#Rental Market in Canada

[pkhalder]

Exploring the Rental Market in Canada: Trends, Opportunities, and Challenges

Dive into the latest insights on the rental market in Canada with our comprehensive guide on pkhalder.com. Discover emerging trends shaping the rental industry, including rising demands in urban areas, affordable housing options, and sustainable rental practices. Whether you're a tenant, landlord, or investor, understanding the rental market's dynamics is crucial for making informed decisions.

Our blog highlights key factors influencing Canada's rental market, such as government policies, fluctuating interest rates, and evolving tenant preferences. Gain expert tips for navigating challenges like rental price increases, supply shortages, and legal regulations.

Stay ahead of the curve with updates on regional rental hotspots, the growing popularity of furnished rentals, and the impact of technology on property management. Explore how the rental market aligns with Canada's real estate trends and investment opportunities.

Visit pkhalder.com to stay informed about the rental landscape and how you can capitalize on its opportunities.

[thecanadiandiary]

The Rising Rental Cost in Canada

Welcome to the captivating world of the Canadian rental market, where the pursuit of an affordable place to call home has become an increasingly elusive dream. In this blog, we will explore the alarming surge in rent prices across Canada, unravelling the factors that contribute to this trend. Additionally, we will delve into the real-life experiences of individuals grappling with the overwhelming burden of housing costs. Get ready for an immersive journey through a housing landscape where finding budget-friendly rent has become exceedingly rare.

The Unstoppable Escalation

Supply and Demand Conundrum

Influence of Foreign Buyers

Policy Paralysis

Struggles and Consequences. Read More...

[allthecanadianpolitics]

Published Thursday by Rentals.ca and Urbanation, the report found that the average monthly asking price for all residential rentals increased by 9.3 per cent year-over-year to hit $2,202 in May.

[...]

“Canada’s rental market is entering the peak summer season with continued strength,” Urbanation president Shaun Hildebrand stated in a news release. “Markets such as Vancouver and Toronto that had experienced some softening in rents in previous months are stabilizing near record highs, while many of the country’s mid- and small-sized cities are still posting double-digit rent increases.”

Continue Reading

Tagging: @newsfromstolenland

[swingsetindecember]

quebec's language laws have protected quebec in a weird way from late stage capitalism. by no means to idealize quebec, i just don't see it wildly talked about how a language barrier has stalled capitalism.

i am sure there are socio-economic papers written on this. like because you need to have french contracts, terms of service and signage, a lot of american companies and global conglomerates don't go to quebec. like a lot of businesses just don't exist in quebec compared to the rest of canada. like franchise restaurants. quebec has a lot less franchise restaurants. oh there are a couple but they are like very specific to quebec and also just in the more metropolitan areas. usually in suburbs you don't have a lot of franchise restaurants.

this is also sweepstakes. because in quebec a mail in entry is required for any sweepstakes. you don't have to buy the product. also a lot of brands need to have their labels in french so a lot of products just don't get to quebec market

also a lot of the population wants to be serviced in french so they prefer quebec companies. this is why there are quebec specific internet and telephone companies. bootlegging is wild popular because there was usually a lag before you could get english content because they needed to make the french dub.

its also why movie rental stores stayed open for a long time in quebec because they catered to french language dubbed movies. like blockbuster did come to quebec but it didn't have the same chokehold on the market. like i rarely went to blockbuster growing up, there were 3 local video rental places that had more titles than blockbuster because the blockbuster business model didn't appeal to quebec residents. especially if you wanted to rent french versions of video games.

anyway, just interesting to think about

[growinguparo]

Thinking once again about the intersection of being aro / perpetually single and the Housing Issue. It is without a doubt the biggest issue I face as an aro person, particularly in fucking Canada.

In my province we have rent control on almost all rental units by default. Annual rent increases are capped at 2.5%, and though I have had landlords in the past try to break that law, they back down when you say "that's literally not legal lmao try again".

In my province we also have a type of lease called a group lease, where multiple people sign on as a group. This is the standard type of lease used in properties with more than one bedroom.

If one person wishes to remove themself from a group lease, that terminates the lease for all of the other tenants in the group. Therefore, in order to continue living in the unit they are already in and may have been in for years, the landlord can choose to force the remaining tenants to reapply, and upon signing a "new lease" they can increase the rent by however much they want. Forget 2.5%, they could double rent with no consequences and still get tenants because that's how desperate people are in Canada.

Seeing as that's fucking insane, I talked to multiple lawyers about it the last time this happened to me, and they all said yeah no, if someone wants to be removed from the lease then the landlord can choose to deny a takeover and force a new lease. You can prevent the issues that come with a new lease if everyone remains on the old lease even if they no longer live there, but that is rather precarious for everyone involved and also makes your landlord hate your guts.

Anytime a new lease is signed, landlords can increase by whatever they want, so renovictions are very common (I've been renovicted as well). With all these easy-to-access loopholes, "rent control" is a joke.

It is New Year's Day and I have received yet another email informing me that since one of my roommates decided to leave at the end of the lease period, our lease will be terminating and showings will begin next week. If any one of us wants to stay, we have to reapply at market rates with a replacement person already in the group ready to sign a new lease, or we have to all remain on the old lease.

I left my parents' home in 2016, and since then I have moved 15-17 times, depending what you count as a move, and lived in 12-13 different places. That's due to a bunch of forced circumstances, including co-op placements and illegal evictions, but many of those moves were because the roommates I was living with decided to move on with their lives, and I had no choice but to move as well.

When I tell people I've moved 15 times in 7 years, they are always shocked. I'm like, how have you NOT though? Having had this conversation many times, I start to ponder what makes me vulnerable to this type of exploitation, and what makes my friends able to avoid some of it.

#1. As a low-income disabled person, I am unable to afford "market rates". This means I'm always tryna get units that are below market rate, and those landlords are invariably very interested in removing their tenants to bring their busted-ass units up to market rate.

