Professional women go it alone to buy their first Lower Mainland home

Professional, single women are a growing force in the local real-estate market, and they know what they want

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      Andrea Visscher is on a mission. The 27-year-old Vancouver resident is shopping for her own home, which is no easy feat for anyone in Canada’s most expensive housing market. But despite the obvious challenges, Visscher is determined to go it alone.

      “I’ve been looking for about two months but considering this for a long time,” Visscher says. “I really want to purchase a home on my own without assistance from a partner or my parents.

      “Finding something I like in a price point I’m able to afford is my biggest obstacle,” she adds. “I don’t want to leave things too long, though, because I think the earlier in my life I can get into home ownership the better it will be in the long run.”

      Visscher represents one of the latest trends in real estate: professional, single women becoming independent homeowners.

      According to a recent TD Canada Trust national poll that surveyed female first-time home buyers between the ages of 20 and 45, 82 percent were single women. (That figure includes people like Visscher, who have a partner but are buying on their own.) The average age was 29, and almost half had obtained a university degree.

      When asked to describe the best thing about home ownership, 34 percent of Canadian women surveyed said it was having a place of their own. Other factors were being able to decorate or renovate the way they wanted (34 percent) and having a backyard or garden (32 percent).

      Eugen Klein, president of the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver, says that although no hard numbers exist, single women have outpaced single men in home purchases recently.

      “It does change from month to month, but if you look over the last 12- or 24-month period, by a few percentage points, single women have bought slightly more properties than single men,” he says.

      Local real-estate marketer Bob Rennie has seen the trend play out in Vancouver. At Marine Gateway, a development on Marine Drive at south Cambie Street that sold out on opening day and offered more than 200 units under $270,000, 50 percent of buyers were female—a big jump from past projects.

      “Although we didn’t track demographics as diligently 10 years ago, I think that a safe estimate would be that the dial has moved from the 35-percent range to where it is today,” Rennie says.

      The main concern among female buyers is security, with many women opting for units above ground level and for buildings that require a pass card to access individual floors.

      “Of course, safety and convenience are factors,” Rennie says.

      Naturally, so is price. With a maximum purchase price of $200,000 in mind, Visscher is focusing on condos in Surrey. She’s seen some units in Vancouver at about that amount, but they’re too tiny for her liking.

      Making the move to the suburbs will be a big change for the media-relations specialist who has lived in a large, funky, sunny West End studio for eight years. She pays $775 a month, including parking.

      “I want to be near transit so I can get rid of my car,” Visscher says. “I don’t want to pay more for a mortgage than what I’m paying in rent. I don’t want to sacrifice my lifestyle and be a slave to an incredibly high mortgage payment.”

      Although she says she’s fortunate to have found a real-estate agent she trusts, Visscher admits she finds the process overwhelming. It doesn’t help when well-meaning relatives and friends share their two cents’ worth: everyone seems to have a different opinion on where she should be looking or if she should be contemplating home ownership at all.

      “My father is very pro get-into-the-market-whenever-you-can; my mother thinks it’s not a good time, that I shouldn’t be investing in a home when my rental is working for me,” she says. “I’m also the first one of my friends to look into home ownership, so none of them are really able to give me insights I’m looking for.

      “Some friends and coworkers are telling me to look in White Rock; other people are telling me it doesn’t matter where I look but just don’t be on the other side of a bridge. I just have to try and trust my best judgment.

      “Although I have fantastic rent and an amazing landlord, I’m just ready to start investing in myself, and investing in a home is a large part of that,” she adds. “As opposed to putting in rent for a really cool space, I just want to get something that’s more my own.”

      Comments

      16 Comments

      john michelou

      May 17, 2012 at 3:41pm

      I agree with your mother. This is a horrible time to buy property! It is most likely the peak of a bubble, and 775 for a downtown apartment is a great deal!

      Surrey is quite a bit different than the west end. Perhaps you should try renting there first! You want to transit everywhere, in surrey. Yeah good luck with that!!

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      morgus

      May 17, 2012 at 5:08pm

      This is unbelievably foolish, anything in for 200k even in Surrey is going to be absolute garbage in terms of construction, location and anything else you can think of.

      A home is not an investment; it is a money sink and always has been. I really hope someone gets through to her before she makes a huge mistake.

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      Loretta

      May 17, 2012 at 6:11pm

      Paying rent is a money sink. Say hello to equity!

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      Try REITs

      May 18, 2012 at 4:37am

      If you want to invest in real estate, why not try Real Estate Investment Trusts (REIT)? I'm not going to get into a long explanation, but they are companies that own an array of large residential and/or commercial properties. You buy and sell shares on the stock market, so there is no need to go "all in" like when you buy a crappy Surrey condo.
      I really hope you stay in your West End rental. Listen to your Mom on this one.

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      teth adam

      May 18, 2012 at 10:04am

      $200,000 in Surrey? Good luck with that! Try a dump in Chilliwack or beyond Hope, seriously...

      Does she think Surrey is some abstract outland with uber-low property values?

      Looking at some decent condos in the Guildford area (similar feel with Coquitlam Centre area). One and two bedrooms range between $250,000-$300,000. She might find a crack shack in Newton (scuzzy area of Surrey) for $200,000. Maybe a 700 square foot condo in Delta (borders Newton/Scott Road area).

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      Devore

      May 18, 2012 at 10:55am

      You won't find a decent place for $200k anywhere in lower mainland, certainly not a townhouse. So she's going to be doubling her housing costs to buy a realistic property (after mortgage, property tax, maintenance and insurance), ten-toupling her commute, just so she can paint the walls purple and build equity? Equity is nothing more than a forced savings plan. If she has a bundle of money burning a hole in her pocket, I suggest she max out her TFSA and RRSP contribution room.

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      Elizabeth King

      May 18, 2012 at 3:09pm

      You should never buy a condo anywhere as an investment vehicle. I bought my first place for 190 000 in 1996.My friend bought a condo for 150 000 the same year. She had a small 1 bedroom and den condo. I had a 4 bedroom fixer upper that needed new paint, windows, carpeting and a 1/4 acre lot. We both sold within a few years of each other I made 40 000 she broke even.

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      Peter Mare

      May 19, 2012 at 5:11pm

      Elizabeth King, Times are changing! Houses are not as popular as they used to be as Baby Boomers leave the nest and look for smaller ones! I actually see condos being more and more appealing for many, who don't like to alone in a big house, far from anything, and with a huge place to maintain! Security? A house is not as secure as a condo, but I am confused when women fear ground floor condos. I have NEVER had anyone breaking in in 20 years, but I have sheers and curtains which I close all the time. I have wood bars in the windows for added protection.

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      Thisisdiana

      May 20, 2012 at 5:45pm

      I'm about your age and I bought a condo in 2005. It's really been a headache for me and I will be so glad to get rid of it with a even price. Too much spending on maintainence and very minor increase on the value over years. I prefer renting as soon as I get rid of it, and don't mind renting for a long term. PS I'm in surrey.

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      John B.

      May 21, 2012 at 12:01am

      I have to agree with the majority of comments here. When I compare your rent in West Vancouver and your possible investment of $200k, I can not see it working out.<a href="http://calgaryrealestate.ca/news/2012/05/rent-or-buy/">Whether you rent or buy</a> is a more complex question with many invisible costs, that you don´t count right now. Again, if you buy a crappy condo in Surrey, you will have a hard time selling it for a good price within 2-3 years. And imagine all the taxes, maintenance and other expenses that you will have to pay.
      You should really listen to your Mom on this one and wait for a better moment.

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