Fencesitter

Hi everyone,
I wonder if any of you have views on good areas to live not too far from Halifax. I've been told that some areas are very foggy or 'boondocks' whatever that means. I know that it is horses for courses but nonetheless here goes.

We would like to be reasonably close to an ER because our son has a nut allergy. We dont want to be cut off in snow or stuck in fog. We would like good primary and secondary schools nearby and some shops. We want to be part of a community but would also like to be able to possibly keep a couple of ponies on a few acres.

Is this possible on $250-300k ?

Yours hopefully,
Fencesitter.

Craftybanshee

I'm sure some posters who actually live in Halifax will come on and give you more information about areas and schools etc. but here's mine. We visited Halifax last summer and liked Bedford, Fall River and the Eastern Shore. Bedford is a suburb of Halifax, we stayed at a B & B there.

We visited friends in Fall River, less than 35 mins. from Halifax. Very nice area and is becoming increasingly popular with Brits. However, some properties are on wells and you'd need to check water supply out etc.

We also stayed at a place on the Eastern Shore at Gaetz Brook. The property backed onto a lake and we swam daily in the lake as well as canoeing and generally chilling out. It was one of the best holidays we ever had

I would suggest you go and visit NS on a holiday to find out for yourself and decide where you'd like to live, if that's possible.

Howard1944

Nova Scotia, Nouvelle- Ecosse, New Scotland.

deanjp32

hi fencesitter,

We are off to NS at the beginning of Sept with a view to looking at some properties for horses etc. will give you an idea when we get back

Corky

Have a look on the South Shore, try Bridgewater, for that small town feel but still has everything. And if you are looking for room for a pony well you will probably find it there. They have a great hospital and only an hour from Halifax!

l i s a

Hi Fencesitter

I would have to vote for Fall River - as we are currently buying a house there. We are paying closer to $400k but that's for a home we would ever need to move from - 5 beds 1.3 acres. You can certainly get a great family home for $250-300. You would need to check covenants regarding keeping ponies on the land.

There are all levels of schools nearby (10mins) and all have good reps. School bus runs through Fall River (as most communities).

There is an ER - Cobequid Health Centre (7am to 10pm) around a 5-10 min drive depending on which end you live. There is also a local Sobeys and small strip of essential stores, hairdresser, dentist etc.

Hope this is of help

Cookie

We are 1.5 hours drive north in New Glasgow but have a large hospital in town. Roads are never busy here either so if you lived out of town there will be no bother with traffic queue's, unlike trying to navigate though HRM.

You might be best to check out hospitals before you house hunt. That way you could work out exactly how far 'timewise' you would need to travel in an emergency.

kazbob

Hi there, we are flying out to Halifax on Thursday, yippeeee.

We have arranged to view some houses in Fall River, Bedford and Colby Village. We liked some of the houses in Hammonds Plains, but want to have a mooch round there first as it looks quite remote for the kids.

Will give an update on our return if you wish. Could PM you if you prefer.

Have been waiting for this trip for so long. We fly up to Gatwick on Wednesday and stay overnight. Thank goodness we are doing that because all the trouble with the roads and railways that we are having at the moment would have been a right pain in the proverbial!

Karen

Londonuck

Perfect timing looking at the weather. We were there a few days back and it was like November the whole time. 80(

Atlantic Xpat

We have friends who live in Beaverbank, out past Sackville. Seems a nice enough area with facilities reasonably close by (shopping in Sackville for example.) Drive into downtown Halifax about 45mins but probably longer at rush hour.

Cookie

Hope you have a very fruitful trip. Weather looks to be really good this week

Corky

Kingswood is a nice area and new schools in the area. The properties are all on big lots about an acre because they are on well and septic tank. That isn't a problem though. It is along way for kids to walk to visit friends and to get anywhere so you must be prepared to drive them around to different things. Fall River is similar, the houses are built on large lots but I do believe part of it is serviced by a bus. Fall River is close to Dartmouth and it is easy to get on to a highway. Buying property in Fall River make sure you have a water test down on your well as they do have an arsenic problem due to the gold mining done there years ago. Fall River is an up and coming community...

kazbob

Thanks for the info guys. We have heard good and bad about buying a house with a well, as well as the arsenic thing we have been told that some of the wells are running dry and don't have alot of pressure.

There is so much to take into account, we have a long list of things to look out for (thanks to all you guys and your fountain of knowledge ). I mustn't let my heart rule my head.

Almost all packed now; got to get dog off to kennels, hamsters off to my mate's and key with neighbour.

Karen

Paul Wildy

I really like Bridgewater but it is definitely not an hour from Halifax - even in good weather it would take nearer to 1 hour and 20

Paul Wildy

There are lots of great areas for families with good schools. Bedford, Fall River, Hammonds Plains, Tantallon (head of St Margarets Bay area) all have subdivisions where you would get a nice house in a nice street with a good-sized lot (over an acre) and probably just about within your budget. Most people here want to live in sub-divisions and they tend to have good schools serving them. Most subdivisions would probably not allow you to have ponies though - they tend to have a lot of restrictive covenents that limit what you can do (and for most people thats the attraction - you know you want get someone doing auto body repairs next door). In many cases you aren't even allowed to have a washing line out (presumably it looks "untidy").

There is probably one exception to the no animals rule which is Voyager Lakes in Hammonds Plains - which is a specifically equestrain development. As well as lots of land you can keep horses/ponies and there are lots of equestrain-related facilities on-site. I've heard its great but I'm not sure on the pricing - I think it might be a bit more expensive than your budget.

Other than Voyager Lakes, you probably need to find something NOT on a subdivision. Areas like Wellington and Grand Lake (north of Fall River) seem to have a lot of horse paddocks and more of a rural feel. Also the Eastern Shore (Lawrencetown area). Both still easily within 1 hour of Halifax.