There's a popular Chinese proverb that says: “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”

When is the best time to buy a house?

According to a blog called "Money We Have" accessible via https://www.moneywehave.com/the-best-time-to-buy-a-home/, the best time to buy a house is in January. According to the writer, houses are cheaper then than because it's wintertime and buyers are in shorter supply. In fact, the blog says that in the Greater Toronto Area, the average sold price is $43,000 less when compared to the rest of the calendar year. In summary, the writer says even if you don't buy in January, the most important thing is for you to determine your purchase budget and stick to it.

Now to my own response.

There is none. And this is arguable - I am hopeful other community members can weigh in on this one. Not everyone needs to OWN a house or home. I know that generally speaking, people from my heritage count that as a societal definition of worth or success but that's subjective. My wife and I certainly 'own' our home (there is a reason for putting 'own' in quotes) and we got it one year after we arrived in Calgary. However, if I had my way and we had the chance to do it all over again, I would wait until we can afford a very large chunk of the cost then target to pay off the balance within a maximum of 10 years. And if I were speaking to my 21-year-old self today based on what I now understand about life, I would suggest not to even bother owning a home. A lot of my perspective on life right now is very different than what it was years ago. Even compared with one year ago. This is really a personal life choice and a very debatable topic.

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