Have been left property abroad by an aunt advice

[LizzygotDizzy]

My aunt recently passed away, and even though I haven't seen her in years, has left me property (huge 4 bedroom house, mortgage free with land) in Canada in her Will. I do have the option to sell if I want to, but to be honest, I am more thinking along the lines of maybe even livng there for a while just to see what its like, I've had enough of London and even though I have my own property here too, quite like the idea of spendng my days and bringing up my children somewhere else entirely, I am a skilled worker so know that I would have no problems finding employment, but really don't know where to look first for any useful information that I would need. I do have savings, I don't have a criminal record, and so don't think I would have a problem with citizenship etc. if it actually came to it, or entry, I know I'm jumping the gun a bit, but I have thought of nothing else since I found out, (probably the reason for my lack of postings! ha!) daydreaming of a new life yonder! Of course I am booking the first flight possible to go over and have a look and see what kind of state of repair it is in, but from what I have heard its in really good nick and is currently being maintained by family members. I could keep it as a holiday home, but it seems a waste (although could rent it out when not using it for the income it would produce), but I'm young(ish) and the thought of starting a whole new chapter in my life just so appeals to me, kids are excited too. Education system out there is great I have heard and all that fresh air. I just need a pointer really and truthfully about who I would approach for the relevant information I would require, thanks.

[mockney piers]

I guess the Canadian Consulate or the immigrations service would be your first port of call.

I had a friend who wanted to move to canada after going there (I was there on the same trip, great place) but he and his missus found the immigration process somewhat troublesome.

He now lives in New Zealand.

[LizzygotDizzy]

Thanks for your help Mockney, I had thought of the above but thought there would be a special organisation set up, (as they have for people wanting to emigrate to Australia)for people thinking of going there to live. The fact that I have property there may swing it a bit for me. I did read somewhere recently that there were special open day kind of recruitment drives for people thinking of living/working abroad, but d'you think I can find the paper it was in! or what organisation ran them!:-S

[mockney piers]

I'll have a quick swizz on t'internet for you, already found some that looked suspiciously commercial.

Whatever, I'd say get the ball rolling, you don't have to commit until you're on that plane after all, and nothing ventured nothing gained.

I know they've got a points system like Australia, but I reckon the property would definitely work in your favour, somewhere to live AND a nice chunk of capital under your belt. I went to Toronto and Montreal, and though I preferred the former, I just loved Canada full stop and would consider moving there.

Have a few Canadian friends living in the area round here and they're a great bunch, Huguenot even married one. Mind you they're all over here, don't know what that says....probably that the grass is always greener ;-)

It's a VERY different pace of life to London though.

[Scruffy Mummy]

I was born in the States and moved to rural Nova Scotia in Canada when I was 10 years old. Although I took on Canadian citizenship I left the country after university and have no regrets at all.

Despite what many patrotic Canadians say, Canada can be very boring. And Canadians can be a bit smug sometimes - sorry all the unsmug Canadians out there but there is only so many times you can listen to how wonderful Canada is, how it has no social problems, how much better it is than the US (that's not hard folks - can we not define ourselves in any other ways that being anti-American?). Canada does have social problems - racism exists there and the country has a history of being just as evil to the aborginal peoples as anywhere else. Rural Canada is the worst honestly. I grew up there and wish my parents had stayed in NYC!!!

HOWEVER, certain Canadian cities are very lively, multicultural places - Halifax in Nova Scotia one of the places I would consider living if there was a nuclear attack on London and I was forced to make a life back in Canada. Toronto and Vancover are two other ones. And it's lovely in the summertime - beautiful.

yes, Canada has a points system for immigrantion. It's just as difficult to immigrate to Canada as it is to immigrate here!!! If you have a job that there is a particular shortage in then you are in luck! This varies from year to year - one year hairdressers were on the list!! Just being skilled worker isn't enough - it depends on the profession. My mother and us got to immigrate because the school that she applied to work at couldn't recruit anyone in Canada (she was a clinical psychologist who specialised in working with deaf-blind children and was recruited to head the deaf blind department).

