Give Me Back My Five Bucks

I’ve written before about Vancouver micro lofts, but just recently I came across another Vancouver micro loft project. But this one – called Burns Block – is the smallest self-contained furnished rental apartment in Canada. It is in a historic, previously abandoned building which has gone through extensive safety upgrades and heritage restoration. Each micro loft unit in Burns Block (located in a 5-floor building in Vancouver’s popular Gastown neighbourhood) is between 226 and 291 sq. ft. and will rent for around $850/month – which includes cable and internet. The micro loft building offers a rooftop garden, gym, bicycle storage, … Continue reading →

There is a lot to think about when it comes to buying a first home, and sometimes the decision can be overwhelming. But after purchasing my first home in Vancouver earlier this year, and with so much talk about a coming housing correction, is renting a better option? There is definitely a perception that, once you’ve become a homeowner, you’ve somehow ‘made it,’ which means it can sometimes be hard to think rationally about the purchase. Especially when you’ve fallen in love with a property, or convinced yourself that you can afford a home well outside of your price range. Here … Continue reading →

I briefly mentioned before that I was thinking of hiring a cleaner, and it’s true. I am definitely going to hire one. For the longest time, I was completely against it. When I moved into this townhouse, I tried to reason with myself that my place is small (just less than 700 sq. ft.), and I can just suck it up and spend the time to clean it myself. Surely doing it myself would be worth it to not have to pay someone to come and do it for me. But you know what? Cleaning sucks. I work 65+ hours/week, … Continue reading →

Someone on Formspring recently asked me if I ever considered moving to a city less expensive than Vancouver to save more money. The answer is yes and no. Yes, in that I have considered it, but no because I don’t think I’d ever go through with it at this point in my life. My home town is less expensive than Vancouver (though not by much). I could have stayed there, but I chose to move. And just over three years ago I was offered an amazing job opportunity to be the Communications Manager for an entire city in Alberta. Granted, it … Continue reading →

Lately BF and I have been dreaming about buying our first place together. It’s not going to happen for at least another 2 years, and even then it will depend on the housing market. We’ve identified our preferred neighbourhoods, and whenever we’re out walking or bicycling or driving, more often than not we’ll do a little tour of different areas we might consider living. We used to be so far apart in terms of what our must-haves were; he was the dreamer who wanted a big house and acreage (where exactly would that exist in Vancouver anyway?). Whereas I was much … Continue reading →