Victoria housing rant - renting owning searching buying chapter 2 · 31 August 2010 by colin newell
I have been living with my wife of infinite patience in a really nice “suite” in the Oak Bay, Rockland, Fernwood area.
Digs are kind of nice… 1250 sq. feet. 2 BR. 2 Bath. Laundry on each floor. Mail delivery to the door. Has been called “mind numbing luxury” by someone we know who lives in Hollywood. So that says something. Something to do with the spectacular ocean and 220 degree mountain views. I guess.
Our tower is 16 stories tall and is the highest point in Victoria.
We are just wrapping up a complete window renovation. Single pane to double pane.
The work has been going on for 6 weeks. Has been invasive as heck.
But I am kind of resigned to the noise, the dust and the arrival of gangs of hunky young tool-belted dudes at 7:30AM in the morning. Often without notice… proper legal notice.
If you are a renter, you get 24 hours advance notice of an invasion. In the case of the 80 some tenants in my building… not so much. Not so regular.
It is a BIG project. I will give them that. And the building needs the upgrade. That’s life.
The only thing that really bugs me is the degree of contempt that the owners of the building hold for the tenants.
And I thought it was just me… being cynical and all…
The lack of notice. The 7AM to 7PM schedule. The unannounced arrivals of young dudes.
The dudes don’t bother my wife so much. So there is some upside and balance.
There were a lot of little things that the landlord could have done to ease the pain – like setting aside a quiet area for the many elderly residents. But no.
Maybe NOT working on Saturdays. But no. Giving legal notice with some consistency… but no.
So. We are calling them on it. In a big way. Might report on that as it progresses.
Point of all of this. In my 4 plus decades of life in Planet Earth, I have probably spent 20 of them renting… generally quite successfully. But I almost always get the impression that landlords don’t like their tenants much… always out to screw them.
Just me. Have had some good experiences mind you.
Anyway. Photo gallery of some of the action here labeled Window reno – enjoy.
Victoria housing rant - renting owning searching buying chapter 1 · 31 August 2010 by colin newell
My wife and I have been house hunting in Victoria B.C. Canada for some time now.
Rather not say how long.
Babies become children. Children become teenagers.
Well maybe not that long. But long.
And at this moment in time, I really believe we are on the cusp of a real estate melt down in Victoria (and Vancouver and Toronto and Calgary and…)
Now the CMHC and most real estate companies will wave their hands in your face saying “No, no, no, Colin, no, no, no! The market is brisk. It’s alive. It’s robust. Houses are selling, selling, selling. Prices are rising or stable. Buy now! Buy now!”
Truth is: There is a glut of houses, condos and town homes on a seriously bloated marketplace here in Victoria.
And some odd situations too.
Like stucco bungalows, that 10 years ago, would have been around 220G are now between 500 and 600G. Duplexes that are merely the above, slightly larger and split in two… for 500 and 600G… meaning that the “whole” house is worth 1.2 Million.
No. No, it’s not worth that. Condos for around 450G to 500G. Now why someone would buy a glorified apartment for 1/2 million escapes me… but whatever.
Town houses for 600G (that listed when new 1 year ago for 729G)
And dozens and dozens of houses that have been on the market for 60 to 120 days – many of which that have had “price reductions” of 10, 20, 30, to 60G… and still not selling.
Thing is – the market appears to have lost most of its thrust. And with that ensuing vacuum… there is only one way to go.
Down. But how far?
Stay tuned.
Summer Food Fun and Drink 12 Salmon Kings - what were they thinking · 23 July 2010 by colin newell
Folks who know me well know that I enjoy my Salmon Kings hockey…
A lot.
But through a strange twist of hockey club management, my favorite Captain… Wes Goldie, has been replaced with, by the looks of it, a guy who spends more time in the penalty box – than on the ice or on the bench…
Say hello to the new captain of the Victoria Salmon Kings – Pete Vandermeer – third on the all-time American Hockey League penalty minutes list.
Say it with me folks… WTF!
“Our barn, Save-on-Foods Memorial will not be a place other teams will want to return to,” threatened Vandermeer…
“Even if the other guys leave with a win, it’s important they leave missing some blood and teeth when limping out of here.”
Once more… WTF?
A recent perception from management is that while it has been a skilled and scoring team, it’s also been soft.
Soft, my ass.
“Our building needs to be a scary place to come into.” Vandermeer chuckled.
Someone needs to remind Morrison, Salmon Kings coach – that the ECHL is family entertainment and regulars and season ticket holders are not interested in thuggery and bloodletting. Ever.
My opinion: We have not even begun to feel the blow-back from this stupid management decision at Salmon Kings HQ.
Rites of Spring #31 Smiles in sound - early Goats · 1 June 2010 by colin newell
Way back in late 2007 or early 2008 Charlie and I first sat opposite each other with our guitars and voices. Here is the result. In the end we would write 13 songs and release a CD – The Two Old Goats titled “Island Standard Time”
A few bum notes in there but not bad on 1 take with a couple of audio over-dubs.
Enjoy.
If you cannot see the audio thingie below, click here for the mp3.
Salmon Kings Hockey - amazing goal - I was there. · 19 January 2010 by colin newell
Play it a few times. I was at the game. This is some of the wildest hockey I have ever seen. And 22$ for a ticket.
The Canucks? An utter waste of space. I have been to Canucks games. They always lose. They always let me down. And the crowd at GM Place? Don’t get me started on these self important folks that go to Canucks games. They are generally there to be seen and not to watch the game…
Which is a good thing.
Because the Canucks suck.
Let’s go Salmon Kings!
Fall colors changing seasons changing lives · 22 October 2009 by colin newell
On Monday evening, of this week, I was perusing a technical journal I wrote for in in the mid-seventies and was working on a bit of a tribute to the solidarity, brotherhood and sisterhood of the group of technical professionals – how it has changed my life and engendered and fostered lasting friendships.
And then around 8 PM my phone rang and I was summoned to a local hospital to be with a dear family member who succumbed to a long and exhausting illness.
In the end, she went quickly and peacefully – something all of us could
only wish for and hopefully achieve in our own personal journey through life.
What is kind of ironic were my thoughts leading up to that evening
on something as simple as a subscription to a hand-printed newsletter
from the seventies and how, by chance, I requested a free sample so
many years ago – that so many lasting friendships have been cast and hewn
by the fires of time and have resisted every challenge – including
death.
As word traveled throughout the evening it became quite apparent that my network of friends were way closer that I thought – They quickly formed a physical and spiritual circle around my wife and I – taking our hands in a time of need.
My thanks go out to this immediate circle of folks whose love and devotion I never entirely understood – now it is crystal clear.
And to my regular readers I offer a heart felt thanks – for those correspondents, reliable as gravity, have understood, that over the last 90 days or so, things have been somewhat difficult here.
Chapters are written and then closed – we now move on to the next phase of our life – Fall to Winter and then beyond.
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