Maybe I Won’t Be Moving After All
Published at 16:59 on 3 June 2026
I had been seriously considering moving this summer. Nothing super-dramatic, just to another address in the Greater Vancouver region, probably one still within the City of Vancouver itself.
That would be part of a consistent pattern in my adult life. I seldom stay put in any one home for longer than five years. But I digress.
Real estate prices (both for sale and rental) have been on the soft side the last year or two. Prices have actually gone down somewhat. A little cursory scanning the rental ads let me to believe it might be possible for me to score a larger place for little or no extra in rent.
If I could do that, and it would enable me to close my storage unit, I would end up paying slightly less per month in combined rent, all for more personal space. Plus, if I had the right criteria, I could end up in a place where I could hide a few outdoor antennas, which would make my ham radio hobby less of an exercise in frustration.
The above would constitute a clear win, and be well worth the hassles of moving to achieve.
But reality seems not to be so simple. Yes, such larger, less expensive properties can be found. Inevitably, however, they are in far-flung neighbourhoods nowhere near as convenient to friends and activities. This would make it less than a decidedly clear win (it would be a mixed outcome, with give and take, leaving me at best approximately as well off as I currently am). Which, in turn, makes it not worth the hassle of moving.
There is one possible exception, and that is Renfrew-Collingwood. It’s further out, but it is well-served by rapid transit, being crossed by two SkyTrain lines, which counteracts the distance factor. Plus it is home to one of my favourite city parks, an under-appreciated gem of a refuge that makes one feel miles away from the big city when one is down inside it.
But still, the odds are not so good as I once imagined them to be. And that is fine with me. I only want to move if it is clearly worth it. Stability has its virtues.