A new home for us

Hi, guys! I just want to share with you a very happy news -- we already bought a townhouse! Oh, I am so excited! After being "houseless" for one and a half year, we are finally moving to our new home this September 2018.

March 4, 2018

Ibang-iba ang pakiramdam na sa wakas, magkakabahay na uli kami. Mas masaya kaysa noong una kaming bumili sa Edmonton. Dati kasi bumili lang kami ng wala kaisyu-isyu. When I already decided to follow my husband in Edmonton, ayun naghanap na siya ng townhouse na mabibili para pagdating ko may matitirahan na kami (he was just renting a studio-type apartment then). Walang problema sa budget, the real estate situation was normal. Ibang-iba sa situation ngayon na talagang nakaka-stress bumili ng bahay kasi nga napakataas ng presyo. Lakasan na lang talaga ng loob at sobrang pagtitipid ang kailangan.

Iba rin ang pakiramdam ngayon kasi nga na-experience namin tumira sa apartment namin ngayon. It is old and truly uncomfortable. Napaka-humbling tumira doon kasi nga galing kami sa isang bago at mabangong bahay haha. Even my son hated living there. Ayaw na nga niyang bumalik sa Canada eh.

Kaya talagang looking forward kaming lumipat na. Yun nga lang in half a year pa kasi ginagawa pa (yes, it's brand new!). Pero di bale na, iba yung may tinatanaw na, hindi ba?

Ooops by the way, we'll be extending our vacation here in Pinas. Instead of returning in Canada on April 13, sa June 8 na. Thankfully walang rebooking fees/charges sa EVA Air. Since wala rin naman kaming gagawin pa sa Canada (no more house-hunting kasi nga nakabili na), we might as well maximize na lang our stay here. Para less time na lang ang ipag-aantay namin for September. Saka to be honest, malaki ang natitipid ng asawa ko sa pagbabakasyon namin sa Pinas haha! Sponsored kasi kami ni Nathan dito ng ermats ko kaya wala syang gastos lol. Eh syempre ang dami-daming magagastos sa paglipat namin (lawyer's fee, moving expenses, new things for the house like washer-dryer, etc.) kaya dapat magtipid lol. My mother doesn't mind, syempre mas gusto niyang nandito kami kahit nagagastusan siya. Kung gusto nga raw namin eh wag na kaming umalis.

I'll share more details of our new townhome soon! =)

"Me" Room and House-Hunting

Ahhhh, how I miss my "Me" room! Right now, I am still trying to reconcile myself with the fact that I'd probably won't have my own space anymore in Canada.

This was my special place in our previous townhome in Edmonton.

There's a new townhouse development in Aldergrove and my husband has an appointment to view the sample units on March 4. He registered on their website a couple of weeks back and eventually received a notice that phase 1 homes are already ready for selling.

You see, the prices of new townhomes and condos in Metro Vancouver have soared so high that ordinary residents like us can no longer afford them. Hence, Ford suggested that we try to look farther. That's when the idea of living in Aldergove came in.

Medyo malayo na yung place (trivia: the Kent farm in the TV series Smallville is a working farm in Aldergrove), mga 35 minutes to Surrey and about an hour to downtown Vancouver. Boundary na rin ito ng BC at Washington, US. To be honest, ayoko talagang tumira doon. I don't drive in Canada yet so feeling ko maa-isolate ako, but this is our last shot in owning a brand new townhouse in BC. If not, we'll end up in small-sized condos or 30-40+ year-old townhomes in Metro Vancouver. As I have mentioned on this post, my husband wants a "new" home. Hangga't maari, ayaw niya talaga ng luma. Kung sabagay, mahirap bumili ng old townhomes kasi kahit na sabihing renovated, wala na rin yun value later on. Lugi lang kami.

Pero kung kelan naman ok na sa akin na tumira doon, saka naman parang naging imposible. Among the 30+ units that will be sold, dalawa lang ang kasya sa budget namin. Two-bedroom lang yun ha. My husband is scheduled on the second day of viewing (at sa bandang hapon pa) so I am not expecting na maaabutan pa niya. Yes, parang hot pandesal lang ang peg ng pagbili ng bahay dito. The prospective buyer has to make up his/her mind the very moment na ma-view niya yung units and issue a check for reservation. Unahan talaga. Ready na rin ang units for turnover by April kaya mabilisan na.

