I've been going to Toronto the last few weekends to look at condos for sale and apartments for rent. To make a long story short, my dad has been schooling me on the global economy crisis and strongly encouraging me to rent for 6-12 months. Ultimately I decided to buy because I was able to find exactly what I was looking for, am able to make affordable monthly payments, and can see myself living there for 10+ years. As long as I can stay employed, I don't care if the housing market crashes and prices plummet.

Below is some of the criteria I gave to my real estate agent:

• Queens Quay area (waterfront)
• New building that allows small dogs
• 1 bedroom + den for home office
• Breathtaking views of lake and city where I can see the CN Tower
• Walking distance to subway
• Walking distance to parks, boardwalk, restaurants, bars, etc.
• Balcony
• Ensuite washer & dryer
• Dishwasher
• Modern interior (granite counters, nice finishes, etc.)
• etc.

We looked at about 9 condos before we found the perfect one. I had to go back to my bank several times while making offers to see how much higher over my pre-approved amount I can go. The seller wouldn't budge and I ended up paying close to list price. Still, I'm very pleased with my purchase and move in the day after I move out of my Orillia house.

My dad is pretty disappointed that I didn't wait 6 months, and thinks I'm going to bankrupt myself. He doesn't realize that the mortgage payments are affordable (within my gross debt ratio), otherwise the bank wouldn't have allowed it. The bank is making me pay my car off with some of the profit from the sale of my Orillia house. I don't have any debts other than the mortgage. I will have almost the same amount of left over money at the end of the month as I do here in Orillia. If the housing market crashes, so what. The payments will stay the same for 5 years. All the websites I read and people I talk to seem to think that Toronto condo prices are going up this year. If a unit like this were any more than it was, I probably could not have afforded it.

Below is a picture standing at the door of the bedroom (larger than my current bedroom!). The second picture was taken standing near the bedroom window. The view from the living room is exactly the same.

A couple guys came by tonight to buy my home theater at full asking price. They also wanted to buy my couch, kitchen table & chairs, and microwave! I sold it all to them except the kitchen table & chairs. If they pay what I want for it, they can have those too. Now I get to start with fresh decor.