Everyone deserves a home.

[Bsuds]

I disagree with the topic title.

Everyone does not "Deserve" a home.

I would agree with everyone deserves a safe place to shelter.

[gardengirl]

I think the consensus is that you have to find cheap accommodation while you save for a down payment. That means lower your expectations. Spend less on frivolous stuff, double up with other like minded individuals.
It also means you should get a better education ie. “trade” or some other skill set that gets you the higher paying job that you need to qualify for the mortgage on the house of your dreams.
When the mortgage rates rose above 20% in the 1980’s many people lost their homes. The province helped us out by offering to provide a loan by way of a third mortgage that we ultimately had to pay back.
Before arriving in Kelowna in 1980 we had owned 2 other homes and arrived with a decent down payment but even with that I had to ask for a raise so I could qualify for the mortgage. It was not all roses and buttercups for boomers as has been suggested.

where can you find cheap accommodation while holding a job that's going to pay you enough to save for a down payment and the high rent ?

unless you have Family or you get a nice inheritance how can you save when 50% of your earning goes to shelter- back then in the golden boomer days this didn't happen and if it did you had lots of options before you were ever forced to hit the streets

Wow. Round and round we go.
Where can you find cheap accommodation? Many suggestions have already been made. Share accommodations, move somewhere else like out East or the prairies.

You don't think people spent half their wages on accommodation in the 80s and 90s? Uh, I can tell you that lots of us did.
I bought my first new(ish) car in 1989. It was 2 years old and the interest rate on my loan was 21 3/4 %. Let that sink in for a minute. That was the first real lesson I learned about financing purchases. I have never financed a car since. So I have never bought another car that was less than 5 years old.

Minimum wage was $8/hr when I moved to Kelowna in 1990. That works out to about $1386/month.
The vacancy rate was 0.2.

Finding an apartment was nearly impossible. People were renting out rooms and bachelor suites for $500/month. That did not include utilities, cable, phone, laundry, parking. When I finally found a place, it was a 3rd floor walkup with no air conditioning and a gold shag rug.

I walked to work, brought bagged lunches, brought coffee in a thermos. I had an old black and white portable tv that I got from my parents, it got sound on one channel and picture on the other.
I went to the downtown Safeway in the summer because it was open until 11 and I could hang around there until my place cooled down to about 80 degrees.

Several of my friends moved out to Alberta back then. They all did very well. While I was struggling to pay rent in Kelowna, they were buying homes in Calgary. If I could go back and do it over, yes I would. I would have moved to Calgary in the 80s and have no doubt I would be in a much better position than I am now.

I chose to stay in the Sunny Okanagan and had to pay the fare. Despite that, I managed to save up enough for a down payment and bought a house in 1998. It was not fancy, and it was in Westbank because the same house was $50,000 more across the bridge.

I have a basic cell phone with the minimum plan. I have a grandfathered Bell Express Vu tv subscription. My car is 19 years old. I don't go to bars or restaurants. Virtually all my clothes come from thrift stores. I still work full-time.

Does that sound like one of the Golden Boomers you are talking about?

[voice of reason]

this is why people have a problem with the boomers "i bought my house for 20k but you are not entitled to own one"

My parents bought their house for $8000 back in 1952. What does that have to do with what I paid in 1975? About the same as what it has to do with what people pay today.
I don't know where the idea that you are not entitled to own a house came from. Thousands make it possible by whatever means possible. Thinking that you are entitled to a million dollar home when you are starting out in adulthood is ridiculous.
I managed to buy a house without bank financing but I also did not own a car or have any other debt. I did not have a cellphone plan, Netflix or Skip the Dishes. I saw home ownership as a priority over some of the other expenses which are entirely discretionary such as jewelry, RVs and vacations. (We tented at provincial campgrounds). Keeping people from buying a house is the $800 car payment, vacations, alcohol and expensive restaurants. These were all things that we did not have to deal with. We read books that we borrowed from the library for free. We walked down to the sea or visited the museum for cheap. Apparently that is not good enough now, Yep, here is a generation who wants it all.

no problem hey . i guess i should just save up 750k and buy a house then . if i start saving now i might be able to afford one by the time i am 150 years old

[Babba_not_Gump]

where can you find cheap accommodation while holding a job that's going to pay you enough to save for a down payment and the high rent ?

unless you have Family or you get a nice inheritance how can you save when 50% of your earning goes to shelter- back then in the golden boomer days this didn't happen and if it did you had lots of options before you were ever forced to hit the streets

Wow. Round and round we go.
Where can you find cheap accommodation? Many suggestions have already been made. Share accommodations, move somewhere else like out East or the prairies.

