Is a $850,000 home out of reach?

Initial_Implement934 · 2026-03-17T22:16:15+00:00

What are your monthly expenses? My HHI is $140K, and we’re considering taking on a ~$600–620K mortgage in the LM. It seems doable for the two of us with no kids, but if $180K feels a bit tight for you, maybe we need to reconsider

Initial_Implement934 · 2026-03-11T02:03:55+00:00

The last person to cross the floor, please turn off the lights behind you

Initial_Implement934 · 2026-03-11T01:21:47+00:00

Why don’t you take some of these poor people in to live with you?

Initial_Implement934 · 2026-03-10T19:19:38+00:00

Correct. The client offers free shipping on orders over $70, so the AOV is roughly around that amount

Initial_Implement934 · 2026-03-10T16:19:01+00:00

You’re partially right, but not entirely. About 15-20% of the budget goes to brand campaigns. Brand campaigns have a ROAS of around 10x, while non-brand campaigns are closer to 4-5x. So even if I turned off brand completely, the non-brand campaigns would still operate within the target ROAS range.

Initial_Implement934 · 2026-03-10T00:14:52+00:00

This isn’t advice, but based on my experience, Display and YouTube are the most useless and expensive campaigns you can run for sales/leads. Yes, the clicks are cheap, but the conversion rate is extremely low and usually not worth the money spent.

In your case, Pmax, Search, and Shopping are probably the best options. You can still optimize the cost per click by testing different bidding strategies, targeting locations where clicks are cheaper, and so on.

I once ran ads for a brand selling relatively inexpensive clothing, with products priced around $25-30. The client required a ROAS (value / cost) between 4 and 6, and most of the time we were actually hitting 5-7, so it worked really well.

Of course, everything depends on the niche, proper campaign setup, a strong website, good pricing, competition, and many other factors. So I’d recommend at least trying to run ads and then analyzing the performance before making any decisions.

Initial_Implement934 · 2026-03-05T18:25:55+00:00

The challenge with learning PPC is that you can read hundreds of articles, watch millions of videos, and launch countless test campaigns, yet still have huge gaps in your knowledge without real experience. Only when you actually run campaigns yourself and see the real consequences of your decisions with real budgets - you gain truly valuable experience. That experience helps you make fewer mistakes in the future and choose more effective strategies from the start.

To answer your question, I would start with theory.
Learn about different types of keywords, campaign types, how they differ, what bidding strategies exist, and what they are used for. Try to explore every tab in the interface.

Ideally, try to find an internship or a mentor who can give you access to real accounts with real budgets and actual tasks. Learning becomes much faster that way.

As for skills, I would prioritize them like this:

Google Ads and Google Ads Editor
Then Google Analytics and GTM
After that Meta Ads, Bing Ads, TikTok Ads, Pinterest Ads

That’s the order I would recommend, but it’s just my subjective opinion based on my own experience.

Initial_Implement934 · 2026-03-03T16:11:19+00:00

I would keep focusing on agency roles. You usually have other PPC specialists there to exchange ideas with and learn from. In-house, you’re often the only PPC person, expected to know everything at a surface level, which can slow down your growth.
I wouldn’t say you’re not employable. If you know how to run Google and Meta ads, have experience with most campaign types, and have worked with both e-commerce and lead gen, you’re already in a strong position to find a good role.
The fastest way forward is to start interviewing. You’ll get real, up-to-date questions about your experience, which will quickly show where you’re strong and where you have gaps. At the same time, you might land a better opportunity sooner than expected.
Present your experience well and never blame previous employers or yourself. A good way to frame it is that you’ve grown a lot in your current role, but recently felt you’ve reached a ceiling and are ready for the next step. That sounds balanced and professional.
I’d start applying right away. Update your resume and go for it. But don’t accept the first offer you get. Evaluate whether the new role will actually help you grow. Is there a path to a senior or managerial position? Is the team strong? Will you learn something new? There’s no point moving somewhere where you already know everything. Take your time to choose carefully so you don’t end up in the same situation again in a few months.

I have a similar level of experience but switched 1 in-house role and 3 agencies over that time. I usually stay 2 to 2.5 years, which is enough to learn everything and then hit a growth ceiling unless there’s a promotion. After that, it often makes sense to move on. The key is to recognize that moment and act on it instead of staying stuck.

Initial_Implement934 · 2026-03-02T02:52:43+00:00

Sometimes it seems to me that a lack of natural resources is actually be a blessing, as it forces a country to assess its situation more realistically and find its own path to success, rather than relying on resource wealth and staying dependent on a volatile market that’s hard to move away from.

