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thanks everyone for your input here.
I understand the cost of maintaining double cities is high. The ultimate plan is to move my family to Seattle in 2 years Or move back to Canada. In the meanwhile i need to maintain double residency.
I was checking some house prices in South Surrey and realize that there are possibilities to get one for 350K or so, perhaps something small but livable. If i buy that house (sell out MTL house and buy one in Vancouver instead) + live shareable apartment(Seattle) then i guess atleast residence expense (Vancouver+Seattle) are taken care of. the rest i understand is pretty similar to other places in Canada.
Would you still think its a terrible plan Or something workable ?
I think it's workable, but always did. Especially since you don't have to deal with immigration issues for the whole family, they'd have access to French public schools, and you'd be able to make money in American dollars while your family spends Canadian dollars.
I think it's workable, but always did. Especially since you don't have to deal with immigration issues for the whole family, they'd have access to French public schools, and you'd be able to make money in American dollars while your family spends Canadian dollars.
Has the OP even mentioned that this is a concern? He's stated that moving to an anglophone province is a plus, so maybe they want to get away from that stuff.
I'm not going to disagree that some people may be in terrible at looking after money, but is it the young people?
What I mean is that in your second link it states.
"The study showed those close to or in retirement had the highest amount of debt caused by overextended credit or financial mismanagement at 46% of the cause consumer debt."
So it kind of goes with my experience of the younger people I know, who can't afford to buy, and therefore rent, don't seem to have an issue living in Vancouver with average jobs.
Of course, that is not to say that this will always be the case. If things keep going the way they are, it will reach a point where it will by like NYC. Where one roommate no longer works and you need several to survive.
I'm really curious about these young people in Vancouver born into middle class families that won't be inheriting properties or wealth from extended families. The average age of adults that eventually move out must be increasing. At the same time I can imagine their retirement funds are a lot smaller since most of their incomes are being spent on living expenses and some entertainment once in a while.
When you say average job what do you consider average? $20 an hour?
How old are you and how long have you lived in Vancouver?
thanks everyone for your input here.
I understand the cost of maintaining double cities is high. The ultimate plan is to move my family to Seattle in 2 years Or move back to Canada. In the meanwhile i need to maintain double residency.
I was checking some house prices in South Surrey and realize that there are possibilities to get one for 350K or so, perhaps something small but livable. If i buy that house (sell out MTL house and buy one in Vancouver instead) + live shareable apartment(Seattle) then i guess atleast residence expense (Vancouver+Seattle) are taken care of. the rest i understand is pretty similar to other places in Canada.
Would you still think its a terrible plan Or something workable ?
Sure it's workable. I guess it's all a matter of priorities and lifestyle preferences. Do you want to be apart from family during the weekdays? And is there an advantage to being in suburban BC rather than in the Seattle area (a very nice area) near your work?
A couple concerns: traffic is bad in Seattle, and there can be waits at the Peace Arch crossing, so if you are relying on driving back and forth each week, this should be factored in.
WHY? If you're planning to likely move the family to Seattle in two years anyway, why move them to Surrey and subject everyone to an absentee family member half or more of the time? And why subject yourself to that commute? Seattle to Vancouver is a slog up I-5 at the best of times, and it can be slow with lots of traffic more often than not. Then add in the border. Nexus makes it easier, but it's still going to be a long commute twice a week. And after all that, your family will be living in Surrey. Surrey has gotten a lot better in recent years, but I'm not really seeing what makes it so compelling that you'd rather have your family live there, away from you, at a very high financial cost.
Vancouver has lots of nice features. So does Seattle. Surrey, however, is not really one of the nice features of Vancouver, unless you have some sort of free housing in White Rock. So why plop your family in outer suburbia 2.5 hours from where you are, especially when finances are an issue? What have you not told us?
I think it finally clicked that the OP/OPs family has reasons to maintain Canadian residency for two years. In that case I think the plan is perfectly workable. Since the plan is to rent in the lower mainland, not buy a house, the cost should not be a concern and they could choose from Surrey, White Rock, even Langley. Even if wanting to buy, I don't think Surrey is that expensive. The commute is not good but would be twice a week. Could be especially doable if you can work from home one day a week. I've also suggested Victoria, which could work if you have easy access to the downtown ferry terminal (e.g. working near downtown, Lake Union etc.) I guess I'd just check if weekends in BC would be considered Canadian residency if this is a requirement for yourself. Good luck! And welcome to the Pacific Northwest if you choose!
Thanks everyone for your input. And yes, it seems strange to maintain two residencies but then as someone commented there are very good reasons to do this for atleast 2 years. there is good probability to work 1 or even 2 days out of home. So in the end, I would just need to device a commute schedule that is workable.
I am sure I will get back to you all for more guidance but next time more w.r.t local rules, logistics, housing, health etc etc in Vancouver
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