You don't think people spent half their wages on accommodation in the 80s and 90s? Uh, I can tell you that lots of us did.
I bought my first new(ish) car in 1989. It was 2 years old and the interest rate on my loan was 21 3/4 %. Let that sink in for a minute. That was the first real lesson I learned about financing purchases. I have never financed a car since. So I have never bought another car that was less than 5 years old.

Minimum wage was $8/hr when I moved to Kelowna in 1990. That works out to about $1386/month.
The vacancy rate was 0.2.

Finding an apartment was nearly impossible. People were renting out rooms and bachelor suites for $500/month. That did not include utilities, cable, phone, laundry, parking. When I finally found a place, it was a 3rd floor walkup with no air conditioning and a gold shag rug.

I walked to work, brought bagged lunches, brought coffee in a thermos. I had an old black and white portable tv that I got from my parents, it got sound on one channel and picture on the other.
I went to the downtown Safeway in the summer because it was open until 11 and I could hang around there until my place cooled down to about 80 degrees.

Several of my friends moved out to Alberta back then. They all did very well. While I was struggling to pay rent in Kelowna, they were buying homes in Calgary. If I could go back and do it over, yes I would. I would have moved to Calgary in the 80s and have no doubt I would be in a much better position than I am now.

I chose to stay in the Sunny Okanagan and had to pay the fare. Despite that, I managed to save up enough for a down payment and bought a house in 1998. It was not fancy, and it was in Westbank because the same house was $50,000 more across the bridge.

I have a basic cell phone with the minimum plan. I have a grandfathered Bell Express Vu tv subscription. My car is 19 years old. I don't go to bars or restaurants. Virtually all my clothes come from thrift stores. I still work full-time.

Does that sound like one of the Golden Boomers you are talking about?

Ah, but according to some you had it easy.

[BC Landlord]

In my books, "deserving" something means putting some efforts toward it.

[Babba_not_Gump]

In my books, "deserving" something means putting efforts toward it.

Yeah, doesn't it go something like "you earned it, you deserve it"?

[Grandan]

Wow. Round and round we go.
Where can you find cheap accommodation? Many suggestions have already been made. Share accommodations, move somewhere else like out East or the prairies.

You don't think people spent half their wages on accommodation in the 80s and 90s? Uh, I can tell you that lots of us did.
I bought my first new(ish) car in 1989. It was 2 years old and the interest rate on my loan was 21 3/4 %. Let that sink in for a minute. That was the first real lesson I learned about financing purchases. I have never financed a car since. So I have never bought another car that was less than 5 years old.

Minimum wage was $8/hr when I moved to Kelowna in 1990. That works out to about $1386/month.
The vacancy rate was 0.2.

Finding an apartment was nearly impossible. People were renting out rooms and bachelor suites for $500/month. That did not include utilities, cable, phone, laundry, parking. When I finally found a place, it was a 3rd floor walkup with no air conditioning and a gold shag rug.

I walked to work, brought bagged lunches, brought coffee in a thermos. I had an old black and white portable tv that I got from my parents, it got sound on one channel and picture on the other.
I went to the downtown Safeway in the summer because it was open until 11 and I could hang around there until my place cooled down to about 80 degrees.

Several of my friends moved out to Alberta back then. They all did very well. While I was struggling to pay rent in Kelowna, they were buying homes in Calgary. If I could go back and do it over, yes I would. I would have moved to Calgary in the 80s and have no doubt I would be in a much better position than I am now.

I chose to stay in the Sunny Okanagan and had to pay the fare. Despite that, I managed to save up enough for a down payment and bought a house in 1998. It was not fancy, and it was in Westbank because the same house was $50,000 more across the bridge.