#2. I am SINGLE bro. No one is planning their life around living with me. Every time a roommate leaves, I get forced out too. I did have a long-term roommate for a couple years who bounced around 4 places with me, but eventually she moved city - as is her right - and I was forced out again.

Couples also have more options when it comes to affordable housing, particularly if they are willing to share a room. Sharing a room cuts your rent in half. It’s pretty rare to see just one person living in a 1bed because it’s just ludicrously expensive, but for couples it’s a decent option. During the searching stage as well, if you already have someone to live with it’s a lot easier to find places than if you also have to find new roommates (this part is especially brutal for me as a trans person). It is certainly still difficult for couples in the market, I know couples who have ended up homeless as well, but being alone makes you more vulnerable.

The housing crisis is a broad issue affecting literally everyone, but single people are one of the groups that is systematically disadvantaged, making it a significant issue for aros imo. It is the combination of being single and low-income that has made me so vulnerable to housing instability.

Edited with minor corrections

[posttexasstressdisorder]

How Trump's billionaires are hijacking affordable housing

Thom Hartmann

October 24, 2024 8:52AM ET

Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump attends the 79th annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner in New York City, U.S., October 17, 2024. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

America’s morbidly rich billionaires are at it again, this time screwing the average family’s ability to have decent, affordable housing in their never-ending quest for more, more, more. Canada, New Zealand, Singapore, and Denmark have had enough and done something about it: we should, too.

There are a few things that are essential to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” that should never be purely left to the marketplace; these are the most important sectors where government intervention, regulation, and even subsidy are not just appropriate but essential. Housing is at the top of that list.

A few days ago I noted how, since the Reagan Revolution, the cost of housing has exploded in America, relative to working class income.

When my dad bought his home in the 1950s, for example, the median price of a single-family house was around 2.2 times the median American family income. Today the St. Louis Fed says the median house sells for $417,700 while the median American income is $40,480—a ratio of more than 10 to 1 between housing costs and annual income.

ALSO READ: He’s mentally ill:' NY laughs ahead of Trump's Madison Square Garden rally

In other words, housing is about five times more expensive (relative to income) than it was in the 1950s.

And now we’ve surged past a new tipping point, causing the homelessness that’s plagued America’s cities since George W. Bush’s deregulation-driven housing- and stock-market crash in 2008, exacerbated by Trump’s bungling America’s pandemic response.

And the principal cause of both that crash and today’s crisis of homelessness and housing affordability has one, single, primary cause: billionaires treating housing as an investment commodity.

A new report from Popular Democracy and the Institute for Policy Studies reveals how billionaire investors have become a major driver of the nationwide housing crisis. They summarize in their own words:

— Billionaire-backed private equity firms worm their way into different segments of the housing market to extract ever-increasing rents and value from multi-family rental, single-family homes, and mobile home park communities. — Global billionaires purchase billions in U.S. real estate to diversify their asset holdings, driving the creation of luxury housing that functions as “safety deposit boxes in the sky.” Estimates of hidden wealth are as high as $36 trillion globally, with billions parked in U.S. land and housing markets. — Wealthy investors are acquiring property and holding units vacant, so that in many communities the number of vacant units greatly exceeds the number of unhoused people. Nationwide there are 16 million vacant homes: that is, 28 vacant homes for every unhoused person. — Billionaire investors are buying up a large segment of the short-term rental market, preventing local residents from living in these homes, in order to cash in on tourism. These are not small owners with one unit, but corporate owners with multiple properties. — Billionaire investors and corporate landlords are targeting communities of color and low-income residents, in particular, with rent increases, high rates of eviction, and unhealthy living conditions. What’s more, billionaire-owned private equity firms are investing in subsidized housing, enjoying tax breaks and public benefits, while raising rents and evicting low-income tenants from housing they are only required to keep affordable, temporarily. (Emphasis theirs.)

It seems that everywhere you look in America you see the tragedy of the homelessness these billionaires are causing. Rarely, though, do you hear about the role of Wall Street and its billionaires in causing it.

The math, however, is irrefutable.

Thirty-two percent is the magic threshold, according to research funded by the real estate listing company Zillow. When neighborhoods hit rent rates in excess of 32 percent of neighborhood income, homelessness explodes. And we’re seeing it play out right in front of us in cities across America because a handful of Wall Street billionaires are making a killing.

As the Zillow study notes:

“Across the country, the rent burden already exceeds the 32 percent [of median income] threshold in 100 of the 386 markets included in this analysis….”

And wherever housing prices become more than three times annual income, homelessness stalks like the grim reaper. That Zillow-funded study laid it out:

“This research demonstrates that the homeless population climbs faster when rent affordability — the share of income people spend on rent — crosses certain thresholds. In many areas beyond those thresholds, even modest rent increases can push thousands more Americans into homelessness.”

This trend is massive.

As noted in a Wall Street Journal article titled “Meet Your New Landlord: Wall Street,” in just one suburb (Spring Hill) of Nashville:

“In all of Spring Hill, four firms … own nearly 700 houses … [which] amounts to about 5% of all the houses in town.”

This is the tiniest tip of the iceberg.

“On the first Tuesday of each month,” notes the Journal article about a similar phenomenon in Atlanta, investors “toted duffels stuffed with millions of dollars in cashier’s checks made out in various denominations so they wouldn’t have to interrupt their buying spree with trips to the bank…”

The same thing is happening in cities and suburbs all across America; agents for the billionaire investor goliaths use fine-tuned computer algorithms to sniff out houses they can turn into rental properties, making over-market and unbeatable cash bids often within minutes of a house hitting the market.

After stripping neighborhoods of homes young families can afford to buy, billionaires then begin raising rents to extract as much cash as they can from local working class communities.

