, 2021, 03:55:36 pm »
My current city is just a hair over 100K people. I think you need a critical mass of around 200K people for a city to feel vibrant. I also think a lot of these places need someone with a time machine to go back and put a bullet in the head of anyone who proposes building a shopping mall or "power center".

I’ll go visit cities when I need larger cultural events.  I certainly am not going to live in one.  My lifestyle (I like to go places) doesn’t suit it.

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Are you sure it's the cities that are unfriendly or is it that you just don't like people?

Very sure it’s the city.  I say hi and am friendly to everyone I see!  But I certainly don’t want to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them on a daily basis.  Whenever I have gone to do outdoor activities anywhere near cities, they have been strewn with garbage…. Why?  Cuz city people visit them.

« Last Edit: December 22, 2021, 05:54:35 pm by Squidward von Squidderson »

Offline Black Dog

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Re: Work from home culture
« Reply #51 on: December 23, 2021, 10:35:03 am »
I’ll go visit cities when I need larger cultural events.  I certainly am not going to live in one.  My lifestyle (I like to go places) doesn’t suit it.

Very sure it’s the city.  I say hi and am friendly to everyone I see!  But I certainly don’t want to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them on a daily basis. 

Some cities are unfriendly; Vancouver is a very cold city. Toronto surprised me with how welcoming people were. Depends.

I live in a town/city chock a block full of people with Browning rifle and **** Trudeau stickers festooned on their massive, jacked up pick up trucks; that makes me feel more unwelcome than getting a cold shoulder from a stranger on the street.

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Whenever I have gone to do outdoor activities anywhere near cities, they have been strewn with garbage…. Why?  Cuz city people visit them.

Fixed that for ya.