# Thinking about Edmonton and Calgary



## felicity kienstra (Jan 12, 2013)

Hi Guys! Thanks so much for looking at my thread...

My husband and I are thinking about moving to Canada and we are particularly interested in Edmonton and Calgary. We are having a baby in June and so would be looking to move in 2014. My husband is an experienced Project Manager and we have heard that the opportunities are good. The one aspect which is putting us off is the mortgage repayment costs. Although you seem to get more house for your money than in the UK, the monthly repayments seem more in Canada. We have looked at mortgage calculators but would love any more info on buying houses-how much deposit you need etc.

Also, we have two wonderful Duck Tolling Retrievers who we spend a lot of time with. We are looking for places which will be dog friendly. They are well trained (I am a dog trainer) but I have read that you are quite restricted in terms of letting them off the lead. I assumed this is in family parks but you will be OK to take them to the countryside?

Any info welcome! 

Thanks again


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## Jrge (Mar 22, 2011)

Hi,


felicity kienstra said:


> Hi Guys! Thanks so much for looking at my thread...
> 
> My husband and I are thinking about moving to Canada and we are particularly interested in Edmonton and Calgary. We are having a baby in June and so would be looking to move in 2014. My husband is an experienced Project Manager and we have heard that the opportunities are good. The one aspect which is putting us off is the mortgage repayment costs. Although you seem to get more house for your money than in the UK, the monthly repayments seem more in Canada. We have looked at mortgage calculators but would love any more info on buying houses-how much deposit you need etc.
> 
> ...


Welcome to the Forum!

First you need to sort out the basic: Employment, do you have an offer? How you do intend to come over?

Secondly, if you manage to find an sponsor -respectfully assuming this- and successfully y'all make it to Alberta, keep in mind that Banks or Mortgage lenders will often require a 35% down payment in order to give a foreigner a mortgage.

We don't have pets (we travel all the time), hence can't comment on that.

Animo
(Cheers)


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## Auld Yin (Mar 10, 2009)

As far as mortgage repayments I suspect you're not allowing for the exchange rate when looking at monthly costs on your calculators. Allowing for the exchange rate Canadian mortgage repayments are no higher than those in the UK. For buying a house the minimum D/P is 10% but if your newly here with no credit record then it would probably be 35%.
In Canada you cannot permit your dogs to run over other people's property. Farmers are permitted to shoot strange animals on their land. There are off leash parks for your dogs.


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## RGS (Jan 24, 2011)

felicity kienstra said:


> Hi Guys! Thanks so much for looking at my thread...
> 
> My husband and I are thinking about moving to Canada and we are particularly interested in Edmonton and Calgary. We are having a baby in June and so would be looking to move in 2014. My husband is an experienced Project Manager and we have heard that the opportunities are good. The one aspect which is putting us off is the mortgage repayment costs. Although you seem to get more house for your money than in the UK, the monthly repayments seem more in Canada. We have looked at mortgage calculators but would love any more info on buying houses-how much deposit you need etc.
> 
> ...



I don't think it's any more costly to get a mortgage in Canada as opposed to getting one in the UK. You may be doing the calculations wrong or missing some part. I do know that you do get substantially more living space in Canada for the same amount of dollars in the UK. I've heard this from several people I know who have moved to Canada from the UK.

As for your dogs, you can bring them over. See these link

Pet Immigration Rules Canada - Pet Passports Canada - Pet Travel

Dogs are to be confined to a fenced yard or on leash in big cities. You can take dogs for walks (in big cities) as long as they are on a leash. Small towns in Canada "may" be more lax (or forgiving) in their dog/pet rules. Most large cities have multiple "off leash" dog parks where you can take your dog and let him run free (within reason). If you happen by some chance to live on a farm or acreage, then your dog(s) are pretty well allowed to run free and are your responsibility to keep an eye on them... but that said, some neighbors may not like or appreciate your dog(s) running over and doing their "business" on their pristine green lawn, and may let you know that.


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## felicity kienstra (Jan 12, 2013)

thanks so much for all your replies, they're very helpful. The 35% deposit will be tough for us on the size property we will need. Think it may be back to the drawing board!


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## RGS (Jan 24, 2011)

felicity kienstra said:


> thanks so much for all your replies, they're very helpful. The 35% deposit will be tough for us on the size property we will need. Think it may be back to the drawing board!


As an option, you can obviously rent an apartment (flat) or house or condo until you get yourself established in Canada... and working. 

It may be easier to purchase a house with a minimum of 5% down through CMHC (Canada Housing and Mortgage).

Of note, you (may) qualify for a lesser down payment of 5% down through CMHC. See link here:

CMHC Quick Reference ? Mortgage Loan Insurance Products

But you should contact CMHC directly first to get more information to see if you would qualify, and what the requirements are for getting a mortgage via CMHC. Of note... CMHC does not directly give out mortgages... the banks and financial institutions are still responsible for that. But where CMHC comes in... is that they will guarantee the mortgage thereby taking some of the risk off of the banks.


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## felicity kienstra (Jan 12, 2013)

great, I'll have a look at that. Thanks


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