In the Nashville suburb of Spring Hill, the vice-mayor, Bruce Hull, told the Journal you used to be able to rent “a three bedroom, two bath house for $1,000 a month.” Today, the Journal notes:

“The average rent for 148 single-family homes in Spring Hill owned by the big four [Wall Street billionaire investor] landlords was about $1,773 a month…”

As the Bank of International Settlements summarized in a 2014 retrospective study of the years since the Reagan/Gingrich changes in banking and finance:

“We describe a Pareto frontier along which different levels of risk-taking map into different levels of welfare for the two parties, pitting Main Street against Wall Street. … We also show that financial innovation, asymmetric compensation schemes, concentration in the banking system, and bailout expectations enable or encourage greater risk-taking and allocate greater surplus to Wall Street at the expense of Main Street.”

It’s a fancy way of saying that billionaire-owned big banks and hedge funds have made trillions on housing while you and your community are becoming destitute.

Ryan Dezember, in his book Underwater: How Our American Dream of Homeownership Became a Nightmare, describes the story of a family trying to buy a home in Phoenix. Every time they entered a bid, they were outbid instantly, the price rising over and over, until finally the family’s father threw in the towel.

“Jacobs was bewildered,” writes Dezember. “Who was this aggressive bidder?”

Turns out it was Blackstone Group, now the world’s largest real estate investor run by a major Trump supporter. At the time they were buying $150 million worth of American houses every week, trying to spend over $10 billion. And that’s just a drop in the overall bucket.

As that new study from Popular Democracy and the Institute for Policy Studies found:

“[Billionaire Stephen Schwarzman’s] Blackstone is the largest corporate landlord in the world, with a vast and diversified real estate portfolio. It owns more than 300,000 residential units across the U.S., has $1 trillion in global assets, and nearly doubled its profits in 2021. “Blackstone owns 149,000 multi-family apartment units; 63,000 single-family homes; 70 mobile home parks with 13,000 lots through their subsidiary Treehouse Communities; and student housing, through American Campus Communities (144,300 beds in 205 properties as of 2022). Blackstone recently acquired 95,000 units of subsidized housing.”

In 2018, corporations and the billionaires that own or run them bought 1 out of every 10 homes sold in America, according to Dezember, noting that:

“Between 2006 and 2016, when the homeownership rate fell to its lowest level in fifty years, the number of renters grew by about a quarter.”

And it’s gotten worse every year since then.

This all really took off around a decade ago following the Bush Crash, when Morgan Stanley published a 2011 report titled “The Rentership Society,” arguing that snapping up houses and renting them back to people who otherwise would have wanted to buy them could be the newest and hottest investment opportunity for Wall Street’s billionaires and their funds.

Turns out, Morgan Stanley was right. Warren Buffett, KKR, and The Carlyle Group have all jumped into residential real estate, along with hundreds of smaller investment groups, and the National Home Rental Council has emerged as the industry’s premiere lobbying group, working to block rent control legislation and other efforts to control the industry.

As John Husing, the owner of Economics and Politics Inc., told The Tennessean newspaper:

“What you have are neighborhoods that are essentially unregulated apartment houses. It could be disastrous for the city.”

As Zillow found:

“The areas that are most vulnerable to rising rents, unaffordability, and poverty hold 15 percent of the U.S. population — and 47 percent of people experiencing homelessness.”

The loss of affordable homes also locks otherwise middle class families out of the traditional way wealth is accumulated — through home ownership: over 61% of all American middle-income family wealth is their home’s equity.

And as families are priced out of ownership and forced to rent, they become more vulnerable to homelessness.

Housing is one of the primary essentials of life. Nobody in America should be without it, and for society to work, housing costs must track incomes in a way that makes housing both available and affordable.

Singapore, Denmark, New Zealand, and parts of Canada have all put limits on billionaire, corporate, and foreign investment in housing, recognizing families’ residences as essential to life rather than purely a commodity. Multiple other countries are having that debate or moving to take similar actions as you read these words.

America should, too.

ALSO READ: Not even ‘Fox and Friends’ can hide Trump’s dementia

[sweetprfct]

Written in the Stars

Joseph Quinn x Fem!Reader

Summary: You are a believer in fate but after getting your heart broken, you had stopped believing it. Until you met Joe. Suddenly, it got you questioning if fate is real or not.

Author's Note: Here comes the angst. I'm so sorry for this! :(

Wordcount: 4.2K

part one - part two - part three - part four - part five - part six - part seven - part eight - part nine - part ten - epilogue

The flight from New York to Calgary, Canada was exactly five hours and ten minutes. In those five hours and ten minutes of flight, the four of you have been nothing but silent that you swore the whole plane was able to feel the tension between the four of you. You chose to sit by the window next to Joe, and you were still so deep inside your mind about certain things between you two. You love Joe. You do. But were you really going to lose yourself again over a man? Looking at him, he seemed so different and far away. You didn’t really know what to do. Somehow, at this moment, you started to doubt all those beliefs you had again about fate because if you and Joe were fate, you wouldn’t feel this way about him, right?

The rest of the flight was spent sleeping and letting your head rest by the plane window until Joe had curled a hand at the back of your head and let your head fall gently on his shoulder. Both of you didn’t talk much either when you had woken up. It was like you both knew that the distance and the tension was there. 

By the time the plane arrived in Canada, you all grabbed your luggage and headed to the rental place to rent a car since the cabin was two hours away from the airport. Your arm was locked with Sara’s as you waited for the two men to sign the papers for the car. Looking around, you watched as the snow fell lightly outside. It was glistening along with the sunset from the horizon, and it was just stunning. Canada was beautiful, and you wished that your mind could drift off the thoughts of Joe, so you could enjoy this moment. 

Looking back at Sara, you could see her face was more relaxed now than how it was when you were in New York. You knew she was hesitating at the beginning because she was short financially, but you couldn’t help but give credit to Wes because he was right. You both needed this. Sara needed this. You also hoped that maybe this mini vacation could patch up whatever it was going on between you and Joe. 

Not moments later, the two men came back with the key in their hands, and you all headed outside and settled everything in the car. You sat at the passenger seat as Joe drove and Wes and Sara had both fallen asleep at the backseat halfway through the trip. You all had two hours to spare and the only thing that filled the silence inside the car was the music playing on the radio. 

