Tangram

^^^ What he said

ann m

Well, I do kinda agree with you here - but once people get that "I want to emigrate" bug in their head, then they do not seem to consider moving from Surrey to Yorkshire, or Wales - they are fixated on their new shiny chosen country.

If I were ever to return to the UK, I would still mostly likely return to the Southeast because of work. I don't doubt the Dales or Lakes would be tempting, but I couldn't pay the bills.

snowshoveller

"in 2005" being the most important part of that statement.

in 2005, the Uk market was very buoyant, probably close to topping out in many areas, the exchange rate around 2.50.

Back then moving to canada was relatively a lot cheaper than it is today.

People considering the move NOW need to be aware (and probably are) that things are not the same as they were 5 years ago.

vaughant

£120k for a decent 3bed house near Cardiff?I think your living in property fantasy land!you'd be buying an ex council house at best for that in a pretty rough area,up the valleys you may get a 3bed semi on a newish housing estate but again in a roughish area that no one wants to live anyway.honestly,who the hell goes to western Scotland looking for job prospects,is there anything at all there?I imagine it to be like mid Wales,mainly agriculture etc.
Looking at the Canadian Market I still feel you get more for your money,I could realistically buy a £200k property with no mortgage so I'd say that's about a $300k can property at today's rates. For me Ontario was my first choice and I could scrape into a 4 bed in Vaughan for that,detached with garage and basement in a very nice area in the city limits.try buying a 4 bed property within London or bristols city limits for that money!!

One thing I do agree with is rent,but I was unaware that the majority inluded bills which is a big factor.

I always thought Calgary was a very expensive part of Canada anyway,or am I wrong?

Dave+Jules

I agree 2005 was a better environment, but the spiralling house price bubble was one of my reasons for leaving. We were severly burnt in the 1990's crash (having brought in December of 1989) and subsequent recession. I could see the writing on the wall, yes I could have probably held out for a few more months to optimize the sale but I was sure it was going to crash in a huge way and anyone who had been scarred in the previous housing market crash must have known that too.

Anyway that is the reason for this post.

In deepest remote NB house prices are still reasonable (in my humble opinion - and I don't have many humble opinions). $144,900 In Fredericton 3 beds 1 bath, a 980 sqft house on a plot size 1027 sq metres (about 97,000 pounds at current exchange rate).
House price inflation in NB is probably about 5% per annum.

engineer80

It is indeed true that in some parts of Canada, you get a lot more for you money - believe me, we were there and saw so many nice properties for $250,000 that not even £175,000 would get us over here. Also, don't forget, when you are bringing money in the form of a downpayment over in £s and changing it to $, it'll still stretch further, even if the exchange rate isn't quite so good at the moment. It is useful to bear in mind too that most lenders in the UK won't even look at you without a deposit of around 20-25% minimum, making it hard in this climate, particularly for first time buyers to be able to afford a home whereas in Nova Scotia for example, some banks have special deals for new PRs, offering 95% mortgage in some cases, subject to your circumstances. It all adds up to being able to afford your dream house that bit easier As I said I am talking in terms of what I have seen and who I have spoken to in NS, may be different for other places in Canada.

starchief

Looking at forums on the net for decent places to commute to Cardiff too, a few recommended towns came up with houses in that range. One of the areas recommended for instance was Caerphilly. Have a look at RightMove for that area and you'll see plenty of decent looking 2-3 bed semi-detacheds for £120k or less. Possibly, ex-council houses but what's wrong with that? What can you get in Vancouver, Calgary or Toronto for that money? An apartment in a rough area? Surely that's a step down?
Hardly. 30 mins to one hour commute to Glasgow. Despite the hype, still plenty of jobs there for the qualified.
That was my original point though. Property prices are only cheaper if you compare with the more expensive areas. Major population centres like Glasgow, Newcastle, Liverpool etc aren't cheaper than the major population centres in Canada.

Likewise, many parts of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland etc are cheaper. For most people (not necessarily myself), they have to end up in Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver or Toronto due to jobs.
A little less expensive than Vancouver and about the same as Toronto from what I read.

Dave+Jules

You dont have to move to larger cities to ensure you get work.

We researched Canada and chose to live in NB for the life style. I then during research visit I arranged several information interviews and after that I studied and sat the necessary certifications the employers said they value, I even changed my work in the UK so that I could shape my resume with the sort of experience they were looking for. We arrived with no job and no home and within 7 days I had a job and we moved into a home about 6 weeks after landing (Dec 17th).

