'We just want to stay': N.S. family struggling to find affordable home may be forced to leave the province
A Nova Scotia family says they may be forced to leave the province due to the lack of affordable housing units on the market.
Steph McNamara has lived in an apartment in Dartmouth, N.S., for the last two years and says she loves it, but can't stay.
“I just wanted to start off by saying we love our landlords. They have been amazing to us,” McNamara says.
McNamara's landlords live downstairs below her. A family member of the landlord, who can’t find a place to stay, will soon be moving in, which means the McNamaras have to move.
They were hoping to stay within the Halifax Regional Municipality, but housing prices are outside their budget.
Now, they’re not even sure they can stay in the province.
“I think when you know you want your roots to be here in Nova Scotia and you just can’t quite make that a reality, it's really hard,” says McNamara.
However, there could be hope on the horizon. The real-estate market is showing signs of evening out in the last month-and-a-half.
“Buyers have a little more leverage. There’s a bit more inventory, so an extra couple hundred houses on the market as compared to a month ago, so there’s a little more choice,” says the president of Royal Lepage Atlantic, Matt Honsberger.
It’s the same story in New Brunswick.
“The fever pitch seems to have lessened,” says New Brunswick realtor Danielle Johnson.
Johnson says the market is cooling across the country where many of the buyers were coming from, adding that is playing a roll to the slowdown in the Maritimes.
“In the past, we could’ve gotten 14 offers, 20 offers. Now, maybe we’re getting two or three,” Johnson says.
But it might be too little, too late for the McNamaras, who had big plans in their future.
“We are community-minded people; we want to build a retreat for autistic kids. We have a daughter who is autistic and we just feel like Nova Scotia is where she needs to be. There are amazing resources here and we just want to stay here," she said.
Meanwhile, they have put out a plea on social media, hoping to find a way to stay in the place they call home.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Person on fire outside Trump's hush money trial rushed away on a stretcher
A person who was on fire in a park outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump’s hush money trial is taking place has been rushed away on a stretcher.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
Vicious attack on a dog ends with charges for northern Ont. suspect
Police in Sault Ste. Marie charged a 22-year-old man with animal cruelty following an attack on a dog Thursday morning.
The Body Shop Canada explores sale as demand outpaces inventory: court filing
The Body Shop Canada is exploring a sale as it struggles to get its hands on enough inventory to keep up with "robust" sales after announcing it would file for creditor protection and close 33 stores.
Tropical fish stolen from Beachburg, Ont. restaurant found and returned
Ontario Provincial Police have landed a suspect following a fishy theft in Beachburg, Ont.
U.S. FAA launches investigation into unauthorized personnel in cockpit of Colorado Rockies flight to Toronto
The U.S.’s Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a video that appears to show unauthorized personnel in the cockpit of a charted Colorado Rockies flight to Toronto.