Right before you all headed to the cabin, Joe suggested getting some groceries from the nearby market, so you all have food to cook for tonight. By the time you all arrived at the cabin, the snow had fallen harder. You all ran inside and were stunned by how it looked. The cabin was warm and cozy, and it was still decorated with Christmas decorations even though Christmas was already past a few weeks ago.

“Wow.” You murmured, smiling at Sara.

She gave you a smile that you haven’t seen in a long time. You missed that smile of hers. It has been so long since you have seen her like this. 

“Let’s get settled, yeah?” Wes said.

You and Joe made your way up the stairs and entered the room that was down the hall. You smiled as you set your luggage down and looked out the window. You could see the backyard of the cabin and not too far away, there was a trail going into the woods. The tall pine trees were all covered in snow, and it just looked so peaceful. Feeling Joe’s heavy arms wrapped around your waist, he pulled you close to his front as he set his head on your shoulder.

“Did I tell you how much I missed you?” Joe murmured, leaning in to kiss your cheek. 

You hummed softly, closing your eyes. You missed this Joe. Your Joe that would be so sweet and soft to you. Sliding his arms off of you, you turned around, wrapping your arms around his neck. A small smile on your face as you looked into his chocolate button eyes. 

“I missed you too.” You murmured before leaning in to kiss him softly.

Joe smiled through the kiss as he pulled you close to him and moved the both of you to the bed. He laid you gently as he towered over you, kissing you deeply. Joe’s fingers found the hem of your sweater as his lips moved down your jawline and down your neck.

“Joe…” You whispered, pulling away. “Wes and Sara are downstairs.”

“Then, we just have to be really quiet then.” He grinned pulling your sweater over your head and threw it on the floor, leaving you in just your bra. 

Joe was quick to unclasp them too and threw them with your sweater on the floor. His lips kissed your breasts softly, letting out a small moan from your lips. 

God, Joe missed those sounds. 

He missed every inch of you as your fingers tangled in his hair, tugging on them lightly. Joe left hot kisses down your body as his fingers worked the button of your jeans. You missed him. You missed this. You missed everything about him and for a moment, you thought maybe you were right. This vacation could be something that could restore the distance that had been pulling the both of you away from each other. Joe gazed up at you through his lashes as he left small kisses on your belly, making you giggle softly. Suddenly, the both of you got interrupted when Joe’s phone rang in his back pocket. He ignored it as he started unbuttoning your jeans and unzipped them, but you couldn’t really enjoy it with his phone making noises, echoing through the room. 

“Joe…” You whispered as his phone continued to ring.

Joe let out a sigh as he got up from the bed. He pulled out his phone from his back pocket and looked down at the screen and sighed again.

“I’m sorry, I got to take this.” He answered the phone and left the room, leaving you there on the bed half naked.

You got up from the bed and bit your nails anxiously before you decided to pick up your clothes on the floor and put them back on. You waited for Joe for a few more minutes but as soon as you realized that he wasn’t coming back any time soon, you decided to go downstairs to see what Wes and Sara were doing. 

You found the couple putting away the food that you all bought in the cupboard and there was no sign of Joe anywhere. 

“Hey!” Wes smiled happily as soon as he saw you. “I was thinking maybe we should go snowboarding tomorrow? Sara had been wanting to try, so I think it will be fun, yeah?”

You nodded your head in agreement, giving him a smile as your eyes scanned the room. 

“He’s outside.” Sara answered the question that you have been asking in your head.

“Oh. Okay.” You said, biting your lower lip, your fingernail found the edges of your teeth again. 

“Everything okay?” Sara asked, touching your forearm lightly.

You nodded your head. “I’m kinda tired, so I’ll be upstairs.”

“Okay.” Sara gave you her worried eyes as you walked away.

Changing into something more comfortable, you slipped yourself under the covers and let out a deep breath. It was for the first time ever where you felt the peace and quiet. Your mind wasn’t running around thinking what to do for work or worry about the next bill to pay. Though, there was one subject your mind couldn’t seem to let go. 

Joe.

You stared at the ceiling as you tried to drift your mind somewhere else. You didn’t want to overthink again. Maybe all of it was just in your head. Maybe it was just you being exhausted from everything. Not moments later, Joe entered the room, interrupting your thoughts. A small smile tugged on his face as soon as he saw you. He kicked off his shoes and slid under the covers with you.

“Hey, love.” He wrapped his arms around you, pulling you close to his side. “Sorry about that.”

“Everything okay?” You asked, laying your head on his chest. 

“Yeah.” He drew circles on your arm, planting a soft kiss on your hair. “Are you okay? I hope this vacation will help you relax a little. I know work has been busy.”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” You muttered, burying your face on his chest. 

“I love you so much, darling.” Joe whispered, tightening his arm around you and kissed your forehead.

“I love you too.” You replied, closing your eyes.

Your mind wondered again. Joe was here. He was here so close to you but how come he still felt so far away? How come you couldn’t bring yourself to really say what you wanted to say? How come your mind and your heart have been fighting to figure out the right answers to all your questions in your head? How come you were slowly fading away from him? 

It was as if your body was here, but your heart and soul had gone somewhere else. 

You couldn’t explain any of your feelings anymore. 

Just when you thought you were just overthinking, how come your mind got you questioning everything again? You thought snowboarding was going to be something you and Joe could do together after being so far away from each other for so long. 

So, how come when the morning came and the four of you had gone to the mountains to go snowboarding, you were coming down the hill all by yourself? How come you had found yourself just watching Wes teaching Sara how to snowboard, while Joe was in the corner talking to his phone the whole time? 

Your eyes watched Sara and Wes and couldn’t help but smile that they were finally getting along again. Then, your eyes lingered towards Joe. He was standing under one of the pine trees, talking to his phone. Your attention was caught by Wes, who was waving you over to them. 

“Hold on. I’ll be back.” Wes told Sara. “Could you please hold her for a second?” 

You nodded your head as you switched places with him and held Sara’s hands to make sure she didn’t lose her balance.

