We're moving again!

Big news this month, we have taken the plunge and finally bought ourselves a house in Prince George. It all happened very quickly, unnervingly quickly in fact. About three weeks ago we instructed a realtor. We gave him our desired locations. He then sent us details of 15 houses which met the spec. We lined up appointments to visit about 10 of them and within a week we'd found the one we wanted. The process of price negotiation, dealing with home inspectors, surveyors, lawyers etc. all went through the realtor who in our case has been excellent, well organised and demonstrated considerable experience. The best bit is that he gets paid by the seller.

The result? We hope to move into our new place in mid-March just before our current lease runs out. We could have moved much earlier as the conveyancing process is quick here in BC but March suits us and hopefully it will be warmer then and the snow melted with a bit of luck.

We fell for a house at the edge of town overlooking the city with fabulous views of the mountains behind. The plot isn't huge but we decided against acreage outside the city pretty shortly after the first major snowfall. The city snowploughs have their advantages after all, as do mains water, sewerage and refuse collection all of which aren't guaranteed outside the city limits. The house is well built (made of wood like all houses here in Prince George) and modern being only a year old. The downside is that its up a pretty steep hill which will make cycling to work fun in the summer and back home not so (but hey, it'll be good for me). Another good thing, due to the difference in house prices between the UK and Prince George, is that we will be mortgage free which will be one less thing to worry about (unless we decide to move back to the UK of course - no signs of that yet - sic).

Look out for more updates on the Canadian house buying experience but dare I say it and tempt fate, it's so far so good.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to everyone following this blog. I hope you managed to get some time off and a bit of a break. We ended up far busier than we expected being invited out for meals and parties. People are so friendly here. Karenza's sister Cheryl came to visit from the UK which was great as she got to experience a white Christmas in all its glory. Apart from a few days at -25 below when it was difficult to get out, we managed to go skating and sledding a few times which was tremendous fun. Now it's all returning back to normal. The kids restart school again today. I'm back at work in ultrasound this week and yes, it's still snowing.

Favourite things about Canada so far?

1. The snow - I love it. You can play in it and sled and ski on it.
2. The people - They're so friendly and welcoming particularly to foreigners
3. Prince George - It's a small city in size but seems to have everything found in a large city yet within a shorter distance. There's no traffic and the cost of living is much cheaper than in the UK or Vancouver.
4. The stunning landscape of BC. - mountains, lakes and rivers all on our doorstep.

Least favourite things?

1. The snow - particularly when you have to shovel a foot of it off the drive in the morning to get the car out.
2. The freezing cold temperatures - When it's -25 degrees outside, outdoor pursuits are off the menu no matter how many layers you put on.
3. The travelling distances to other cities - we're 4 hours drive from the next major city and 10 hours drive from Vancouver. Thankfully there is a local airport.

We're still enjoying it out here though and hoping to visit the UK in the summer. Happy New year again. I hope 2009 is a good one for you.