Sabi ng asawa ko, "kung para sa atin talaga yun eh makukuha natin." I agree, kaso nalulungkot pa rin ako. I want to move na and really start anew. Ayoko ng magtagal sa current apartment namin. For sure, hindi na rin namin magiging option na antayin ang ibang phases 2-4 ng townhomes kasi tiyak tataas na ang presyo dahil sa demand. Hay, to give you an idea, halos doble ng halaga ng dating bahay namin yung target namin ngayon.  Two-bedroom lang yun ha.

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So there, imposible na nga akong magkaroon ng panibagong "Me" room. I'd probably set up an area na lang in our future bedroom for my stationery/arts and crafts stuff.

Pero sige, ok lang. I just want to have my own house again.

Disheartened home-seeker

My husband is not a fan of second-hand, be it on cars at lalo na sa bahay. We are not on the same page nga when it comes to house preference. Ok lang sa akin ang hindi bago basta maganda ang loob (renovated as much as possible) at ok ang location. I've been trying to convince him na kumausap na ng realtor pero talagang gusto niya ng bagong gawa. Kahit maliit, basta bago.

There's this new townhomes development in Cloverdale (Surrey) na namataan niya. He was positive na within our budget ang price doon so we signed up. It took a few weeks bago nila na-email back sa akin ang presyo (nag-finalize pa raw kasi sila). To Ford's dismay, ang pasok lang sa budget niya ay yung 2-bedroom - 1 bathroom 990-sq ft unit (the cheapest unit). Expected ko na yun kaya hindi ako nagulat. Binigyan ko na lang ang asawa ko ng "I told you so" look.

To give you an idea kung gaano ka-crazy ang housing market situation dito sa Metro Vancouver, take a look at this brand new 3,990 sq ft house in Las Vegas. Yan ang kaya naming bilhin  sa budget namin. Seriously.

So disheartening noh?

Ok na sana ang buhay namin dito sa Metro Vancouver eh. Bahay na lang talaga. Pero hindi "lang" yun, di ba? Napaka-basic sa buhay ng tao yun kaya no wonder many people are relocating to places na affordable ang bahay.

Bakit naging ganito kataas ang presyo ng bahay dito? Kasalanan ng mga foreign buyers (mostly chekwa) yan. Yung pera nila from their country, dinala nila dito at namili sila ng namili ng properties. Tapos fini-flip nila, pinapataas ang presyo. Hanggang sa dumating na sa point na hindi na ma-afford ng ordinaryong Vancouverites ang magkaroon ng sariling bahay. It is now nearly impossible for ordinary workers to own a laned/detached home, lumang townhomes at condos na lang ang mabibili nila. Luma, as in 20 to 40+ year old units. Objectively, hindi malaki ang sweldo ng mga tao rito ha. Marami lang Asians na may mga baong pera from their respective places of origin kaya may disposable money sila.

Nakakalungkot talaga. Paminsan-minsan sumasagi pa rin sa isip namin na bumalik sa Edmonton kasi nga doon pwede kaming magkaroon ng malaking bahay. Or we could just buy another townhouse (tulad ng bahay namin dati) and have more extra money for travel and other leisure things. Kaso nandito na kami eh, mahirap na uling bumalik doon.

Ayoko na. Sabi ko sa asawa ko mag-condo na lang kami. Mahal din pero I want a slightly bigger space than 990 sq ft. And we need at least 2 bedrooms + 1den just in case may bisita. Pumayag na rin siya, basta bago. The other day, he informed me na may project sila na itatayong condo malapit sa office nila sa Langley, abangan daw namin. He already checked the site plan at malalaki ang units. We already signed up kaso by spring pa raw sila magrerelease ng presyo at magsisimulang magbenta. Ford heard from their office na March daw to be exact. Oh well, let's see. Baka mamaya ma-disapppoint na naman kami. But just in case magustuhan namin at bumili kami, ang drawback is that we would have to wait for another year bago ma-turn over. Hay, parang ang tagal pa. Kaya ko pa bang mag-antay??? =(