What can you afford to buy?

There is a always a continued need for affordable housing in Canada. Stimulated by increasing real estate prices, new views on housing for the disabled and seniors and a variety of other factors, affordable housing has become an important aspect of community planning. Affordable housing can appear as rowhouses, townhouses, condominiums, duplexes and variations of these styles. Reduced lot sizes means reduced house prices for people who wish to reside in areas where land is a coveted commodity. Usually, this means that people are able to live closer to amenities like transit, shopping and schools.

The Greater Vancouver Regional District in British Columbia has recognized the need for "ground-oriented" housing where people have direct, outside access to their own units. This medium density housing has proven to be highly desirable in urban areas. Examples of this type of housing can be viewed at the Land Centre. Planners, however, tend to overlook some of the consequences of such housing. The increased population densities puts pressure on local schools and transit. If a community is not well-prepared for such housing, the effects can be frustrating for residents. This is something every buyer should consider when considering a purchase in a medium to high density neighbourhood.

Other communities, like Toronto, have also been addressing the problem of providing people with affordable housing. Toronto's web site has a number of documents that deal with affordable housing. A clear indication of population trends in this city can be seen in their city profile.

Some of the most exciting and interesting housing adjustments in today's real estate market are the deviations from traditional urban housing plans — for example, a split townhouse that has a suite on the ground level and a suite on the second floor. The ground level unit could be designed to accommodate the elderly or other physically challenged individuals. Their family, for example, could reside on the second floor. This follows the plan of a home with a secondary suite but consumes a smaller footprint on a lot. Another housing concept is that of rowhouses. Although this idea is not new, it is receiving renewed interest today. Commercial space on ground level and residential space above is an appealing concept when one is trying to design an integrated neighbourhood. There is even the concept of zoning certain medium-density housing so that individuals can run home-based businesses in one portion of the house while another is dedicated to residency. Contrary to many home-based business in existence, these homes would be build with this purpose specifically in mind.