Enbridge Inc T.ENB

Gentlemen

[marketsense]

If I may chime in,  I live in the Vancouver suburbs(Port Moody) and I can certainly attest to
the insane rise in real estate here.  It has by far outperformed my stock portfolio with a lot
less risk.   Average price of a home is well over $1.2M these days and climbing again.  
While there are many factors that have fueled the rise,  low int rates being the biggest.
there is also the mild west coast climate,  the ocean and the mountains that attract all
kinds of people here. 

That said,  the influx of Asians from Hong Kong,  has driven prices to astronomical levels
and unfortunately has priced many young and even slightly older folks right out of the
market.   I was one of the lucky people who had bought in well before all this phenomen
happened and have benefited greatly from it however I do see the negative side of it.
Vancouver real estate was never cheap in terms of income affordability but now that's 
practically history with the exception of the  ultralow rate environment that makes it still
somewhat possible.

Given this backdrop,  had I bought two properties back in the day instead of one and rented
out the second,   the numbers speak for themselves.   I've made money and lost money
because of the volatility and my own naaivity in the market but compared to those same $
invested in real estate,  there is no comparison.   If I had it to do over again,  I would have 
never touched the stock market and simply focused on real estate.    Looking back I was 
attracted to the market because I thought it was easier and faster.   Easier because of the
liquidity and faster because I was looking at stocks that for whatever reasons were going up 
mutilples of what housing prices would do over a given year.  Bottom line,  stocks seemed 
more exciting and fun,  versus slow and boring.   Now that I am an older guy,  I still like
stocks especially for income and a bit of excitement once in a while but I have no problem
in admitting,  I have regrets.

Lastly,  nice to read this board without the annoying childish nonsense that has at times
monopolized the conversation.  Great posts guys.

[NPCexe]

Great posts, but just a quick question for all: would you still see an investment in a home at current levels a safe bet? I personally am hoping for a correction, but canadians have been waiting for years for this. I won't hold my breath, and therefore I'm leaning more into the stock market before considering a home. I've been trying to buy a home to rent/reno outside the GTA

[wannabebuffet]

I believe a house is the cornerstone of financial independence. Check out what you can afford. It is sort of forced savings. If you can rent out the basement or one floor that will be huge on helping with payments. There is so much demand for housing out there you should do well. Watch for property taxes though. I live in Scarborough and pay half the property taxes I would pay if I lived in

[Fantome]

This post has been removed in accordance with Community Policy

[wannabebuffet]

Port Moody is a nice area. People outside walking, jogging having BBQs - just being outside. I always thought houses are a better buy than condos - guess it may depend on a person's lifestyle. You can build a lot of condos but that 50 foot by 200 foot piece of house ground will go up in value more than most condos. Tax free money on both is also great. The Hong Kong influence in my opinion is