sap4

Hi

My husbands company is thinking of moving his job to vancouver. We have 2 girls aged 6 and 2. I would love some advice on good areas to live and schools. I have heard west and north vancouver are nice. Also if anyone one knows of a good website for rentals. I would like to get a good idea of the cost of renting and what you get for your money. We are currently live in London.

Thanks

Sue_xx_yy

I hope it is indeed as simple as accepting a transfer of an existing job, because BC has been hard hit by the recession. Your husband's employer will come up against this when it comes to immigration formalities - but that will be their problem. They should also be able to assist with finding accomodation.

You don't say what is your husband's job, but you should know that notwithstanding the recession, Vancouver and north or west Van in particular is very expensive (by Canadian standards) - although as you live in London, you should be used to expensive housing! Although you are interested in renting, rents will track the cost of real estate - which you can find out about on mls.ca. This is a real estate website showing homes for sale in every area of Canada. You narrow the search by specifying a city (e.g. Vancouver) and then specify when prompted the area (e.g. west) in which you are specifically interested.

For example, in west Van, a 2 bedroom, 2 bath condo starts at around CAN$450,000 (about £ 250,000 at current exchange rates.) As for houses in west Van, you will need deep pockets - nothing under a million Can dollars. North Van is about the same. Again, this may not faze you depending on what you presently face in the way of housing costs.

Do a search on mls.ca to find out about other areas of the city.

Real estate and rental agents will know about the schools in the associated area, so you can work from there.

ShelliDawn

Just to clarify, the Greater Vancouver Area is comprised of many different cities that all border one another. There are 3 cities with Vancouver in the name:

Vancouver
North Vancouver
West Vancouver

Vancouver is divided into east and west by Main Street. So, people also refer to living in west Vancouver or east Vancouver, but they are in the city of Vancouver, not the city of West Vancouver.

Take a look at a map and you'll see that both North Vancouver and West Vancouver are on the north side of Burrard Inlet and Vancouver is south of it.

laverendrye

I'm not from Vancouver, but knowing a lot of Vancoverites, I was under the impression that when one referred to West Van or North Van, it was invariably to the two cities across Burrard Inlet, and that the western part of the Vancouver was referred to by the neighbourhood name--West End, Kitsilano, Point Grey etc. rather than west Vancouver.

traveller69

Laverendrye is correct West and North Van are separate - across the Lions Gate Bridge (and Ironworkers). We refer to the other areas of Vancouver as he says West End, Kerrisdale etc. However Burnaby, Coquitlam, Port Moody, Delta etc etc are considered Greater Vancouver even though they are separate cities or municipalities. So any of these areas and others are bedroom communities for Vancouver and have business and industries as well. We refer to "Vancouver" as in any other city an area that takes in surrounding communities. SAP4 are you from London UK or London Ontario??
You also need to find out exactly where the office would be due to the size of "Greater Vancouver" Real estate prices really vary from area to area but you don't want to be located in an area that is an extremely long commute. As I said there are nice communities all over the lower mainland.

frogoutofwater

I went to high school in North Vancouver (living in a neighbourhood called Blueridge, toward the eastern side of North Van) and, during my university years, lived with my parents in Grouse Woods (just below Grouse Mountain), on the very western edge of North Van. My family is now based in White Rock, just north of the US border.

The metropolitan area is so spread out and so varied, you'll actually experience different climates depending on your location (e.g. more snow and rain on the North Shore, more sun in Whiterock). As others have noted, it's very hard to give advice unless we know where your husband's office is located and whether or not you're planning to work, too.

The public transportation system serves some areas well and other areas not so well. The transportation system is also changing in the lead-up to the Olympics. You are probably going to need a car (except in a few well-connected neighbourhoods) but, depending on your location, you may be able to minimize your need for a car to get around for day-to-day activities (as opposed to weekly shopping trips, etc.).

You should be able to find good quality public (i.e. free) schools in many neighbourhoods - although by no means all of them.

