Instead of retirement towns, towns to buy in for a family

[Huntingtyler123]

Didn’t want to hi-jack retirement thread, but I’m seriously looking to buy a home/property away from the city.

A little bit bit about me; I’m 30 years old, engaged , have my daughter who is 7. I work in film building sets in north Vancouver. Hate it here more and more each day. Like most of you on this forum I bet you love your space, freedom and the outdoors plus a little less traffic.

Not looking for for anything fancy or “dream home” done to the tits. Just want a place to call my own with space, friendly town, elementary/secondary school for my daughter. Kinda with in driving range to continue with work down in the city living out of my camper for the week or two then driving back home for the weekend. This might not be for everyone but it’s a choice I’ve excepted for myself if I can have some freedom. My “wife” is a care aid so any place with a hospital would be good too. Doesn’t have to close to good hunting because I’d still drive if I have to for that.

Places that have our interest is Armstrong, Kamloops, caribou, pemberton but pemberton is already out of our price range sadly. My price range is 250-450$ with $500 pushing it. Any input would be great and helpful.

Retirement thread has been helpful but I can’t be completely out in the boonies with my daughter being young and in school

[tracker]

Armstrong would be at the top of the list for me, great area that has everything within or up to 20 min drive . goodluck

[416]

Armstrong x 2 from your choices. If we get the housing drop they threaten, Vernon, Salmon Arm and places in between could be places to look at too.

[rageous]

How long is your commute to work?

[Danny_29]

Lived in armstrong and hated it. You can do much better.

[Huntingtyler123]

My commute ranges from 5 mins to 30 mins from north van. There’s studios throughout the lowermainland.

[Redthies]

Pemberton isn’t all that great in my opinion, but would be closer than Fruitloops. Have you considered Lilloett? They have a great hospital, and tons of good hunting relatively close. It’s a bit too dry for my liking, but real estate isn’t crazy there, and you could find something to fit your budget for sure. Especially if you want to fix something up.

[Rieber]

Look at places from Abbotsford to Hope. Prices get lower the closer you get to Hope.

Mission has larger properties - good value for your dollar. Harrison are is nice if you like that.

[happyhunter]

Look at places from Abbotsford to Hope. Prices get lower the closer you get to Hope.

Mission has larger properties - good value for your dollar. Harrison are is nice if you like that.

WTF can you buy in his budget in those towns that either aren’t a POS or are in a POS neighbourhood? Also talking about at least a 1 hr commute in bumper to bumper traffic to van from the far end of the valley. Don’t think that’s what he’s looking for

[Iron Glove]

WTF can you buy in his budget in those towns that either aren’t a POS or are in a POS neighbourhood? Also talking about at least a 1 hr commute in bumper to bumper traffic to van from the far end of the valley. Don’t think that’s what he’s looking for

$450 - 500 will get you something pretty decent in Hope (certainly not a POS or a POS neighbourhood ) kinda like exactly where we live. :smile:
He did say that he wasn't intending on commuting daily to N Van, would go to N Van and stay in his camper.
Good Schools, probably decent employment for his Wife either in Hope or Chilliwack / Abby.
Not everyone's cup of tea but viable and for a hunter / fisher, pretty close to some decent areas.

[Huntingtyler123]

Pemberton isn’t all that great in my opinion, but would be closer than Fruitloops. Have you considered Lilloett? They have a great hospital, and tons of good hunting relatively close. It’s a bit too dry for my liking, but real estate isn’t crazy there, and you could find something to fit your budget for sure. Especially if you want to fix something up.

Yes her parents own old airport gardens and that’s where she grew up. She doesn’t want to live there because she knows everyone and small town drama there. I love lillooet

[Huntingtyler123]

$450 - 500 will get you something pretty decent in Hope (certainly not a POS or a POS neighbourhood ) kinda like exactly where we live. :smile:
He did say that he wasn't intending on commuting daily to N Van, would go to N Van and stay in his camper.
Good Schools, probably decent employment for his Wife either in Hope or Chilliwack / Abby.
Not everyone's cup of tea but viable and for a hunter / fisher, pretty close to some decent areas.

