JonboyE

There is very little private medicine in BC. And what would be the point? If you are a US resident not covered in the public scheme here in BC you will have to pay. If you are prepared to pay at the point of treatment then there are plenty of doctors and hospitals in the US that are more than happy to take your money.

ExKiwilass

it sounds like a good plan then

Someone I know just graduated from the OAT programme. She got 2 microsoft certifications (excel and access I think) and landed a five month gig right out of school with the city of vancouver. Let me know once you get in/get closer to graduating and I'll see if my work has any coop placements for you.

beckiwoo

It is unbelievable how bad house prices are here. Nearly everyday in the metro I am reading about the average house prices and how much they are going up - I was warned before I came out here though.

scrubbedexpat091

It is indeed insane how things are going in the lower mainland. Even places that were somewhat affordable even 5 years ago, have shot up in price as people leave Metro Vancouver for outlying area's.

Squamish is a good example, wasn't until the last 5 years or so that people discovered the place and how easy it is to get to Vancouver, add in very little housing development and prices have no place to go but up.

Private doesn't really exist, and no private insurance exists so you have to pay out of pocket and it's pricey, its designed for the wealthy who don't want to wait for things in the public system and have cash to pay for it.

This is the issue with the US, it's expensive to have health insurance and pricey to access it, and for someone with health issues, we would end up paying so much in healthcare, we still could not afford a house.

For example, I went to the health exchange for Washington state and this is the best option and it's still pricey.

$267 per month.

4,000 deductible.

Insurance only kicks in after the deductible is met, and then you pay 20% of the total bill.

I don't have 4,000 extra each year to pay towards medical and then still have to come up with 20% of the payment for services.

Don't under estimate the cost of health care in the US, Obamacare brought down the monthly premiums, but unless you have the $$$ to pay for doctors appointments and such, you end up just paying for insurance you cannot use.


If we could own a house + still afford health insurance we would go south of the border, but it would be one or the other down there, so we wouldn't actually be better off.


Looking at the stats, graduates from that program have one of the highest employment rates that I have seen for a college program, so I think its certainly a good one to have.

Thanks for pointing it out, I never came across it on their website prior and had no idea about it.

Moses2013

I suppose it depends on the health issues, but I'm sure for some people the money they've saved on the mortgage makes up for the health insurance.

MillieF

Jsmth321....am I looking at the wrong link, the house I came up with was very charming, but $158,000 which seem seemed very low, even though it was very small.

We have lots of very nice houses here which are very cheap, but they are all in places that are inaccessible or with no infrastructure.

scrubbedexpat091

Pt. Roberts because of its location is largely vacation homes and the few business there are for Canadian's, biggest industry is parcel receive business for Canadian's and gas stations.

Not much else there though, no doctor, no hospitals, no vets, a couple real estate offices, and a small grocery store and post office.

But it's attached to BC mainland, and all your major needs minus healthcare is easily accessible on the Canadian side. Cable service on the Point is provided by a Canadian company.

If you have kids, they are bused to mainland Washington through Canada.

Point Roberts is completely isolated from the mainland US by land, only way in by land is through Canada.

But the Canadian side is a bustling metropolis so it's like living in a rural area with urban needs 5 mins away across the border.

I attached a copy of a map to show Pt. Roberts and it's proximity to metro Vancouver.

Basically when they drew the border, Point Roberts ended up on the US side of the border, but is physically attached only to Canada.

That size home on BC side of the border, well in my area would easily be 300,000+

scrubbedexpat091

We have monthly prescriptions and we could afford the mortgage without health insurance and medication, or health insurance/medication but not both.

For some I agree it might still work out in their favor.

MillieF

Thank you so much for explaining about Pt. Roberts...how very interesting. My husband knew about it, and has friends who pop over there to buy petrol (but had never thought to mention it to me before!)

I know you are from the US Jsmth, but can Canadians' buy homes and live in Pt. Roberts...I'm thinking only for vacations?

scrubbedexpat091

Yes, Canadian's can own homes in the US, they are just limited to how long they can live in them each year. (not sure what the max is) and places like Palm Springs have industries thriving on wealthy Canadian's buying winter homes and they sit empty the rest of the year.

My mom lives in Palm Spring's and go down in winter, Canadian's are dime a dozen, go in summer and the place is somewhat of a ghost town.

You can spot BC and Alberta license plates all day long in the winter.

Now with the Canadian $$ falling, I am not sure what will happen down there.

Novocastrian

I think Canadians as well as other nationalities can buy homes in Pt. Roberts or Manhattan or even Alaska for vacations. It's only a problem if you want to work in the US or take "vacations" which are all year around.

scilly

and you have to watch out how long you are out of Canada, or you lose your rights in Canada, including health and insurance

from How Long Can a Canadian Stay in the US? | Travel Insurance File



All our friends who spend winters down south, very closely watch the days of being out of Canada and their province

scilly

Point Roberts enjoys a very mild climate ......... and there have always been more Canadians owning vacation homes there than you might think.

scrubbedexpat091

I think most of the homes there are vacation homes for Canadian's...lol

I didn't see too many Washington state plates on cars, almost all had BC plates. I have no clue how many actually live there vs just getting gas. Unless a brand isn't available in Canada like Tillamook cheese and dairy, the grocery there is too much $$$ to buy groceries, they wanted nearly 9 dollars for 12 pack of soda.

I've been told most who live there buy groceries in Canada.

Looking into it, if it were not for the loss of healthcare and the great cost of healthcare in the US, we would buy there and work in Canada.

I saw a truck with WA plates on it, but the sign was for an electrictian serving Surrey/Richmond and Vancouver region. With a 604 area code, assume it's a Canadian who can live in the US and lives there and works in Canada.

Why pay 700k on the Canadian side if you can pay 200,000-300,000 for a large house on that side if you can live in the US legally, assuming you can afford healthcare.

scrubbedexpat091

I was looking through archives for the Squamish newspaper, as it's interesting to see how this town was in the past. Even as little as 15 years ago, it was a totally different town, articles about working life, and railroad and timber, to LNG and mostly enviro stuff now.

Back in 2000 in the real estate section they had new condos for sale at 199,999 and I got curious about what they sell for now, there were a couple on MLS and they are listed at 179,000 to 199,000, so it appears that answered by question, condos are not a good investment in this town.

I know my wifes mom bought one in that building brand new and sold last year and had to reduce her price to 189,000 to sell it, she lost 12,000 on it.

Not related to this topic of the post, but thought it was sorta of in a round about way related.

We are going to work on reducing our debt, saving money, and then in 5-7 years time, maybe find some small BC town nobody want to live in and be able to buy something.

Must be some small town in BC that isn't pricey....