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Post by edi_vedder on Oct 23, 2015 18:58:07 GMT -5
Interesting topic Edi. Are you in Germany or Austria? You are indeed correct about the situation getting worse as Merkel is now going to open the doors to Turkey as well, which is going to seriously dilute this part of Europe. It's a shame you feel the need to leave your home country. I honestly believe non of this would be happening right now if it wasn't for the two parasites who go the names of Tony Blair and George Bush. You could call this the aftershock. You might be right about that, Joe... unfortunately! It's a shame to be honest! I'm in Austria. And while most of the refugees are just passing through (on their way to Germany), the situation is heating up (once again) recently. It was a bit better over the last two weeks, but now things are heating up again extremely, with thousands of new refugees coming to our boarder(s)... DAILY! mrsauga: Thank you very much for the information about traffic in/around the GTA. Definitely something I'll consider when it is about looking for a house!
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Post by Brighttail on Oct 23, 2015 19:24:47 GMT -5
Any commute in and around the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) can be and often is a nightmare. My wife lived there for 10 years (25 years ago) and it was a nightmare there with her father taking 2 hours to drive 30 km at times. Remember there is like 4 million people in that area. So unless you are working outside of the GTA, expect some long commutes living out in the SImcoe area. Of course there are other places like London and Barrie that are closer to cottage country you could find some good homes.
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Post by edi_vedder on Oct 23, 2015 19:41:45 GMT -5
The reason why I'm sticking to Toronto in some way is that the #1-plan would be to get a job within my current company (Starwood Hotels). There's actually 11 Starwood properties in/around Toronto, so not a bad number to start with. Especially when you know that they are generally quiet open minded to people switching jobs within the company, even if they come from somewhere else. But... with 3 kids I don't wanna look for real estate within a big city like Toronto. It should be somewhere on the countryside, but also offering the social institutions a young family needs (eg. schools, kindergarten, and so on). This is why cities like Barrie, Innisfil or anything comparable would be our first choice. Unfortunately, it seems like it's a bit hard to find real estate somewhere in between Toronto and the locations mentioned above. By the way, here's some recent footage from what is happening right now at our boarders: And I tell you, it's getting even worse. According to the UNHCR there's another 700.000 people on their way to (Central) Europe. Frightening!
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Post by Brighttail on Oct 23, 2015 19:53:04 GMT -5
Well I hope you have $$$$. The most expensive part of Toronto is the downtown, condo core. The second most expensive is in the suburbs. Talking about the country side, it can get cheaper but mainly the further away you are from civilization the cheaper it is so long as it isn't on a lake or something. Probably your best bet would be to find a smaller town with some rural property.
Sadly Toronto and Vancouver are the two more expensive places to live with average home prices at or around 1 million dollars. I live in a rural area outside Ottawa. We have 18,000 people in our community and I got a waterfront property with 4 beds, 4 baths for 250k. That is probably your best bet. Go to MLS.ca and look around.
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Post by edi_vedder on Oct 23, 2015 20:09:50 GMT -5
I think you have no idea of what real estate costs in Austria, I tell you. Our current house (~116m²) was around 500.000 CAD when we bought it in 2006. Now, we estimate it to be worth even more (around 580.000 CAD I'd guess). And that actually is a small village (with around 4.000 people) and just outside of Salzburg (around 120.000 people). So while money probably is not the biggest problem (of course it always is ), a nice place with all of the things you need and that is not too far away from Toronto probably is.
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Post by edi_vedder on Nov 1, 2015 20:18:20 GMT -5
Okay then, looks like this is getting serious now... We - together with our best friends & their kids - finally decided on taking it to the next level now. Here's the plan: January 2016 we will do the International English Language Testing System (known as IELTS), which is required to prove your language skills. If we achieve a decent result, next step will be to visit the Embassy of Canada in Vienna to gather further information. If it still makes sense at that point, we will try to visit Canada as soon as possible then, hopefully before Summer. I'd like to thank everyone for their help so far. If needed, I hope I may bother you again!
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Post by bentfivewood on Nov 2, 2015 20:40:24 GMT -5
Just be prepared to meet a lot of people like this...
But seriously, the east end of the GTA where I am has lots of relatively affordable housing. Durham Region and Clarington municipality are 30 to 50 minute commutes to toronto. Traffic can make this a bit worse. It's an area of huge growth right now because the 407 toll road is being extended and will improve commute times to Toronto.
Detached homes in my area average about 400,000 canadian. The downside is that this is making the real estate market very competitive.
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Post by edi_vedder on Nov 3, 2015 20:35:39 GMT -5
Just be prepared to meet a lot of people like this... Funny to see how many in here actually live in that area!
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Post by karma4u on Nov 3, 2015 22:15:33 GMT -5
"move west young man".........no one moves from the west coast to the east coast, so get it right at the start.... There are Starwood Hotels all across Canada and you could never go wrong moving to beautiful British Columbia....Seriously..JMHO mind you...but, i know i'm right
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Post by Brighttail on Nov 3, 2015 22:23:15 GMT -5
"move west young man".........no one moves from the west coast to the east coast, so get it right at the start.... There are Starwood Hotels all across Canada and you could never go wrong moving to beautiful British Columbia....Seriously..JMHO mind you...but, i know i'm right It is so much more expensive in the West Coast vs the East Coast. Okay it is close but Vancouver is more expensive, THE most expensive in Canada.
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Post by karma4u on Nov 3, 2015 22:52:49 GMT -5
Hey, just suggesting that he look at all of this great country..While downtown Vancouver real estate is most definitely very expensive, there are reasonably priced properties within an hours drive..and no one really needs to live or work in d/t Vancouver. Also, there are Starwood Hotels all over B.C. You know, it does not matter to me in the slightest as to where Thomas decides to move to........Just making a suggestion to look at all of Canada....and, gotta admit........i'm partial to B.C.........
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Post by edi_vedder on Nov 3, 2015 23:33:08 GMT -5
Thanks for your suggestion, Karma!
While anywhere in Ontario will most likely remain our 1st destination, I'll definitely keep your words in mind in case there's something going to change drastically in our plans, eg. a job offer outside of Ontario or anything like that.
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Post by edi_vedder on Nov 13, 2015 18:13:12 GMT -5
Oh my goodness... Paris under Attack
Not many details yet. But I feel vindicated that I/we am/are doing the right thing here.
@!$# THAT TERRORISM!
#prayforparis
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Post by karma4u on Nov 16, 2015 20:27:06 GMT -5
I see that Marriott Int. will quite probably be buying Starwood....Hope this will help and in no way hinder your chances.....Good luck Thomas.
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Post by edi_vedder on Nov 16, 2015 20:39:01 GMT -5
Thank you, Vic! The deal has already been wrapped up as we speak. I also just read the internal announcement from our CEO. I don't think this will have any influence on getting a job (or not) within Starwood (and/or Marriott), but of course I might be wrong. It's probably too early to know how things are going to change with that merger. But whatever it will be, it is not the only chance of getting to Canada... it might just be the easiest one.
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