“Hey, what’s going on?” Sara asked. 

You gave her a shrug and didn’t say anything else because honestly, you really didn’t know what was going on. Emotionally, you were just feeling many emotions that you couldn’t explain at all. So, you really didn’t know how to answer the question. 

“I’m here if you want to talk.” Sara reassured you.

“Thank you.” You gave her a small smile. 

The rest of the afternoon was spent snowboarding with Wes and Sara, while Joe just watched because he had made an excuse that he was kind of tired. You didn’t say anything. You didn’t push him to join you because you learned your lesson from when you suggested your little suggestion to Sara about the bookshop. 

Never again. You told yourself.

But everything felt heavy again. Everything inside of you wanted to scream. 

But you didn’t. You kept your mouth shut and tried to enjoy your time with Wes and Sara instead.

The four of you found yourselves in a small diner that night after a long day of snowboarding. Dinner was quiet. Everyone was exhausted. 

You were exhausted. 

Not because of snowboarding because you barely did that today. You were exhausted with everything.

“I’ll be right back.” Joe excused himself in the middle of dinner as he went to the restroom.

You weren’t the kind of girl to be snooping around someone else’s property. Even if that was your boyfriend’s but Joe’s phone was right there next to you. The screen lit up as he received a message and it was one glimpse. One glimpse. You saw her name. Two missed calls for the last hour or so. You felt your stomach turn as you remembered their photos together that Nicola had shown you. You trusted Joe.

You wanted to trust Joe.

So, you didn’t say anything. You let it go. You kept your mouth shut even if your doubtful thoughts were starting to run inside your brain. 

You kept your mouth shut.

The ride home was quiet too. Not one person said a word, and you figured maybe everyone was just tired but you saw that look on Sara’s face earlier at dinner the moment the check had arrived. Her small little smiles from this morning had become bitter again when she saw that Wes had paid for her. Again. You weren’t sure if it was a way for you to distract your stormy thoughts towards Joe that you had started paying attention to Wes and Sara, but you were also worried about your best friend. Her relationship was just slowly shattering, and you couldn’t help but feel useless from all of it. Maybe it was a way for you to feel better that if you could do something about Wes and Sara, at least one of you would still be happy. 

At least Sara would be happy. That was enough for you at this moment. 

You swore if you heard that ring one more time, you wouldn’t hesitate to take the phone and throw it out the window. You were awakened by Joe’s phone ringing in the middle of the night. You didn’t move. You didn’t say anything as you felt the bed move and quiet footsteps walked towards the door. Joe shut the door quietly behind him as he answered his phone. Then, you opened your eyes and all you could see was the small light illuminating through the window. A tear rolled down your cheek as you hugged your pillow closer to your chest. 

Your heart slowly stopped beating for Joe. 

You were at the end of your rope. Your glass was slowly overflowing. 

The hurricane inside of you was starting to get bigger, and you didn’t know how much more you could control it. 

The next morning was quiet. You were up early, and Joe was gone from your side. You sat by the window and watched the birds sitting on the trees and chirping loudly. The snow finally stopped and everything around you was glistening. Almost enchanting. The sound of the door opening caught your attention as Joe entered the room. 

“Hey, you’re up.” Joe smiled. 

“Yeah.” You murmured. 

“Everything okay?” Joe walked towards you and immediately stopped when the both of you heard arguments down the hall. 

You let out a sigh as soon as you heard Wes and Sara’s voices disappear down the hall. You knew this was coming since last night. 

“Are they arguing?” Joe knitted his brows, surprised from what he was hearing.

“That has been constant lately.” You said, looking out the window again. 

“Constant? I… I didn’t know that.” Joe said. “Are they okay?”

You shrugged, your eyes still focused out the window. Sara and Wes were arguing so loud that even when they were outside by your window, you could hear the whole conversation. You felt Joe walked up behind you as soon as he saw your concerned expression. His hands rubbed your arms softly to comfort you, but you felt so far away from him. 

“You just don’t understand it, Wes!” Sara exclaimed. 

“Then, talk to me, Sara!” Wes reached for her hand, but Sara moved her hand away. 

She was so far away from him too. 

“I’ve been trying my best to understand. Please, just talk to me.” Wes finally lowered his voice. His pleading eyes looked into Sara’s. “Tell me what is inside your mind because I don’t know what else to do. You think it’s easy for me to see you like this?”

You purse your lips as you watch Sara shake her head, tears falling from her eyes. You sat there and didn’t move. Joe continued to comfort you as he planted a soft kiss on your hair, but you were fading away slowly from his arms. 

“I—” Sara sobbed. “Do you know how hard it is for me to watch my best friend work overtime every single day? Just because of my stupid decision to hire Cole in the first place, who by the way, hasn’t been caught yet.”

“Sara, that was not your fault…” Wes took a few steps forward towards her. “You didn’t know that he was going to do that. It could happen to anyone.”

Sara felt guilty of you doing overtime? You didn’t know that. In fact, you were the one who felt guilty for pushing her to hire someone in the bookshop in the first place. Maybe communication really had disappeared from the two of you. 

“And I know I’m struggling, but I feel so useless over the fact that she has to pay for rent, the utility bills, and you also have to pay for my own vacation?” Sara scoffed, wiping the tears that were rolling down her cheeks. 

You watched as Wes reached for her hand, wiping her tears away. He tilted his head to find her eyes with his. You closed your eyes for a moment as you heard Joe’s phone rang again. Your heart wasn’t beating anymore. You couldn’t move as Joe excused himself and answered the phone call, leaving you all alone in the room. 

Again. 

“Sara, we did all those things for you not because we felt sorry for you. We did it because we love you and care about you. It’s not wrong to ask for help, and I’m sorry that I wasn’t more understanding with your situation, but I love you, Sara. I would do anything to make you happy. I would do anything to help you and to make sure you were okay. I just need you to please open up to me.” 

