Baby, we got a bubble!?

[Ex-Montreal Girl]

Hopefully you can also see where the DR table would fit...

Thanks.

As for the DR ...

Our DR table seats 6 comfortably - 8 somewhat snugly when closed. I can't open it here as the space is too small so more than 8 means a buffet.

It's a little larger than most DR tables and oblong shaped so it's not typical. So I am gonna shave it down a bit and call it 4x6 which I think is small. Then, some chairs. You need AT LEAST 12 inches for chairs pushed in and AT LEAST 24 inches with people in them and then another 18-24 for people to get in and out.

Maybe I am not seeing it but I am not seeing it happen in that space without it being in the way of people coming and going. And that bathroom right there? Uh ...

 

[Condo George]

http://www.torontolife.com/informer/stat-informer/2014/09/25/gta-lot-crowded-2025/

 

[TheKingEast]

http://www.torontolife.com/informer/stat-informer/2014/09/25/gta-lot-crowded-2025/

I don't see that happening...and if it does...may God help us because we don't have the jobs or transit infrastructure to accommodate that many people in just 10 years. By that point condos will literally be shoeboxes stacked on top of each other.

 

[Condo George]

GTA REALTORS® Report Toronto MLS Housing Figures


TORONTO, September 16, 2014 -- Toronto Real Estate Board President Paul Etherington announced that Greater Toronto REALTORS® reported 3,297 sales through the TorontoMLS system during the first 14 days of September 2014. This result represented an 8.3 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2013. Year-to-date sales through September 14, at 68,731, were up by 6.6 per cent compared to the same period in 2013.

“The sales result for the first two weeks of September showed strong growth for most major home types, indicating that home buyers continue to find homes that meet their needs and budgets. With a lot of buyers active in the marketplace relative to the number of homes for sale, average selling prices were up strongly for most low-rise and high-rise home ownership options,” said Mr. Etherington.

The average selling price for September mid-month sales was $555,890, which represented an increase of 8.1 per cent compared to the average price for the first two weeks of September 2013. Average price growth was strongest for single-detached and semi-detached homes.

The average year-to-date selling price was up by 8.5 per cent year-over-year to $562,244.

“Average prices in the low-rise market segments, including singles, semis and towns, continued to experience the impact of strong competition between buyers. It is also clear that while the condo apartment market segment remains comparatively better supplied, there are enough buyers relative to available condo listings to prompt very strong average price growth for this type of ownership housing as well,” said Jason Mercer, TREB’s Director of Market Analysis

 

[kalvinone]

GTA REALTORS® Report Toronto MLS Housing Figures
...This result represented an 8.3 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2013. Year-to-date sales through September 14, at 68,731, were up by 6.6 per cent compared to the same period in 2013. ...

I've been following this tread for a while now... what I've been seeing is that House Prices Increase, increase, increase... My Wage... Flat, but pegged to CPI... Decrease, decrease, decrease... how does this make sense? Where's the money coming from? Is it just another case of the richer, get richer, and the poorer get poorer?

 

[Ex-Montreal Girl]

I've been following this tread for a while now... what I've been seeing is that House Prices Increase, increase, increase... My Wage... Flat, but pegged to CPI... Decrease, decrease, decrease... how does this make sense? Where's the money coming from? Is it just another case of the richer, get richer, and the poorer get poorer?

Yup.

The income gap is indeed widening. The assault on the labour movement, which essentially helped to create the middle class, is now eliminating the middle class.

Media help manipulate corporate and conservative attacks on unions. They refer to "unelected union bosses" but it's always "corporate CEOs." There are no more labour reporters. Lots of business reporters though.

Unions, which help float all workers' boats (they got us the weekend, maternity leaves, job benefits etc.), are painted as evil job killers which protect lazy civil servants -- and the suckers (Ford Nation!) buy it.

Globe and Mail:

Canada is at a crossroads. A gap has grown between the middle class and the wealthy. Now, that divide is threatening to erode a cherished Canadian value: equality of opportunity for all. This article is part of The Globe's Wealth Paradox series, a two-week examination into how the wealth divide is shaping Canada's cities, schools, social programs – and even its national sport.

This is a study by the CCPA, the progressive think tank that the HarperCons is now tormenting with an endless audit -- while right-wing think tanks roll merrily along. Gee, I wonder why ...

The CCPA's Growing Gap project takes an in-depth and sustained look at one of the biggest challenges of our time: Worsening income and wealth inequality in Canada. Our team of economists and researchers have been tracking household income, wealth, spending and credit data, unearthing a troubling phenomenon.

 

[Condo George]

I've been following this tread for a while now... what I've been seeing is that House Prices Increase, increase, increase... My Wage... Flat, but pegged to CPI... Decrease, decrease, decrease... how does this make sense? Where's the money coming from? Is it just another case of the richer, get richer, and the poorer get poorer?

Mainland China

 

[TheKingEast]

I've been following this tread for a while now... what I've been seeing is that House Prices Increase, increase, increase... My Wage... Flat, but pegged to CPI... Decrease, decrease, decrease... how does this make sense? Where's the money coming from? Is it just another case of the richer, get richer, and the poorer get poorer?

Many Canadians are "rich" via home equity. Wages have been stagnant for some time. Job growth and creation is in the pits here. So, it's weird. When rates rise and home prices drop. Yikes! Pre Con market is dying a slow death. We'll see more and more class action lawsuits against builders and that will be enough to completely wipe out the precon market as we know it. There is now 0 incentive to buy a precon condo.

