housing woes

So, after a day of house/condo shopping here are the results:

If I want an apartment condo in Evergreen or Bridlewood, expected date is Spring '07 (it isn't even spring '06)

If I want a semi-detached unit in Elgin/McKenzie Towne, I'm looking at a massive waiting list with 4 units being released in Feb, and the beginning of selling their next phase in March, by which point the unit's will have gone from 180 to over 200, once again putting them out of my price range. Even if they weren't, they won't be done for 10 months.

The apartment condos I looked at in Okotoks, with a fitness facility, lake privledges and right next to a golf course, has a entire wall falling off. I dont' know why, and why they don't try and hide it, but there are big cracks along the seams with an entire outer wall, in all those units.

I just don't get it. I couldn't get a house in May because I didn't have enough for a down payment. Now that I have a down payment the houses have all gone up 20 grand and I can't afford them. Why am I always 6 months behind?

I can't find a house in Calgary, in a decent area, listed for under 200, apartment condo's suck because their condo fees are over $300/mo, and even townhouse condos are going for over 200.

And I grimace everytime I put my name on a waiting list as all I'm doing is helping drive the economy higher...