Suddenly, you were gone. You weren’t here anymore. You felt numb. You felt the tears welled up in your eyes as you watched Sara also apologize to Wes for being so distant and shutting him out. 

“I know I shouldn't have thrown my anger at you too. I’m sorry.” Sara murmured, Wes cupping her face with his hands. “I promise I’ll open up. It was just so hard.”

“I know, darling. I know.” You watched Wes kissed her softly and pulled her into a tight hug.

Your heart had stopped beating because how could Joe do this? How could he just leave you like this? How could he just act like nothing was wrong? You heard the door open again and heard that same apology escaping from his lips. The storm inside of you had gotten bigger, and Joe was about to deal with the final blow. 

“Who is she, Joe?” You asked, holding in your tears. Your eyes were still staring out the window. 

“What?” 

You turned to face him, tears welling up in your eyes. “Who is she?”

Joe stood there for a moment until realization hit him. You saw it. You saw it all over his face. He walked towards you, shaking his head.

“It was just my co-star.” He reached for your hand. “Hey, there’s nothing going on between us. She had been going through something personal, and she trusted me, so I was trying to be there for her.”

You finally got up, pushing his hand away. “And I wasn’t?!”

Joe was taken aback by your anger as tears rolled down your cheeks. Joe didn’t say anything. He stood there. 

He just stood there. 

“I haven’t said anything because I know how complicated your job is. But Joe, I haven’t heard from you in weeks. I haven’t seen you in months. Then, when we’re finally together, it’s like you’re not even here.” 

Joe took your hands in his again. “This is not what I meant for you to feel. I’m sorry that I have been so distant. I—”

“You knew, Joe! You knew what has been happening here, but you didn’t even call! You didn’t even try!” You sobbed. “You know what Wes did for Sara during New Year’s? While you were in London, he brought her there to meet his family even when they were constantly fighting. I didn’t go because I figured if you wanted to see me, you’d call.” 

You shook your head, pulling your hands away from him. You were slipping away from him, and Joe couldn’t do anything about it. Joe was trying his best to save what was left between you two. He had been so busy that he didn’t realize that you were slipping away from his fingers more and more every day. 

“But you didn’t. You didn’t even call to say Happy New Year until two days later, but you have all the time to care for her even when you know that I have been struggling!” You took a deep breath, feeling everything that has been weighing you down finally come out. 

“I’m so sorry.” Joe hung his head low. “I have no excuses for everything that I did. I— I thought about you every day. I thought about how I couldn’t do anything because I was so far away from you. I… I didn’t know what to do. I wanted to call but every time I did, there was always a problem on set. There was always an interview, or a photoshoot. I know I should have tried harder, but I love you so much, darling. I never wanted you to feel like I didn’t care about you because I do. You’re everything to me.”

“All I wanted was to hear your voice.” You murmured. “To know that even when you were far away, you were still there. All I wanted was to hear your voice after a long day of work.” You sobbed, wiping the tears that ran down your face. “Everything has been so heavy, and you were the only light thing that made all those heavy things cancel out, but you weren’t even there, Joe. You disappeared. And when you came back, I thought things were going to get better, but I was just slowly dying even more, and you couldn’t even see that. It feels like you weren’t even here. She’s more important to you from what I have seen.”

“I… I’m so sorry.” Joe pleaded. “She is not more important than you, love. You are the most important person in my life. I never wanted to hurt you like this.”

“I’m exhausted, Joe.” You muttered, wiping the last of your tears. 

He had lost you. 

“I can’t lose myself again over someone.” You said. 

Oh god, he really lost you. 

No, he had lost you a long time ago, and he didn’t even realize it. 

“You promised to take away all my doubts but how come it added even more?” 

“I love you so much.” Joe cupped your cheeks, wiping the dried tears on your face. “Please, love. Please let me fix this. Give me another chance.”

You shook your head, slipping his hands away from your face. “I love you too, but I can’t.”

Joe’s tears welled up in his eyes too as he tried to reach for you, but you were so far away from him now. What had he done? How did he fucked up this bad? How could he lose the one important person in his life? How could he be so blind? 

“I truly believed that we were fate but maybe I wasn’t right after all. Maybe you were wrong. Maybe we met just so we could learn something from this.” You whispered. 

“No,” Joe shook his head, pulling you in his arms. “I can't imagine my life without you. I love you so much.”

You buried your face on his shoulder, “I’m sorry. I just can't do this right now.”

You slipped away from his arms, wiped the tears that were rolling down his cheeks before letting him go completely. Joe stood there frozen as you walked out of the room and down the stairs. You were greeted by Wes and Sara entering the cabin as soon as you arrived at the foot of the stairs. Sara immediately saw the puffy red teary eyes you had.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Sara’s eyes widened. 

You didn’t say anything as you grabbed your coat and walked out the door. Sara didn’t hesitate to follow as Wes turned and saw Joe on the top of the stairs. 

“Hey, what happened, mate?” Wes asked. 

“It’s over.” Joe said. 

“O—Over?” Wes asked, confused. “But what about the pro—”

“It’s not happening.” Joe cut him before walking back into his room. 

Wes stood there in shock as he tried to figure out how to help his best friend. He finally made up with Sara and now, you and Joe were over? What about the plans he helped Joe make for you? 

“This vacation sucks.” Wes muttered under his breath as he closed the front door. 

*********

Taglist:

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[spaghett-onaplate]

Oscar my good fellow, does your house include a fan system? how do you stay cool in the summer?

