HELP ON MOVING TO TORONTO
 

Can somebody please give me some advice,

My Family and i are relocating to Toronto from the uk in october. We wish to buy some land, or house with land outside of the area but have no idea where would be the cheapest place to do this as we dont wish to live in the city. We do not mind travelling up to 2 hours each way to and from work to make our dreams come true. Any advice would be really appreciated, We have decided to rent for a while so if You have any idea of areas for cheap renting would be a great help to us.

I hope i have posted this right as it is the first time i have ever used a forum, but im at my wits end at where to begin so any advice would be wonderful!!!

many thanks

kate

Re: HELP ON MOVING TO TORONTO
 

You certainly have posted it in the right place! Not a clue about land near Toronto, but hopefully some of our lovely members in the area will be along shortly to help.

Welcome to the forum. :)

Re: HELP ON MOVING TO TORONTO
 

Thankyou :)

Re: HELP ON MOVING TO TORONTO
 

I would certainly be interested in responses to this one - we are moving to Toronto area in August and will also be looking for a house outside the city ... perhaps a bit closer than 2 hours ... perhaps 1 hr - 1 1/2hrs by public transport preferably ... somewhere with a rural feel and plenty of space ... so not able to help - but definitely interested in what comes up in response!!

Re: HELP ON MOVING TO TORONTO
 

Have a look at mls (http://www.mls.ca) and select an area from the map. You can narrow searches by size of property, cost, number of bedrooms etc. and with/without land (acreages).

Re: HELP ON MOVING TO TORONTO
 

Georgetown springs to mind. It's just over an hour by GO transit (to Union). If you were working within walking distance from there it might be bearable. But basically I think your parameters are unrealistic.

dbd33 will suggest Guelph.

Re: HELP ON MOVING TO TORONTO
 

Where will you be working?

Re: HELP ON MOVING TO TORONTO
 

Canmoreskier - please be patient! Your posts were just automatically put in to the mod queue as you are a newbie and they contained a link. It's an anti-spam measure, and often takes us a while to approve them.

:)

Re: HELP ON MOVING TO TORONTO
 

As I'm not a doctor, I don't seem to have any patients!

Re: HELP ON MOVING TO TORONTO
 

Guelph? Two hours by transit and no serious land available. I see merit in Guelph but it's not at all a fit with this requirement. A few cheap acres outside Guelph means 20 minutes to the bus from Guelph, then two hours to Toronto, then whatever trip is required at the other end.

As Novo knows, until recently I had some land, enough for horses and whatnot, commutable to Toronto but there were a lot of snags with that, not least that land and transit are incompatible. If you're willing to commute two hours each way by car then a house and 10 acres or less north of Orangeville can be had for a little over $300,000. In other directions the same is sometimes available on the escarpment above Stoney Creek to the west or around Newcastle to the east. If the budget is more in the order of $1,000,000 then around Aurora or Caledon are possibilities.

Note that, if you go north, especially north of highway 89, you can add fifteen hours or so of snow movement, for five months a year, to your 20 hours a week in the car.

Oh, and you can't work from home, out there access to the internet is more a theoretical possibility than a practical facility.

Re: HELP ON MOVING TO TORONTO
 

<decides to let the newbie live a while longer>

Re: HELP ON MOVING TO TORONTO
 

...or possibly he won't suggest Guelph.

Re: HELP ON MOVING TO TORONTO
 

Besides, the OP has not said she's a lesbian naturopath, a tattoo artist nor an operator of mechanical bulls, what would she do for a job in Guelph?

Re: HELP ON MOVING TO TORONTO
 

Oh, I don't know. Fishmonger?

Re: HELP ON MOVING TO TORONTO
 

That we need, please to be bringing ocean too.

Re: HELP ON MOVING TO TORONTO
 

I know this sounds unlikely, but I found what turned out to be rather nice turbot at a local Loblaws just before Christmas. Worth a try?

Re: HELP ON MOVING TO TORONTO
 

Did try that. "Thursdays" the man said, "fresh fish on Thursdays, on the other days not so much". Then we discovered the fish warehouse and the problem went away.

Re: HELP ON MOVING TO TORONTO
 

Interesting. It was in fact a Thursday. Bloody Catholics.

Re: HELP ON MOVING TO TORONTO
 

Back to the OP's question...

I have a friend who lives in a beautiful house with lots of land in BARRIE, livilng the small community life where people don't lock their doors ets...

She commutes two hours to Toronto for work.