I have a basic cell phone with the minimum plan. I have a grandfathered Bell Express Vu tv subscription. My car is 19 years old. I don't go to bars or restaurants. Virtually all my clothes come from thrift stores. I still work full-time.

Does that sound like one of the Golden Boomers you are talking about?

I thought it was worth it to stay in Kelowna. In order to stay employed I had to travel to Penticton Daily or Kamloops weekly. Other locations included Grand Forks, Fraser Canyon (Blue Lake Resort) , Hotham Sound and Christina Lake. It was not easy pickings.
In Kelowna there was period where real estate prices dropped after the interest spike in the 1980's . With it came high unemployment or in my case as a contract worker, the market dried up and I sold oranges on the side of the road in Rutland. For some folks the closure of Western Star Trucks was a death-knell for home ownership.
My wife went back to college to become an RN at age 39 and that changed our lives. After raising our 4 daughters it was time for her to grow in a new environment. She formally had a Grade 7 education so it required a year of up-grading after having no high school science . Finally it was fantastic money compared to what we were used to but we had student debt but we did what we needed to.
So the whining about prices has never gone away and the sunshine tax wages are still here. Why anyone would expect Kelowna to be affordable is beyond me and I've been here for 43 years.

[BC Landlord]

where can you find cheap accommodation while holding a job that's going to pay you enough to save for a down payment and the high rent ?

unless you have Family or you get a nice inheritance how can you save when 50% of your earning goes to shelter- back then in the golden boomer days this didn't happen and if it did you had lots of options before you were ever forced to hit the streets

Wow. Round and round we go.
Where can you find cheap accommodation? Many suggestions have already been made. Share accommodations, move somewhere else like out East or the prairies.

You don't think people spent half their wages on accommodation in the 80s and 90s? Uh, I can tell you that lots of us did.
I bought my first new(ish) car in 1989. It was 2 years old and the interest rate on my loan was 21 3/4 %. Let that sink in for a minute. That was the first real lesson I learned about financing purchases. I have never financed a car since. So I have never bought another car that was less than 5 years old.

Minimum wage was $8/hr when I moved to Kelowna in 1990. That works out to about $1386/month.
The vacancy rate was 0.2.

Finding an apartment was nearly impossible. People were renting out rooms and bachelor suites for $500/month. That did not include utilities, cable, phone, laundry, parking. When I finally found a place, it was a 3rd floor walkup with no air conditioning and a gold shag rug.

I walked to work, brought bagged lunches, brought coffee in a thermos. I had an old black and white portable tv that I got from my parents, it got sound on one channel and picture on the other.
I went to the downtown Safeway in the summer because it was open until 11 and I could hang around there until my place cooled down to about 80 degrees.

Several of my friends moved out to Alberta back then. They all did very well. While I was struggling to pay rent in Kelowna, they were buying homes in Calgary. If I could go back and do it over, yes I would. I would have moved to Calgary in the 80s and have no doubt I would be in a much better position than I am now.

I chose to stay in the Sunny Okanagan and had to pay the fare. Despite that, I managed to save up enough for a down payment and bought a house in 1998. It was not fancy, and it was in Westbank because the same house was $50,000 more across the bridge.

I have a basic cell phone with the minimum plan. I have a grandfathered Bell Express Vu tv subscription. My car is 19 years old. I don't go to bars or restaurants. Virtually all my clothes come from thrift stores. I still work full-time.

Does that sound like one of the Golden Boomers you are talking about?

Me and my wife went on a honeymoon five years after the fact, while saving for a downpayment. And it felt better.

[Patron]

where can you find cheap accommodation while holding a job that's going to pay you enough to save for a down payment and the high rent ?

unless you have Family or you get a nice inheritance how can you save when 50% of your earning goes to shelter- back then in the golden boomer days this didn't happen and if it did you had lots of options before you were ever forced to hit the streets

Wow. Round and round we go.
Where can you find cheap accommodation? Many suggestions have already been made. Share accommodations, move somewhere else like out East or the prairies.

