An Expat Talks about Moving to Montreal, Canada

What is the name of the city or town that you are reporting on?

Montreal

Name three things that you wish you had brought and three you wish you had left at home.

1. My mother
2. More of my dinner service
3. The BBC

1. Our stereo equipment
2. VHS tapes
3. Most of our furniture

What advice would you give someone preparing to move to your area about the actual move, choosing a neighborhood and finding a home?

The most important thing is to ask advice from someone independent of the real estate sector. Real estate agents have a huge interest in selling you houses in the area they work and are rarely independent. Locals tend to be biased toward their own neighborhoods. The best advice will come from a relocation agent who is not tied to realtor who can show you all the good neighborhoods for a day, or ask other expats. TAKE YOUR TIME! Act in haste repent at leisure.

What type of housing do you live in? Is this typical for most expats in your area?

We live in a suburban estate not typical for expats as we have been here a while now. Most expats live near downtown or out on the West of the island.

How did you choose your neighborhood and find your home or apartment?

We are in our 4th home in 8 years, moving from rental to rental until buying 5 years ago. Our neighborhood was really decided upon by the schools available to us with Quebec's language laws. If we could use any schools we would live more downtown rather than in the burbs.

Are your housing costs higher or lower than they were in your home country? What is the average cost of housing there?

Housing costs are roughly half those of the UK. an average 2 storey house costs $226,000 dollars but is of course bigger than a similar house in the UK as they usually have finished basements.