Landlord evicting military family shifts blame

[Yrys]

We will have nothing left about a month after hubby gets home...but we will have lots to show for it...
his student loans are paid off, as is the one and only credit card we have

Just that would have been something. Think  of the money you are saving in interests,
and put it in the house .

 

[vangemeren]

While this thread is aimed at recruits, in my opinion it is very applicable in this situation.
http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/26093.0/all.html

 

[scas]

As with the housing issues.. There is no house(PMQ's) in edmonton. I'm getting posted out there next week, and I'm having to leave my pregant wife, and 2 kids in Borden till something opens up.

 

[Blackadder1916]

Housing crunch pinches incoming military families
Some soldiers put up in downtown hotel
http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/story.html?id=52c22336-4aee-4ec6-9836-319310467421&k=34876

Anna Mehler Paperny, The Edmonton Journal  Published: Monday, June 04, 2007

EDMONTON - When Janine Avery and her husband found out they were being posted to Edmonton Garrison from their home in Shilo, Man., she couldn't wait to move.

Six weeks of searching for a place to live have dampened the enthusiasm.

"Our expectations were, 'This is going to be wonderful,' and then we get here and it's really scary."

Bombardier Scott Avery will be posted here on July 16.

Janine, who is editor-in-chief of the garrison's newspaper, came out in April to start house-hunting.

The search has been a rude awakening, she said. They don't want to make their first house purchase in Edmonton's hot market, but astronomical rents are equally unappealing.

"For places we're sort of seriously considering, rent is $1,000, $1,400. And when you sit down and calculate that, you may as well be paying a mortgage."

Col. Alan Markewicz, commanding officer for Edmonton Garrison, said the military is aware of the stress the housing situation has created for people moving to the base.

"It's a big factor in their decision, it has to be, and that's accepted," he said. "For some people, it might just be too much."

One family has requested not to be posted to Edmonton because of difficulties in finding a place to live.

Another option is an "imposed restriction," where the posted spouse moves and the rest of the family stays where they are.

Currently, there are as many as 100 people posted at Edmonton Garrison on imposed restrictions, for reasons ranging from a spouse's job to a child's school situation. It's not known how many, if any, are due to the housing crunch.

"We're not forcing families to vacate their homes at the other end of the country and stay in a motel for four months looking for a place. It's not common, but it does happen," Markewicz said. "I suspect it might be happening a little more often now because people need a little more time to find something."

The military has its own housing quarters, called PMQs, which can handle about one-fifth of the 4,500 people who work at the garrison, said Markewicz.

The waiting list for a PMQ is around 200; the Averys are 31st on the list. In the past year, the vacancy rate of PMQs has gone from 20 per cent to zero.

Markewicz said there's no money to increase the number of PMQs.

"Our housing crunch is also the housing crunch for Edmonton and the capital region," he said.

"With respect to any short-term relief, there's very little we can do right now."

The crunch is made tighter by several hundred additional soldiers posted here for training before being sent to Afghanistan next February. Right now, the garrison is housing some of these soldiers in 57 rooms in Edmonton's downtown Econolodge, which is all the space the hotel's manager, Joe Kowbel, said he had available.

Kowbel said he's not sure how common it is for the military to house people in a hotel, but doesn't think it happens very often.

The soldiers are expected to remain there until early 2008.

Currently, the military pays for families to spend a week house-hunting, and provides relocation consultants from Royal LePage.

Other suggestions include centralizing real-estate listings for families being posted here, or creating an agency to sign contracts on behalf of families who are too far away to do it themselves.

"We're having some meetings internally to explore ways of making better use of what we've got, finding better ways of tapping into the housing market," Markewicz said.

Edmonton does not qualify for a post living differential, a supplement of between $86 and $1,586 per month to offset high living costs.

This year, people posted at St. John's, Halifax, Moncton, Quebec City, Ottawa-Gatineau, Hamilton, Borden, Vancouver, Victoria, two areas in Montreal and five areas in Toronto receive the funds.

Despite the housing market crunch, Avery said, she's looking forward to living here.

"It's just changing what you perceive to be that perfect place. I'm sure there's a little gem just waiting for me."

 

[formerarmybrat23]

Edmonton does not qualify for a post living differential, a supplement of between $86 and $1,586 per month to offset high living costs.

Something has to be done about that. Edmonton is the city that needs it the most. I'm not sure who you would enquire to about that. If enough people do though they will probably listen.
Can a solider refuse a posting to a certain area? can they just say no or do they need an excuse (like unable to find housing)?

 

[armyvern]

Something has to be done about that. Edmonton is the city that needs it the most. I'm not sure who you would enquire to about that. If enough people do though they will probably listen.
Can a solider refuse a posting to a certain area? can they just say no or do they need an excuse (like unable to find housing)?

As has already been pointed out on this thread, the PLD is already being reviewed (and has been being reviewed for quite some time now but must be approved by Treasury Board) to make it more timely and beneficial to those who require it.