We don't have any built in fans! There is an aircon system but this is a rental that has remained largely unchanged since the 70s so it does not work, probably has not ever worked during this century. Ok so granted all the following will be from anecdotal experience, but as far as I can see this is how other houses in the area operate:

Well apparently the ideal Australian house has a metre wide wraparound porch and awning to keep the heat out. Don't think I've ever seen a house meet this, inner city at least. More rural areas maybe? And that is where they'd need it more

So to keep cool in the summer my house has a lot of tabletop fans and a big fan on a floor stand. Also use wet washers on the back of our necks and just experience general suffering. Most houses aren't well insulated for the cold or the heat!! Even tho our winters aren't nearly as bad as many places, my brother's gf from Siberia and my family that moved between here and Canada find Australian winters unbearable compared to the Russian or Canadian winters just bc the houses are barely warmer than the outside!! Often in the morning it's colder inside than out

A lot of houses (from anecdotal experience I would say maybe half? most new houses would) do have aircon tho, which is enough to keep things cold or warm enough. By aircons I mean these ones, units rather than built in ones

But houses do have the inbuilt aircons too, the nonfunctional one in my house has vents in each room like this (in ceilings other than the tile ones pictured here tho)

It's not uncommon but I'd say not a massive amount of houses have them? I think newer builds would be more likely to have these ones. Tho idk all new houses kinda look the same like. Wait I remember a further out gross looking suburb I'll find it on Google maps

this is like, 2 hours out from the CBD?? a lot of developments are popping up further out as the city expands. cheap* and uglay housing it reminds me of the american suburbs tbh

anyway. that is mostly unrelated to aircon and fans. yeah i dont think we have thermostats? at least i've never seen anyone call it that but im assuming the built in aircons work like that. bc they do can do heat or cool temperatures

i did have one friend who lived in a big house that had all three - an aircon unit in the parents room, inbuilt aircon throughout the house, and fans in most/every room. never seen that anywhere else tho and i considered her to be pretty rich, plus i'm sure they did renovate to include some of those.

yeah overall to stay cool in the summer people without aircon kinda. don't. i miss my first house with its aircon unit </3

*cheap to build, expensive to buy.

1mil AUD for a house hours away from the inner city!! for a very soulless, gross, not particularly big (all those rooms look pretty tiny) house. our housing market is absolutely fucked

anyway yeah a lot of houses have aircon to help endure the summers and winters, a lot do not. prolly the same most countries? lmk how the US does compare tho

i think my second/previous house was better in summer than this current one bc it was an old (by our standards - 100 years?) house with double brick walls that somewhat kept the heat out, whereas this one isn't as old so the inner walls don't have brick. summer is a big blur of lying down with a fan constantly pointed at me with a wet washer on the back of my neck rip

[dispatchesfromtheclasswar]

In the city with the least-affordable housing in Canada, fully half of new condos are scooped up by real estate investors. When you transform a basic human need like housing into a financialized investment instrument, you get a rental market where a one-bedroom goes for $2000-$2500 a month.

[thegreenmeridian]

I'm going on vacation to Iceland later this month, and I'll admit everyone was so chill about my being Jewish the last time I went years back that I didn't even think about antisemitism in my planning. How bad is the situation on the street? Are there recommendations for safety that we're supposed to be following as visitors?

By and large I don’t get much shit but I think that’s at least partly because a) I don’t think most Icelanders or even foreigners recognise the Hebrew necklace I’m wearing and b) I don’t *look* Jewish. I don’t wear a kippah outside. And I don’t advertise myself as Jewish. If you’re visibly Jewish, your situation will definitely be different

I don’t know a huge amount about how it is in Reykjavik, but I know the Israeli jeweller in the flea market has gotten shit off people. And I know a few folk who’ve had harassment from tourists in Reykjavik. At any given time there’s more tourists than Icelanders so it’s not just the locals you have to consider with shit like this. You will be encountering people from all over China, US, Canada, and Europe. So it’s fairly likely you’ll encounter someone who’s an arsehole.

We’ve also got an Arab immigrant population, mainly present in Reykjavik and the towns surrounding the airport, and I’m not sure what their attitudes have been like.

Outside of active harassment, there’s an Icelandic run campervan rental company which refuses to rent to Israelis, and called winter (I think it was winter) “Jew season” because that’s when we get the most Israelis. My town out in the east is plastered with watermelons and they did a Palestine solidarity event on Oct 7, and apparently that happened in Reykjavik as well. And my company completely changed their payment processing system because the old one was owned by an Israeli. So… there’s definitely Attitudes here.

I’d say your best bet really contacting the Chabad house here, they’re lovely people and they’ll absolutely have a better idea of how it is than I do.

Edit: (also if you’re landing on the 15th of December hmu because that’s when I get back from Boston, so I can give you a ride from the airport and save you the ludicrously overpriced bus fare)

[rjzimmerman]

Woman Who Tried to Smuggle 29 Turtles Wrapped in Socks Pleads Guilty (New York Times)

Federal agents discovered in a duffle bag “what appeared to be socks that were moving,” according to prosecutors. Inside each of the socks were 29 Eastern box turtles, officials said.Credit...Carolyn Kaster/Associated Press

Excerpt from this New York Times story:

A woman pleaded guilty on Friday to attempting to smuggle 29 Eastern box turtles, a protected species, that were individually wrapped in socks inside a duffle bag as she tried to paddle in an inflatable kayak across a lake from Vermont to Canada over the summer, officials said.

The woman, Wan Yee Ng, of Hong Kong, was arrested in June at a rental residence in Canaan, Vt., as she was about to enter into the kayak with the bag on Lake Wallace, according to a statement by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont.

In August, she was charged with attempting to export merchandise contrary to law. Ms. Ng, who faces up to 10 years in prison, is scheduled to be sentenced in December.

On the morning of June 26, agents saw Ms. Ng carrying a duffle bag from the rented residence to the inflatable kayak near the water’s edge, prosecutors said.

At the time, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police notified U.S. border agents that two people, one of whom was believed to be Ms. Ng’s husband, had launched an inflatable watercraft on the Canadian side of the lake and started to paddle toward the United States, according to prosecutors.

Agents arrived at the rental residence in Vermont as Ms. Ng was preparing to depart and noticed through a partially opened zipper on the duffle bag “what appeared to be socks that were moving,” according to prosecutors.

A closer look revealed that the bag contained 29 turtles “that were individually wrapped in socks” to protect their shells and so they could not move, prosecutors said.

