Buying back home in Canada

by Charlotte Ashton Canada

 

One family’s decision to own a home back where they grew up; it is an investment into their lifestyle and family across the pond…
 
Eileen and Phil Church along with their four children have recently returned from their winter break in Canada. They have, however, come back with more than just goggle eyes and photos for the family album… The Church’s have purchased a five bedroom lodge just north of Montreal, at Fiddler Lake, St.Sauveur, a location steeped in history for Eileen, with her family tree showing over three generations in the region including her close relations today. Living and working in Canada has a great appeal so it is easy to see why statistics are showing that the country as a place to visit, relocate and invest are growing steadily.
 
Eileen explains how she was bought up in Canada and how her family all ended up back on UK soil where they originally started; “When I was born my grandfather encouraged my father to take the family to the UK”, says Eileen. “At the time things in the Canadian teaching system were not as good as they are now, so when I was nine years old my father made the decision to relocate us all to Sheffield, England.” 
 
It was a giant leap for the family but despite the move Eileen still vividly recalls her early years growing up in Canada; “My memories of Canada centre on all the outdoor activities we were involved in. I had my first pair of skis when I was three years old.  In winter I remember skating on the outdoor ice rink at the City Hall in Toronto and in the Spring and Summer playing in the pool with my cousins and having fantastic family BBQ’s. One of my favourite memories is of waterskiing and fishing up at our cottage. It really was an amazing place to spend the beginning of my life.”
 
With a growing family of their own, aged from 6 to 19 years, Phil and Eileen have seized the opportunity to not only visit Canada to maintain their strong family ties with cousins still based out there but to also own their own property.  “Phil spends much of his working week in London away from home so having a house in Canada is proving to be a great bolt-hole for him and the rest of us to get away from the UK way of life and have some quality family time” says Eileen who is very much a homemaker.
 
Eileen and Phil have always been taught the importance of family and that is why as a couple they new it was important to maintain their relationships with their extended family across the pond and in turn discover more about their family routes.
 
Canada is one of the most diverse nations on the planet with well over 20% of the population in Ontario alone being foreign born. The UK takes the place as the largest visiting market with 2% increase in UK visitors in 2007. The ongoing efforts of CTC (Canadian Tourism Commission) are also adding to Canada’s worldwide appeal
 
It is not just young families that are looking to Canada though. In a recent survey Canada came first in the ex-pats Natwest Quality of Life Index with a score of 63%, with this high ranking due to its housing, the natural environment and the availability of consumer goods it is not surprising that a standard is being set for all generations to enjoy.
 
The Church’s hope to visit Canada at least 3 times per year and with the completion of there custom made property due this Summer, their home-from-home dream will become a reality.  “Buying this property has meant that we can marry both our UK and Canadian lives. With family in both we have a great opportunity and privilege to be able to show our children a different culture”, says Eileen. “We did think of relocating but due to the kids school commitments and Phil’s work we thought that this purchase would work the best for the family as a whole.”
 
Eileen and Phil have spent £375,000 on their property and are having an outdoor sauna and Jacuzzi built as well. “These features are pretty standard with this style of lodge and we are looking into the possibility of having a pool built as well. The kids really love it there and play with my cousins children. They get very spoilt and love getting involved with outdoor living much like what I experienced as a child.”
 
In a recent interview the Honourable Charles Lapointe, president of the CTC, who finished his 5 year term in office on the 1st December 2007, said “The government has injected funds into the general image of Canada over my term and this is now continuing with the promotion of Quebec’s 400th anniversary and the 2010 winter Olympics which will be taking part in Vancouver.”  Lapointe goes onto say: “The CTC and Canada’s tourism industry joined forces bringing the whole country together and ‘Canada. Keep Exploring’ is a slogan that permeates the CTC’s whole strategic approach to supporting the industry, and increasingly all the other parties getting involved as well” and ‘keep exploring’ is certainly what the Church family will continue to do too as the family grows and inspired by the country as a whole.
 
The Church’s bought their property through Undiscovered Properties and have been very pleased with every element of the process. Phil and Eileen go on to say “We did a lot of research when looking for the best deal and to be honest we couldn’t find one better. It was almost too good to be true and it really is rare to find a business that works with so much integrity.”
 
“The management services at the resort will be organizing rental management as well and will be looking after the maintenance of our property when we are not there. We have been given reassurances that when it comes to rental they have strict guidelines for the people they let use our property and we very much trust them with this side of things.”
 
The director of Undiscovered Properties, John Prior goes onto say, “Fiddler Lake is virtually sold out now but the same developer has started on Eagles Ridge Golf & Country Club, close to Mont Tremblant, Eastern Canada’s ski capital. This time a slightly more ambitious scheme is being started, with 400 properties in nearly 2000 acres of pristine rolling woodlands surrounding 5 freshwater lakes.”
 