Yes, thanks for your input I will give it a look. And yes I’d plan to stay in the camper for most the time so wouldn’t be driving back and forth everyday. It’s the only way to get my foot in the door with property, or I have to wait to inherit lol

[Iron Glove]

Yes, thanks for your input I will give it a look. And yes I’d plan to stay in the camper for most the time so wouldn’t be driving back and forth everyday. It’s the only way to get my foot in the door with property, or I have to wait to inherit lol

We retired here 6 years ago after 60+ years in Vancouver, we love it.
At our age, proximity to Health Care was pretty important so it works for us.
Lots of stuff for kids to do, down side is that after they graduate the odds are they have to leave Hope for meaningful work.

[antileno]

I moved to Salmon Arm about 6 months ago for a lot of the same reasons, though I work here locally. This is a great place to raise kids, we have two of them and they transitioned into elementary school seamlessly. There is a good portion of family's here where the dad works out of town as there isn't a lot of good paying jobs in town although there are some depending on your skillset. I paid just over 500k for my house and I got a third of acre with beautiful view of the lake, you can get into a nice home in a good neighborhood for under 500k easy. I did commute back to the lower mainland for about 2 months before we moved and in the winter time you can get into some really crappy conditions. Like I said though there is a lot of people that do it and most of them are driving to Alberta which would be worse. Good luck with wherever you land.

[RackStar]

What about good ol Merritt?

Close enough to boot home In 2.5 hours

[Edzzed]

You can buy a brand new house in Logan lake for under 500. Most expensive listing is 519,000 2nd most expensive 429,900 and it drops from there. We could sell you our house for 300,000 and I will throw in the furniture and wife. lol.... https://www.realtor.ca/Map.aspx#ZoomLevel=12&LatitudeMax=50.5271595&LongitudeMax=-120.6463743&LatitudeMin=50.4332167&LongitudeMin=-120.9716154&CurrentPage=1&Sort=1-A&RecordsPerPage=9&PropertyTypeGroupID=1&PropertySearchTypeId=0&TransactionTypeId=1&Center=50.48021141999416%2C-120.80899487493049

[Huntingtyler123]

Haha thanks for the offer not sure if that would fly though haha.

Good idea with merritt

[Gateholio]

Pemberton has become very expensive. It's a great place to live in many respects because it's still a bit small town but Vancouver is only a short drive away. But- it's been growing like crazy over the last few years and many aspects of the growth sucks. It's become a bit of Whistler North, and most of us like me left Whistler 20+ years ago to escape that. And the LML has discovered Pemberton, so every weekend they clog up our roads and backcountry.

But, apart from several years in the oil patch, I've always been in the tourism industry, so I can't really complain too much about tourists coming and patronizing my business. Real estate prices have skyrocketed, and I suppose I feel fortunate that I bought 6 acres in Pemberton in 1993. A decade after that prices quadrupled, and it's insane now..

The best you could get in Pemberton in your price range might be an apartment and maybe a condo- maybe. it's kind of shitty as most of the kids that grow up here will never be able to afford to actually live here.

[wrenchhead]

If your a carpenter there seems to be enough work in the okanagan....lumby/ lavington prices are pretty fair still.

[Huntingtyler123]

Was really checking out listings in Merritt last night, really affordable pricing , big enough town with enough in it, close to schools and central to everything in any direction and the wife likes it too

[BimmerBob]

Have you considered the Sunshine Coast? Leave your truck/camper at Horseshoe Bay and then walk-on ferry passage from terminal to terminal when you come and go. Should be able to find something in your price range.

[TyTy]

Moved the family out to Hope last fall. Main reason was I felt it would be important to own a home where my kids could stay in the same school/community until they graduate. Wife got a job immeadiately. Brand new home right near a lake. 15 mins out the door and I am hunting. Hope will become much bigger in the near future.

[Sportster]

Didn’t want to hi-jack retirement thread, but I’m seriously looking to buy a home/property away from the city.

A little bit bit about me; I’m 30 years old, engaged , have my daughter who is 7. I work in film building sets in north Vancouver. Hate it here more and more each day. Like most of you on this forum I bet you love your space, freedom and the outdoors plus a little less traffic.

