dbd33

Eh ? I have quite a nice three bedroom house quite far into the suburbs, the Mississauga Road exit from the QEW, it's worth a fair bit more than the price quoted and it's 90 minutes away on a good day. I have another three bedroom house genuinely 40 minutes from downtown but it's not nice and, again, it's worth over $400,000.

tonster

Ok, maybe I should have clarified as 40 minutes without traffic, 2 hours with. Similar to living in Surrey/Kent etc and driving into London.

Maybe you've got a bigger house than us but, they are the sort of price for a 3 bed detached, unfinished basement, 1.5 bath on nice estate in North Burlington, Appleby Line (I'm moving into it tomorrow).

dbd33

Ah yes, the traffic. Enjoy your house, it sounds like a deal.

Souvenir

Lurks, feeling rather smug.

Al &Cand

I think that a lot of the people on here must be slightly older than us, or own property. The prices quoted are all too high for us without equity. We're in London and we had been trying to get a place to live, but mortgage companies will only lend us £85k. For that kind of money we'd have to move into a drug-infested pit on an estate 60 miles away or to a town 300 miles away. We've been living with Cand's mother for 8 months now to get some cash together for a deposit, so hopefully it will go further in BC. I'm not saying that we will be much better off in Canada, but at least the great outdoors is on the doorstep, all we have here is concrete. Too many people here are paying mortgages/rent that constitute 70% of their income or higher. That just doesn't appeal anymore, hence our intended move.

tonster

Be warned, although I can't talk from actual experience, BC is pretty expensive too.

Have you checked our www.mls.ca?

Al &Cand

Thanks for the link tonster. We're actually going to live with Cand's dad when we get out there to start with, so the cost won't hit us straight away.

Rich_007

There are actually things called townhomes which constitute good quality affordable housing in a decent environment with a community feel, amenities and a social scene.

Beats a heavily over priced flea infested bedsit in junkieland next door to suicide bombers with the tube rattling the windows, non stop traffic and chirpy cockernee milkmen waking you up at 5am.

I would imagine ?

Rich.

aet

I'm sorry, but I take particular exception to that statement. Last time I checked in with my relatives who live in various parts of London, there were no suicide bombers running amock up their streets, so gawd knows what part of London you live! Anyhoo, I know the big city has its faults (one of which we know is the stonking expense ), however, people appear to be going about their daily business - if a little on edge. So can we purleeese forego the generalisations. Thank you.

dbd33

Townhomes are just terraced houses. It doesn't follow that because houses share a common wall they will be affordable and come with a social scene. In fact, Regents Park, a housing project near here, is made up of flea infested townhomes. There are a lot of drugs dealt in Regents Park and the windows are rattled by the passing of the 24 hour streetcar. I don't think the project is old enough to have ever been visited by a milkman, they died out in the fifties. Jane and Finch and Scarborough, areas of Toronto well known for the number of shootings also have large stocks of townhomes. Otoh, there are some rather squalid looking new townhomes on the old racetrack selling for $850,000.

The style of the house really doesn't tell you much about the occupants.

Al &Cand

Rich, the term nail on the head really does spring to mind. I fully appreciate that there are lots of areas in London without suicide bombers, but we live in kennington ( near the oval tube station) to me 1/2 a mile is too close for comfort. Those who seem cynical of the qualities of life in London, they obviously had more money than we do when they were here or didn't stay as long. We can't wait to get out of here.

CalgaryBlade

"are we going to enjoy a better lifestyle and standard of living in Canada?"

Having moved from London last year to Calgary, I would say there is no question that the standard of living is better in Calgary than London given what you are going to be paid.

We sold a 1200sq ft terraced house for 525K GBP. We bought a 3500 sq ft custom built detached house, close to downtown in a leafy neighbourhood of Calgary for the equivalent of 310K GBP.

Calgary is cleaner, people are friendlier, service is better, crime is lower, local schools are better. Sports facilties are incomparable.

Lifestyle is a different question as it depends what you like doing.

On 55K GBP per year you'll be doing a lot of commuting as well. That's over an hour a day I now have back in my life .

Cowtown

310GBP is roughly $750k - thats a lot for a house in Calgary! :scared: To those of you thinking of moving to Calgary this would not be the type of house you see every day on mls. Which community do you live in now?

We have a house in Calgary in a leafy neighbourhood too (granted it is only half that size)- it didnt cost anywhere near $750k. And I'm as close to downtown as I need to be.

So there is still hope if you dont have that amount of cash when you come out.

Majj

It depends what works for you. I've been commuting into London for the last 10 years. It takes me about 50mins each way door to door. i don't have to go in every day and I have the flexibility of working from home.

Big deal if Calgary is cleaner, so what?

Our mortgage is very low so most of my wage goes straight into the bank. As soon as our baby daughter goes into school my wife will work part time and we don't need to employ a nanny. We also enjoy a friendly neighbourhood where we stop and chat across the gardens and the road.

We also get to see our close friends and the Grandparents get to see their Grandkids.

At the end of the day it's what will work for you. I'm not swapping all this just to struggle on a new mortgage earning CAD $55k and to look at the rockies.

matty266

Hi all

Just reading this thread and thought id put my 10 pence or cents in!

Im in Uk landing in October at Calgary, allthough induvidual circumstances are different ie why you want to emmigrate and if its skilled worker or spousal reasons etc..!

The biggest reason i have found is any country you go will be exspensive in places, Ie london and Vancover, if you go out in the sticks lets say reading or nelson then it will be cheaper.

I think most british people who have not spent time exept for holiday in canada have an illusion that what they do for work at they can do at the same level in canada, this i would say is gravely wrong as its different qualifications not standards but recognised bodies, and also rock up and be better off.

Your not going to be able to turn up in most cases and be more well off and have more money, or a job straight away, youll have to start from the bottom again, if your willing to try anything or work anywhere then you can work up,

My motivations of moving over there is not more money or the job, its the lifestyle and the surroundings, the stress free driving, the community of people and the friendlyness, the lack of stigma from shopping in charity stores etc and most of all the pleasure of my children (canadian) who can grow up playing in the back yard in a community that is safe and caring, and not have to worry about growing up fast, and worrying about getting a high paid job of 40k plus to buy a house, and a police force and judicial system that is better than the UK overall

Im going to be living in alberta, dont get me wrong scared about the prospect of working at the bottom again but looking forward to it!

Regards
Matty266