It just takes planning and research and the willingness to put yourself out.

Nothing to do with Houses I know but the best way to figure out what you can afford is to get work.

dboy

something that is very different here to the UK is the distribution of house prices. In metro vancouver for instance, the furhter east you go the cheaper that prices get. for instance, south surrey is at least 50 - 60 pecent cheaper than the west side of vancouver.

Sure there might be cheaper housing in Liverpool and Manchester ......but no thanks very much. I doubt Edmonton or areas of Calgary are any worse. You still have to shell out 200,000 quid for a half decent detached in a better area of manchester.

G77

The house I rent is a 3 bed detached with swimming pool - the landlord had it for sale at $220k before we rented it. Couldn't buy something comparable to that in a city with 200,000 population in the UK - no chance!

Alan2005

Which is unsustainable.

Dave+Jules

I agree and when we arrived is was pretty close to zero. One big difference from the UK is people in NB generally buy to live in and not as an investment.

vaughant

Looking at forums on the net for decent places to commute to Cardiff too, a few recommended towns came up with houses in that range. One of the areas recommended for instance was Caerphilly. Have a look at RightMove for that area and you'll see plenty of decent looking 2-3 bed semi-detacheds for £120k or less. Possibly, ex-council houses but what's wrong with that? What can you get in Vancouver, Calgary or Toronto for that money? An apartment in a rough area? Surely that's a step down?

Caerphilly is miles from Cardiff city centre,about an hour commute in traffic.of course there's public transport etc but believe me it's not a very good area at all.of course,there are some lovely parts but not for £120k,I'd doubt very much that a 3 bed in that area would be near Caerphilly itself,probably further up the valley in an even bigger shithole !

Ex council houses in Wales can be very different to those in England,I went to a place called Retford the other day in Nottingham direction and all the council houses there had well made gardens,nicely decorated,tree lined avenues etc etc,I couldn't tell them apart from the private ones in the area,go to a welsh council estate and it won't take you long.

Believe me,Cardiff/Caerphilly is not comparable to any of the cities you mention !! I totally agree with your point of the 120k budget,it might not get you a palace in Canada but I think you'll have a much better comparable property overall in a better area.can't see 120k getting you too far anywhere right now.were hoping to rent ours out and rent/buy in can as I've only got 9 years left on the mortgage so with any luck I'll be 43 and mortgage free!!that rhymes I think?

BristolUK

And not everyone needs to have that high paid, stressful job.

If some PR avenue is open to you and you have equity and maybe some income already such as a pension you can draw upon, one can achieve a decent or better standard of living by including a rental property.

There are still many perfectly adequate 3 bedroom detached properties in good condition available in this city for as little as $100k (£62k). Duplexes can be had for the same, giving at least $8k return and a triplex can increase that to $12k for around $120k.

There are those on these forums who refuse to believe it and there are several here that do it successfully.

It shouldn't take too much imagination to see what can be achieved.

$120k/$75k - Buy and Live in a Triplex, make $8k renting two apartments

$200k/£124k - Buy House and Duplex. Live in a house, make $8k from the Duplex

$200k/£124k - Buy two Duplexes. Live in half of one, make $12k from the other half and second property

Combined with a pension and maybe part time work it may be enough.

Maybe it allows you to follow your preferred line of work (or hobby) while making up for the lower earnings

This is under $140k (£87k)

Canuck2b

Yeah, that little place in Beith is a fair way outside of Glasgow and an ex council house in a run down part of the area.....Not so nice. 90K is a rare find in a nice area near Glasgow trust me!!! Also, look at the size of the rooms. Its not always the case of just looking at a house. You are comparing this to better areas in Canada near the Cities. Not everyone wants to live right near the Cities.

I agree there are expensive comparisons but it works both ways. Like I said it isnt just about the house, its the benefits surrounding the house......My kids couldnt play out in the street in the areas we lived in the UK without coming back with a new swear word or wanting to play killing games.....Not like that at all in the areas of Canada we have stayed with relatives or where we are now. That is what I believe I weighed up when moving here, not just the price of the house in the City. We would have had to shell out a small fortune to live in nicer areas where the kids had a fair chance in teh UK so what's so different?