I can't offer any estimates on rentals at the moment, but I have lived in London and I'm pretty sure that, even though Vancouver is a relatively expensive city by Canadian standards, you will be able to find something nice. Given that the housing market (for sales) is experiencing a slump in Vancouver, I think you'll be able to find some very good rental deals for houses.

traveller69

Hi frogoutofwater - Nice to hear from another North Vanite - I had all of my schooling in North van and went to UBC. I went to Delbrook so that probably dates me seeing as how it is no more! Matter of fact I went to Hamilton Jr High and that hasn't been around for years either.

Sap4 - frogoutofwater is right about climate as well. On the sides of the mountains in North Van you get 5 or 6 times as much as you do in the areas well away from the mountains. As I said before find out exactly where your husbands company is planning on relocating and we can give you better advice.

sap4

Hi

Thanks so much for all your advice and replies. My husband's office will be downtown (not sure of the address). People have told me that west vancouver is nice as well as north (as I have mentioned) but I'm unsure of the commute to downtown. Here in London he takes public transport and would be happy to do that in vancouver if it didn't take to long! Also he could drive and on a map west vancouver doesn't look far, just over the bridge but traffic plays a bit part in that! Also i can't seem to find a good rental website!

All your ideas have been helpful. Keep them coming if you can.. thanks again

traveller69

Here is one website to get you started


http://www.crosbypm.com/results.asp

West and North Vancouver are not that far from downtown but the bridge can be a little bit of a hassle. There is also parking to consider. There are buses from the North Shore (that is both West and North Van). There are some other areas further from downtown that are nice and are serviced by Sky Train which is the rapid transit. There are lots of things to consider so once you know for sure you are moving you can find out about the area. I am partial to North Van because I was raised there but in later years have lived in other areas and have loved them as well. The website I gave you will give you a good idea of prices but again it depends on the exact area. Just keep asking and keep us informed on your progress. Good luck to you!

ShelliDawn

The reason I made a point about clarifying West/North Vancouver is that when I lived in Vancouver(many years ago) I knew someone who lived in the west end of Vancouver and always referred to himself as living in west Vancouver. He was under the impression that when people said "North Vancouver" they meant "north side of Vancouver" and when they said "West Vancouver" they meant "west side". He didn't realize there were separate cities with those names until after about a year of living there. So, although the natives know what they're talking about and what nomenclature to use, newcomers may not.

sap4

Hi

Thanks again for all your help. We are moving to the north shore in mid August. I did a quick visit to look at schools in west vancouver and am happy to live in either west or north vancouver. Going back soon to try and lock in a house to rent. Doesn't seem to be much around! Any idea's or advice on finding a rental??

camelbak

I would recommend checking out craigslist.com for rental options for anywhere in Vancouver. Lots of people post ads.

Just to give you a heads up that West Van rentals can be expensive. My in-laws live right on the water in West Van and rent a 1 bedroom 1 bath suite (with partial view). About 800 square feet and it rents for $1300 CDN per month, not including utilities (hydro, water, etc.). If your looking for a house in either West or North Vancouver I would try to google some real estate agents that operate from either location and then email them and see if they also do rentals. Because some of the houses in West and North Van are `higher` end some people will advertise through an agent only.

Expect to pay a half month rental deposit to secure the property and chances are you will have to sign a min. 1 year lease.

FYI - since the Olympics are around the corner a lot of people are pulling their houses off the rental market and advertising specifically for Olympic rentals. Also, though there are a lot of rentals available, the really good ones go really quickly. So you have to be prepared to `jump`` at a property that you really like.

I would make sure that your husband has a letter from his employer showing his start date, etc. as most renters do require references.

Are you being provided with accomodation when you arrive in town? That will give you time to search for a place.

camelbak

Oh...also wanted to mention that when renting you will need to find out whether you will be in charge of utilities (hydro, heat, water, etc.). If so, then you will have to get it all hooked up before you move in. The companies that manage these (BC Hydro and Terasen Gas) both require credit checks or a security deposit in order to hook up. Just wanted to give you a heads up.

sap4

Great advice camelbak! Thanks. West Vancouver is expensive but I live in London so for the same money I will get a lot more for it! Which will be a nice change!

Do you know if a U.S credit history is any good in Canada, we lived in the U.S for 2 1/2 years. We have only been out of the U.S for 11mths.

Yes, 3 mths accomodation is provide when we arrive.