Home renovation in Halifax

Our 1st year in Canada was quite eventful. We were able to purchase our 1st home in Halifax, Canada. This home was structurally good and we loved the home design but there were few things that needed work. This option was way better than purchasing a new home that would have cost us around $100K more with a design that we didn't like. So we purchased an old home and decided to renovate as necessary.

Rome was NOT built in a day!!

When you buy a home there is a mandatory inspection which will report every big and small finding. Besides based on your needs, you might want to change a few things. So, make a list of the things you want fixed and prioritize it.  These things not only take time and money but also the RIGHT approach and people. 

What type of handymen would you need?

Even for us, it was the 1st time we were doing a renovation and we weren't sure. There are YouTube videos for this too. This is also helpful when you have conversations with them.

• If you want to redo walls, redo your bathrooms, convert an open space into a room - You would need a drywall contractor.
• You might also need an electrician if you are moving the wiring. You will have to coordinate with the drywall contractor and electrician.

Finding the right people to do the work

Most people are not handymen and so you would need a firm or a contractor who would do the job. Extremely important - We recommend that you request reviews or find online reviews of the people/firm you are hiring.  This is because you would not just be spending money but also letting them in your house to do the job.  Besides, some of these jobs if left half-done can be dangerous.  So reliability is very important to ensure that the work is completed with quality.

In our friend circle, no one had done a renovation recently and so no one had any leads on handymen. We looked up a few renovation companies and they gave us quotes. These companies are way too expensive. They gave us a quote for 27000 CAD for upgrading the basement! That actually demoralized us for a few days.

So, we started looking for handymen online and decided to do the coordination ourselves between different handymen. We made the mistake of hiring someone from kijiji to do a small job of applying laminate flooring for a small room.We were too excited to start the job and thought that the guy was good enough for the job. But then he didn't turn up on time and delayed the job by 2 weeks. Although the job was done fine, we absolutely didn't like the work ethic of the person and didn't give him any further work.
LESSON learnt - When in doubt, don't go ahead. It is worthwhile to look further.

The walls of our basement had old panels and we wanted to upgrade it to dry walls and redo our bathroom. That was the biggest piece. We decided to visit home improvement stores like Home Depot, Kent and ask around. Our friends also agreed since the folks working there would definitely have recommendations. And that was the best decision ever!!! - Home Depot has a "PRO referral" program, in which they have a list of local professionals such as drywall men, electricians, plumbers etc. These are people for whom Home Depot has done background checks and also have insurance coverage (should they need it). We were able to hire our Drywall and electrician guys with this program.

Halifax is a small city in that sense and you would get your contacts verbally from people. The electrician guy recommended the plumber, who recommended the shower installer and we were happy with all of them.

Trust that once you find the right person for the job, you would be way happier!

Working with them on the job

If you are coordinating with all the contractors then it is important for you to understand the sequence of things. If not, you might waste days. Home Depot was a blessing because we got the materials such as drywall, boards, flooring etc. on financing (0% interest for the 1st 6 months). This will help with expenses. With multiple contractors, you have to make sure that all the materials are available whenever they need it. Some of the items like drywalls are huge and might not fit in your car. You can rent a truck for the same. Home Depot also offers a truck-renting option for your orders. Planning all this is going to be very important.

I had work from home ability but my husband didn't. So we had to adjust work schedules so that we could be around when these folks worked. If you have to buy shower, toilet, bathroom vanity, electrical appliances like fan and lighting then you should look online and in stores. The contractors will help you with the measurements of these things but ultimately you have to choose the model. So that research aspect won't go away. Find the best deal and schedule their deliveries or bring it yourself (based on the vehicle you have)  accordingly.

What did it ultimately cost?

Remember I got a quote of 27K CAD from a renovation company for renovating our basement? Ultimately, we went with contractors and it cost us about 14K CAD for the same thing! Practically half the cost. But it required lots of coordination. Home Depot had all the materials whatever was needed! Materials overall didn't cost more than 4K CAD. Labor is expensive and so make that you get the right people.

Last words

Renovating is fun. Do your research and work with the right people. Take your time!

Buying a home in Halifax - Process

Buying a new home is a big decision. We were home-owners in the States and we wanted to buy a house if we liked the place in Canada. We are now close to a year in Halifax in 2019, Canada and recently began our hunt. Now, there are a lot of similarities in the process if you bought a house in the States but if you didn't then this is a blog for you!

Learn more about different house types 

Owning a house isn't a one-time deal. You gotta nurture it because should you decide to sell it down the line, all the missteps will haunt you. (Trust me, buyers get that microscopic vision to detect every tiny thing.). The process outlined below will give you an idea of what to expect when selling as well. So think of what you would go thru. Bottom line is that you need to go with the house that you will enjoy and maintain. Go thru the links below for single family and condo homes (will also write about townhomesand semi-detached houses in future) so that you can learn about the pros and cons of different house types.

