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Two years in New Brunswick.

Two years in New Brunswick.

Old May 4th 2007, 2:38 pm
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Default Two years in New Brunswick.

Hi to all who have written to me this year.

Firstly I tell it like it is.
The economy in NB is very much like the north of England was in the eighties....screwed.
If one is coming to NB and one wants the ability to change jobs if one dislikes the current one, then only MONCTON can provide that.
In turn anyone can get a job in Moncton, but if you want a career, you must be bi-lingual as well.
If you are experienced in middle range positions in construction, management, sales, teaching, finance and banking then Fredericton or Saint John has very limited opportunities. If you are hoping to use a uni' "ticket", then most posts require some sort of Canadian uni' doctorate etc.
Do not go north of Woodstock, Fredericton or Moncton...yes homes are very cheap but...you will have to speak French to work!
The cost of living is much higher then the UK.
There is zero public transportation basically.
If you have children, you will spend hours in ya car enabling them to have a social life.
Gasoline is $1.15 average at present.
Hourly paid jobs are between $9.00 to $13.00 at the most, per hr.
Basically, an hours work will buy you fuel to travel around 80klms (50mls) in ya car.
In the UK, using a figure of say 8 to 12 pounds per hr, gas is 1 pound a litre and engines are smaller, people in the UK get more motoring for their pound.
When you research here in the future, use $10 per hr as your average earned income calculator.
One only gets 10 days vacation for the first 5 yrs of company employment.
In NB, GST/HST tax is 14% (in the UK it's called VAT).
All retail prices advertised are PLUS the 14% (opposite to buying in the UK).
Relative to earned NB income, heating oil is very expensive, electricity (called Hydro in Canada) is remarkably cheap!
Outside the city centres, people burn wood in the stove to keep warm, that is very cheap, as they cut it locally.
Supermarket basics cost-
Milk - a litre is $1.20
Bread - $1.75

When checking out housing look at www.mls.ca then follow the link to the realtor's site.
Also check www.homesacrosscanada.com for extra pictures.
Anything priced under $100,000 is generally crap.
$100,000 to $125,000 might need fine tuning.
Over $125,000, worth a look generally.
Cars depreciate far more rapidly then in the UK.
After three years they begin to level out and hold their price surprisingly well for another 5 to 7 years.
As 99% of driving is open road, engines are not "hammered" like in the UK and because most cars are automatic, transmissions "go" before engines do!
Check www.autotrader.ca, aim to buy a 2003 or 2004 and save your "dosh!"
Franchised dealers are surprisingly very very honest!
Buying a home?
Realtors do some of the "solicitors work!"
Realtors have to train for qualifications, as home sale/purchase is legally signed of by all parties and the agent at each stage, so one is locked in to the deal, NO gazumping etc. is possible (similar system to Scotland).
The Lawyer does the final bit at the end, like the UK.
Caution...anyone can be a "home inspector" (in the UK it would be a surveyor).
So remember to check out this aspect before hiring such!
Here, roof tiles are called 'shingles' and are not slate.
Brick walls are very rare, home are clad in "siding".
Either vinyl or aluminum factory spray painted is good.
Walls clad in "shingles" normally means "wood" tiles, which do fine, but can look scruffy quickly.
In the home, baseboard means skirting board.
Electric baseboard means, heaters on the skirting board. It's a clean and cheap way to heat, the heaters are NOT hot to the touch.
Here in NB, realtors can be "duel", meaning they can represent both parties.
We prefer that, as it can have advantages, if you are the buyer, they are trying to sell as high as possible, but you can call their bluff, make an offer and when rejected, walk away, if it's still for sale a week later, just increase it a very little, 9 times out of ten, you get a bite in your favour.
NOTE- IT IS USUAL to offer as low as 25% of the asking price when beginning the offer process.
Opposite to Scotland.
The Maritimes is seeing a migration of people to the Oil Sands of Alberta, so home prices are falling still in NB, PEI, NL&Lab and NS.
We have just sold up and are moving to Moncton.
We are locked into a three year commitment to remain in NB, as we came here via the NB Nominee scheme (Business Investor), which by the way we lost around $30,000 in nearly 18 months.
But, we still look at it as, anythings better then living in the UK and suffering the PC correctness gone mad in the EU countries!!!:
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Old May 4th 2007, 3:22 pm
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Default Re: Two years in New Brunswick.

Originally Posted by steve of 5-0
The Maritimes is seeing a migration of people to the Oil Sands of Alberta, so home prices are falling still in NB, PEI, NL&Lab and NS.
Steve, whilst there is a lot of truth in your post and I'd agree that there is a huge outmigration to AB from Atlantic Canada, your statement about house prices is wild generalisation. House prices around urban centres are increasing certainly in the case of Halifax and definately for St. John's / NE Avalon area of NL. I'd say that annual house price inflation in our area has been 5%+ over the 3 years or so I've lived here. On the other hand in certain communities 'out around the bay' in rural NL you probably can't give away an older house.

