Topic: Nova Scotia Thread- Merged

[Lumber]

First, what job did you have in SA? I didn't even know we had posting in SA...

Anyways, Halifax is a great community. Maybe it's because it's the next major city in 10hrs away (Quebec city.. sorry NB), but everyone seems to feel like your neighbour. It's the "East Coast Feel" that you'll learn to recognize.

Traffic, on the other hand, SUCKS. You'll be driving to work and hear on the radio "no major traffic delays to report", but yet you're in bumper to bumper traffic. This is because bumper to bumper traffic is what is typical.The Halifax "peninsula" has only 5 routes in or out of it: 3 intersections of several roads and the 2 bridges, which end up becoming huge bottle necks.

If you hate dealing with traffic and/or long commutes, then I would definitely recommend carefully considering where you live.  If you're going to be working in Halifax, and HATE commuting, then live on the peninsula. Halifax, I found, is very "patchy" when it comes to nice and not-so-nice areas. The south end is definitely nice, except near some of the student ghettos, and the North end is mostly ok, with some areas much nicer than others. So, you'll have to shop around, because you can find a nice place to live jut about anywhere on the peninsula. Clayton park is a really nice area, but it's just off of the peninsula, which means going through those bottle necks in the morning. If you're going to be working in Shearwater, then there are lots of options. Eastern Passage, Cole Harbour, Dartmouth, etc. There is still a lot of traffic but your commute will not be as long.

If you don't mind long commutes, then there is always Bedford, Sackville, Fall River and Waverly, and a whole bunch of other small communities surrounding Halifax.

As for motrocycling, there are a lot of great places to ride, especially the Cabot Trail. as for groups, a lot of guys on my ship were members of the Veterans UN-NATO club of Nova Scotia: http://www.veteransunnatons.org/who-we-are.

Also, taxes suck, insurance is great, DONAIRS DONAIRS DONAIRS.

[Lumber]

Oh, also...

[Eye In The Sky]

The sucky part about where to buy/live is the 'posted to Halifax, work in Halifax then get moved to the other side of the harbour' later on. 

I bought in Eastern Passage, but had to work on the dockyard some.  When I worked Shearwater, I was 5 minutes from driveway to parking lot.  When I had to go across the bridge, I planned on an hour in the morning.

I worked with a person who'd been on the dockyard side, but then got moved over to Shearwater, and she lived in Timberlea.  Long sucky commute each way every day. 

Overall, IMO definitely more pro's than con's.  If it weren't for the provincial taxes I would likely retire someone in the area...

[Dimsum]

First, what job did you have in SA? I didn't even know we had posting in SA...

Judging by the profile picture, I'll hazard a guess and say s/he is an MP in the Embassy. 

I was shocked at the taxes here compared to BC.

[Scott]

Cabot Trail, Ceilidh Trail, Sunrise Trail (starting in Antigonsih and heading around Cape George, then onwards) are three musts, if you ask me.

When I worked in the city (Burnside as well as Imperial and Ultramar sites), I lived in Brookfield out toward Truro. I'd be 40 minutes on any given day barring snowstorms and wrecks. I worked with guys living in the Lucasville or Prospect area who could be that much or more, depending. Between Lantz and Truro are some damned good prices to be had, if you don't necessarily require city living.

[Wolf1412]

thanks for the info guys. And yes Dimsum I am a meathead. Have been doing Embassy Security in Pretoria since 2012 and returning to Canada this APS. Believe my office is in Halifax, downtown area so looking to live in that area. Not going to purchase as not sure how long I will be in Halifax, 29 years in so pulling pin is an option if not happy. I did not realize Halifax received PLD.

so looking to rent a simple one two bed apartment close to work or even a small PMQ, needs are little just want a comfortable place to lay my head. As for the biking looking forward to exploring the East Coast, been riding SA for the last 4 years and has been fantastic but the heat can wear you down. Have my UN NATO Vets Patch and have attended many Rally's and Jol's (Day Parties) fun when a Afrikaner ask if I am really from Canada.

any other suggestions for bike insurance, internet/cable/phone would be appreciated.