Find a good realtor/real-estate agent

Couple of reasons why you would want to do this -

1. Tons of paper work when you buy a house. The agent will guide you thru the same.
2. It takes a village to get to the point where you are an actual home owner. A good agent has a network - mortgage company, lawyer, accountant, inspection agents, other agents, handymen and a lot more.
3. S/he educates you in the process. You look at multiple houses before you zero in on one. If you are especially not from the civil engineering type of background, you probably wouldn't notice or even know about structural deficits in the house. For example, the roof of a house has a life span of about 15 years. It is important to know how old the roof is!
4. Since the agents are part of a network, your realtor has better access to listings even before they are online. A really good agent would be privy to such listings.
5. They know the laws and it is useful during negotiations! 

Our advice is to really invest time to find a good agent. Preferably recommended to you by family, friends, co-workers because then you could trust them. Conversely, if you get stuck with a bad agent, you would be stuck and have a bad experience. So, research the agent properly before you go with them. Privately going about this might not be a good idea if you are purchasing a home for the 1st time.

Find out what you can afford

You will save yourself a lot of time, money & perhaps even some heartbreak if you know what you can afford. If you have an agent they would have a mortgage company associate who can guide you here. We recommend that you wait a few months after coming to Canada before you buy a house. Now, we had over a decade in US and so they can request for your US credit report to give you the best rate. Initially even before you begin the process, the agent will ask your source of income (salary/self-employed) and then based on the same determine the price you can afford. They come up with a number and typically also tell you the estimated mortgage payment for that amount. Based on your life goals, your family can decide the maximum price you want to spend on the house. For example, the agent could tell you that you can afford a $500K house but you decide to spend at most $250K because you might want to invest in say mutual funds. That is your personal decision. Make it after factoring in everything.

House hunt

This is the fun and anxiety filled part. Now you have your max limit you want to spend, you can search houses in that range. Sites like viewPoint, remax, thinkHalifax etc. have listings. Your agent will also get also suggest different listings. Typically you would be able to get all the information online about the specifications such as number of rooms, bathrooms, yard, square footage and much more. You would also find information about the area such as schools, neighborhood. This will help you compare and contrast listings in the journey. Enjoy this process but don't compromise. Personally, I get ideas when I see houses and use them in mine.

Place an offer

Once you have zeroed down a home, you place an offer. Based on your assessment, you can decide on the price you are willing to pay and the terms. Your realtor should help with this. You also need to put in the closing date. This is the last day for the sellers and you will own the house from the next day. If you are renting then consider your lease end date before deciding the closing date. Usually it is within 3 months from the time you decide to place the offer. You might have to pay the mortgage as well as the rent for few months if you don't pay attention on this. Having an approval from the mortgage company makes it a strong case. You also send the token amount of about 1000-2000 CAD typically (varies on the price of the house) to signal the seller agent/seller that you are truly interested.

The seller would also have other offers and so they would revert back to you if they are interested. Once they express their interest, both parties sign a document stating that they are ready for the next stage i.e. inspection.

Inspection & Due-diligence process

Once you sign the document the next 10 days constitute the due-diligence period. This is the time when inspection is conducted. In this period you could decide to renegotiate the price or if the inspection bought out serious defects then you could back out. 

Exterior inspection

They review the roof, yard, the walls from the outside, patio (as applicable to your type of house). They look for leakages, cracks, structural deficits. They also inspect the sewer and do a radon test. They would tell you all the big and small findings.

Interior inspection 

Every inch of the house is inspected. All rooms, attics are checked for cracks, infestation and such. The house in the US didn't come with appliances.  But here they do - they inspect the stove (all burners), dishwasher,  washer and dryer. Most important of all they inspect the heating.

They prepare the report listing all the findings and send it to both parties.  You review it with your agent and even some of your experienced friends. You would then decide if you want to keep your offer as is, change it or worst case back out of it. So look thru it carefully. 

Closing

The closing date is the last day when the seller owns the home. You can move in after that AND your mortgage begins typically latest within a month. If you are renting in Canada then look at the lease agreement. You might land up paying mortgage and rent for a month or two depending on your leasing situation.

If you plan on doing some renovation or finishing before you move in, then you might want to make arrangements of your stay (i.e. make sure you have your apartment or arrange an AirBnB until you can move into your home).

Final thoughts

For us, it took less than 2 months to visit about 12-15 houses and visit several online before we zeroed down on our house. We were able to negotiate a date so that we just have a month where we were paying mortgage and rent. We had a similar experience in the US in terms of timeline. A lot depends on your requirements and your flexibility. So estimate accordingly so that you can plan on buying and moving in your home.

Hope the blog gives you various considerations before buying your home. Good luck!!!

