Lachi Mainali and Lachsman Koirala stood outside a mustard-coloured house on a corner lot in Timberlea, a suburban community outside Halifax.
It’s a long way from the downtown hospital where they work in housekeeping. But they’re priced out of the real estate market in the city. This home — a split level with four bedrooms — is listed at just under $330,000. It’s in their wheelhouse, financially, even though the couple knows from experience that it will sell for far more than that.
“I’m hoping this one will be it,” said Koirala as his wife laughed. He estimates they’ve looked at more than 150 homes in the past two years and put in offers on more than two dozen — only to be outbid each time.
“Sometimes it is so frustrating I think, like, we should wait for some time before looking for houses again for prices to come down again.”
But waiting isn’t really an option for the couple, who arrived as refugees from Nepal back in 2011. They’ve now got two children aged 12 and 8.
They want a home. A yard. And they’re not giving up even though house prices in the Halifax area are among the fastest-rising in the country.
“We didn’t have a home back in the country,” said Koirala. “Coming here, we want to have a home. To feel what its like to have a…