And, incidentally, the fact that PLD was undergoing review due to exactly this kind of situation being experienced in Edmonton was pointed out on Army.ca well prior to this story hitting the media airwaves.

~ I point that out only because the MSM will no doubt claim credit as "breaking the story and causing the review and thereby forcing the CF (and that "evil" Tory government in the process) to look after their serving members" as they seem to have enjoyed doing lately. They'll certainly not point out that this housing crunch in Edmonton for the troops was also occurring during Liberal reign or the fact that this story had absolutely ZERO to do with the review that is underway.

 

[CdnArtyWife]

This year, people posted at St. John's, Halifax, Moncton, Quebec City, Ottawa-Gatineau, Hamilton, Borden, Vancouver, Victoria, two areas in Montreal and five areas in Toronto receive the funds.

I can state for a fact that Moncton doesn't get, nor does it need PLD.

 

[Blackadder1916]

A couple more pieces about the Alberta housing situation.

Troops losing housing war
Can't afford to live in Edmonton
http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Edmonton/2007/06/01/4225533-sun.html  (more at link)

Discouraged soldiers say Edmonton's white-hot real estate market and a dire shortage of family housing at the local base is forcing military families to live up to two hours away in more affordable towns.

And some troops are reportedly threatening to quit the military altogether, rather than be transferred to the Edmonton Garrison from bases in other parts of Canada where housing is more available and much cheaper.

.....Another soldier who's scheduled to arrive from Gagetown next month said he knows soldiers here who are forced to live as far away as Red Deer and Wetaskiwin because they can't afford to rent or buy in Edmonton and didn't want to wait for on-base housing.

...Booming housing market bucks national cooling trend
http://www.cbc.ca/cp/business/070604/b060498A.html  (more at link)

.....Last week, Alberta's employment minister warned people who might be looking for a slice of the province's burgeoning economic pie to stay home if they didn't have a place to live and a job lined up. ......

Last month, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. released a forecast projecting the price of a single-detached house in Calgary and the surrounding area to reach $474,000 by the end of 2007 - a 24 per cent jump over 2006. Only Edmonton is forecast for a bigger percentage hike, with prices expected to jump $90,000 to $340,000 by the end of this year, up 35.5 per cent.

 

[scas]

Well, there's 4 other people on my coourse leaving next week for edmonton. We all got pulled aside today, and questioned. The RSM on their end and ours  wants info on where we are going to live when we get there. It turns out there are alot of people VR'ing just because of the lack of housing out there. Hopefully this review dosen't take any longer. At CFSEME, they want you to go to Ed, Pet or Val.. No other place when fresh off your 3's. This lack therof of housing is not restricted to Edmonton though.

 

[MJP]

A couple more pieces about the Alberta housing situation.

Troops losing housing war
Can't afford to live in Edmonton
http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Edmonton/2007/06/01/4225533-sun.html  (more at link)

...Booming housing market bucks national cooling trend
http://www.cbc.ca/cp/business/070604/b060498A.html  (more at link)

Instead of someone knowing someone that knows someone, I'd like to see real proof that someone actually bought in Wetaskiwan or Red Deer.  It so very implausible, that its almost funny. And even if they did there were probably other mitigating factors that made them chose such a long long commute.  But until someone steps forward and says unequivocally that "yes I bought in Wetaskiwin/Red Deer because of Edmonton housing prices" I call BS.

 

[GAP]

MJP from your recent experience, is the market as tight and expensive as is being portrayed here, or is it just people not putting the effort into finding what they want, maybe with a bit of compromise?

 

[observor 69]

Just curious, how would this do for a Cpl ?

http://tinyurl.com/2eur8y

 

[M Feetham]

Camochick, I applaud you by being able to put money away for a good purpose. That's is unfortunatley one of my problems is that once the bills are paid and the mortgage is paid, the play money is used for just that, take the family out to dinner, go to a movie, stuff like that, but only after the bills are paid. However, when I was posted to Halifax, living in Dartmouth I would bike 20km's a day to save money, no gas, no bridge fare to and from and no bus fare to and from. I would start as early in the year as possible and carry on until well into December, ( the latest in the year I have ever used my bike to get to work is around mid Decmeber. There is also the option of carpooling. I am not saying it is easy, I am not saying it is right for everyone, what I am saying is that everyone has to make decisions in their own lives, they also have to live with the reprecussions(is that spelled right?) of those decisions. My wife finally got a job here in St Jean after living here for a year. She had to travel to Bouchierville everymorning and back to St Jean every night. It's only about35 KM, she spent up to an hour and a half in traffic each way. Montreal traffic uses the same routes that she had to. She did it though, cause that is what she had to do. Every body is busy, we have to make time for the stuff we do. I would love to help renovate your home but like I said earlier, I am not a great handymand and would probably cause more damage that anything.
Cheers Feet

 

[BernDawg]

Red Deer is damn near as expensive as Edmonton any way so I agree with MJP. BS on that call.  Wouldn't the garrison be a 2.5-3 hr drive from there?