She told me her five bedroom house cost $145k when she bought it a few years ago :eek:

Re: HELP ON MOVING TO TORONTO
 

Why do Novocastrian and dBd 33 always turn a genuine enquiry from a newbie or whoever in to a slanging match as to who has the most wit:thumbdown::frown:

Re: HELP ON MOVING TO TORONTO
 

Both Novo and DBD are often very helpful (and have been on this thread), and a bit of thread drift is only to be expected on a public forum I'm afraid.

I'm not sure how you think that posting something like that is contributing in any way, but singling members out to attack them is not helpful imo. If you have an issue, use the report button please - that is what it's there for after all.

Re: HELP ON MOVING TO TORONTO
 

What and where is the report button?

Re: HELP ON MOVING TO TORONTO
 

It's the exclamation mark at the left of each post. If you click it you can inform us of any problem posts. We find it very useful as obviously there's only so many threads we can read, so forum members are often our 'eyes and ears' so to speak.

If you look in the FAQ and the thread above for Newcomers to the Forum, it'll give you info about forum features such as this.

:)

Edit: here you go, from the FAQ...........http://britishexpats.com/forum/faq.p...aq_report_post

Re: HELP ON MOVING TO TORONTO
 

Aaaaahhhh thanks :D

Re: HELP ON MOVING TO TORONTO
 

I apologise if I offended anyone it was not my intension, It just appeared to me that a thread starts good and then drifts off. I appreciate the good that Novo and dBd 33 do in the forum and it is very much welcome.I was only stating what I think and I must be entitled to that.
All the best Ron.

Re: HELP ON MOVING TO TORONTO
 

Do you really not see the irony in posting to complain about two people taking the thread off track, when your post has then done exactly the same thing?!? ;)

You are more than welcome to express your opinion, but if you wish to make a genuine complaint about your fellow forum members please do so using the report button rather than attacking them on somebody else's thread. Remember that all threads drift, it's perfectly normal.

Now let's get this thread back on track shall we? Please take any further comments to PM.

Thanks. :)

Re: HELP ON MOVING TO TORONTO
 

Really do have the patience and friendliness of a saint. :)

Re: HELP ON MOVING TO TORONTO
 

There are indeed some beautiful properties in Barrie (although I would not advise leaving one's doors unlocked, anywhere, but that's just me!). What I would caution is, the commute time depends in part on where one is measuring it from and to; sometimes the commute is measured "door to door" (from the door of my home to the door of my office building) and sometimes it is measured "transit time only" (e.g. the time the train leaves the station closest to my home, to the time the train arrives at the station closest to my office). So, for the original poster, commuting will depend in part on where his/her work is located. :D

Re: HELP ON MOVING TO TORONTO
 

OK, I'm not renowned for my love of Barrie, but the idea of living far enough out of Barrie to have a few affordable acres and commuting to Toronto seems horrific to me. I worked with a woman who did that, drove to the end of the subway and went into town from there, she was always knackered and, for the amount of time she spent at home, she may as well have lived in Toronto and rented a weekend cottage.

Re: HELP ON MOVING TO TORONTO
 

I have never once engaged in a slanging match with dbd33. I know better.

But in general, when a new member starts a thread with an extremely general query (or, as in this case, rather improbable "dreams") and then disappears, the temptation to chat a bit with whoever is reading it too is great.

Stick around and you'll soon learn to see the signal embedded in the noise.

Re: HELP ON MOVING TO TORONTO
 

Somewhere between Brampton and Orangeville.

Re: HELP ON MOVING TO TORONTO
 

That's Caledon, mentioned above, nothing wrong with Caledon, but you have to go a way past Orangeville before it gets cheap.

Re: HELP ON MOVING TO TORONTO
 

I actually meant anywhere between Brampton and Orangeville - maybe even in or around Orangeville itself. Going "way past Orangeville" is going to mean more than a 2 hour commute to Toronto. A 2 hour commute from Orangeville might not even be possible - that depends on many factors e.g. traffic, weather, where in Toronto you're going. Anyone working downtown could get the GO train from somewhere like Brampton or Bramalea. It's a long time since I lived in that area (firstly Toronto and then Brampton) so the commute may be worse now than I remember it.

Also "cheap" in and around Toronto is relative and subjective. The OP is going to have to define "cheap". I have a friend in real estate in Orangeville and she thinks there are some good bargains out there - but, then again, she moved out there from closer to the city. Anyone moving to Orangeville from further out will think it expensive.

My personal limit for a one-way commute is 1 hour. I can't even imagine commuting 2 hours one way.

