The clock is ticking ...

[Pixelated]

Brother informs me that Mom's house could go on the market in early December or January.

Regrettably, the house is not in good shape. It will be an "as is" sale ... somebody might snap it up because it's on a corner lot, so they can raze the current buildings (house & garage) and custom-build. Or gut it (the frame is still fine, plus there's new shingles on the roof) and redo it on the inside only.

Given what I'm seeing in terms of the cost of apartment rentals , methinks I will be applying for my Canada Pension Plan early. I can, of course, keep the house -- if I give up whatever monies I would normally inherit. That is a nonstarter, unless I win the lottery in the meantime, or suddenly get a job paying at least $75,000 a year ... $100,000 would be even better, LOL.

[Food Lady]

That's hard. I'm fortunate to pay under $600 for a one bedroom with a walk-in closet, balcony with storage, lots of extra closets, etc. It's cheap in the upper midwest.

[Pixelated]

WHOA! I'm movin' to where you are!!

I did see a $400 one-bedroom ... but it's in the city centre and it's in an old building that might have once been grand, but now ... I get the impression (perhaps wrongly, since I've certainly never been in it) that it's the kind of place parents warn their newly-leaving-home kids to stay away from.

I was hoping to hit $600 but from what I've seen so far, I'll be lucky to stop at $725 -- for a basic one-bedroom.

Part of the problem is that I really want to stay in the east end ... this is now where I work. It has saved me lots of gas (and time) with my new jobs. I'm not thrilled about the idea of moving in the other direction and thus having to consume more gas and spend more time in transit.

And $725 is CHEAP for this part of the city.

But I've got a couple of months yet. I might luck out.

[greek_jester]

Part of the problem is that I really want to stay in the east end ... this is now where I work. It has saved me lots of gas (and time) with my new jobs. I'm not thrilled about the idea of moving in the other direction and thus having to consume more gas and spend more time in transit.

If you can work out roughly how much it would cost you in fuel/public transport further out and add it to average rental prices in that area, then you'll know how much extra it's worth spending on rent to live near where you work.

If you can't find anything reasonable for that amount (or slightly more; your time is also worth a bit) then you'll need to reconsider avoiding moving further out.

[csquared]

WHOA! I'm movin' to where you are!!

Careful. Low rents usually also mean low average income and high unemployment rates.

Although, you would be moving south and the weather will be a little warmer. Not by much, but warmer.