Hovel Hunters International, Ep. 7. Possible Versus Plausible.

So, are we still looking for a house? That is a very good question, but on some level the answer is still probably yes.

I’m also still looking for a cabin in the woods, a cave up in the hills, a spider-hole in the ground, a camper, an RV, a really good tent, backpack and walking shoes; or even just a yurt out on the steppes somewhere.

(He’s looking for a good horse, ladies and gentlemen. That’s what I think. – ed.)

Unfortunately, it has to be in the Province of Ontario or the pension suddenly becomes null and void. Why that should be, I don’t know and there is no one that can properly explain it—not even anyone with the Province of Ontario.

Since I know just how hard it was to buy and maintain a $50,000.00 house on an ODSP benefit of $930.00 a month, (at least in this town), then I guess I got a rough idea of how hard it would be to buy and maintain an $80,000.00 house on a pension of $1,128.00 per month, with a bit more in book sales and part-time work. Also bearing in mind just how fucking hard it is to get Trillium Benefits and sometimes the HST rebate out of the good, kind, decent God-fearing Christian-Canadian volk over at the Canada Revenue Agency.

The first property is on the south end of East St., and it is apparently listed at $69,000.00. You can see that it is a storey and half frame house of wartime vintage. They’ve put on an addition and bumped up the roofline in an attempt to gain some space. The door on the front of the one-car garage is a patio-type slider. What that means is anyone’s guess without taking a walk-through. I don’t plan on doing that anytime soon. A house would have to really grab me—not even so much curb appeal, as in the structural or design sense. This one ain’t too good in that regard.

But buying someone else’s real bad reno job isn’t on the cards at this point. That's because I wouldn't have the finances to do anything about it. That includes emergency repairs, and all of that sort of thing.

The second property isn’t even listed. Supposedly, this one’s going for $80,000.00 The tip is that it’s for sale by owner. Again, not much curb appeal here, but in this price range that’s asking for a lot. The lot appears to be about thirty-five feet wide. It’s probably a hundred feet deep or so. The house is set well back from the sidewalk, which is better than being right on the street. There is a one-car garage. How much house does a single male actually need? Not much, arguably, but I’m the one being asked to sign on the dotted line and this one doesn’t grab me enough to ever want to take a walk-through.

The simple answer is that I understand the benefits of home ownership. I recognize the wonderful results of the power of positive thinking and neural linguistic programming. 

It's a little more cheerful when the sun is out.

Unfortunately, Tony Robbins isn’t the one paying the bills around here.

I am, and that makes a big difference in what is possible—or even plausible. I also understand the value of location, location, location. South East Street isn't quite so desirable as Nelson St., no matter the price or what the building actually looks like.

Thank you for reading.

Hovel Hunters International, Ep. 3. About the $1,200.00 Electricity Bill.

J. Thornton.

“With all due respect to the disabled lady working fifteen hours a day and raising four kids.”

This story, “Her Hydro Bill $1200.00” was recently in the Peterborough Examiner.

The cherry-pickers will scream about that $1,200.00 electrical bill, but then there’s an election in 2018 and the Conservatives can almost taste that lovely election win. Yet this woman also has a $900.00 mortgage. We must assume some sort of transportation costs. 

There is home insurance, gas for the heat, money for the phone/cable/internet, water rates, etc. If she only has $56.00 left every two weeks, (with no information on other costs provided, and no information on non-taxable entitlements provided), then taking her figures as Gospel, her monthly income is $2,212.00 after taxes and $26,544.00 per year after taxes.


Question: did you consume $1,200.00 a month in electricity, or did the bill go into arrears? 

HOW did you consume $1,200.00 a month in electricity...??? How in the hell did you do that?


Also, for me to buy a house on disability would appear to be rather optimistic, and I work three jobs just trying to keep my head above water, lining up at food banks as often as I am permitted, etc. I doubt if it would be an easy ride at $26,544.00 per year, and I’m a single male with no dependents. I’m also talking a mortgage of about $50,000.00, which is not a realistic figure in most markets. It is what I thought I might be able to afford—with some squeezing of the lifestyle. So, if we really want to cherry-pick, we could talk about low wages and the lack of union protection here in Ontario, and in Canada as well. We could talk about the high cost of housing, we could talk about the high price of food. Incidentally, when her kids hit 18 years of age, she’ll lose a significant chunk of income when the Child Tax Credit goes away. Let’s hope she sells the house for a lot more than she paid for it, and let’s hope she’s not afraid to buy another one—as I was, a few years ago.


We might also talk about buying a house when you clearly can’t afford one, although it’s certainly possible the house was part of a divorce or separation agreement with a previous spousal person.

If she sells the house and does not immediately buy another, the ODSP will make her live on the proceeds until it’s all gone, in which case she’s free to reapply...

Four kids under eighteen would be 4 x $350.00 per month in Child Tax Credits. Then there’s HST credits, and maybe some other supplements in there. Also, $900.00 month is something on the order of a $200,000.00 mortgage. That payment might include, principal, interest and municipal property taxes.

If you’re on ODSP, even with four kids, HOW did you scrimp and save for any kind of credible down payment?

That ‘Stop the Carbon Tax’ bit on the sign is indicative. The lady states no party preference, yet is clearly politicking.

What still needs to be said from time to time is that a couple of adults working full time but getting minimum/Walmart/Canadian Tire/Wendy’s-type wages really can’t afford a two or three-hundred thousand dollar house. Some folks, selling the family home and coming up with a good down payment, probably upgraded into four and five-hundred thousand dollar homes.

And yet, because of easy credit and the repackaging of junk mortgages, many people were induced to buy, and many of them got in way over their heads.

We, of course, were immune to that sort of thing here in Canada.

As for the image, that’s kind of a nice little house in the Norman St. neighbourhood here in Sarnia. I can’t say what it would go for, nor what the taxes might be. Even if someone gave me that house, free and clear, on my pension it would still be a tough go.

That’s without making any house payment at all.

END

Thank you for reading.