A) put 10s of thousands of $$$ down on plans. You used to be able to put 5% down. You have to put much more than that now.
B) Wait, wait and wait. Delay after delay. 5, 6,7,10 years to move in.
C) Have a PDI and realize you have no appliances, the upgrades you paid for are missing and the developer decided to give you 8 ft ceilings instead of the 9 they promised.
D) Forced to close even though the building is still incomplete and your unit has a tonne of deficiencies
E) Pay through the nose on closing costs
F) Forced to fix your deficiencies yourself because the developer has moved on to another project
E) Your return is 0 or even less in many cases when you look at all the costs since day 1.

So, why would anyone buy a brand new condo anymore? Where are the benefits in 2014?

Thank goodness for houses because IMO that's the only thing that's propping up the market.

 

[James]

Single family homes in Toronto are overwhelmingly keeping the market up. The one problem with this, though, is that as their prices keep going up, its affordability goes down...and buyers have no choice but to buy a unit in a high-rise condo. This will indirectly keep the condo market buoyant for some time to come.

 

[Eug]

Single family homes in Toronto are overwhelmingly keeping the market up. The one problem with this, though, is that as their prices keep going up, its affordability goes down...and buyers have no choice but to buy a unit in a high-rise condo.

I guess you've never heard of townhouses.

 

[DarnDirtyApe]

Yup.

The income gap is indeed widening. The assault on the labour movement, which essentially helped to create the middle class, is now eliminating the middle class. It is not

Media help manipulate corporate and conservative attacks on unions. They refer to "unelected union bosses" but it's always "corporate CEOs." There are no more labour reporters. Lots of business reporters though.

Unions, which help float all workers' boats (they got us the weekend, maternity leaves, job benefits etc.), are painted as evil job killers which protect lazy civil servants -- and the suckers (Ford Nation!) buy it.

Globe and Mail:



This is a study by the CCPA, the progressive think tank that the HarperCons is now tormenting with an endless audit -- while right-wing think tanks roll merrily along. Gee, I wonder why ...

Please save the talking points (and your bias) for another thread. Housing prices are rising because interest rates are at record lows, and middle class households choose to stretch to make the payments. It is not "corporate CEOs" who are bidding up the prices of condos and houses... get real.

Wages are stagnant because developing countries are catching up to us in terms of economic development, because technological change means that unskilled labour is not needed as much as in years past, and because open immigration means more competition at the bottom of the labour pool.

 

[James]

Yes, townhouses are a good compromise but the low inventory of townhouses as compared to detached, semis and condo apartment units makes finding a good townhouse that's still affordable rather difficult. Factor in that most newer townhouses are not freehold and thus will be subject to maintenance fees just like a condo apartment unit.

 

[Ex-Montreal Girl]

Please save the talking points (and your bias) for another thread. Housing prices are rising because interest rates are at record lows, and middle class households choose to stretch to make the payments. It is not "corporate CEOs" who are bidding up the prices of condos and houses... get real.

A little reading with comprehension, if you please. I never said, suggested, or implied that corporate CEOs have anything to do with bidding up house prices. Are house prices increasing because of increased demand, lower i rates, and other related factors? Yes. I never wrote otherwise. So kindly keep your own biases out of this.

What I did reply to was the question by kalvinone: < Is it just another case of the richer, get richer, and the poorer get poorer?>


It is a FACT that income disparities are increasing. It is a FACT that this disparity increase correlates with the declining rate of unionization. It is a FACT that governments, here and in the US, are trying to weaken unions with legislation.

Wages are stagnant in a large part because North American manufacturers are moving their production offshore to where there corporations find cheaper labour and no unions as well as less regulation and fewer environmental restrictions. If workers in Bangladesh or Cambodia were to unionize, manufacturers would move to some other poor hellhole where people would be desperate for pennies a day in firetraps.

And what is "bottom end of the labour pool" but the most anti-worker phrase you can use?

Unions floated everybody's boat, union members or not. If you actually read that study to which I linked, and believe me I have many many many more, from the US mostly, you will get your head out of your own biases and stop accusing me of saying things I did not say.

ETA: Some links so I might make it easy for you.

http://www.conferenceboard.ca/hcp/hot-topics/caninequality.aspx

http://www.epi.org/blog/union-decline-rising-inequality-charts/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/27/union-membership-middle-class-income_n_983702.html

 

[cruzin4u]

I guess you've never heard of townhouses.

Town homes have become ever increasingly costly, especially newer builds. Infact, in many areas, town homes are hitting ridiculous numbers. The bottom line is, home ownership (homes and town homes even) is out of reach for many.

 

[DearSummer]

It is a FACT that income disparities are increasing. It is a FACT that this disparity increase correlates with the declining rate of unionization. It is a FACT that governments, here and in the US, are trying to weaken unions with legislation.

Correlation does not equal causation. Most unionized employees in Canada work in the public sector. To say that public sector unions "lift all boats" is completely laughable. The opposite is true because increased government employee compensation reduces government services and/or increases tax rates which hurts the middle class.

Wages are stagnant in a large part because North American manufacturers are moving their production offshore to where there corporations find cheaper labour and no unions as well as less regulation and fewer environmental restrictions.

This is simply false. It's true that Canadian manufacturing has been hollowed out since the recession due to low productivity, high energy prices, unfavourable business climate, etc.

The U.S. has actually done well in manufacturing as they have better productivity, more favourable business climate in most states, etc.

The biggest driver of decreased employment in manufacturing is techonlogy. We can produce more with less people:

And what is "bottom end of the labour pool" but the most anti-worker phrase you can use?

Unskilled labour. How is that "anti-worker"? If you don't have skills, you aren't valuable, period. Welcome to the real world, leave the bleeding heart at home.