House hunting

Logan and I are in a place in our lives when the idea of owning a home is really appealing. We are locked into a lease at the moment - but I am always watching. Just checking out the listing pages. My biggest problem is that we have a HUGE decision to make:

Downtown or Not Downtown

If we stay downtown I can walk to work and avoid astronomical parking fees, or hour long transit rides. We are close to everything and can walk to a bar and meet up with everyone. Downtown living is certainly a way of life.

If we move out of downtown we would head to Country Hill or Harvest Hill which is the area by Logan's district office. He could walk to work, I could take the train and save on gas. We would have a home. Our own space, with grass and space and no one above and below and beside us.

Let's compare:

Downtown:
Mission area (the area we are in right now)
$375,000
2 Bedroom + Den
2 Bathrooms
1116 square feet
Heated underground parking
Gas fireplace, slate/carpet/cork flooring

20 min walk to work for Stacey

19 km – about 24 mins drive for Logan

$0 is parking/transit

Close to everything

Not Downtown:

Country Hills (the area of the District 7 Police Office)

$370,000

3 Bedroom + 1 Downstairs bedroom

1.5 Bathrooms

1250 square feet + 600 downstairs

Double Rear parking pad

Backyard, Office, Laundry room, Storage, a house

17.4 km – bus ride for Stacey

10 min walk for Logan

I go back and forth everyday. I don't know how we are going to make this decision. Go thing we don't know how much a bank would give us for a mortgage. For now, they are hypothetical questions.