'Room to breathe': family swaps North Van basement suite for 3-bed Halifax duplex

After trying to make it work for almost two decades in Metro Vancouver, Heather and Scott van Mil finally threw in the towel and moved.

The couple, who have two children, weren't able to break into the Lower Mainland housing market and purchase a home, despite years of working toward a down payment.

Last month, the family moved out of the North Vancouver basement suite it was renting and relocated to Halifax.

Their new home? A three-storey brick duplex with three bedrooms, three bathrooms, a backyard and a waterfront view — a first for the family.

"It's given us this room to breathe," Heather van Mil told Stephen Quinn, host of CBC's The Early Edition.

"We have space to relax, space to be together as a family and space to have quiet time apart as well."

The family's journey is being covered as part of CBC's podcast series SOLD!

Money concerns allayed

Heather said they purchased their new home for $331,000. She said she doesn't feel stressed out about money any more and anxieties about her family's financial future have been allayed.

Prior to the move, Heather was concerned she and her husband would have to work well into old age to continue affording rent.

Heather works as a part time marketer and runs a mom blog called World of Mom Marketing. Her husband, Scott, works for a medical laboratory.

Now, the family lives off Scott's salary income alone, and Heather's part-time income is just an "added bonus."

"We've been hoping to make the Vancouver area our home for forever," Scott said.

"Things have turned around in the last five years or so and it just doesn't feel like we can do that anymore."

A month after the move, their eldest daughter is enrolled in a French immersion school. Heather said she now has time to walk her children to school in the morning because she's not busy working.

"We desperately miss our [Vancouver] friends, [but] I know that we'll make lots of new friends here."

With files from The Early Edition

If you are interested in housing affordability, check out CBC's new podcast, SOLD! Host Stephen Quinn explores how foreign investment in real estate divides community, class and culture. Find it at CBC Podcasts or Apple Podcasts.