I'm with you, except instead of a garden I dream of a kitchen. Actually I frequently dream of the home I used to have. It wasn't large (maybe 800 Sq Ft) but it was just perfect for me. And the kitchen! It was so well organized that there was tons and tons and TONS of counter space, yet you were never any more then 2 steps away from what you needed.

Like you I'm getting by renting. It's been very hard to swallow my pride and first accept a place on my own that wasn't what I used to have, then to move and find a roommate.

But I suck it up every day like I imagine you do. I put my feel on the floor when I get out of bed and I do my best for that day.

It's been so damn hard to listen to people like Pandora and her stinky ol' box with their faux cultivation and te snottiness that only comes with being nouveau riche. I've known some of the most accompliched people in Canada, including three Olympic gold medalists, a CBC news anchor and a very senior bank exec and *none* of them displayed her level of sanctimony.

These days it's a little easier getting out of bed. I don't bother discussing real estate with home owners any more. Why bother? Believe me, they ALL know EXACTLY how much they paid and though they may not admit it, they're doing the math.

These days the math is all about subtraction. Or perhaps more accurately…. percentages.

The pendulum is coming back the other way. Nobody can stop it. we all knew this would happen…. now we get to switch sides with the bulls.

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Eat right and exercise. Nothing else is as important! Drink wine with friends, laugh, watch good movies, etc,etc. And you'll still be dead in the end, and your toys don't count.

Oh, practical matters you meant. Stay out of debt, keep a job you don't hate, lose a job you do hate, but only after you find a job you don't hate. A job you love is a nice bonus, and worth less money, but can't be counted on.

Don't spend money on things you you can't afford, don't need or don't like.

Grow some laugh lines, not frown lines. Get old, wrinkly and happy. Cherish your sweetie, or find one. Dump the jerk if you need to.

Darn, I'm off practical matters. But these are the important ones.

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REBGV data on Units sold 1980 – 2008

Interesting statistics with respect to gross sales numbers.

However , we have to keep in mind that since 1980

— the population has grown ,

— we had a post Expo 86 boom based on offshore investment

— liberalization in lending practices

— that a per capita number may also be useful (ie X sales per 1000).

(This is not to say that no matter how you slice it, the numbers actually do reflect a very bad RE market).

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The world is in a recession = rock bottom for the tourism and less demand for Canadian resources. Even if property prices will drop another 50 percent; with a Grim world recession I'm curious if any investors will even buy given prices won't go up again till like 2015. And investors are even reluctant buy stock options and you are asking us to buy property?

The only winners in this crisis are young couples or first time buyers that have equity. Condolences to those that bought in the last 2 years. Right now for many it's not about living it's about survivng eg families putting food on the table,paying bills on time.

In this crisis if you are a home owner consider yourself lucky if you can get 70 percent of market value. Buyers are looking one to 2 years down the road and some listings on mls are beyond funny.

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It's bulls like yourself that keep holding their list prices high.. in the end you will never end up selling because you always want more money than the market will b-e-a-r!

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December 3rd, 2008 at 7:36 am

In looking over condo’s in Burnaby near Central Park, sub-$300K for a 2 bed concrete highrise with sub-$250/mo maintenance fee is fairly priced. Except now I’m adjusting my price-point downwards. I’m willing to pay $250/sqft downtown, but out in Burnaby I’m willing to pay $125/sqft."

It's bears like yourself who keep adjusting their purchase prices downwards..in the end you will never end up buying because you always want it cheaper!

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REBGV SFH+TH+APT Unit sales (Nov 1980 to 2008)

YEAR UNITS SOLD

1980 362

1981 397

1982 437

1983 279

1984 378

1985 480

1986 455

1987 671

1988 672

1989 1140

1990 3352

1991 2242

1992 2786

1993 2434

1994 2256

1995 1830

1996 2870

1997 1837

1998 1595

1999 1866

2000 1791

2001 2674

2002 2650

2003 3115

2004 2594

2005 3064

2006 2416

2007 2952

2008 889

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December 2nd, 2008 at 11:04 pm

Well said, Anger Ed.

Too bad Disbelief totally missed your point.

Realtors do not cause prices to rise. Buyers do. Rinse. Repeat.

I completely understood his point. I was merely saying that his point was refreshing from all the garbage that some Realtors and developers have been spouting lately. You are the one that totally missed my point.

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http://www.youtube.com/user/dunnerthegunner

And got this Youtube mail:

How about a bet!!!

I'm going to have to disagree with you about the city of Vancouver. My prediction is a 4% swing up or down in the next 4 months. You choose your prediction and the winner has to blog about it on Youtube. What do you say!

Of course, that was before the 8% benchmark drop numbers, so maybe he means starting *this* month.

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lily pad:

1. climate change

2. peak oil

3. credit bubble

4. global population growth

everything else fades into irrelevance

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