mikejw

Hi everyone
just joined your group and have caught up with all the archives this weekend(raining in Kent).Great and differing views were well worth reading.
Our story
I(mike),wife(Orla),James 8 and Dominic 2 will be heading out to Nova Scotia this autumn,hopefully to buy a house in Fall river.
We have sold our house here in Maidstone and are renting ,having set up bank accounts etc in Canada and changed our equity into CDN$ at the current good rate.
I have been in the London fire brigade for 20 years but am looking for a complete change of career in Canada.

Reasons for leaving
pervading yob culture that is seeping into every walk of life.
Constant circle of debt that is virtually unavoidable in the S.E.
Traffic/Parking at such a chronic levels that keeping in touch with friends/family who are more than 10 miles away is getting harder and harder(might as well be in Canada)
A whereiness in people here not to be open/be friendly,just shut the door and stay with their own clique.

Reasons for coming to Nova Scotia
Halifax....Great city
Very friendly and open people.
5 hours from Gatwick.
Third size of England but with only 1 mil people
Fantastic unspoilt coastline and interior.
House prices.

Any info or views on Nova Scotia/Halifax/Fall river would be most welcome.I hope to contribute to your group on a regular basis.

liftman

Welcome mikejw.

My wife & I are in UK, but are heading out to NS in September for a visit.

What do you hope to do when you get there?

Do you have all of your visas in place already?

It seems that on this forum we all want to know everyone elses situation, then we can compare it to our own and see that we have not made avoidable errors when the time comes!

Good luck in your ventures and let us know how it goes.

mikejw

Just waiting for our medicals,hopefully anytime now(14mnths down the line).
would like to think that we could go out in Aug to buy a place and then by oct/nov should have visas.Not sure yet if late autumn/early winter is the best time to settle but then again might as well jump in at the deep end.
I am not under pressure to get work straightaway thought i would leave it 6 months or so and get my cv right and see what is about,if i have to go to college etc.Would really love to do a complete job change,re-train,if not i may set something up myself.
Problem is, ex-firemen does not jump up out of the page at you,most companies want experience in a specific field.

Could always buy/sell on e-bay?

liftman

Looking at the picture on here, I see you are a Leeds fan then?

All pessimism and abject failure?

Sorry! My team was promoted from division 3 yesterday, and I have still to get over it!

To think, Torquay united are only 1 division away from playing West Ham, Leeds etc etc etc!!

tondra

I have been monitoring real estate in NS for a few years now, and even though prices are rising, they are still very reasonable. I have found out that you need to make sure that the property you buy has a drilled well and not a dug well. Also have the home checked out by a reputable contractor to prevent any unforeseen remodeling/repair costs. Apparently, the construction requirements/standards are not as strict as elsewhere, and sometimes "weekend construction warriors" don't always do the best job.

Also know that employment there is difficult, especially for someone from the outside (I don't mean to be a pessimist, just a realist). Much of the employment stems from the tourist industry, so if you can tap into that, so much the better.

The Halifax area is the most expensive for real estate. Have you considered other areas?

Do you know people who are residents of NS? This is a great way to ease your transition and avoid potential costly mistakes.

I made my first visit in November and visited two families on either side of NS. I had hoped to reside on the east coast, but for me it is too expensive and so I am now considering the Annapolis Valley region. Hopefully, you have visited NS more than once and have a good idea of what to expect.

I look forward to hearing about your immigration experiences.

Tondra

mikejw

Yup Leeds fan.
My emigration consultant did wonder that we were leaving the U.K. because my team had been relegated.
Ho hum everybody has their reasons!!!

Congrats on your team(will probobly miss you, as you go up and we get relegated again)

I think with technology nowdays, keeping in touch with footie,news,radio etc is so much easier.The BBC are even planning to have a system up soon(1-2 years) whereby you will be able to download any of their TV output and play it anytime you want.You can play most of their radio shows at anytime now and stream them to your hi-fi.

mikejw

Hi Tondra
thanks for the reply.I see you live in the U.S. How come Nova Scotia appeals?
We haven't been up to the Annapolis valley yet but i have also heard that it is very nice there.
Still think Outer Halifax would be best for us,i thought the town really had a buz about it and that was in November when we last went.
I am in a fairly good position as i will get a U.K. income,so work would be what i want to do rather than what i have to.
Don't know much about house prices over the last few years but houses we were looking at last year seem to be the same price now.
Fall River/Hammonds plain appear to have city water but i know nothing about septic tanks,is there anything to look out for.
We don't know anyone yet in N.S. apart from realtors,somewhat part of the appeal getting to know new people.
How about your own timelines?

Corky

Hi Mike, Fall river is a great place to live, close to everything. I used to live in Dartmouth before moving to the south shore. I have always liked Dartmouth over Halifax as It is easier to get around it. I mean to find your way around it. Lots of nice houses in Fall River as well. My son in law is coming to live in the Fall and his place of choice was also Fall River, he even had the house picked out but I believe it is sold now. You won't have to worry about Wells or Septics as that area is serviced by town water and sewers. Will your wife be working when you get here? What does she do?

Hey Ukjo.... I think you should nip down to Lawrencetown Beach and take a picture to show us all!!!!

tondra

Nova Scotia appealed to me on several levels. My US retirement funds would go farther (even though some staples are more expensive and I would still need health insurance), safety is a big factor for me as I am single and NS is low in crime, fewer people per square mile (I like my privacy), there appears to be more tolerance of differences in NS, more artistic people reside there and above all, the glorious scenery.

I had lived in Florida for a short time, but soon realized I missed the season changes. I still am not crazy about the snow, but I have found that those areas where snow falls fairly heavy, the people know how to get out and enjoy the weather or get snowbound together.

My timeline got interrupted with my father's passing in November and so I am immersed in getting my mother settled into a smaller and safer place. I still need to sell my business and ole' Georgey boy has killed the economy, plus other people (bad pun ). So I must be satisfied with doing more homework on NS and hoping things turn around here. I most likely will not be able to become a citizen (I will be too old in the next year), so I will have to be satisifed with 6 month residency and short visits to the US.

If you have not visited NS in person, it is not an easy task to choose where to live until you really get there. Since you have a steady income from elsewhere, the pressure won't be as intense to find work right away. Keep us posted on your progress.

Good luck,

Tondra

ukjo

your wish is my command corky!!

Corky

Anyone coming to Nova Scotia MUST go see that view for themselves....Right Ukjo!

ukjo

too right. actually think i might start charging people to see that pic!!!lol

annecoolcat

I hope you weren't standing in the way of oncoming traffic to take that picture!!!! You know how dangerous drivers are here!!!!

Corky

What would you compare the N.S. drivers to?

mickj

That is a wicked picture, as someone that appreciates good pics, i must say that is a wicked shot. I hope you took one with that background?