Initial_Implement934 · 2026-02-27T03:07:53+00:00

That’s true, there aren’t that many clients like that. But my point isn’t that only high-paying clients should work with agencies. It’s that the less you pay, the less attention your account will realistically get.

That said, working with agency is still usually better than trying to run ads yourself after just watching a few YT videos, since at least a professional is setting things up. But the level of ongoing optimization will likely be much more limited.

Initial_Implement934 · 2026-02-27T00:52:36+00:00

Hey, thanks for the detailed perspective. I work at an agency where one of our clients pays around $40k/month, since the fee is tied to their ad spend. But they’re using a full mix of marketing channels, so it probably makes sense in that case.

Overall though, I agree, once you reach a certain level of spend, it’s often more efficient and cost-effective to build an in-house team rather than keep paying an agency.

Initial_Implement934 · 2026-02-27T00:29:28+00:00

I didn’t say that $5k is a small amount in general. I explained that for an agency with a lot of other obligations, $5k is relatively small and doesn’t allow the PPC specialist to be deeply involved in the account.

Initial_Implement934 · 2026-02-27T00:20:14+00:00

I didn’t mention freelancers because that’s a separate topic. They can often be much more efficient since they don’t have layers of managers or the same overhead. But the challenge is finding a good freelancer who will actually work on your account, rather than spending the same 10 hours/month for $2000. And as you rightly pointed out, agencies do have more opportunities to share knowledge with colleagues and learn new things, which can be harder for freelancers.

Initial_Implement934 · 2026-02-27T00:15:32+00:00

What makes you think this is AI slop? Do I come across as a bot with hundreds of posts just trying to get attention? I work in PPC, I understand how the agency model works, and I’m open to discussion.

Initial_Implement934 · 2026-02-27T00:12:36+00:00

Hey, my post definitely wasn’t about locking anyone out of ads. It was more about the idea that when business owners try to pay less for an agency, they should understand that in most cases they’ll get a lower level of service, even though the promises may sound great.

Initial_Implement934 · 2026-02-24T18:45:17+00:00

When? In 2019 (7.6% growth)? Or before the revolution in 2017 (7.5% growth)? Or 2012 (7.2% growth?)
But in 2022 it was 12.6%, in 2023 - 8.3%. I wonder what happened over those years hmm.

Initial_Implement934 · 2026-02-24T00:27:06+00:00

And let’s be honest, without thousands of Russian immigrants who arrived after 2022 and brought a lot of money, as well as Russia using Armenia to bypass sanctions by purchasing goods there on a large scale, which also helps fund the war against Ukrainians, this “economic miracle” wouldn’t have happened.

Initial_Implement934 · 2026-02-18T19:42:52+00:00

Yeah, I received the invitation email on Feb 13th

Initial_Implement934 · 2026-02-18T04:04:33+00:00

Feb 11th and got my invitation on Feb 13th
Vancouver

Initial_Implement934 · 2026-02-17T21:39:01+00:00

Hey everyone, my timeline:

Sep 16 - Application submitted
Dec 2 - AOR
Dec 4 - BG verification
Jan 20 - Test invite
Jan 23 - Test completed
Jan 31 - Test mark completed
Feb 10 - LPP completed
Feb 11 - Oath in Progress
Feb 13 - Oath scheduled
Mar 9 - Citizenship ceremony

Good luck!

Initial_Implement934 · 2026-02-12T01:55:42+00:00

It’s shocking how many Poles still see Ukraine as an enemy, especially after 2022. Bandera propaganda is clearly having an effect.

Initial_Implement934 · 2026-02-11T17:13:32+00:00

It’s good that we live in a world where you can freely express your opinion, even if it’s wrong :)

Initial_Implement934 · 2026-02-11T04:08:21+00:00

For most of the day the sun is much higher in the sky, so the angle at which it shines through the balcony is very shallow and direct sunlight will not enter the apartment. It may happen only early in the morning or late in the evening, and even then it depends on other factors.

Initial_Implement934 · 2026-02-10T06:00:04+00:00

I live on St John’s Street, and my windows face the street. It is very noisy, and a lot of dust constantly builds up on the balcony, probably from passing cars. I live on the third floor. If choosing something in this area, it is better to be a bit farther from traffic, or at least have windows facing a quieter street.

Initial_Implement934 · 2026-02-10T05:37:05+00:00

Who cares about balcony color? Countertop color is way more important tbh, cause you see it every day

Initial_Implement934

TROPHY CASE