Useful links 

• Learn more about Condo
• Learn more about Single family home

Types of homes - Single family home

This is another post in the series of buying a home in Canada.  One of the options is to buy a single family home.  As someone who bought such a home, even in the US, I find a lot of similarities between the States and Canada.

What is a single family home?

It is an independent house like a bungalow often with a yard and garage. The important thing is that you are not paying Home owners association fee because you will not be getting their services. So you own the complete upkeep of the house. They are typically bigger than condos, townhouses,  semi-detached houses. That is why they tend to be more expensive as well.

Few things to consider

1. Most of them will have storeys i.e. have few rooms on one storey and rest on the others. Some of them will have just one storey and a basement. You 'd consider that style if you don't like stairs.

2. Most houses have a basement and it is interesting to see how people use it. This is a pro, which you don't get in a condo and you might not get it or have smaller version of it in a townhouse.

• An entertaining room - Lot of people use it as home theater with TV, games, books. They use it as a way to have their parties and hang out with family and friends.
• Rent it out as an AirBnb - You can generate additional income. We recommend to do some research before pursuing this option. Your room/basement should satisfy certain safety requirements (eg: good size window for a firefighter to enter) otherwise should any untoward incident, you could be liable to pay back the rent to the tenant. 
• Gym - People furnish it with treadmills and weights and use it as a fitness area. Conversely, it can be turned into a yoga/pilates room. 
• Storage space - For the many houses we saw, it provides ample space for you to store your things.

3. You would have invest in a few accessories, which you otherwise wouldn't have to do for a condo/townhouse. Depending on how you see it, it may be a pro/con. 

• Lawnmower and other tools to maintain your lawn. This is definitely a cost you would incur but if you are someone who loves to do yard work then it is a pro for you. You can get really creative and build urban gardens in your lawn. You definitely have this benefit if you love gardening.
• Snow removing equipment - Winter definitely brings more work for this type of a home. The stairs to your house and driveway will have snow during those days. When you look at buying a house, look at how big the driveway and stairs into the house.
• If you at least have a garage, you could have an alternate entry to the house but you would still have to clean up the driveway.
• You will have to take care of pest control too. There are companies that offer packages to do the same.

4. Garage is one of the things to consider. Most single family homes might have it but if they don't have it then during winters you will spend time every morning cleaning up the snow/ice/sleet on your car, if you use one for traveling. Some people use their garage as storage too. Garage is a big pro.

5. No HOA fees - While you don't pay fees, you will be responsible for every aspect of your house.
Some of the biggest considerations are as below. Take note of it during the inspection that will be done.

• Roof - Know in how much time the roof will have to be replaced. New roof can cost about $15K CAD.
• Heating - In older houses, you will have oil furnace heating. Heat pumps are efficient. No problem if you buy an older house but consider replacing it with heat pump. It will definitely get you a lesser heat bill.

6. Many DIY projects can be done for your home. You can add new cabinets, do work around your yard and do some interior designing work. Depending on your preference, it can cost a couple hundred or thousands. But it will get your a lot of satisfaction!

Final take

Investing in such a home in the correct area can prove to be very beneficial if you were to sell it. But you should take note of different elements as mentioned above for you to balance cost vs. benefit.

Disclaimer - We are not real-estate agents but are sharing our research with you. Please do your own research before you proceed forward. This blog post is to be able to point you in the right direction.


Useful links -
1. Want to consider a condo?

Types of homes in Canada - Condo

Buying your 1st home in Canada sounds exciting! We had bought a home in North Carolina,  USA and sold it when we immigrated to Canada.  It was a good investment because we had bought it in a good area at a good price. So, we have been researching real estate. Lots of similarities to what we saw in the US.

Condominium or Condo

This is an apartment that you own. You 'd be sharing the building and the facilities with others. Usually these are under 1500 sq ft. You would have all rooms on 1 floor and so no stairs. With shared facilities the condo is usually managed by house owners association i.e. HOA. They help you if there is anything that needs to be fixed.

Pros 

1) No backyard/lawn/driveway - It is a lot of work to maintain a lawn. No need to clean the driveway during winter.
2) Gym/other recreation facilities - A gym membership can be really costly. Having it in your building is a real benefit.
3) Low maintenance - Ultimately it is less work for you personally if you own a condo. The HOA fees you pay enables you to have service should you need anything fixed around the house.
4) Garage - Many of them offer parking garages.
5) These are usually cheaper in price than townhouses,  semi-detached,  or individual family homes.

Cons 

1) HOA fees - You typically pay a monthly fee since condo is part of the association.  It is by and large at least over 100 CAD. Depending on the construction you may incur a much higher monthly fee. Keep an eye on that when you buy it.
2) You are sharing the building with many families and so might sometimes have to adjust. ( Adjust your television volume, might hear kids if any etc. )

Regardless of the type of home you want to buy, it is a huge investment.  Please research all the home types before you start looking. We will write more blogs for the same and even on the process. Stay tuned!