 

[the 48th regulator]

Tess - I hear ya, and I do think you're right regarding the damage she's done to the CF.

BUT, I don't think the CF has a reason to muzzle her.  Hopefully, like most things military, this will fade from the MSM, and most folks will forget they even read it.

Roy

Roy,

Plus one on that, hopefully it does fade away, and not set an example.

dileas

tess

 

[MJP]

MJP from your recent experience, is the market as tight and expensive as is being portrayed here, or is it just people not putting the effort into finding what they want, maybe with a bit of compromise?

A little from column A a bit from column B.  I sold and bought into the market last year so I can feel the pain of anyone trying to buy into the market.  Your really at the whim of the sellers.  Many of the good or decent houses that go on the market either a) have an offer within a day or so or b) Have multiple bids that see the price get driven up.  It is a fairly new phenomenon here in Edmonton something we aren't use to like the fine residents of Vancouver or TO.  The other side of the coin is there really is a limited amount of decently priced houses/condos that is feasible on a military salary.  If you do find one all too often you find your self outbid by people with larger deposits or better terms.  If you just look at a soldiers salary and only assume he is going to have a mortgage then yes he can buy a house but unfortunately we all know that there are other expenses to living.  One could save for a down payment but when the average price of a house climbs $400 dollars a day (real estate board figures not mine) and will for the foreseeable future it quickly outstrips any soldiers ability to make that 5 or 10%(which really isn't enough anyway).  

The other driving factor is location.  The base in Edmonton is just outside the northern edge of the city.  So a reliable car is a must as bus service is a bit of a joke.  It is there but unless you live close to the major routes your looking at quite some time sitting on the bus each day.  So you add the expense of a car with its maintenance, insurance and what not your bill climbs higher.  On top of that to keep the commute reasonable most people are going to live in the Northern half of the city....assuming that you say that the river is the divide for reasonable commutes there goes half the city for looking at available properties.  Not saying it can't be done but you just add more to your daily commute bill.

So yes as some people(all non residents of the fine city I might point out) that people should live in the outlying areas and well surprise people do and its just as(and in some places more) than living in Edmonton itself.

Now there are properties available but believe me you have to be glued to your real estate agent and be able to pounce on them when they appear.  Many many house here go in the first day they are listed.  The house I bought was on the market for all of 3 hours before I put in an offer and I only beat another offer by a few hours.  But I was on leave with no kids and was able to devote 8 hours a day to driving around with my agent looking at houses.  Some people don't have that option.



All that said from the original article I say ditch the dogs and start looking honey b*tching and moaning won't get you a house!

 

[observor 69]

Just curious, how would this do for a Cpl ?

http://tinyurl.com/2eur8y

OK call me naive but I still would like someone to comment on this property.
Not a bad location, not a bad price considering your options. Same thing here in TO would be around $195000.
I should know I live in one. 

 

[George Wallace]

Sometimes a picture isn't worth a thousand words, Baden Guy.

That property doesn't have any price tag on it in the ad.  It may be located in a slum area/ghetto.  There are several areas in Ottawa that are near Somali ghettos and they are not good places to be - Fire and Police calls several times a day - gangs - crime - etc. 

 

[GAP]

Thanks, that kinda clears up a lot of stuff. Essentially, she needs to do as you are suggesting and get busy.

 

[niner domestic]

MJP, It's not all that different here in Ottawa.  Our house sold (signed, sealed and delivered kind of sold) in 12 hours of it hitting the MLS realtor's site (it never made in onto the public site).  The average house here is taking about 48 hours to sell - any longer and it's either a deficient house or way over priced.   


I'm a little short on the sympathy as well.  Our daughter, who is in the Navy (Res), along with her hubs bought their first home when they were 18.  They both saved all their wages from their summer contracts in the Res and when hubs went Reg, they slapped it all down on a house.  They both started a business as well and now at 26, they are mortgage free, have excellent careers, a pretty substantial investment portfolio and one small debt of a new water heater (which of course broke down the day after hubs sailed). 

They paid cash for everything and if they didn't have the cash, it stayed in the store. They didn't buy a car until the little guy was walking.  They just kept putting every penny they made into the mortgage and investments.  They have one credit card that's kept only for emergencies.  The kids clip coupons, buy when there are sales, and buy in bulk when it makes sense, the kid buys her clothes from a consignment shop and then takes them back when she'd done wearing them and makes a little bit of money off of them.  Same for the grandkid's clothes. 

Now that the house is paid off, any extra deployment pay goes straight into RRSPs, the grandkid's education funds and investments. They are planning a trip Fiji - first class all the way.  Not bad for a LS and MS... I can't wait to see what they do in their 30s.