A U.S. Fish and Wildlife special agent identified the species as Eastern box turtles, a subspecies of the common box turtle that is native to forested regions of the eastern United States, with some isolated populations in the Midwest. On average, the turtles are about five to six inches long.

Eastern box turtles are known to be sold on the Chinese black market for more than $1,000 each, according to the affidavit.

“These animals are protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES),” prosecutors said, adding that the turtles, which can have yellow decorative markings on their shells, “are especially prized in the domestic and foreign pet trade market, particularly in China and Hong Kong.”

[randomite]

People on Tumblr are always hyping these news articles about some rich wanker out there, buying up single family homes.

It sucks. Rich wankers are terrible yadda-yadda. Not the point of this conversation. (Burn them)

The thing is that you have some of the worst ideas on how to fix the housing crisis!

Simply because most people aren't super educated on why the housing market is this way.

Ironically, and this might tick a lot of you off. One of the causes of the housing crisis is likely you, or your co-workers, parents, siblings ect...ect.

https://www.investopedia.com/articles/credit-loans-mortgages/090116/what-do-pension-funds-typically-invest.asp

Are you saving money! (I am!)

Do you have a 401K/Pension/Superannuation? (I Do)

Are you invested in a Real Estate Investment Trust?!

Probably.

Most funds have a little bit of REIT in them. The S&P500 is 2.8% REIT,

These mega trusts own vast amounts of American housing.

https://www.reit.com/research/nareit-research/170-million-americans-own-reit-stocks

Yay. Look at this happy graphic that came from a site really stocked about the great returns on real estate investment.

Now. It should be clear REIT actually own a very small portion of American housing, around 1%. Individual owners make up a far larger portion of the housing market.

REIT live in the happy red space.

The problem with REIT is that they are often terrible.

They are bastions of widespread community gentrification. Sweeping into minority communities like Herongate in Canada and bulldozing the lot. All to make way for shinny condos they can turn a profit on.

https://acorncanada.org/news/leveller-rein-reits-tenants-demand-action-against-real-estate-investment-trusts/

REITs have been accused of slumlord like behaviour. Letting houses decay with mold and refusing repair ect. Ect.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/tenants-lose-as-landlord-transglobe-racks-up-charges-1.1246084

https://doctorow.medium.com/wall-streets-landlord-business-is-turning-every-rental-into-a-slum-b15b81f18612

Essentially my point is....

You could be invested in the very Real Estate Investment Trust that acts as your landlord. You could be invested in the source of your own suffering and gentrification.

The pension investment in REITs for domestic housing is growing. It is too profitable. It is an easy source of growth.

If you are in a bad situation, you should want your pension invested in an REIT. It will help grow your savings (whatever they be). But, that very same REIT might own your home and be the very evil trying to wring cash out of you.

This isn't a call to action. This is more an observation about the neoliberal shit oroborus we are stuck in. You can choose not to invest in REITs, or try and find a good one.

But in doing so, you are worsening the housing crisis. REITs are sophisticated. They use rent increase software and have quantitative analysis of the market used to drive prices up.

If the housing market ever tanks, a good portion of your savings might tank with it.

Now. You might have no savings. You might not have elderly relying on social security. You might be fine.

But. Society is run by trashfire electoralism. If people don't see their investments going up they freak out and vote for the other party.

The pension investment into real estate, allowed in 2001 (thanks Bush), has created people whose retirements and future are dependent on housing prices always going up. Around 51% of Americans are invested in REITs. It is essentially a nightmare that will never be fixed unless people who are smarter than anyone on Tumblr actually put an effort in.

Thanks for reading my depressing rant.

(Also. Sorry if you are in Canada. It is bad in AUS but it seems like REITs can steal newborns over there. Like some articles are like wtf.)

https://www.reit.com/news/blog/market-commentary/reit-allocations-pension-funds-increase

https://www.spglobal.com/marketintelligence/en/news-insights/latest-news-headlines/us-pension-funds-up-real-estate-exposure-to-offset-rising-risks-71610560

https://www.benefitsandpensionsmonitor.com/investments/alternative-investments/real-estate-has-become-a-cornerstone-asset-class-for-pension-fund-investors/383790

[onefail-at-atime]

Everyone,

It's time to WAKE UP and start asking those in your community how they're going to work to stop build-to-rent communities from becoming a mainstream housing option. This isn’t just an American housing issue either. It's become a problem in Canada, the UK, Ireland, and even Australia. Home developers are no longer looking to invest in building for sale home communities. No, corporations are investigating in housing properties to build with the intent to rent. Forever.

These developments aren't new homes for sale. They're not even rent to own communities. No, they're brand new houses/condos that are being built for the sole purpose of helping corporations make a profit now that commercial real estate has become such an unpredictable market.

Americans are already familiar with the apartment living build-to-rent model that has consumed so much of the housing market that it's just natural. For my European friends, they're shocked to hear just how many apartment buildings are built for the sole purpose of being a permanent rental building. Month to month rent that has already increased nearly 50% in just 5 years.

Don't sit on this issue. Don't buy into the grand scheme that economists put out there that this will help the housing crisis because it won't. All it will do is cripple a consumer's buying power more than it already has been since the pandemic.

Housing 👏 is 👏 not👏 for👏 corporate 👏 gain.

[allthecanadianpolitics]

Canada's rental crisis is getting worse, according to a new report that found the average asking price for rent in September was $2,149 — up by more than 11 per cent compared with a year ago.

That's according to a data analysis of tens of thousands of new rental listings across the country from Rentals.ca and real estate consulting and research firm Urbanation.

And according to the September report, average rents aren't just headed up — they're increasing at their fastest pace this year.

While the general national trend is pricier rents, the situation is playing out differently in individual markets.

Toronto remains one of the most expensive in the country, with the average cost of a one-bedroom property now at $2,614 a month. But the pace of rent hikes in the Ontario city has slowed considerably in recent months and was down by 0.2 per cent from August's level. Compared with one year ago, Toronto rents are up by 4.9 per cent. [...]

Continue Reading.

Tagging: @politicsofcanada