Disclaimer - We are not real-estate agents but are sharing our research with you. Please do your own research before you proceed forward. This blog post is to be able to point you in the right direction.

Traveling in and out of Canada as a Permanent resident

Once you land in Canada as a permanent resident, there are a few things you need to take care of!

What is a permanent resident card?

At the time of landing in Canada for the 1st time, you just have the confirmation of permanent residence (CoPR). Post landing, each member of your family will be given a plastic card i.e. PR card. This is important for you to be able to travel in and out of Canada.

What should you take care of at the time of your very 1st landing in Canada?

1. The officer will ask you the address where the PR card is to be sent. Make sure that the address is captured for every member of your family. 
2. In my case, although my husband and I stated the same address, his card arrived but mine didn't. It turned out that the officer didn't copy the address for me.
3. There is a Cic site where you can check the estimate of the new card to arrive. So if you arrived say on May 1st and the current estimate is say 60 days then you should get your card should arrive by July 1st.

What should you do in case your card doesn't arrive by the estimated time?

1. The online application might not allow you to find out the exact status of your application for 1st permanent resident card.
2. You can call the IRCC and follow the prompts to talk to a representative. 
3. You need to make sure that your Canadian phone number and address is correctly updated. This is important so that your card is mailed to the correct address. 

What should you do if you have to travel outside the country before you receive your PR card?

If you have to travel outside Canada and do not have your PR card yet, you have 2 options -

1. You can't board a commercial carrier like an airplane but can travel by road with your CoPR. This would be an option if you can get to the US- Canada border and rent a car.

2. If you have to be outside Canada for months then you can obtain a travel document to be able to re-enter Canada on the basis of CoPR. 

One of the popular destinations outside Canada is USA. One of frequently asked questions is how to procure a visitor visa for the same. Having a PR card can ease the process. 

1. USA issues the B1/B2 visa. B1 is the sub-category for business visa. B2 is the sub-category for tourism. You get both visas if you apply for either.
2. It is important to understand what B1 visa is. It is meant only for attending business meetings. You are not getting paid extra salary for your trip. This is meant to be short trip.
3. This is different from H1B visa because it is not an American position. You are going there to help/meet/collaborate with your American counterparts for short periodof time i.e. few weeks.
4. Now, if you have the Canadian PR card it helps because they know that you have a reason to come back to Canada from USA.i
5. We had our B1/B2 visa interview after we got our card. During the visa interview, the officer saw that we already had h1b visa before and were applying for B1/B2 visa. When we explained our situation i.e. we immigrated to Canada when we got PR card, they were convinced. Carry your documents of previous visas like i797 since you might have had an extension after your latest stamping. 
6. The B1/B2 visa is issued for 10 years and as part of the interview,  they try to find our if you know what the meaning of the visa is.
7. In the Halifax US consulate, we saw 2 types of cases, that got grilled more. One was that people didn't apply for the correct visa depending on their need. The other was if people didn't have a PR card, the officer grilled the applicants about their education,  future plans and immediate relatives in the US.
8. For B1/B2 visa, the USCIS website has all the information.  Personal experience is for B1 visa, a letter from your employer makes them ask lesser questions. 

Subsequent travel experience to US from Halifax, Canada with a PR card

1. The customs and port of entry process for USA is done in Halifax, NS itself. So if you are rejected then you would know in Canada itself.
2. Customs was easy if you have nothing yo declare.  You fill information in a kiosk and then if cleared, you will do the port of entry.
3. Port of entry has the same set of questions like your B1/B2 visa interview.  At the time of interview the officer would have made notes on your history. Based on that at the port of entry, you have you make sure that your story is the same. They specifically ask you your intent to use H1B in future. Truthfully state the same. Start with the fact that you have Canadian PR.  If your trip is business and you have a return ticket then state the same. If it is vacation then state the same. Either ways if you convince the officer that your trip is short term then you are good.

Traveling back to Canada from US with PR card via airplane 

1. You have to scan your PR card to get your boarding pass. That's why they don't accept the COPR document to be able to fly into Canada. 
2. At the gate in the US airport they just look at your PR card to let you into Canada. 
3. At the Canadian airport again at entry, you should scan your PR card and then do customs.  
4. If you have bought items with a net worth of above a certain limit then you gotta declare it. If not, you are allowed to go thru.
5. I had bought some souvenirs under 1000 CAD and I didn't have to declare anything. 
6. I was in and out of the airport in 10 minutes just with my PR card. It was so unlike my experience in the US.

Hope this helps you understand the process of procuring the permanent resident card better! It will help you travel in and out of Canada easily.  Happy Travels!!

