Condominium living used to be the quintessential definition of being in your 20s and early 30s, living on your own or with your partner in the heart of the city, and enjoying the trendy life of name-brand coffees and late-night dinners. But in the past decade, there has been a dramatic shift in the demographics of condo dwellers in Vancouver, who now are just as likely to be walking around town with designer strollers as with frou-frou dogs.
For most parents, the question of “where am I going to raise my family?” is at the top of an ever-growing mountain of uncertainties and for some, the decision to move outside the city and into a single-family home is the only option. The coveted post-war Leave it to Beaver detached home living – complete with yards to mow and treehouses to build – may be becoming as elusive as gas under $1.50-a-litre these days but not everyone is ready to jump in the mini van and head to the ‘burbs in search of more space. More and more often, growing families are choosing to give up weekends spent on yard work in favour of enjoying the parks and attractions found throughout the urban landscape.
Living in smaller spaces with an expanding family influences purchasing decisions. Babies and kids are small but their stuff can be HUGE so you may opt to keep furniture and toys at a minimum (also read: less clutter, less clean-up and let’s face it, kids often get more enjoyment out of the box and wrappings than the actual toy that was inside). And, rather than wondering why the kids are suddenly too quiet upstairs, a condo provides parents with eagle-eye views to all areas of the home. Some definite perks I should have considered when I first started my family.
Anecdotally (Yale has yet to commission a study on this), living in a smaller space with an expanding family may influence purchasing decisions. Babies and kids are small but their stuff can be HUGE so you may opt to keep furniture and toys at a minimum (also read: less clutter, less clean-up and let’s face it, kids often get more enjoyment out of the box and wrappings than the actual toy that was inside). And, rather than wondering why the kids are suddenly too quiet upstairs, a condo provides parents with eagle-eye views to all areas of the home. Some definite perks I should have considered when I first started my family.
Ok, I didn’t say living in a condo with kids is easy (“honey, how many times have I told you NOT to press all 22 buttons in the elevator”) but the small-space lifestyle offers families as much enrichment and activities as any other traditional-sized community. Within a short walking distance are schools, daycares, parks, child-friendly restaurants and 24-hour pharmacies (handy for late-night pregnancy craving runs and your children’s tummy aches), as well as popular attractions such as art museums, heritage buildings and free communities festivals. Many families also choose condo living so they can be car-free and feel they are leaving a smaller footprint on the environment.
With Metro Vancouver housing prices at all-time highs and cities looking to densify, condo living may be the new normal for parents and their kids in the future. Think of cities like New York, London, Paris and Tokyo and how so many families have made condos their home for generations — with no place to go but up, Vancouverites are following the path of these cosmopolitan homeowners. Whether the reason is for convenience, cost, perceived sustainability or just the love for small-space living, condominiums are great housing options for families.