Re: HELP ON MOVING TO TORONTO
 

I drove from five miles north of Shelburne to Church and Gerrard daily for a year and a half. It was consistently an hour and a quarter to town but any amount of time coming back; it took especially long when there was drizzle, Canadians can't cope with drizzle.

I tried the GO train but, once in the car, I saw little point in jumping out of it to get on to a train and then a subway and so settle on driving all the way.

Shopping carefully, 10 acres south of Orangeville is $1,000,000. 10 acres north of Orangeville is $400,000.


She would say that, wouldn't she?

Re: HELP ON MOVING TO TORONTO
 

That's pretty good but was that during the rush or were you avoiding the worst of the traffic? What was the average time going home?

I've always found that most people could handle drizzle just fine. However, there would always be 1 or 2 idiots who drove like maniacs, caused an accident and then had everyone else tied up in traffic for hours. Same thing happens here in the Washington DC area.

Re: HELP ON MOVING TO TORONTO
 

Originally I was aiming to arrive at 7, slightly before the crowd. Once I did that everyone else started working from 6:30 but, not being a competitive sort of guy, I stuck to 6:45 to arrive. The trip the other way was inconsistent, between 2 and 5 hours, leaving at 2 seemed no better than leaving at 7.

My problem is lack of maniacs. Everyone just dithers along, do their right feet not work in the rain? I know DC's no different having driven from NoVa (a colleague's house) to various offices of the Feds (clients) umpteen times.

Re: HELP ON MOVING TO TORONTO
 

2 to 5 hours! Ouch! I think taking the GO train from somewhere like Brampton or Bramalea would provide a more consistent commute from that area (Orangeville-Caledon-Brampton). It wouldn't beat your 1h15m morning commute driving to downtown but it wouldn't be anywhere near as bad as 5 hours on the way home. Of course, it would also help if work was near Union Station. If you also have to take the subway from Union, then you add more time.

Re: HELP ON MOVING TO TORONTO
 

I was trying to hold back as I was not the original poster and did not want to hijack a thread not mine - but the original poster seems to have vanished!

For us, we would be looking for something probably around the $500,000 mark to start, maybe up as much as $700,000 (depending on my work) - detached, 3 beds, on the edge of development or rural, with a largish plot (1 or more acre - so not huge)... I was searching via the link provided right at the start of the discussion and seemed to be having some success around Haltonhills, Georgetown, etc ... these look to be a reasonable commute to Toronto. I would hope to be working outwith Toronto eventually but I am not fixed at the minute - but the other half is going to be working at the University so I think public transport should be an option ...

Theres a few more details - any one know what these areas are like? I see the properties here as being slightly more for your money than we get north of Edinburgh at the minute - and excellent value compared to further south ... am I mistaken?

PS thanks to all the helpful folk on here - I don't mind foray's into off topic rambles - they make me laugh! :p

Re: HELP ON MOVING TO TORONTO
 

The problem with Georgetown and area is transit, there are trains from there to Toronto but only a few, three I think, each way each day, they're only feasible if you know you'll be working fixed hours. Assuming the UofT, the second problem is that the trains go to Union so changing to the subway is required. An option might be a Greyhound bus as the terminal is at Bay and Dundas, walkably close to the university, but buses run through the same traffic jams as cars, they're not quick.

If the commute is tolerable then, yes, that money and that sort of housing are a match in that area. Somewhere else that might work is around Cheltenham, one could drive from there to the infrequent trains at Brampton or downtown if an affordable parking arrangement can be worked out.

Re: HELP ON MOVING TO TORONTO
 

having been a resident of Toronto for many years, I strongly suggest you stay clear of Jane/Finch and the Scarborough area as they are quite rough. you will find some really nice places to rent in Mississauga just west of Toronto which is an excellent and growing area as well as quite safe. it is about a 40 minute commute to downtown Toronto by the GO train. If you want to buy land, Metro Toronto is limited and very expensive, you would be better to go north of Mississauga or Oakville (west of Toronto) or up in King City or Markham (north of Toronto).
The University city of Guelph is about 60 miles west of Toronto on the 401 highway and has excellent plots of land for sale to build upon. My daughter is currently doing just that. It is a bit of a commute but Guelph is a very nice community. Bear in mind the winter !! Travel during snow storms can be quite testy to say the least and while places outside of Toronto can be idyllic in the summer, the real test comes in Jan and Feb when the snow flies and the temperatures drop.
Enjoy your move, and most of all enjoy Canada....you have done the right thing.