Experience - Our first 3 months in Canada

It is over 3 months since we landed in Canada via the skilled immigration express entry program. A lot of people ask me about my experience so far. So, We thought of writing about this. It has been great. 

 Disclaimer - This is our experience in Halifax and others may have it differently.  So, take it with a grain of salt.

How easy was it with government offices?

While immigrating to Canada is one of our biggest decisions, we found that the system in place completely eased it. Right from the time we landed, the officials were easy to interact with and they gave us pertinent information of the next step. The officers at the SIN, health card and driving license government offices were very helpful and we got our cards easily.

How welcoming are the people in general?

This is one of the big apprehensions that many people have. Here in Halifax,  the people were really immigrant-friendly and welcoming. They guided us at every place i.e. be it the government offices or different stores or even apartment hunting. In Halifax, we have the pier 21 museum where they recognize immigrants as hard-working and the fact that it takes a lot of courage to face challenges in a new land. The same was our experience at work. They totally understood that we were immigrating and gave us time to settle in. Work-life balance is important like it was in the US. Depending on the province you land, you 'd find people of different nationalities. 

What was the experience of renting an apartment?

We found that the rental websites here are not updated instantly.  Some of the good apartments were not available online. Either ways, we zeroed in on a nice one in just a week after looking at around 10 apartments. We got good inputs from the managers of the leasing offices, who were honest in terms of what amenities were available. They also referred us to other apartment complexes, which could satisfy our needs.

For folks immigrating from US, there might be a slight "downgrade" if you will in terms of renting. The popular websites like rent.com in the US were always upto date. You might have to do some manual hunting before you settle in on one. Apartment buildings in Canada are high rises for the most part because they would want to share the heat in winter. This was different than our experience in the US (Even in Boston and Connecticut areas in the north east, there were just 2-3 storey buildings).

How was the banking experience?

Even in terms of banking, if you have never been to Canada and don't know how it works then you have to continuously visit the branch. In the US, we never had frequent bank visits. But here a lot of bank visits for us until we figured out tangerine. The bigger banks don't have great online banking experience. That is why we settled for Tangerine. However, with my blog you would be better informed. More in a later post.

So far so good but what about sales taxes?

Speaking of something that everyone dreads - taxes!!! Every province has it's own sales tax %. Nova Scotia has 15% and Alberta about 4%. But you are not taxed on essentials like fruits, vegetables etc but on non-essential things. The conclusion is that you are rewarded to cut down unnecessary expenses. But here is the upside to having taxes. You get free healthcare, a good transport system, free schooling for smaller children and some good investment vehicles like TFSAs to be able to save for your retirement. So, it teaches you to optimize your expenses.

Tell me more about healthcare!!!

Free healthcare is one of the highlights of Canada! Unlike my friends in the other parts of the world, you don't have to worry about health insurance if you have to visit a doctor. Infact, you can call 811 for nursing emergencies too. You have walk-in clinics and get minor procedures done within a couple of days. This is something unheard of in the US. Obviously, there will be some odd experiences too but the fact that you don't have to pay for it at all really nullifies the small inconveniences you may have. 

One thing to note is that dental and vision care is not free. You would have to buy these or pay attention to how much your employer benefits cover. The rest is out of pocket. The bottomline is that you need to pay close attention to your teeth and eyes!

How expensive is the food?

For a family of 2, we typically spend less than 200 CAD a month on food. We cook daily and have a meal or two outside in a week. You would be impacted immensely if your lifestyle is to do a takeout daily. A simple wrap with taxes costs 7 CAD. So do the math. :) Eat in frequently and stay healthy!

Overall what is the cost of living?

The cost of living was similar to what we were used to in the US. By and large, it is good if both earn. If only one person has a job then you might not have the cushion for additional expenses.  If you have PR, then there is nothing stopping you from starting a side business or a part-time job.

Do I really need a car?

We arrived here in summer and for the non-winter months, we have used our car sparingly. It is convenient for groceries and weekends. But we were pleasantly surprised with the transport system here. There are multiple options here. Many people take the bus and is often populated. Some people carry groceries too in the bus. If you land here in spring or summer, it is totally manageable! Without a credit history, it won't be possible to buy a car on loan and you would need to pay the complete price. If it is not an option for you, then bus is manageable. There is the option of car share too, which some of our friends have used for a year! You can get your groceries done whenever you need a car.

Last but not the least, we would like to share some of our site seeing experiences. It is very well known that Canada has the largest reserve of fresh water. In the US, many of the places we could visit, were not too close to our place. Besides, it is expensive because we had to plan to rent a room and spend a lot on the entry fees. We were really amazed at how many things we could do around Halifax. Within 15 to 45 mins radius of our place, we have over a dozen attractions and places of natural beauty. The entry fees for Parks Canada has been relaxed and so a lot of places are accessible for no fees or nominal fees.

