Levi Gogolinski and Jordan Reniak take possession of their new home, part of the town’s near-market housing program to assist young families. (Dale Boyd / Osoyoos Times)
By Dale Boyd
Osoyoos Times
Two young Osoyoos residents are the first to take advantage of “near-market” housing in town.
Levi Gogolinski, marketing manager at Stoneboat Vineyards and mechanical engineer Jordan Reniak cut the ribbon on their new home May 1.
The couple relocated to Osoyoos a year and a half ago, and is now moving from a different location in town to take advantage of the near-market subsidized housing.
“It’s really exciting. We have never owned a house before,” Gogolinski said. “We wouldn’t have been able to buy the house otherwise.”
The market had some options for the young couple, but many homes they looked at needed repairs with hefty upfront costs, Gogolinski said.
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“It was hard, (our realtor) showed us, I feel like, a lot of houses. We were originally looking for a little fixer-upper, but we really couldn’t afford to buy one and put in the work the houses would need,” Gogolinski said. “We ended up with this beautiful house.”
The 26-lot Meadowlark Subdivision project south of the fire hall has 27 planned homes (with one duplex) built by Ellcar Construction. Four of the homes amongst the full-market locations are priced “near-market,” putting them at 15 per cent below the appraised market value through the Town of Osoyoos’ Near-Market Housing Program.
It was the perfect fit for Gogolinski and Reniak.
“We ended up paying the same for this big house that we would have for a much smaller house that needed a lot more work, and with renovations you have to have that cash up front,” Gogolinski said. “So we got way more of a house that we otherwise would have been able to.”
Two of the four near-market homes are still available aiming to help young families move into the next stage of their lives, home ownership.