AX
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Old May 4th 2007, 5:10 pm
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Default Re: Two years in New Brunswick.

Yep, I would concur!
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Old May 4th 2007, 5:37 pm
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Default Re: Two years in New Brunswick.

Originally Posted by steve of 5-0
Yep, I would concur!
Great post very informative.
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Old May 4th 2007, 6:00 pm
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Default Re: Two years in New Brunswick.

Originally Posted by Atlantic Xpat
Steve, whilst there is a lot of truth in your post and I'd agree that there is a huge outmigration to AB from Atlantic Canada, your statement about house prices is wild generalisation. House prices around urban centres are increasing certainly in the case of Halifax and definately for St. John's / NE Avalon area of NL. I'd say that annual house price inflation in our area has been 5%+ over the 3 years or so I've lived here. On the other hand in certain communities 'out around the bay' in rural NL you probably can't give away an older house.

AX
Yes you are right AX, house prices in Nova Scotia haven't declined- gone up quite a lot in both urban and rural settings. Apparently Wolfville in the Annapolis Valley has seen house prices go up 60% in the last 5 years because a lot of retirees are moving there from out west and Ontario. There is a new condo development renovation going up in Windsor and the apartments are from $200,000- to over $500,000. Local council is very pleased of course because it means property taxes are continuing to rise as the properties are being reassessed at a much higher price. Here in Halifax many of the houses have doubled in value over the last 10 years, so not too bad- but unfortunately not the same in New Brunswick or Newfoundland.
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Old May 4th 2007, 6:26 pm
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Default Re: Two years in New Brunswick.

If you have children, you will spend hours in ya car enabling them to have a social life
Thanks very much for the tip, I will strike this part of Canada off of my list. Driving my children around is the last thing I need on a weekend..
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Old May 4th 2007, 8:43 pm
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Default Re: Two years in New Brunswick.

Better forget moving to Canada then. Driving your kids around to their numerous activities is the way of life here.


QUOTE=Danny B;4738104]Thanks very much for the tip, I will strike this part of Canada off of my list. Driving my children around is the last thing I need on a weekend..[/QUOTE]
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Old May 4th 2007, 9:49 pm
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Default Re: Two years in New Brunswick.

Originally Posted by SAW 04
Better forget moving to Canada then. Driving your kids around to their numerous activities is the way of life here.
Not if you live in a City that's 15mins end to end it's not
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Old May 5th 2007, 12:42 am
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Default Re: Two years in New Brunswick.

Then surely it isn't a city in Canada....is it!
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Old May 5th 2007, 8:13 am
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Default Re: Two years in New Brunswick.

Originally Posted by Corky
Then surely it isn't a city in Canada....is it!
Well last time I checked Kamloops was still a city in BC!
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Old May 5th 2007, 10:32 am
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Default Re: Two years in New Brunswick.

And you've experienced Candian life first hand when?

Originally Posted by Danny B
Well last time I checked Kamloops was still a city in BC!
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Old May 5th 2007, 10:35 am
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Default Re: Two years in New Brunswick.

Originally Posted by SAW 04
And you've experienced Candian life first hand when?
In Vancouver between 92-96, why do you ask?
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Old May 5th 2007, 10:40 am
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Default Re: Two years in New Brunswick.

Just interested why you would "strike that part of Canada of the list" if you already had an idea of the way of life here?

Originally Posted by Danny B
In Vancouver between 92-96, why do you ask?
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Old May 5th 2007, 1:02 pm
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Default Re: Two years in New Brunswick.

Originally Posted by SAW 04
Just interested why you would "strike that part of Canada of the list" if you already had an idea of the way of life here?
I have to admit that I have no idea what so ever of the way of life in New Brunswick. I did post a topic on here a while ago asking what life is like on PEI as the cheap beautiful housing appealed to my Wife, but when we looked into it further we decided against it. Mainly due to the fact that my children have grown up in a place that is 45mins away from Central London and I don't think they could cope with the feeling of isolation.
After having read steve of 5-0's first few paragraphs this has now definitely confirmed what we originally thought.
No offence to anyone living in NB
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Old May 5th 2007, 2:08 pm
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Default Re: Two years in New Brunswick.

Originally Posted by Danny B
I have to admit that I have no idea what so ever of the way of life in New Brunswick. I did post a topic on here a while ago asking what life is like on PEI as the cheap beautiful housing appealed to my Wife, but when we looked into it further we decided against it. Mainly due to the fact that my children have grown up in a place that is 45mins away from Central London and I don't think they could cope with the feeling of isolation.
After having read steve of 5-0's first few paragraphs this has now definitely confirmed what we originally thought.
No offence to anyone living in NB
Bite me. All the more room for the rest of us
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