Final take 
We liked our 1st city in Canada. But keep in mind that there are various factors for your family to like a place.  It is not uncommon for people to move to another place should you not like it. Keep an open mind.

Hope this gives you a good idea of what you can expect in the 1st 3 months in Canada and eases some of your apprehensions that you may have!

Furnishing your apartment

Once you have an apartment or place to stay, you need to furnish it with household items. Typically if you weren't new in the country, this wouldn't be that big of an issue. But if you are not shipping your items then you would need to furnish your house from scratch. Most of us wouldn't even have a car. You would have a lot of expenses and so spend wisely.

What household items are already available in the apartment?

Kitchen items - Typically, you already get microwave, oven, dishwasher and cooking range. You don't have to purchase these. Stores like Dollarama, Canadian Tire and Walmart offer quality appliances and cutlery at reasonable prices.

You don't get any other appliances or any other freebies. You have to furnish the rest.

What are the popular stores that you can shop at?

All of these stores also have coupons and initially when you are strapped for cash, these are very handy. 

1. Ikea was great with all furniture like sofas, tables, kitchen items, closet items. We also got a good deal and shipping.
2. Sleep country was good for bedding. They also deliver at home.
3. This might seem a little trivial but very important if you are landing in summer. There are few days in summer where it gets very hot. The houses in general don't have central air conditioning. Typically there is just air conditioning in the living room.  So investing in a fan might be a good idea. In fact, fans are out-of-stock when you need them.
4. Conversely, by law, houses are required to have heater for winters. So thst shouldn't be an issue.
5. Canadian Tire was another good store especially for hardware items and also has a lot of items that Home Depot has. For newcomers as well, Canadian tire offers you Master card. The credit limit initially will be 200 CAD but will go up when you shop. Some of the stores like Costco accept only Master card. This is great because it will help you build credit history.
6. Costco turned out to be a good surprise for electronic items. They have good stock clearance items that are priced at a lower price to make way for newer models. Some of these were cheaper than Walmart and Best Buy too. Consider having a membership for the 1st year at least. You also get cash back and so it might be cost-effective.

Do you want to do some charity while furnishing your new home?

1. There are stores like "Habitat for Humanity" and try to find convenience stores like these. These stores typically have gently-used items that have been donated by people. They sell items and the proceeds go to rebuilding low-cost housing. 
2. They have everything from sofas to side tables to washroom items. They are typically clean and have volunteers that come to help with running the stores.

How do I get internet at my place? 

There are different providers like Bell, Eastlink, Rogers etc. You can go to any local office and request a new connection. 

How do I get power at my place?

If you are renting a place and there were tenants before you, you will have to call the local power department to transfer the power connection to your name. 

Hope this helps you setup your new place!

Next Steps - 1) With your new home done, you might want to search for a new job, if you don't already have one. Here are some tips.

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Apartment search tips in Canada

Moving to a new country is a pretty big deal and so you need to plan on having initial accommodation in Canada. If you have relatives or friends in the area, consider requesting them for a few days. This is because getting a permanent apartment means that you have to sign a lease. Leasing an apartment means that you are bound to that place for a fixed period of time (typically a year) and you need to provide a bank check as security deposit. So, you have to choose wisely the apartment, which would work for your family.

What will you do if you don't have a friend/relative in the area?

When you arrive in Canada, you may not have an apartment. For the initial few weeks, consider renting an Airbnb. With Airbnb you get the flexibility of not being locked into a lease. You get more options in terms of size and reasonable prices. If you are moving permanently, you may have multiple suitcases. With Airbnb, we were able to get a place big enough for our family. The place we got via Airbnb also had a microwave and fridge. So we were able to do some basic cooking. Given that we were staying there for just about 2 weeks, it was a fine arrangement. Eating outside at all times would be expensive and so you can save a lot on food and rent with Airbnb. Different factors while choosing an AirBnB.

1. Choose an area which is closer to public transport i.e. bus terminal or train station initially.
2. Renting a car is expensive when you don't have credit history or own car yet.
3. If you land in the month of good weather then you can consider walking to the terminal for commuting.
4. Usually Airbnb rooms are popular because they are cost-effective. Consider booking it for 2 weeks so that you don't have to shift multiple times. 

Renting a permanent apartment

Having moved several times, we always recommend renting an apartment in a new area before buying a house there.  

