why not buy a condo now and sell it at twice the price in 20 years?

well, if i don't want to buy your 20 year old condo, why would i think somebody would want to buy mine? i mean, really. then, you have maintenance costs and property taxes...

on top of that, you're essentially betting that 1000% inflation in the cost of housing is sustainable, which is something i'm pretty skeptical about.

i'm ultimately not going to base my decisions on ways to turn a profit, so much as i'm going to base my decisions on ensuring that things work out, even in the worst case. i don't even want to put the money in the stock market. i'd rather put it in secure bonds. "but it's only 5%" isn't much of a disincentive to me when inflation in rent is restricted to 2-3% by law. i just don't want it to lose value.

will i be able to buy something new for $200,000 in 20 years? i''ll be happy to move to sudbury, if i have to. as long as there's stable internet and access to health care....