I don't think owning property will enable you to work there - if you start a business however, you will get special rights to start the business but it depends I think on employing a Canadian. The best and most reliable place for info is the Canadian Embassy - go to Canada House. They are VERY friendly (good CDN trait) and also there is a very nice art gallary. Don't trust some company - the embassy will have all the information you need.

If I were you, I'd sell up and buy a lovely holiday cottage near the ocean - one of Canada's best features. The other issue is that it is VERY DIFFICULT to maintain large old Victorian style homes. The weather is brutal and means you will have to shell out for alot of maintaince - you can't just leave these houses unheated in the winter for instance. In the winter, do you realise that the snow will be up to your waist???? And even higher in many places??My parents who are retired sank loads of money into their house (4 bedrooms, 1 acre plot, etc. etc) ending up with a $60,000 loan against the house when in their 70's just so they could keep up with the maintaince sbut FORTUNATELY have just sold it to a well off oil man from Calgary who has alot of money they want to spend on doing it up and resorting it and they are moving into an apartment in a sheltered seniors complex. In all the 15 years they owed it, it didn't appreciate in value - because no-one wants to live there!!! There is no market and they need so much WORK and UPKEEP!!!

Sorry to be a downer but you asked for opinions!

[Scruffy Mummy]

Oh and the education system is pretty patchy - at least that was my experience going through it and my brother who is a teacher - although loyal to the education system points out some of the problems - particularly schools in rural areas.

And what young people do for fun is pretty grim. The lowest point for me was as a 14 year old on a 4-H (a young club for rurual young people which is actually very good) exchange trip to Mankota Sascaskewan (it was so horrible I've forgotton how to spell it) For fun, the kids there would drive out to the 'lake' which was a quarry which had small amount of rainwater in it and drink beer and crush grasshoppers. fun stuff!

[wee quinnie]

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[wee quinnie]

Just a shot in the dark, but....

if you could move there, and keep your London pad rented out - could you live on the proceeds from that?

[gerry]

Lizzy

Firstly, where in Canada is the home? I don't think anyone can generalise about a country as large as Canada, just as you couldn't generalise about the UK. Secondly, if your children are young and they are up for it, just do it. Go for a holiday, spend a few weeks, get a feel for the local economy and the culture, check out the job market, talk to as many locals as you can, seek out other ex-pats and see what they think. Go on a fact finding mission just for fun. I think its a great opportunity to give yourself and the children to live abroad. It will open them up to new cultures and realise that not every street in the world has speed cameras or people desperate to fine you for stopping one inch over a bus lane!! Make a few trips over the course of a year (if finances allow it) and see what you think. See the area in different seasons, check out the local schools. Enjoy the planning!!

[LizzygotDizzy]

Wow, thank you guyz for taking the time out to type so much information. Scruffy Mummy thanks for your inside knowledge, I found it really useful, and Wee Queenie will def consider renting out my house here and living off proceeds, I really do appreciate the time you have all taken to give me so much useful information. The house is in Toronto, but as you say, its best to take it slowly and not rush into things, as exciting as it may be, I can't wait though. I wonder if I will still be able to access the ED forum from there ha!

[Cassius]

Hi

I know nothing about Canada but would like to say - go for it. If you keep your London property on what have you got to lose apart from the opportunity to do something different. After all, what is the worse case scenario - that you go there and hate it, you can always come back, however if you don't go, you will always wonder whether or not you would have been happier there than here.

I'd recommend getting the best legal/financial advice you can afford - thinking about all sorts of aspects - ie would you be taxed in both the UK and Canada for your rental income etc etc.

If you don;t like it you could then consider selling the house and maybe buying your property in London outright - think what a fantastic life you could have here without a mortgage - maybe work part time..... just random thoughts so apologies if they are not applicable to you.

[gerry]

Look at www.relocatecanada.com/Toronto and www.britishexpats.com - there is a forum on moving to Toronto and a recruitment company looking for new employees!!!

