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-   -   Moving to Maple Ridge BC (https://britishexpats.com/forum/canada-56/moving-maple-ridge-bc-852828/)

Fairy Tail Feb 16th 2015 4:06 pm

Moving to Maple Ridge BC
 
Hi there,

Our family(hubby, two kids 4year and 7months and myself) is thinking about moving to Maple Ridge BC.Would love some info on the school system, crime rate, family activity,shopping canter, medical... Everything!
I've done some research but love to hear more from someone who already lives there or is more familiar with the neiberhood.

Thank you!

christmasoompa Feb 16th 2015 4:08 pm

Re: Moving to Maple Ridge BC
 
Hi, and welcome to BE.

There are lots in the Canada forums that live in the MR area, so I'll move your thread there where hopefully they'll be able to help. Is there a specific reason for MR, family there, or is that where your job offer is?


Originally Posted by Fairy Tail (Post 11567073)
more familiar with the neiberhood.

Don't you just love autocorrect?! I'd love to know what it thought you were trying to spell to come up with that. :lol:

Good luck with it all.

Fairy Tail Feb 16th 2015 4:45 pm

Re: Moving to Maple Ridge BC
 
Hahahaha I haven't even notice!!! Neighbourhood!!!
Thank you so much!Would I be able to see the replays here or do I need to go to another forum?
The reason is affordable big new houses with backyard!

Thanks again!

christmasoompa Feb 16th 2015 4:58 pm

Re: Moving to Maple Ridge BC
 

Originally Posted by Fairy Tail (Post 11567107)
Thank you so much!Would I be able to see the replays here or do I need to go to another forum?

No, you'll see them here (see, here's mine!). You can either just check in occasionally for responses, or if you want to you can set up alerts so that you're emailed every time somebody responds to this thread.

Do you have a job offer/LMIA for a job in MR though? Or do you have a way of getting a visa without a job offer? It's just that if you do need a job offer, you might not want to focus on one area just yet.

Good luck with it.

Fairy Tail Feb 16th 2015 5:04 pm

Re: Moving to Maple Ridge BC
 
I'm a Canadian Citizen, living my whole life in BC, so no need for any visa.I'm not worried about work, just would love some info on Maple Ridge from someone who lives already there!

Thanks!

christmasoompa Feb 16th 2015 5:06 pm

Re: Moving to Maple Ridge BC
 

Originally Posted by Fairy Tail (Post 11567129)
I'm a Canadian Citizen, living my whole life in BC, so no need for any visa.I'm not worried about work, just would love some info on Maple Ridge from someone who lives already there!

Thanks!

Ah, that's all right then. So you just need to get your OH a visa. Whereabouts in the UK are you now?

I was just checking, as often people decide they want to live somewhere, but then they need a job offer to get a visa, so they get their hearts set on somewhere that they can't move to and find they have to live in some remote place in SK instead as it's the only place they can find work. :lol:

If you haven't done it already, then a quick search of the forum will bring up loads of threads on MR I'm sure.

Good luck.

JonboyE Feb 16th 2015 5:53 pm

Re: Moving to Maple Ridge BC
 

Originally Posted by Fairy Tail (Post 11567073)
Hi there,

Our family(hubby, two kids 4year and 7months and myself) is thinking about moving to Maple Ridge BC.Would love some info on the school system, crime rate, family activity,shopping canter, medical... Everything!
I've done some research but love to hear more from someone who already lives there or is more familiar with the neiberhood.

Thank you!

Downtown Maple Ridge does not have a very good reputation. Away from the downtown it is possible to get a big house and yard for a reasonable price (reasonable in Metro Vancouver terms).

We considered MR when we emigrated but the downside was that it was too far from most of the places I was likely to find work.

There are several posters who live in MR and they seem happy enough.

ExKiwilass Feb 16th 2015 6:05 pm

Re: Moving to Maple Ridge BC
 
Yeah, one of my coworkers lives there and seems to like it. He takes the WCE in in the mornings and home in the evenings.

His complaints are:

Schools. Lots of new development in MR but infrastructure hasn't kept pace - bad planning on the city's part I guess or they have been unprepared for the scale. They moved to a new neighbourhood with the promise of schools, but the expected school has not been built due to lack of $$ from the province. The only option was for MR to find space for the children at whatever school had space - which mean a. possibly bussing their kids out of their neighbourhood to schools far away and b. separation of sibilings and separation of kids from their neighbours. He has ended up sending his kids private which has cost$$.

So, just do your research before you buy and don't believe promises of future schools unless they are actually breaking the ground at that moment and pouring the foundation.

other than that he likes it.

ExKiwilass Feb 16th 2015 6:09 pm

Re: Moving to Maple Ridge BC
 
oh and they have to drive everywhere. transit out that way is shit. you have been warned.

Fairy Tail Feb 16th 2015 6:34 pm

Re: Moving to Maple Ridge BC
 
Thank you so much for the info!!!

