Calling all Edmontonians!!!
 

Hello,

My name is Danielle and me and my Husband are moving to Edmonton in June 07, we are excited beyond belief and wondered if there were any others out there from Edmonton that can help us with some questions and advice? We are hoping to live in the centre of Edmonton for 6 months while we find the right place to buy, (Looking for smallish town with good restaurants and nightlife and either south or west of Edmonton, any suggestions?) My Husband will be joining EPS and I will be taking my Real Estate exams in order to obtain a license. (Any Realtors out there with any advice is appreciated :o )
Everyone on the site seems really friendly and helpful and i'd love to be a part of the Forum so i just thought i'd introduce myself !? :D

Danielle (Smudge) xx

Re: Calling all Edmontonians!!!
 

Welcome to the forums Danielle! Edmonton is an enjoyable place to be. We (me, the wife & 3 kids) moved here just over a year ago and have been enjoying it. Things are certainly different, but not so different that it makes things difficult! We've had lots of opportunities to do things we never had a chance to do in the UK. This year we'll be trying out the ice fishing for the first time :eek:

Regarding Edmonton, we live in the South Side (Mill Woods) and don't often find ourselves in the Downtown core. so there is probably not much I can say about that area specifically. When driving through it doesn't seem to be the nicest area of the city, but I guess others will be able to better advise you on that.

Anyway, nice to see you on here! Wishing you a great New Year full of fulfilled dreams.....

Rob

Re: Calling all Edmontonians!!!
 

Not going to Edmonton myself but about 5 hours south of you guys. Welcome to our site.

Any questions regarding the EPS try Elli of Elli and Paul as they go end of Jan for Paul to start with the EPS.

Let me know how the realtor exams are as this is something I am considering doing.

Good luck with your dream

Gaynor

Re: Calling all Edmontonians!!!
 

Thanks Rob, It's really nice to hear someone so enthusiatic i think i'm even more excited now and my Hubby's excited about Ice fishing even though we're not sure what it entails!!! Happy New Year to you and your family also :)
Danielle xx

Re: Calling all Edmontonians!!!
 

Thanks Gaynor,

I will send Elli and Paul a message, the realtor exams take about 4 weeks to sit and cost around $1000, I will be doing it through the AREA (Alberta Real Estate Association) but from what i have read it is an entirely different ball game to the UK, first there are no estate agents as such and secondly everyone is self employed also if you list a property someone else can sell it !! How strange?? I'll let you know how i get on and hopefully you'll still be interested, it's a fantastic career in England but we'll see if skills really are transferable!!LOL

Danielle xx

Re: Calling all Edmontonians!!!
 

Welcome Smudge and Pid !!!

Yes, as Gaynor mentioned we're off 27th Jan for our new fantastic life in Alberta!!

We've bought a house in St. Albert as it's a beautiful place to live and great for us as a family. We have two Megan (6) and Joshua (soon to be 4) me I'm a maths teacher and of course Paul who's joining EPS Feb 26th!!

It's all happened really quickly for us 4 months so very pleased that Paul doesn't have to wait until August. Apparently there are about 12 UK police officers going through Class #110 so that will be interesting.

Good luck and feel free to PM me anytime, until we go, as I know what it's like you go through it together every single test :)

Re: Calling all Edmontonians!!!
 

Hi Danielle
We too are in Edmonton (well Sherwood Park actually......wonderful place to live........lovin it here)
Been here since May 05 and had a few ups and downs with periods of homesickness, but aside from that we are as happy as we hoped we would be and do loads of fab things, and still get a big buzz from being here, 18 months later.

Outside of the city itself, Sherwood Park, St Albert and Beaumont are probably considered the nicest satellite communities. I would have happily moved to any one of them.

I wish you loads of luck with the move, and there are plenty of us on this site who would be glad to help with any queries you may have.

Debbie

Re: Calling all Edmontonians!!!
 

Hi there,

We have been here since March 05, and love it too!!! We are renting with Boardwalk in the SW area, known as Riverbend. There seems to be a shortage of rentals at the moment, with the house prices going up.

We have recently sold our UK home and are looking to buy here....which for some reason is proving more difficult than we thought it would be.

Good luck with everything.....PM us if we can help!

Linda

Re: Calling all Edmontonians!!!
 

HI im in Edmonton too(northside)and i have a 6 year old son and canadian fiancee
been here since June 06 still pretty new to the area and surrounding areas and have been homesick for the last couple months but
im back in England for crimbo and new year right now and i am looking forward to getting back (fed up with grey dampness already):rolleyes:

pm me too anytime!

Clare :)

Re: Calling all Edmontonians!!!
 

Hey Clare

Does the first trip back to the UK make you appreciate life back in Alberta, or make you feel like you've gone home.?
Just curious, as we have our first trip back planned for next summer (2 yrs since we left) and don't know how we will react.

When do you get married?
Coffee invitation to Sherwood Pk still open for when you get back.
See ya soon
Debbie

Re: Calling all Edmontonians!!!
 

Hey Debbie

Coming back definately has made me appreciate what ive got in Canada but at the same time it does feel like going home here too because of family and friends mostly, not especially the place and i have got bored quickly of the grey, gloomyness of the place(been here 2 weeks tomorrow) but Boots and Woolies made it feel alot more like christmas! sad i know:D

i know i will get sad at saying goodbye to friends and family again(flying back 13th Jan) but being here again has made me feel that i want to get back there to Canada and make a real good go of it!!!

thanks for the coffee offer its been hard for me to get around but we will defo have to arrange something soon

we put the wedding off until after we got back bcuz it would of been too much of a rush with going back to UK and everything so still havent got a date set but we figure probably February!

catch up with you soon
Clare x

Re: Calling all Edmontonians!!!
 

