We bought ours in 1999 when the market started to shift. We bought because we had the deposit, we had finally arrived in the town where we intend to remain long-term, and because we were sick of the crummy houses that Defence were offering at the time. Really just wanted a patch of earth to put our roots down in.

Reasons we bought THIS house:
* nicest location we could afford within a practical distance to DH's work
* we made a wish list of all the features/qualities we wanted in a house (everything from an extra room which acts as a study, to fully fenced, has garage, pleasant aspect, etc).
* it was a very good buy considering we were buying at the low end of the market (purchase price $115K).
* we were able to move in and be comfortable without spending any extra $$ on renos (important because there was no room in our budget on one wage at the time)
* the house is modest, but with a small expenditure on landscaping, new pergola, bathroom reno and minor cosmetic improvements it will be worth a lot more

But the main reason - the energy up here is awesome. It is so quiet and peaceful and there is a real 'charge' in the area. I would love to be a bit closer to family but it would have to be a pretty damn awesome house to make me want to move. I just *love* it up here.