Moving to Vancouver Island and looking for advice (apartment, to rent)

[maremma]

Greetings! I've done quite a bit of research but in helps to get first-hand opinions, so here I am! My fiance and I are moving to Vancouver Island between June and August of this year - the main reason is because I have severe asthma attacks triggered from the cold (evil Winterpeg winters are evil!). The island seems to be the best place temperature-wise to move within Canada. He's a software developer and has the opportunity working at-home with the company he is working at, and I'm a distance-education veterinary technician student. We're both in our early 20s.

Needs:
- MUST be pet friendly (2 large dogs, 2 cats). For this reason we are considering purchasing a mobile home in a park that allows pets - we think it'll be very difficult to rent somewhere that allows our mini "zoo" and they are our family so absolutely 0 chance of getting rid of them just because it's "more convenient".
- I have to be able to find work at a vet clinic. Luckily people own pets everywhere, but if it's near a small town there's less chance of employment opportunities
- MUST be affordable. I'd rather move somewhere that if we have to rent, we can eventually buy a house in same area leaning towards the cheaper end of the scale ($350K or less)
- MUST be able to access internet from home (so he can get his work done)
- MUST rarely go below -5C (I know some parts of the island can get to -20 or more)
- prefer more rural setting, but willing to sacrifice that for more private housing accommodations (eg. duplex instead of condo; really would like to avoid condo/apartment)
- prefer to have access to a nearby beach/lake that I can take the dogs swimming almost daily as both are extreme water lovers

We're more introverts so place doesn't have to offer much, but we do love to game (board/card/video/pc) so would be nice to be in an area where there are gaming stores.

Areas we have been looking at/are considering: Comox Valley (Comox/Courtenay area), Duncan/surrounding Cowichan area, Sooke, Nanaimo, Colwood, Victoria/Saanich/Sydey (pretty much anywhere Greater Victoria). So far Greater Victoria seems less likely chance of finding a cheaper house in future. Comox Valley has much more affordable housing but not sure about potential jobs.

Does anyone have experience living in these places and has advice to offer? What about the difficulty of finding pet-friendly places?


Thank you in advance for your advice!
Ashley

[arctic_gardener]

I don't know anything about job opportunities, but climate-wise, Nanaimo is your best choice after Victoria. The west coast of the island is quite foggy and wet even by coastal BC standards.

[maremma]

Thanks for your input :3 Any other voices out there?

[tiggertude]

I grew up in Cowichan Bay/Duncan. Usually easy to find houses to rent. May want to try Shawnigan Lake/Mill Bay area. Nice quiet area to live. Naniamo is very nice too. I think the further you go up the Island the cooler it gets.

[thedwightguy]

Everyone on the island has a dog/cat/sheep/; and there is no minus 20 that I know of;
you'll have lots of work no matter where you go on the island; Nanaimo is just a jump to
Vancouver/lower mainland and many actually commute. Internet is everywhere.

[cdnmk91]

Originally Posted by maremma

Needs:
- MUST be pet friendly (2 large dogs, 2 cats). For this reason we are considering purchasing a mobile home in a park that allows pets - we think it'll be very difficult to rent somewhere that allows our mini "zoo" and they are our family so absolutely 0 chance of getting rid of them just because it's "more convenient".
- I have to be able to find work at a vet clinic. Luckily people own pets everywhere, but if it's near a small town there's less chance of employment opportunities
- MUST be affordable. I'd rather move somewhere that if we have to rent, we can eventually buy a house in same area leaning towards the cheaper end of the scale ($350K or less)
- MUST be able to access internet from home (so he can get his work done)
- MUST rarely go below -5C (I know some parts of the island can get to -20 or more)
- prefer more rural setting, but willing to sacrifice that for more private housing accommodations (eg. duplex instead of condo; really would like to avoid condo/apartment)
- prefer to have access to a nearby beach/lake that I can take the dogs swimming almost daily as both are extreme water lovers

We're more introverts so place doesn't have to offer much, but we do love to game (board/card/video/pc) so would be nice to be in an area where there are gaming stores.

I've spent most of my life living in Saanich and know Greater Victoria fairly well, so hopefully I can speak to some of your concerns...

- In terms of pets, dog and cat ownership is extremely high in Victoria! I've heard of some people having trouble finding places to rent when they have dogs, but cats are no problem what soever.
- I think that finding work at a pet clinic in Victoria wouldn't be too difficult given your background. Seriously, it seems like every other family here owns a dog! Try looking up different clinics on google and you will see there is no shortage around here. Maybe you can start reaching out to owners now and getting a feel for employment prospects, since it's such a specialized field.
- In terms of affordability, I would suggest looking into the Sooke area. It's further removed from town, but very accessible by car (public transit another story) and I know young couples in service-type jobs who started renting out there within their budget... something that's less feasible to do in Victoria.
- As far as I know, internet shouldn't be a problem in an area like Sooke... don't have much knowledge up island, but I'm sure that wouldn't be an issue unless you were somewhere extremely remote.
- It does snow very occasionally on the island, and this year has been a bit colder than normal, but I don't think you'll have to worry much about temperatures going below -5. It's a rarity for sure.
- Again, Sooke is very rural compared to downtown Victoria or other municipalities (more suburban)
- Sooke | Secret Lakes of Southern Vancouver Island Guidebook lakes are all over the Island and, again, if you have access to a vehicle going to the beach shouldn't be a problem either.

Good luck in your move out West