[Scruffy Mummy]

Ok after my message of negativity I'd like to say that Toronto is a very nice city - and has some lively districts - Queen Street is very cool. The islands are fab - a really fun trip out for the kids!

Go in the middle of winter though if you plan on living there for good as the summer months might give you a false impression - there is a sound reason why those underground tunnels (with malls!) were built that mean you can tranverse most of the downtown district without ever going outside. The winds are pretty biting!

Toronto will still have speed cameras though!!

Do drop into Canada House in Traflagar Square - they have all the national and regional papers which will give you a feel for the country. Immigation to a new country is a long process - my family immigrated from the States to Canada and I immigrated from Canada to here!! You will need to get a work permit and, if you have a partner, they will either need to get one or not work if you have one. Then, after a specific amount of time (in the UK it is after living here for 5 years with no restrictions on your visa and when I did it in Canada 20 years ago, it was 7 years with no restrictions) you can apply for citzenship.

In some professions, you can do an exchange with someone in your field - librarians have a really great system and a friend of mine exchanged with a librarian in Boston for a year - they swapped jobs and houses! It gave my friend a great experience of living in a new country with none of the insecurity of leaving jobs/friends/life for good.

Anyway, sorry to have been so negative - many people immigrate to Canada and love it. But no country is perfect and I always think if you are immigrating to excape problems usually those very same problems can re-emerge in a new country!!

Please look into the cost of maintaining your house in the winter - seriously the weather is evil and it costs much more to maintain an older 4 bedroom Victorian house in the winter than a newer build or apartment. If you are only using it in the summer, you might be better off selling it and buying a holiday place that is easier to mainatain.

[LizzygotDizzy]

Thanks once again scruffy, don't worry, I knew it wouldn't be all roses and appreciate that you have given me an honest opinion on it all, Thanks once again for taking the time out to write such a detailed response. :)) Cheers for the websites Gerry X

[Alan Dale]

removed

[ChavWivaLawDegree]

I lived in Canada as a kid and loved it. We were in a very rural area which was beautiful, but my best friend kept in touch with me and a lot of the people I went to school with are either alcholics, on drugs, suffering from depression or all of the above. My friend has managed to keep her sh!t together but one of her daughters is a crystal meth addict and has been arrested for all kinds of things. The population of the town we lived in was only 2000 when I was there in the mid 70's and is now 4000, so even though it's a small rural community, there are still a lot of social problems.

Also the social safety net is not as good as the UK according to my friend, so you can end up in poverty much more easily.

[gerry]

I think Toronto will be more like London, but still with its share of problems like any other city. Chav what you have described above could be Yorkshire, Devon, or any rural area here in the UK....they suffer from the same problems. Do you ever get back there?

[Scruffy Mummy]

Chav - that sounds like my small town! It had the highest teenage pregnancy rate in all of Canada and several girls in my high school class were pregnant in high school. Rural life is far from perfect! Yes, the social net in Canada is better than the US but worse than the UK.

Toronto is more like London but has it's fair share of social problems including homelessness and pollution.

Oh, and my brothers wife is a toxiologist working for the governement and pollution in Canada in rural areas is quite high. Why? Because of the pesticides used in farming. In my area, they used to fly over the fields in small planes and spray the pesticides, also dowsing residents in the nearby area! I've probably got more toxins in my body growing up there then my son will living here.

Sorry - I'm being a downer again. Go Canada, woo hoo!!!

[LizzygotDizzy]

Yay, I'm off to see it in a few weeks, sooooooooo excited, can't wait! (I'm leaving on a jet plane....tune springs to mind!) :)

[Michael Palaeologus]

Any idea when you will be back again?

[LizzygotDizzy]

Only going for a week or so, to have look over property, why? will you miss me? ha! (have managed to get kids looked after so will be going alone),mmmm all those delicious mounties, ha!;-)

[TillieTrotter]

lol Mike, that sailed straight over Lizzy's head there!>:D

[SteveT]

All those lumberjacks Lizzygd, who like to wear womens clothes:-$