1. Couple of things to note, while choosing your apartment -
• Apart from the rent, note what you are also paying for utilities like heat and water. You might have to pay additional for these. This is an expense you have to incur every month.
• Snow should be a consideration when you rent. Underground parking is a plus if you can afford it. You would have a slightly better winter.
• Public transport in the vicinity is a great option for winter. In winter, even if you have a car, if you can take public transport for commuting it is a luxury.
• Note that there isn't Uber in many provinces. In Halifax, we have good bus transportation. 
• Apartments have gymnasiums too. It is great during winter time.
• Watch out for reviews for the apartment complex, especially around security and infestation by bugs.
• Kitchen - You typically get microwave, cooking range, dishwasher and oven with the apartment.  You have to buy other appliances. 
• Washer and dryer - Not all apartments offer this facility. Sometimes these appliances are not in the complex and other times in the building itself. Consider winter for this decision. It is painful to go thru this errand when these appliances are out of your apartment. 
• Closets - These are very handy to keep your luggage. Ask the apartment manager about storage space so that you have options to store your non- daily use items or seasonal items. For example, your winter jackets and boots are useful only in winter and occupy space. So having storage space is useful.
2. Kijiji is usually the site that has a lot of ads on available apartments. The drawback of the site is that it takes 24 hrs for the updates to reflect. So if apartment status has updated to be unavailable you may not see it until 24 hrs. This was annoying.
3. The good thing though was that the apartment managers directed us to other constructions, those weren't listed on kijiji. 
4. You can get a range of the rent prices on kijiji. Very important because if you like the apartment and the rent price, you can sign it rightaway. Apartments go away very fast especially during June, September. 
5. With a temporary address and your CoPR, you can open up a bank account.  This is important because you need to give a bank check as a deposit. Credit cards don't work.
6. You will need to have a source of funds like job offer letter for your rent application to be approved.

Will I be able to rent an apartment without a credit history?

The answer is YES. So far, our experience has been great. Canada is a place which is very immigrant-friendly and they acknowledge the fact that immigrants are very hard-working. So they are typically welcoming. You can get it if you provide the security deposit i.e. a bank check and your source of income. Some leasing offices might have their own rules as well. They may ask you to pay an additional month of rent and ask for references, with whom they can do a background verification. You can put down a friend or your boss in Canada, who can vouch for you. Typically with a PR, you should have less resistance but be prepared to provide references. You can also keep reference letters handy that you may have procured as part of your express entry application.

There are month-to-month leases, which are easier to get. You can try for getting this type of lease. Hopefully by then you would get a job and that should be good enough for you to move into an annual lease!

Hope this helps you with getting an apartment.

Next steps -

• Furnishing your apartment 

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Job search tips in Canada - IT

Once you have been approved for PR, it is a very great high. But a few days later reality sinks in. You need a job! :) I will state my experience and then also give some tips that my friends did.

What was my experience?

Post AOR, I started applying for jobs. Initially, I had applied for every opening I saw but then got a few rejections either because I wasn't legally eligible to work in Canada (I hadn't got PR yet) or the companies didn't respond back at all. And then, I started using Linkedin Premium's intelligence. I started applying to smaller companies, which had lesser applicants. Linkedin displays competitive intelligence only when there are more than 10 applicants.  I then got a call from a Nova Scotia employer. I was still in the US, awaiting my PR. They had multiple rounds of interviews and so they were ready to wait for me. By the time the interviews were done, I got my PR and then told the employer that I was legally allowed to work in Canada. They gave me the offer and I got my happy ending.

What can you learn from my experience?

1. LinkedIn profile should be updated. Get recommendations from your previous jobs. You can also make yourself as available for new job by updating the headline in your profile. 
2. Make sure that your location is updated to Canada, whenever you move so that recruiters can approach you.
3. Your resume should be crisp and not more than 2 pages. I usually keep it at one page. This is because HR scans a lot of applications can you should stand out.
4. Look for the job duties listed in the job posting and look at your experience. Given that you don't have local experience, apply for jobs which are a good match for your experience.
5. Try different search engines - LinkedIn, Glassdoor, indeed, eluta, monster,workopolis, Neuvoo, Google search
6. If not a multi-national, make sure that you look up the ratings and reviews of the company. If it is in the "preferred employers of the area" list, then it is even better.
7. Apply for jobs that have lesser applicants or relatively smaller companies so that employers get back to you sooner. LinkedIn Competitive intelligence will help you immensely.
8. Write a custom cover letter to the employer in which you can explain your situation and relate your experience to the posting. This puts in a good impression to the employer that you have read about the company and posting.
9. A lot of job postings ask for Canadian experience. If you have experience in US, please highlight it in the cover letter. Personal experience so far is that the day-to-day culture is similar to US.
10. It might be a good idea to highlight your certifications in your resume. Plan to acquire one if you haven't.  Employers typically ask that. In your case, if you are new to the country and applying for your 1st job here, a certification in your role might offer a level of confidence to the employer about you. 
11. Given that you are new to the country, be prepared to provide international references for the prospective employer to contact. Some employers may contact the reference by phone or email. Prepare your reference folks accordingly.

Now, not everyone might have the above experience. I was remote i.e. in US when I got the job. You have better chances when you are in the country and have PR. But all the above tips apply.

What else can you do if you are already in the country?

