Hi Dennis,

Thanks for sharing your experience.

I am sure many readers will be shocked and jealous of being able to buy a house for $16,000 and having $230 annual property taxes!

I live about an hour outside Toronto and the average price for a detached house just hit $700,000 (about $550k USD) and I have friends who are so desperate to own a house they are willing to clear their retirement savings and take a $500k+ mortgage just to own a home.

When I try and talk to them about maybe keep renting and invest, they have no interest. Makes me a bit sad at times.

Thanks for adding to the discussion, I really appreciate your perspective.