Not looking for for anything fancy or “dream home” done to the tits. Just want a place to call my own with space, friendly town, elementary/secondary school for my daughter. Kinda with in driving range to continue with work down in the city living out of my camper for the week or two then driving back home for the weekend. This might not be for everyone but it’s a choice I’ve excepted for myself if I can have some freedom. My “wife” is a care aid so any place with a hospital would be good too. Doesn’t have to close to good hunting because I’d still drive if I have to for that.

Places that have our interest is Armstrong, Kamloops, caribou, pemberton but pemberton is already out of our price range sadly. My price range is 250-450$ with $500 pushing it. Any input would be great and helpful.

Retirement thread has been helpful but I can’t be completely out in the boonies with my daughter being young and in school

I'm kind of in the same situation as you, I've lived in the n van all my life and want to get the hell out of here. Retiring next year in May at 62 .been looking at a few areas north of kamloops, so many nice places in BC. Would like to be a little outside of a nice town. Not looking for large property, just want a nice 3 bedroom 2 bathroom home with a big enough yard for a vegetable garden and maybe a small chicken koop. Would be nice if I could plink off my back porch to lol.

[Iron Glove]

Moved the family out to Hope last fall. Main reason was I felt it would be important to own a home where my kids could stay in the same school/community until they graduate. Wife got a job immeadiately. Brand new home right near a lake. 15 mins out the door and I am hunting. Hope will become much bigger in the near future.

We retired to Hope 6 years ago after 60 years in Vancouver works great for us.
Wanted to be in a small Town where you could walk to the store, Doctors, Rink / Pool, whatever and be reasonably close to our kids and Grand Kids in Mission and Princeton.
Decent medical care - Hope Hospital for the simple stuff, Chilliwack for scans and more serious stuff, Abby if a big problem. That was an important consideration as we age. Cut our driving time to our Tulameen cabin in half with no fighting the freeway traffic.
Folks are friendly here, the rain and crime isn't nearly as bad as some say.
Rotary Trail and Coq. River right behind us, perfect for our dogs.
Great Town for a retirement or a young family.
So that's about 4 or 5 HBCers here, we should start a Facebook Group. :-P

[tinhorse]

Some good towns on the island. Campbell River and Courtney/Comox just got new hospitals. You can still find a house for under 500, for the time being anyways..... I live in port Alberni and like it. Tons of outdoor activities, just over 100 km to tofino to go surfing, good fishing and blacktail/bear hunting. Definetly sketchy areas and folks around but what town doesn't have those. Some great new neighbourhoods being built and a newer high school. I've always asked myself where I would want to move if I could and kootneys comes to mind but second is the island. One downfall is the ferry.....hate that!

[CHEAM]

I am looking at the area between Salmon Arm and Vernon. Hoping to move out of the LML and dial things back a bit while heading towards retirement. Kids are still in school so I need to consider them. Seems to be some work in the area judging by the job adds. What are some of the things to look out for that a guy might not consider when buying rural property in that area. Things like a good well.

[emerson]

Move to Prince George. Work for both of you, cheap houses, hunting all 4 directions out of town. You want 1.25 acres in town w/house, shop, etc for $440K, pm me.

[Huntingtyler123]

Thanks everyone for all your help and ideas. Me and the misses are pretty stoked on merritt for the time being. It makes sense for us. We both love lakes more then the ocean but the island is very nice for sure. We have friends moving to Prince George and we did look into it and would be wonderful but just tooo far for us ( me) at the time being. Definitely a possibility once the kid or kids have moved out lol.

[Dirty Steve]

We moved to Armstrong 10 years ago, from Victoria for 10 years, and grew up in Kelowna. I can tell you Armstrong is an amazing place to raise a family! Rough little houses start at $325 and up, you can get a sweet house for $450 and your kids will never know what a hypodermic needle is... Anywhere north of Kelowna and into the Shuswap is amazing man!!! Lots of industry, lots of recreation, really stable real estate market as its a destination market. It will always hold its value! Thousands of lakes, fantastic hunting, no gates and lots of work.
I might be a little biased as I am a local realtor ;)
My suggestion is get in and go man!!! Drive until you find somewhere awesome. If it makes you happy spend 4 or five days camping and get to know the area and the town before you get too excited about it.