You don't think people spent half their wages on accommodation in the 80s and 90s? Uh, I can tell you that lots of us did.
I bought my first new(ish) car in 1989. It was 2 years old and the interest rate on my loan was 21 3/4 %. Let that sink in for a minute. That was the first real lesson I learned about financing purchases. I have never financed a car since. So I have never bought another car that was less than 5 years old.

Minimum wage was $8/hr when I moved to Kelowna in 1990. That works out to about $1386/month.
The vacancy rate was 0.2.

Finding an apartment was nearly impossible. People were renting out rooms and bachelor suites for $500/month. That did not include utilities, cable, phone, laundry, parking. When I finally found a place, it was a 3rd floor walkup with no air conditioning and a gold shag rug.

I walked to work, brought bagged lunches, brought coffee in a thermos. I had an old black and white portable tv that I got from my parents, it got sound on one channel and picture on the other.
I went to the downtown Safeway in the summer because it was open until 11 and I could hang around there until my place cooled down to about 80 degrees.

Several of my friends moved out to Alberta back then. They all did very well. While I was struggling to pay rent in Kelowna, they were buying homes in Calgary. If I could go back and do it over, yes I would. I would have moved to Calgary in the 80s and have no doubt I would be in a much better position than I am now.

I chose to stay in the Sunny Okanagan and had to pay the fare. Despite that, I managed to save up enough for a down payment and bought a house in 1998. It was not fancy, and it was in Westbank because the same house was $50,000 more across the bridge.

I have a basic cell phone with the minimum plan. I have a grandfathered Bell Express Vu tv subscription. My car is 19 years old. I don't go to bars or restaurants. Virtually all my clothes come from thrift stores. I still work full-time.

Does that sound like one of the Golden Boomers you are talking about?

lol- min wage was $2.65 when I started working and when I bought my first home which was a decade + before you did, we had an old beater truck and we owned it, never ever would have considered to buy a newer vehicle at 21% interest rate- our interest rate was also a double digit and it's higher than what the rate is today

and back then we had industries here that offered union wages and permanent employment ( those jobs also came with pensions) knew many people who worked at Overwaitea as cashiers that could afford to become home owners ( and did) because those job too were union jobs-

so yes, as a Boomer I can honestly say we had it pretty damn good !! sure we worked hard to achieve what we have today, but to say that the majority of this generation is lazy and bougee is a lie- every young person I know works their butt off and many have 2-3 jobs and work 60+ hrs a week and those kids are also paying for our retirement benefits of CPP and OAS- us Boomers didn't contribute nearly enough to CPP or OAS nor our Healthcare ( which we use the most) so disrespecting them calling them lazy is uncalled for

[maggiedoon]

I disagree with the topic title.

Everyone does not "Deserve" a home.

I would agree with everyone deserves a safe place to shelter.

I agree with this. Not everyone has the capability to earn enough to buy a home, or even a car or fancy vacation. But everyone deserves a safe place to live. It might not be a single family dwelling, it might be a small apartment or even shared accommodation. But they should be sheltered and feel safe.

[gardengirl]

Wow. Round and round we go.
Where can you find cheap accommodation? Many suggestions have already been made. Share accommodations, move somewhere else like out East or the prairies.

You don't think people spent half their wages on accommodation in the 80s and 90s? Uh, I can tell you that lots of us did.
I bought my first new(ish) car in 1989. It was 2 years old and the interest rate on my loan was 21 3/4 %. Let that sink in for a minute. That was the first real lesson I learned about financing purchases. I have never financed a car since. So I have never bought another car that was less than 5 years old.

Minimum wage was $8/hr when I moved to Kelowna in 1990. That works out to about $1386/month.
The vacancy rate was 0.2.

Finding an apartment was nearly impossible. People were renting out rooms and bachelor suites for $500/month. That did not include utilities, cable, phone, laundry, parking. When I finally found a place, it was a 3rd floor walkup with no air conditioning and a gold shag rug.

I walked to work, brought bagged lunches, brought coffee in a thermos. I had an old black and white portable tv that I got from my parents, it got sound on one channel and picture on the other.
I went to the downtown Safeway in the summer because it was open until 11 and I could hang around there until my place cooled down to about 80 degrees.

