I’m Dreaming of a Condo to Call My Own

It’s near the end of the year, and  I’ve been thinking about my future goals lately. At one point, I thought I might be settling down in Calgary and buying a house. This idea kind of excited me, since I’ve trained as an interior designer, I am naturally very passionate about home décor. I would have loved to fix up my own home, and share with you how to achieve the same look and use some of the same ideas. Well, things don’t always work out how we’ve planned, and my house dreams are far from being a reality. I’ve been dreaming of owning property again, though—wall sconces, hardwood floors, a balcony could all be mine some day. Wait, a balcony? Yes, because I’ve decided to settle down in Vancouver, a condo rather than a house will be in my future. 

Property choices

Unless you are really wealthy or want to live in the suburbs (no, thanks), a stand-alone house is more-or-less out of the question for most people in the Lower Mainland (Vancouver and suburbs). I’m okay with that, though—owning a house is a lot of work. I know, because my mom owns one and doesn’t have time to properly maintain it. I still want to own a place, though, a much smaller one than what my mom has. I definitely don’t want to have a yard to maintain, or too much space (more to clean).

Timing

I’m thinking that if I budget well and play my cards right, I should be able to buy a condo in the next 5 to 7 years or so. That may seem like a long time, but I want to be financially stable and have plenty of money saved up in RRSPs to be able to use on my first place. Plus, I know that I’ll be doing some amount of renovating, so I will need extra money for that. I would love a 1 bedroom place that had enough room to set up a studio, which can double as a dining room.

I know that most people have a home office as a secondary though—but I am dedicated to blogging and other creative pursuits, and use my computer all the time when I’m home. I would forgo the formal dining area and living room area—I still want a sofa and comfy place to sit, but I want to make sure my condo is focused on the studio/office area most of all.

Via Apartment Therapy

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