Thanks ever so much Elli will definately PM you and see how you're getting on, will you be staying on the site regularly when you get across to Canada?? Will you be teaching when you get there or waiting to see how you get on?

Danielle xx

Re: Calling all Edmontonians!!!
 

Thanks Debbie,

How have you found the nightlife?? Thanks for the info on areas will have a look, i can't believe how organised everyone else is compared to us we're wandering around aimlessly wondering what's next!! What's been you're best experience so far??

Danielle xx

Re: Calling all Edmontonians!!!
 

Hi Linda,

The response from the site is fantastic! What problems are you having buying a property?? As i want to buy asap when we get there? Congrats on selling yours though as it's no return now!!!

Danielle xx

Re: Calling all Edmontonians!!!
 

I bet crimbo in Canada feels more realistic with all the snow, as you know all we've had here for the last 2 weeks is fog, fog and more fog! I'm envious of your return to Canada as now we've made the decision to go i just want to pack up and ship out without waiting till June/July. I know you're looking forward to going back to Canada but what is it that's made you homesick and have you realised that it's not that great on returning to England?

Danielle xx

Re: Calling all Edmontonians!!!
 

Hi Danielle

It will be a while before we're back on line as we're without our goods for about 25 days so when computer is up and running then 'well be back' ;)

As for teaching, well I've been offered some part time maths tutoring and also teaching in my daughters school next September when both my two will be going. It's nice to have the offers but initially I want to help settle the kids and ourselves as I have plenty of time to work.
We're not off until 27th so will be on here for a wee while yet :)

Elli

Re: Calling all Edmontonians!!!
 

To be honest I'm beginning to think we must be too picky!!!! I didn't think we were, we just want a decent sized house with good sized bedrooms and a big kitchen...by Canadian standards I thought that would be easy. We did find one, but it sold the next day!!!!:(

It may be made more difficult as we have been renting here and the children are settled and in a very good school, so we were hoping to stay in this area.
The house prices in this area have gone up 45% in the last year :scared:

We have been looking at Sherwood Park that too is lovely and I'm sure we would be happy there! decisions, decisions!!!!!

We moved from yorkshire....Leeds for 6 years then Brayton , Selby.
Where are you guys?

Linda

Re: Calling all Edmontonians!!!
 

Good luck with the move.....see you soon!!!!!

Linda

Re: Calling all Edmontonians!!!
 

HI Danielle

yes coming back to England has made me think its not that great here lol
its true when you're away its easy to idealise things or think "this or thats better there" but in reality its not, its just different and what you're used to

so i think what made me homesick was the unfamiliarity and feeling slightly isolated but mostly i think not having friends and family just around the corner is what did it the most. i had that 'not belonging' feeling that you may or may not experience yourself but apparently after a few months in,its probably normal to have a sense of "withdrawals" or culture shock.
the key is probably keeping yourself very busy

hope the move go's well for you

Clare:)

Re: Calling all Edmontonians!!!
 

How strange is that? I run William H Browns in Selby!!! If you sold with us and had fantastic service let me know if you sold with us and didn't, tell everyone it was Reeds Rains!!!! LOL! We live in Doncaster, Born and Bred.

I've noticed the prices going up dramatically also, when we initially applied for EPS last November after going to Sanddown we looked on the net and were extremely excited about the house prices, watching them rise over the last year has made us realise that we can now only really afford something similar to what we have in England unless we get a huge mortgage which is one of the reasons we were moving in the first instance! The good thing is House prices in England will rise by about 7% this year then start to decline in order to service the FTB's but prices in Emdonton are set to continue rising like they did here, so i think in the next couple of years they will rise by another 50% so win win all round.
My only concern is the difference in prices in properties you find on MLS and don't want to be caught out paying over the odds for something! Do they have an offer system over there or is the price you see pretty much the price you pay??


Thanks

Danielle xx

Re: Calling all Edmontonians!!!
 

It's good to hear that! I think the biggest thing for me is like you say things being different, I'm Doncaster born and bred and have ALL my family within a few hundred yards, i can do Asda with my eyes closed and know practically 50% of the population!! They're the things i'll miss! But i think West Edmonton Mall will have a hand in keeping me busy!

Speak Soon,

Danielle xx

Re: Calling all Edmontonians!!!
 

Hi Danielle

We bought a property in St Albert in November and after an offer and then a counter offer from the seller we managed to get it a little under the asking price so it is possible. Our relator was great as well and very honest on what he thought about the prices of the houses we looked at.
I start EPS in Feb but I also know someone starting in Aug so if other half want to PM am happy to discuss anything or let him have the email for the other officer

All the best
Paul

Re: Calling all Edmontonians!!!
 

Not best placed to comment on nightlife.........we have 2 small children, and no parents on tap to babysit anymore, so don't get out THAT much. Sh Pk has a fair few bars and an Irish pub which I have heard is good. Loads of nice places to eat. For a lively night out, Whyte Ave in Edm is the place to go I hear.

As for best experiences so far, there are sooooo many, but highlights for me have been,

Our trips to the Rockies. We have seen them in all seasons now and can't get enough of it.
Seeing my 6 yr old on cross country ski's.
Settling in to our home and discovering all that Sh Pk has to offer.

In general, just exploring new things and new places and enjoying all the things that have opened up to us.

Re: Calling all Edmontonians!!!
 

just a quick hello, i know clare has dropped you a line. let me know if you want a chat, re the aug course, have some info but not much. cheers rae.