Several of my friends moved out to Alberta back then. They all did very well. While I was struggling to pay rent in Kelowna, they were buying homes in Calgary. If I could go back and do it over, yes I would. I would have moved to Calgary in the 80s and have no doubt I would be in a much better position than I am now.

I chose to stay in the Sunny Okanagan and had to pay the fare. Despite that, I managed to save up enough for a down payment and bought a house in 1998. It was not fancy, and it was in Westbank because the same house was $50,000 more across the bridge.

I have a basic cell phone with the minimum plan. I have a grandfathered Bell Express Vu tv subscription. My car is 19 years old. I don't go to bars or restaurants. Virtually all my clothes come from thrift stores. I still work full-time.

Does that sound like one of the Golden Boomers you are talking about?

lol- min wage was $2.65 when I started working and when I bought my first home which was a decade + before you did, we had an old beater truck and we owned it, never ever would have considered to buy a newer vehicle at 21% interest rate- our interest rate was also a double digit and it's higher than what the rate is today

So it sounds like you are a bit older than I am and were well-established before the 1980s recession hit.
I guess that puts me more on the cusp of Boomer/ Gen X. Believe me, it was NOT the pot of gold you are depicting.

and back then we had industries here that offered union wages and permanent employment ( those jobs also came with pensions) knew many people who worked at Overwaitea as cashiers that could afford to become home owners ( and did) because those job too were union jobs-

Yes, there were a few union jobs for those lucky enough to get them. I remember a lot of nepotism there. You pretty much had to be related to someone to get one of those jobs. Also, the majority of those would not hire women. Western Star and Riverside for example.
Most of the jobs in the valley were in agriculture or customer service. They were not good-paying Union jobs. Overwaitea and Safeway were good jobs but those who got them did not move or quit so the chances of getting in there were pretty slim. Eventually, those great jobs went away and were replaced with the full part-time system so businesses did not have to pay as much in wages and benefits. I know of people who have worked for Overwaitea (Save-On...that is a joke) and Superstore for 20 years and have never got full-time permanent positions.

so yes, as a Boomer I can honestly say we had it pretty damn good !! sure we worked hard to achieve what we have today, but to say that the majority of this generation is lazy and bougee is a lie-
every young person I know works their butt off and many have 2-3 jobs and work 60+ hrs a week

I guess you don't know very many young people then.

and those kids are also paying for our retirement benefits of CPP and OAS- us Boomers didn't contribute nearly enough to CPP or OAS nor our Healthcare ( which we use the most) so disrespecting them calling them lazy is uncalled for

Well, those of us who did not have the Union jobs with full benefits and pensions are not as comfortable as you obviously are. I am not enjoying my posh retirement. I am still working full-time and contributing to CPP and paying taxes. So I guess you consider me one of the Kids who is paying your way.

[Grandan]

I disagree with the topic title.

Everyone does not "Deserve" a home.

I would agree with everyone deserves a safe place to shelter.

The topic posted by me referenced a letter with that title. From what I can see that original letter has been withdrawn. If anyone can find it please let me know.

[Grandan]

Wow. Round and round we go.
Where can you find cheap accommodation? Many suggestions have already been made. Share accommodations, move somewhere else like out East or the prairies.

You don't think people spent half their wages on accommodation in the 80s and 90s? Uh, I can tell you that lots of us did.
I bought my first new(ish) car in 1989. It was 2 years old and the interest rate on my loan was 21 3/4 %. Let that sink in for a minute. That was the first real lesson I learned about financing purchases. I have never financed a car since. So I have never bought another car that was less than 5 years old.

Minimum wage was $8/hr when I moved to Kelowna in 1990. That works out to about $1386/month.
The vacancy rate was 0.2.

Finding an apartment was nearly impossible. People were renting out rooms and bachelor suites for $500/month. That did not include utilities, cable, phone, laundry, parking. When I finally found a place, it was a 3rd floor walkup with no air conditioning and a gold shag rug.

I walked to work, brought bagged lunches, brought coffee in a thermos. I had an old black and white portable tv that I got from my parents, it got sound on one channel and picture on the other.
I went to the downtown Safeway in the summer because it was open until 11 and I could hang around there until my place cooled down to about 80 degrees.

