That's right - I'm the proud owner of real estate! I started my search for the perfect place during the summertime, when prices were still high from the Olympic bubble. That's not to say Vancouver's housing market is ever really low compared to the rest of the country, but considering the whole recession and financial crisis, I don't think homeowners in this city blinked once as homeowners elsewhere were facing foreclosures. As I browsed through listings on MLS , I have to admit that my optimism was somewhat diminished. There certainly were a fair number of properties matching my criteria, but unfortunately, not within my budget. Even the building I was currently renting was selling for just under half a million dollars! At this point, I was still paying off my car, so I was content to hold on to my savings and see if the prices would drop after a few months. After all, it's common knowledge that summer is the peak period for buying and selling. So, I waited. Bu...