Few of my friends also had the experience below -

1. They worked with local consultants, who already had network with different companies. They got placed in a short time after the consultants got an interview with the different companies.
2. You might find local companies whose jobs may not be on LinkedIn but you will know more about them when you interact with their employees or simply just see the building.
3. There are a lot of immigration services in the local community, which help with finding a job. However, it would be slower.
4. Local networking events - The province where you have landed, typically would have local networking events, which might give you leads of jobs that might not have been posted. For example, in Nova Scotia, we have a "Digital Nova Scotia" organization, which organizes seminars and events. It can be beneficial to engage with these.

Frequently asked queries! 

Good luck on your job search!

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Your 1st week in Canada - Things you need to do immediately!

You have recently immigrated. There are a few things you need to get started. These are the basis of practically your life here. What do you need to do immediately to get going?

How will you be identified uniquely by the government?

SIN - Social Insurance Number - This is your unique identifier number i.e. similar to SSN in the US or Aadhar number in India. This is very confidential. Please keep the document very carefully and do not share it with anyone. If you arrive on a weekday before 6 PM, you can get it done in the airport itself. If not, you would need to visit "Services Canada". All you need is your passport and COPR. The airport officials also provide the address to the nearest office. So, you can get it done easily. This is the most important item for you to be able to open a bank account or purchase a car or property or file taxes and practically everything! Every family member will have a unique SIN. It is just one piece of paper.

What if you fall sick?

Health card - With your COPR and SIN, you can get your Health card created. The SIN officers told us the address of the local office. The health cards are printed immediately in Halifax. In some provinces, it arrives in a few weeks. This is very important should you need medical assistance. In case of emergency call 911. This doesn't cover dental and vision insurance. Most employers provide dental and vision insurance but it totally depends on the company's benefit plan on how much they cover. If you don't have a job initially, you might want to plan accordingly (i.e. either get all the necessary procedures done before you come or purchase insurance).

How will you commute?

Depending on where you plan on moving, do research the modes of transport. Public transportation in Halifax was much better than what we have in the US (We were in North Carolina). A lot of folks (including us) use public transport to commute. It is definitely better in cities like Toronto and Vancouver. However, it is advisable to plan on having a car, if you can afford it. It is very handy for groceries and emergencies.

How do I get a driver's license?

1. If you have a US driver's license then it can be exchanged for the Canadian license. In the driver's license office (In Nova Scotia it is called "Access Nova Scotia"), you just need your US license and COPR to be able to get the Canadian license. They will have you fill a form and then you should get the temporary license immediately. The permanent license will be mailed to your address within a month. The validity of the license is the end date of your permanent residence card i.e. 5 years.
2. If you don't have a US driver's license then you are in for the longer route. You will have to study for a written exam and give a road test. You might consider getting driving lessons to learn the rules. On passing both tests, you would be given a temporary license. The permanent license will be mailed to your address within a month. The validity of the license is the end date of your permanent residence card i.e. 5 years.

How to open a bank account?

1. Your COPR, passport and address is all you need to open a bank account. The top 5 banks are Scotiabank, TD, BMO, CIBC. Typically they have some or the other offers going on but by and large they offer similar services. 
2. Long term, we recommend opening an account with Tangerine because there are no minimum balance charges and the online experience is much better. However, the drawback is that there is no branch and so if you have any issues you will have to call up their customer service. If you already have Canadian dollars while coming in then go for Tangerine!
3. You can deposit the money (cash or forex card) in the account. You don't get a good rate in the airport. So, get it done in either bank i.e. bank of the place you are flying from or in Canadian bank.
4. Without a bank account, you won't be able to rent an apartment either because they need a bank check as deposit. 
5. We got our debit card on day one itself. It helped us to get Costco membership. Costco just takes debit card.
6. Address on bank account - Since you have landed newly in the country, you may not have an address. Use a friend's or trusted person's address for the same. You can easily change the address later. This is important because unless you have an address, you cannot open a bank account or get a driver's license.  

How do I manage expenses until I start earning?

1. International credit card - Given that it might take a few weeks or months (if you don't have a job immediately) for you to get a credit card and you may have a few expenses to set up your home or buy a car etc., it is advisable for you to come in with your international credit card so that you don't have problems while settling down. If you don't have an international credit card and you use say your local credit card, you may incur heavy transaction fees. You might want to check that your credit card provider. 
2. Canadian credit card - In order to get a credit card, you need to have a bank account and 1 pay stub before the company can issue you a credit card. Since you don't have credit history initially, you would get a credit card with lower benefits i.e. less credit limit. However, after some time, you will qualify for better programs. You need to watch out for offers. Will write a separate post on that.

Next steps -

• Planning to rent a new apartment. Here are some tips.
• Here are some tips to get a job!
• Learn about Canadian banking basics.

Hope this helps you get started with your life in Canada!
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