Several of my friends moved out to Alberta back then. They all did very well. While I was struggling to pay rent in Kelowna, they were buying homes in Calgary. If I could go back and do it over, yes I would. I would have moved to Calgary in the 80s and have no doubt I would be in a much better position than I am now.

I chose to stay in the Sunny Okanagan and had to pay the fare. Despite that, I managed to save up enough for a down payment and bought a house in 1998. It was not fancy, and it was in Westbank because the same house was $50,000 more across the bridge.

I have a basic cell phone with the minimum plan. I have a grandfathered Bell Express Vu tv subscription. My car is 19 years old. I don't go to bars or restaurants. Virtually all my clothes come from thrift stores. I still work full-time.

Does that sound like one of the Golden Boomers you are talking about?

Me and my wife went on a honeymoon five years after the fact, while saving for a downpayment. And it felt better.

Plain to see you have your priorities straight. Some people blow their down payment on a wedding and honeymoon. Unless daddy gifted you a down payment for a house then an expensive wedding is not a great way to start out.

[normaM]

I see we have so far avoided the " walked in school 10 miles in a snowstorm, uphills both ways" lecture ( yet)
We bought a house that had been foreclosed on, bank tired of dealing with it. Tenants had done major damage. My Mommy thought we were drunk or stoned when we bought it ( it was that bad) but a really fine house. Worked on it every evening after work, every weekend.

When it was done it was a featured house of the Month in the paper ( we were so proud( The hard work paid off, sold it for a nice profit, used that to get our next, and I gotta say posh house

[Patron]

lol- min wage was $2.65 when I started working and when I bought my first home which was a decade + before you did, we had an old beater truck and we owned it, never ever would have considered to buy a newer vehicle at 21% interest rate- our interest rate was also a double digit and it's higher than what the rate is today

So it sounds like you are a bit older than I am and were well-established before the 1980s recession hit.
I guess that puts me more on the cusp of Boomer/ Gen X. Believe me, it was NOT the pot of gold you are depicting.

and back then we had industries here that offered union wages and permanent employment ( those jobs also came with pensions) knew many people who worked at Overwaitea as cashiers that could afford to become home owners ( and did) because those job too were union jobs-

Yes, there were a few union jobs for those lucky enough to get them. I remember a lot of nepotism there. You pretty much had to be related to someone to get one of those jobs. Also, the majority of those would not hire women. Western Star and Riverside for example.
Most of the jobs in the valley were in agriculture or customer service. They were not good-paying Union jobs. Overwaitea and Safeway were good jobs but those who got them did not move or quit so the chances of getting in there were pretty slim. Eventually, those great jobs went away and were replaced with the full part-time system so businesses did not have to pay as much in wages and benefits. I know of people who have worked for Overwaitea (Save-On...that is a joke) and Superstore for 20 years and have never got full-time permanent positions.

so yes, as a Boomer I can honestly say we had it pretty damn good !! sure we worked hard to achieve what we have today, but to say that the majority of this generation is lazy and bougee is a lie-
every young person I know works their butt off and many have 2-3 jobs and work 60+ hrs a week

I guess you don't know very many young people then.

and those kids are also paying for our retirement benefits of CPP and OAS- us Boomers didn't contribute nearly enough to CPP or OAS nor our Healthcare ( which we use the most) so disrespecting them calling them lazy is uncalled for

Well, those of us who did not have the Union jobs with full benefits and pensions are not as comfortable as you obviously are. I am not enjoying my posh retirement. I am still working full-time and contributing to CPP and paying taxes. So I guess you consider me one of the Kids who is paying your way.

lol, nah, we aren't rich and yes the 80's recession wasn't pleasant- and no we don't have a union pension- and yes, this generation is paying for my CPP- OAS and healthcare hence why I don't bash this next generation by insulting them saying they are lazy and expect everything handed to them

btw, you said min wage was $8 per hr in 1990- 33 yrs later it's $16.75 an increase of $8.75 and some even think it's too high right now, which is a joke

everyone deserves shelter security, nobody should think that wanting shelter security is the same thing as expecting a home given to you for free