A J CB

Hi everyone.

My husband and I are planning to move the Vancouver area (B/C area) early next year.

Can anyone tell us how much household furniture etc will cost and where is the best place to purchase it from.

Also would it pay us to bring our furniture or not?

Any other costs of living in this area would be appreciated including car purchase and insurance/tax...

Many Thanks
Angela & Graham.

Purley

Here is a link to ICBC - all about car insurance etc.

http://www.icbc.com/

I posted this site somewhere else but I think it has links to just about everything

http://www.tourismvancouver.com/docs/visit/index.html

Probably there are people in Vancouver who can tell you where to buy furniture etc. They have an Ikea there, but of course it depends on what style of furniture and how much you want to spend on it. As to whether to bring your own furniture, again it would depend on how valuable the furniture is and how much it costs to ship it.

A J CB

Thank you for your reply. The links will be a great help.

Angela & Graham

dingbat

Bring everything, as the choice of good furniture in Vancouver (outside the West Van/Downtown area) is dated and basically crap. White goods are cheaper and bigger - but as an example I only just got my Whirlpool front loading "High Efficiency" washing machine back last year - seven years after I left the same model in the UK. It cost me $3000 for the pair - expensive, but worth it as their prehistoric top loading designs do not wash properly! I made the mistake of offloading a lot of furniture when I came here. I lived to regret it when I could not replace it with stuff of similar quality (like Jaycee in the UK) without spending thousands. Ethan Allen is the best furniture store in the middle budget bracket...I put Ikea and the Brick at the bottom of the pile. It all depends on your taste and budget however and I am sure you will discover stuff you like and are happy to buy.

Car Insurance - make sure you have a letter from the UK insurers so that you get the full no claims bonus you are entitled to. Insurance is about three times higher than the Uk with a fraction of the benefits. Car purchases - well it is best you simply look around. They are generally cheaper, but again it depends on your budget. You have 90 days to get your BC licence, test is very easy.

Other than that I would just make sure you have a job set up or plan to be unemployed for a while, as the job market here is shite for immigrants. Expect to earn far less than you did in the UK. Best of luck with your move.

A J CB

Thank you kindly for your message. You have been very helpful.
We will look into the cost of transporting everything over. Thanks again and we will look forward to coming to live in B/C. Unfortunately it is almost impossible to get a job in Canada before landing, but we will continue to look into this. We are also looking into starting our own your purchasing an existing business, any thoughtson this would also be appreciated.

Kind Regards
Angela & Graham.

travelling_kiwi

car insurance is split so you're insured partly by govt (icbc) and privately presumably so govt can regulate the system, cost me less than $800 for the last year.
vancouver is probably cheapest place in bc to buy car, example of cheapest new car is pontiac sunfire appx $14000 + taxes(15-16%) + fees + extras like ac,abs etc. wouldnt buy one myself. japanese equivalent eg mazda come with more extras sell new low $20,000's +tax. pick-ups jump to appx >$30000+tax.
i bought a new decent (ge not whirlpool) front loader&dryer pair for $1600 in 2002. 2 couches from "pier 1" $900
i wouldn't freight stuff unless you're attached to it or can get it paid for by future employer.

A J CB

Many thanks for your advice, it is really helpful to know how much things will cost so that you can allow for these things. All your help is much appreciated.

We will probably buy furniture, etc when we move over as it is so costly to transport everything.

Can anyone tell us what vet fees are like and is it wise to take out pet insurance to cover the vet bills as we own four dogs. Vet fees are costly here in the South of England so we are looking for the best option when we move to B/C.

Also do ordinary purchased VHS tapes and music CD's work ok with Canadian video machines and music centres.

Thanks again for everyones help, you advice is appreciated.

Angela And Graham.

Purley

I got my male dog fixed last month and it cost me $120. I could have had some blood work done first at an additional cost of something like $80 so I said no. I think annual checkup and shots in Regina are about $60 - don't know the cost in BC.

VHS tapes work so long as there is nothing recorded on them already. Every time I get a tape from England or send one there I have to have it converted and it costs about $35 I think. I cant remember the details of why the pre-recorded ones wont play - something to do with different speeds or something - anyway doesnt matter - they dont work. CDs work fine.

I bought a top of the line front loading washer from Sears a year ago and it cost me about $1,000. It was a Kenmore which is Sears own make - something like Bosch or Miele are really expensive here.

You could check out Future Shop for TVs and VCRs, DVDs etc. etc.

http://www.futureshop.ca/home.asp?ne...0&WLBS=fsweb10

Or Sears for lots of things

http://www.sears.ca/

or The Bay

http://www.hbc.com/bay/e_house.asp

these should give you some idea of the cost of things.

A J CB

Many thanks for your advice and the links, they will be very helpful in getting an idea of prices. The dog bills seem quite reasonable too, compared to the price I pay in the South of England.

Thanks again
Angela & Graham.

Purley

I know - my sister lives in Kent and she told me the prices are really exorbitant and the service doesn't seem to be that great. I remember once several years ago they had a yellow lab that was prone to fits and when it had a fit it ate EVERYTHING. It had a fit around Christmas and ate the garbage including tinfoil and the plastic bag. She kept phoning the vet and by the time she got in touch with them the dog was dead. I can't remember the details of the story but I think they gave her the runaround and she was really upset about the whole thing.

A J CB

Thanks for the warning.... I shall make sure I choose my vet carefully.

Luckily, as I am a Canine Behaviourist I can deal with most things myself, and equally I will not stand for slack standards where my dogs are concerned. I shall start researching on suitable vets in the B/C area. This unacceptable attitude is seen in the UK from some vets also. I was saddened to hear about your sister's experience with her dog.

Regards

Angela & Graham
www.canine-angels.co.uk