I was also lucky that I was and am in good health, if you retire early like I did, you'll have a chunk and a half for health insurance premiums as you get older! 

It is very common to see properties selling for 2-3 million in Vancouver (with the average I'm sure nearing a million)...

I think it's pretty commonly held knowledge, at least by those of us living in the Houston area, that our city has grown exponentially over recent decades.Well, CultureMap posted a pretty cool .gif the other day showing by just how much the city and surrounding areas have expanded since the 1940's, with the most impressive growth spurts coming since the 1970's.You can view the brief article and .gif here: http://houston.culturemap.com/news/city-life/05-16-16-see-how-dramatically-houston-has-grown-since-the-1970s/

Multiple Offers above asking price are quite common, especially for clean, move in ready homes located in good school districts. 

How are the common areas?

Many Lenders that offer 100% Financing are less than scrupulous, and this commonly considered a red flag if you see it offered.One thing you might consider: seeking an equity Investor interested in going in on a Joint Venture type of deal.

The most common structures I've seen are either pure debt offerings or preferred equity offerings where investors are paid a predetermined return before the sponsor receives any profit.  

A common gotcha here is governmental special districts that some believe are HOAs are actually governmental entities.

I think Dave Foster is about as expert as you are going to get here, and he basically says an extension is as common as a unicorn.

(This is common in this town.)