ExKiwilass Feb 16th 2015 6:51 pm

Re: Moving to Maple Ridge BC
 
you're welcome.

withabix Feb 16th 2015 9:55 pm

Re: Moving to Maple Ridge BC
 
We are planning to buy in Maple Ridge and have been doing lots of viewing and research.

If you want new houses, I would suggest either Silver Valley (north of Maple Ridge) or north east Albion (east of Maple Ridge).

Both of these areas are on the planned urban limit and have good access to green spaces and trails.

Area Development Plans are available for Maple Ridge and you can see where village centres, schools, parks and trails are planned. At least Maple Ridge HAS a decent development plan, which is more than can be said for some areas!

If you want a 'holding property' to make money out of future sub-division, you need to look at Thornhill (east of Albion) which is the next urban expansion area, as the value has been locked-in to the selling prices already in other areas.

Prices are fairly static in Maple Ridge, matching general inflation and no more, because supply is just about meeting demand, although availability is fairly poor at the moment - popular houses seem to be on the market for about 3 weeks and unpopular ones about 3 months, so I can see demand outstripping supply this spring. New developments are being sold off-plan. New single family houses will have 4000-6000sq ft land area, with the low/medium density being about 5000sq ft. Prices are 20% less than Coquitlam and 15% less than Langley in my opinion.

Open houses are very busy - we've only been to one where there wasn't a queue or already someone viewing when we arrived. That one was an ex grow-op...(although that wasn't mentioned until after we got there.)

Listing prices are about 10-12% above 2014 BC Assessment figures and selling prices seem to be achieving about 95-97% of listing prices, which means that sellers who have bought in the last 5 or so years may only be breaking even after paying commissions and allowing for any money they have spent on improvements etc.

Certainly no big money to be made as far as I can see.

A 3000sq ft SFH will be about $550,000-$600,000.

Property taxes are on the high side (about 0.8% of house price), because you are paying for new infrastructure.

The schools close to the new areas are ALL overcrowded. There are a number of planned schools in the Development Plan and we are actually trying to find out which ones are NOT going to be built in the foreseeable future, to help us in our house selection!

Transit is poor, but road connections are not too bad. Golden Ears Bridge is easily accessed. It will be 30 minutes drive to Coquitlam Skytrain by the end of next year and then there is the joke that is the West Coast Express....

Shopping is in Haney or Maple Ridge near Golden Ears Bridge. There are no village centres established yet in the new areas apart from 240ST & 102 Ave. It's a 20 minute drive to get a pint of milk...

You won't get a Doctor (but that applies to everywhere in the Lower Mainland).

Downtown Maple Ridge and Haney are rough. But then so are downtown ANYWHERE. Because that's where the alchys and druggies live in every town and city....

ExKiwilass Feb 16th 2015 10:16 pm

Re: Moving to Maple Ridge BC
 
I can't emphasize enough that "planned school" does not mean "guaranteed school". The province funds schools, not the municipalities. So again, be careful out there ;)

withabix Feb 16th 2015 10:40 pm

Re: Moving to Maple Ridge BC
 
Recent reports about the school problem:

http://www.mapleridgenews.com/news/284540061.html

Seven new schools will be needed by 2022 - Maple Ridge News

and a quote from Wikipedia:

School District 42 is facing a difficult challenge: there is not enough room in schools in the East, but the District does not meet Ministry of Education funding criteria for new schools because many schools in other areas are underutilized.

Overcrowding in schools in the east part of the District is already a problem and is projected to get worse. The objective is to provide enough school capacity in the eastern area within reasonable travel distances. Expanded and new schools will be required. Currently the District cannot expand or build new schools because it does not qualify for capital funding from the Ministry of Education. This is because many schools are underutilized and the District does not meet Ministry utilization targets. The challenge facing the District is how to meet the growing needs of the eastern part of the District given the lack of capital funding from the Ministry. The School District has been exploring strategies for making the best use of school facilities in the coming years.


(School District 42 covers Pitt Meadows and Maple Ridge. I believe the Education Ministry now accepts that School District 42 can have a West and East half and that under-utilisation in the West half [Pitt Meadows] should not prevent funding for new schools in the East half).

scrubbedexpat091 Feb 17th 2015 1:15 am

Re: Moving to Maple Ridge BC
 
I don't personally care for Maple Ridge because of the congestion, and pain in the arse to get to Vancouver region that it is, but transit didn't seem too bad to me when I commuted to Vancouver from West Mission starting in East MR as far as you could possibly go on the bus, took about 3 hours 2 buses and a sky train, but seemed to me if just trying to get around MR it's not all that bad for the size of the place.

Seems the entire lower mainland has infrastructure issues with the population growth and for whatever reason the province and city's waited way too long to start trying to fix them.

LA may have less frustrating congestion as this point...lol :rofl:


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