Again Thanks all

[Eye In The Sky]

Believe my office is in Halifax, downtown area so looking to live in that area. Not going to purchase as not sure how long I will be in Halifax, 29 years in so pulling pin is an option if not happy. I did not realize Halifax received PLD.

so looking to rent a simple one two bed apartment close to work or even a small PMQ, needs are little just want a comfortable place to lay my head.

I am guessing that work would then either be in Windsor Park on the upper end of Windsor Street, or the location down off Hollis.  Travelling would be easier from 'in' Halifax then, rather than having to cross a bridge.

If you want to stay in / close to the downtown area, the South End is quite nice and close to all things.  The waterfront/pubs/restaurants, Point Pleasant Park, Metro Center (whatever it is called now), etc.  It is also far enough away from most of the university student rental areas to avoid their goings-on.

PMQs are limited on the Hfx side but are very close to Windsor Park, a 2 minute walk kind of close IIRC.  Most PMQs are over in Shearwater and that would mean doing the bridge if driving.  I worked at a downtown location close to Hollis while living in the Shearwater Qs and used to bike to the Woodside Ferry terminal to get across in the spring/summer.  Nice way to end the day taking the ferry back across.

There are a lot of different options for renting an apt in Halifax proper, it really depends how close to work and the downtown core you'd like to be.

Ref the attached pic:

- the red circle is the approx. area Clayton Park is located.
- the red square is the South End area.
- the red A is the Windsor Street work location.
- the red B is the approx. location down off Hollis Street.

[Lumber]

any other suggestions for bike insurance, internet/cable/phone would be appreciated.

For interent cable/phone, you basically have only two options: Eastlink and Bell. At one point both were interchangeabl; however, which each of them has internet plans that are priced the same (i.e. a "basic" plan for ~$75, and "Intermediate Plan" for ~$90), Bell now offers internet that is way faster than east link for the same price. For example, right before I left, Eastlink's basic plan was $69.99 a month for internet that was 20mbps, while Bell's Fiber Op was $74.99 for 75mbps. almost 4x the speed for $5 more? Yes please!

As for TV and Phone, both offer packages where you get all three at a discount for the first couple months (usually around $99) and then it goes up to around $135 per month or more, depending on which packages you get.

[Spectrum]

While we are on the topic of NS, how hard is it to re-sell a home in Halifax? Is it comparable to somewhere like Ottawa or Kingston? What about Greenwood? I'd assume it's a tougher market to sell in?

Are the taxes really that bad? Are we talking Quebec level taxes? I'm going to do some research but if anyone has a simple answer, it would be appreciated!

[NavyShooter]

If you're looking at real estate in Halifax, I suggest going to viewpoint.ca   it's a free website that has all of the MLS listings, with a WHOLE lot more info.  Create a free account (minor spam) and can even look at property taxes and sales history on houses, see what they bought for, sold for, etc.  Pretty neat.

In terms of market?  Well, selling a house out here is currently a slow process.  We carrried 2 mortgages for 5 months, and were happy to sell when we did.  There are still homes on the market from 2 years ago when we sold ours, and they're now selling for 50K less and still sitting there. 

NS

[cupper]

If you are going to be working downtown (Hollis Street), there are several new apartment buildings opening up just up from the Woodside ferry on the Shearwater end of Mount Hope Avenue just off the Circumferential Highway (Rte 111).

My parents moved in to a new building in that area a couple of years ago. Nice apartments. Location is convenient, especially if you end up over in Shearwater as well. Right on bus routes, Grocery story, Pharmacy, Hardware Store right there. And easy access to the major highways if you want to get out of town on days off.

[Spectrum]

Sounds like a brutal market out East. I guess renting might be the way to go as. I had figured as much. Thanks guys!