People & Places
Hobden's Canadian blog July 07
In his fourth instalment on life Vancouver Island-style, Darren Hobden takes a look at everything from the weather to realtors
The weather has gone full circle, from hot to warm, wet, warm and back to hot again. Summer is now supposed to be here and staying - fingers crossed.
Work is very busy for us, especially for Mette. She is a realtor and Vancouver Island and the Cowichan Valley is experiencing a lot of house sales and rising of house prices - this Island paradise on the Western edge of Canada is starting to be discovered!
Daniel and Anja have broken up from school for their annual ten-week summer holiday and I didn't notice too many complaints from them! Daniel is moving up from middle school to secondary school this year so he had a school prom. It's funny because when we emigrated Daniel was 11 and already in secondary school in England, he is now 15 and just starting secondary school, where he will be for the next three years. On the other hand he can drive at 16, which is not many months away! Daniel has a lot of basketball camps planned and Anja, who recently performed in a dance show at the Cowichan Centre, will be attending a dance camp.
We had a phone call in mid June from an English friend's parents saying they are staying with relatives in Vancouver and can they come over for a visit. It was nice to catch up and have a chat about old times and new, but it felt strange having someone visit from England for just three hours.
On Canada day (July 1st) we went to the Sooke Canada Day celebration, then onto French Beach and back into Victoria for a meal. Canada Day is a big deal here and everybody gets involved, either through community events or parties in their home - so Canada flags are fluttering in the breeze everywhere you look.
This month's tip: Working with a realtor to buy a house in Canada is different to working with British estate agents. When you have decided which houses you would like to see your realtor can show you all of them, even if they are listed with a different realtor, which makes it an easier process. They set up all the appointments, do all the showings, write the offer and help out in the buying process once the offer has been accepted. They can assist in finding a mortgage, building inspections, septic inspections, water testing and many other issues involved in buying your new home. Canadian realtors can also refer you to other realtors across Canada, again making your whole relocation experience that bit easier. You can make contact with a realtor prior to your emigration allowing the house buying process to be started before your move.
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