# Furnishing an apartment



## snjm (Apr 22, 2010)

I will rent an apartment, is it regular to find a furnished apartment to rent ? or it will be very expensive rental ? anyway, I think normal is unfurnished apartment. can you tell me your experience in furnishing an apartment of 2 bedrooms, and a living room? 
I would prefer to leave my furniture in my country and not ship it here, so would like to know how much does it cost to furnish my un-furnished rental or would it be worth renting a furnished one ? 
Thanks


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## snjm (Apr 22, 2010)

I am wondering why the forum is silent ? is my question too hard, I assume that most viewers here have no experience with Canada in general and they are just like me .


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## Kea (Apr 26, 2010)

snjm said:


> I will rent an apartment, is it regular to find a furnished apartment to rent ? or it will be very expensive rental ? anyway, I think normal is unfurnished apartment. can you tell me your experience in furnishing an apartment of 2 bedrooms, and a living room?
> I would prefer to leave my furniture in my country and not ship it here, so would like to know how much does it cost to furnish my un-furnished rental or would it be worth renting a furnished one ?
> Thanks


Renting a furnished apartment will cost you 50-70% more. Unfurnished is the norm, but what "unfurnished" means depends on what city you're in. In Montreal, you will need to provide your own fridge and stove. Everywhere else I've lived (Calgary, Vancouver, Victoria, Toronto), those appliances are included. In general if you're going to be living in a place for more than a year you'll be better off getting an unfurnished place and buying your own stuff. It's also cheaper to buy all new furniture than it would to be to ship furniture from overseas for a 2 bedroom apartment. Obviously how much it would cost depends on the type of furniture you get. Try checking out some furniture websites for a general idea of what it would cost. Ikea.ca is a good place to start.


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## louiseg (Nov 17, 2007)

snjm said:


> I will rent an apartment, is it regular to find a furnished apartment to rent ? or it will be very expensive rental ? anyway, I think normal is unfurnished apartment. can you tell me your experience in furnishing an apartment of 2 bedrooms, and a living room?
> I would prefer to leave my furniture in my country and not ship it here, so would like to know how much does it cost to furnish my un-furnished rental or would it be worth renting a furnished one ?
> Thanks


Rental costs will depend on what city you are planning to move to, the demand for rentals in that area, etc.
As Kea mentioned unfurnished is much easier to find.
In our experience we found buying all new to be more expensive than shipping our own stuff over. Its surprising how much it costs to buy every thing you need when you think of all the kitchen items etc, its not just the big furniture pieces to think of. Plus if you are selling all your stuff you'll get not much for it.

That said if you really decide its not worth bringing, there are very good thrift stores and pre-owned bargains around. My estimation would be $5000 - $10000 to completely furnish a 2 bedroom apartment.
Good Luck Louise


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## snjm (Apr 22, 2010)

louiseg said:


> Rental costs will depend on what city you are planning to move to, the demand for rentals in that area, etc.
> As Kea mentioned unfurnished is much easier to find.
> In our experience we found buying all new to be more expensive than shipping our own stuff over. Its surprising how much it costs to buy every thing you need when you think of all the kitchen items etc, its not just the big furniture pieces to think of. Plus if you are selling all your stuff you'll get not much for it.
> 
> ...


Thanks Kea and Louise for your valuable reply. I will work in Markham. Given that which area you would suggest to rent an apartment with all amenities: Indoor Pools, Gym/Exercise room, Parking, Security 24 hours, Kids area and etc. I would prefer to be based in an Area with top-notch and high rank schools for my daughters and close to daily life requirements of shopping for food, groceries and shopping malls, and also not at an isolated area. Thanks in advance for your replies.


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## louiseg (Nov 17, 2007)

Sorry I'm not familiar with that area at all. I would suggest you get in touch with a Realtor in Markham and they will be able to suggest areas that have the amenities you require.
Whilst you are not buying a house at the moment they may be willing to help you, in the hope when you are in a position to buy that you will use their services.


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