It looks like I will be in contract on my apartment soon, with an offer comfortably over the asking price. And it’s going to close in mid-to-late May.
Which got me thinking: my current assignment will probably have wrapped up, or will be wrapping up, by then. And yet I don’t have the kind of cash (or, frankly, credit rating) that will allow me to jump right into a new rental without asking my aunt for a short-term loan (or, god forbid, ask her to co-sign a lease), and I really don’t want to do that.
But I’m gonna need a place to live, which is complicated by the fact that I also need a place to park my pets.
And it hit me: why not get a summer sublet somewhere like Halifax or Montreal? Halifax is essentially a college town, which means there are plenty of sublets available, plus summer’s a great time of year to be there. And Montreal is, well, it’s Montreal. Both places have low housing costs, and Montreal has good public transit. Each is a relatively reasonable drive from New York, and I could probably Shanghai a friend into making the trip with a bribe of furniture or electronics.
I could sure use some planned time off, versus “Oh, shit, now I’m out of work; what the hell am I gonna do?” time off.
Thoughts?
My first thought is, “What are the health requirements for bringing pets into Canada, especially if it’s for a couple of months?” It’s usually fairly simple — a health certificate from your vet plus being current on all of their vaccinations — but it’s definitely an extra cost to think about.
Also, you now need a passport to go to Canada, even for the day. Thank you, Department of Homeland Security. So you may need a visa if you’re staying over a week or so.
You do realize how very white you are for threatening to move to Canada, don’t you?
Will the weak greenback hurt you? Sounds like it beats sweating down here in the mid-Atlantic swamp, though.
I’ve already got a permanent-resident card. I haven’t just threatened to move to Canada, I’ve taken concrete steps to do so. Does that make me more or less white?
As for the pets, all I need to do is show proof of rabies vaccination. And they all need a round of new shots anyhow.
Bruce, I don’t know if the weak dollar will hurt, but I figure that, given that apartments in Astoria run about $1200, and the sublets I’ve seen in Halifax and Montreal are in the $600 range, it won’t make that big a difference.
I’m not expert on Canada, but my New York intuition says housing in a first world city is expensive, buy, lease, rent, whatever. Best of luck, hope I’m wrong, maybe there’s a rural area which it won’t be too hard to commute from. That should be cheaper.
I’ve already got a permanent-resident card. I haven’t just threatened to move to Canada, I’ve taken concrete steps to do so. Does that make me more or less white?
Depends — once you get there, are you going to start talking about how everything sucks and you’re going to move to Europe instead? Because that would make you really white.
They’re kinda specific about what they need on the rabies certificate since the US is not a rabies-free country:
It’s not horrible, because if you don’t have the right kind of certificate, the penalty is to let you in with instructions to have the dog properly vaccinated within X amount of time. I’m assuming New York State already meets their requirements since they border Canada, but better to save oneself the hassle.
One other issue: getting the pets back into the US - assuming you decide to come back. Worth checking those requirements.
But otherwise? Go for it.
Do you already have social contacts in Montreal and/or Halifax? If not, maybe make plans now for how to make some.
Welcome to Canada, Zuzu! You’ll surely make an excellent addition to the Canadian mosaic!
Not to be contrary, but David up there is incorrect. Outside of Toronto (and Vancouver), rent is incredibly reasonable in Canada - even in Montreal. Halifax I imagine would be even better - cost of living out there is a fraction of Toronto’s. Where I get gouged nearly a grand a month in rent for a 550-sq-ft junior-one-bedroom. Pfft.
(A friend of mine recently moved to Montreal and has been bragging about the rent comparisons; Halifax is in the Maritimes, and far less of a metropolis than Montreal, so I imagine it’ll be even better. (a href=”http://halifax.craigslist.ca/sub/”>Craigslist seems to concur.)
Yeah, I’ve seen a lot of cheap sublets. And it’s just for the summer for now, since I want to go to school here in the fall.
Besides, pfft! on the cost. I live in New York City, fer gawd’s sake! Unless I go to London, San Francisco or Tokyo, it’s not likely to be worse.
Montreal is my favorite city in Canada (even taking into account my many road trips to Toronto over the years), and, to be honest, my favorite city out of all of the ones I’ve visited in North America.
I thought Montreal, for the kind of city it is, was very reasonable compared to where I live now (Seattle) and definitely compared to Vancouver (which is getting outrageous).
“It’s not horrible, because if you don’t have the right kind of certificate, the penalty is to let you in with instructions to have the dog properly vaccinated within X amount of time.”
It doesn’t seem too onerous even if they wouldn’t let the animal in without a cert meeting those standards. None of the stuff listed seems out of line with what you’d get from a US vet in a state/county that requires rabies licensing.
I live in Nova Scotia, just outside Halifax! Yes, I am inordinately pleased to hear you considering Halifax, sounds like you already have experience with our fair city?
I don’t have much to suggest, not used to cross-border moving and the like, but if you choose Halifax and need any help, let me know. I sail - a lot - during the summer, at probably the least posh and most down-to-earth yacht club on the harbour, if you want to get out on the water and crew.
Oh, you don’t know me, of course, I’m generally a bit of a lurker, but you’re free to investigate to make sure I’m not a weirdo.
How long do you have to wait to get the proceeds from the sale? Shouldn’t that happen at the closing table? (I’m not sure … I’ve bought a house but have never sold one, so not sure how the cash at the end of the deal is handled.)
They’ll write me a check right there, but since I’ll also have to move out within 7 days, that doesn’t leave me much time to get an apartment. I had actually been thinking that I’d have to be cleared out pre-closing, but my lawyer put language in the contract allowing me to stay until the end of the week.
Still, given that I’ll have to have three months’ rent plus a broker fee to be able to even sign a lease, and I’ll want to have the lease signed prior to closing, I may have to hit up Aunt Martha for a short-term loan.
For what it’s worth, I vote Montreal. I fall in love with that city all over again every time I visit.
Having posted that though, one thing to consider is.. well, how is your French? Montreal is the most anglo part of Quebec, but it does still help to be able to parlez the Francais.