[David]

If I understand you correctly:
1) You want to keep working in the film industry in Vancouver (e.g. no job change)
2) You are willing to spend weekdays away from your family (living in your camper in Vancouver) and then go "home" for weekends (that's tough on a marriage, but you weren't asking for relationship advice).

If you're willing to drive, my #1 choice would be Princeton. I work in the public sector and word is slow and steady growth for that town.
My #2 choice would be the Sunshine Coast - non-waterfront property is actually still fairly reasonable and if you choose your location right it's a good community for the kid(s). The ferry is an absolute killer though - if you're REALLY relying on it, one stoppage and you're screwed.

i know you said you liked Merrit - but I wouldn't touch that place with a 10 foot pole. Addiction issues, climate, dealing with the Coquihalla, etc. etc. if you're going that way, keep going to the Okanagan - outskirts of Penticton are still reasonable-ish for house prices.

[Muledeercrazy2]

If I understand you correctly:
1) You want to keep working in the film industry in Vancouver (e.g. no job change)
2) You are willing to spend weekdays away from your family (living in your camper in Vancouver) and then go "home" for weekends (that's tough on a marriage, but you weren't asking for relationship advice).

If you're willing to drive, my #1 choice would be Princeton. I work in the public sector and word is slow and steady growth for that town.
My #2 choice would be the Sunshine Coast - non-waterfront property is actually still fairly reasonable and if you choose your location right it's a good community for the kid(s). The ferry is an absolute killer though - if you're REALLY relying on it, one stoppage and you're screwed.

i know you said you liked Merrit - but I wouldn't touch that place with a 10 foot pole. Addiction issues, climate, dealing with the Coquihalla, etc. etc. if you're going that way, keep going to the Okanagan - outskirts of Penticton are still reasonable-ish for house prices.

It's actually gotten difficult to find much on the sunshine coast for less than 500k. Average family homes are priced well above that, although it's a good place for a family with good schools. 400k would get you a nice condo here.

[180grainer]

You can get what you want for $450,000.00 somewhere in this province. You need to get out and go for a drive. The advice here is great, but in the end, you'll never know until you've spent time in a place. I've lived in 8 different communities where you'd measure my time there in years. I'd say I liked, and would move back to, 3 of them.

[RackStar]

^^^^^^^

what are the 3 ?

[Salty]

Thanks everyone for all your help and ideas. Me and the misses are pretty stoked on merritt for the time being. It makes sense for us. We both love lakes more then the ocean but the island is very nice for sure. We have friends moving to Prince George and we did look into it and would be wonderful but just tooo far for us ( me) at the time being. Definitely a possibility once the kid or kids have moved out lol.

I could live in Merritt. I moved to Hope almost 3 years ago and I've been spending a lot of time up in the Nicola valley since. You guys like lakes? The area is loaded with them in every direction most of them on the smaller side but they pretty much all have fish. One thing to consider and this goes with pretty much all directions beyond Hope in your situation is having to come down to the city regularly you'll get a good dose of for real winter driving at times. Especially the Coq can be a special bit of hell but manageable if you're prepared. It matters less what you drive than having some kick ass winter tires, splurge. Check drive bc and know when to say nope, not going tonight.

[180grainer]

^^^^^^^

what are the 3 ?
What difference does it make? I liked them. Doesn't mean you will. In those three towns. Lots of people came and went. Married couples the worst cause you have two people to please. "Happy wife happy life". Having said that. Some liked it. Like me.

[northof49]

Regular commuting on shitty winter roads is a crap shoot with all the shitty drivers and rigs....safety first. Why expose yourself to that risk on a weekly basis. If insist on staying at current job, then wise to stay south of Hope if you can find the right place. If really want to venture further north then shift gears and simply find a different employer. Commuting and being away from the family generally sucks if you are a family guy and the ladies tend to grow tired of this in a hurry.