The facilities in this project are also very impressive, with a Graham Cooke designed golf course and clubhouse, sailing club, equestrian centre, tennis courts and swimming pool, making this Canada’s premier destination for all the family. Properties each have either their own 1.5 acre direct lake frontage or large 3 acre woodland plots, with a choice of the same log style lodges as at Fiddler Lake or frame-build houses. Prices start from £249,000 for property and plot.
 
For your chance to walk in the steps of families like the Church’s and own you very own Canadian property contact Undiscovered Properties direct on 0870 7347968 or visit www.undiscoveredproperties.com

Following in the Footsteps of the Molson Family, Another Prosperous Project is Brewing in Canada

by Charlotte Ashton Canada

Canada’s oldest and arguably most well known and successful brewery was founded by a British emigrant and entrepreneur called John Molson back in 1786; Molson moved to Canada from Lincolnshire at the tender age of 18, fell in love with the Canadian province of Quebec, established Molson’s Brewery on the banks of St. Lawrence River in Montreal, made a family home on Mont-Tremblant and became one of the most highly respected citizens of Canada thanks to his philanthropic benevolence.

 
Not satisfied with simply starting and running one of the most successful breweries in North America, John Molson and subsequent generations of his family have been responsible for bringing the first railway into Canada, for introducing steam power into industry in Montreal, for building theatres, sports stadia and for being influential politicians across the nation.  And to this day, John Molson’s family are still proud to be at the helm of Molson’s Brewery, and John Molson himself was honoured recently for his contribution to Canadian life when his image was selected to be used on a postage stamp by the Canadian government.
 
The Molson family home on Mont-Tremblant, which is one of the tallest peaks in the Laurentian mountains in Quebec and which literally translates to mean ‘trembling mountain’, consists of a 265 acre prime and fabulous mountainside property.  Since the Molson family made it their home, the beauty and majesty of Mont-Tremblant with its forests, lakes and Alpine feel has been ‘discovered’; a pedestrian village and year round resort of the same name has been established at the base of the mountain, and now the name Mont-Tremblant is synonymous with one of the leading year round vacation and lifestyle resorts in the whole of North America – in fact, Mont-Tremblant has even been named the number 1 ski resort in Eastern North America by Ski Magazine eight consecutive times.
 
The Mont-Tremblant pedestrian village at the base of the mountain is unique among ski and summertime resorts in Canada because you don’t need any transportation for the duration of your stay, because the pedestrian-only streets are home to some of the most exquisite shopping, varied and high-end night life, fabulous après ski and excellent restaurants and bars in the vicinity, and because the whole village resembles a French Alpine community.
 
The village is at the heart of a greater community, a community where you can ski and snowboard in the winter, where you can hike, swim, fish, golf and enjoy the great outdoors in the spring and summer, and where in the autumn-time the entire wooded mountainside is transformed into a burning intensity of vibrant colour as the leaves turn golden and red and slowly fade and fall giving way to the winter snow once again.
 
Established well before the fame and fortunes of the resort and pedestrian village at Mont-Tremblant, the Molson family home naturally sits in prime position on the mountainside, and the acreage it covers was long coveted by the growing numbers of affluent residents and second homeowners in the region.  Many offers have been made for the purchase of the estate over the years, but it was only recently that the Molsons decided to sell.  Today, as a result of the sale, an incredibly well appointed and stunningly luxurious property development called La Grand Forêt is under construction on the former Molson estate.
The La Grand Forêt project will witness the creation of just 72 estate-sized homes set within 265 acres of virgin hardwood forest.  Each impressive and imposing property will sit on at least 3 private acres of land, be afforded spectacular and uninterrupted views because of their elevation, and benefit from world-class amenities and facilities within a gated community style, private residential community.
 
Within La Grand Forêt grounds there will be the Grande Clubhouse and swimming pool, a well equipped gymnasium, 20-acre park and trail system, basketball and tennis courts, children’s play area, volleyball area and putting green.  And within reach of the exclusive community, residents will have access to acres of untouched maple, cherry and pine forest, springs and lakes and streams, rock-climbing and water sports adventures, skiing, hiking and horseback riding.  There are also 7 championship golf courses locally as well as over 40 restaurants and shops in Mont-Tremblant village – all this less than an hour and a half from Montreal and its international airport.
 
Each of the individual properties at La Grand Forêt will be constructed with expert Quebec craftsmanship and using the finest natural materials such as local stone, wood and granite.  Every deluxe home will feature a fireplace, a two-storey great room with a vaulted ceiling and state-of-the-art appliances, and if you want to purchase one of the most sought after properties in one of the most coveted positions in one of the most popular and affluent areas of North America, you can choose to invest in a 3, 4 or 5 bedroom property at La Grand Forêt, with log homes starting from £403,000/€527,000 and timber homes starting from £442,000/€578,000.
 
For more information contact Undiscovered Properties on 0870 7347968, email contact@undiscoveredproperties.com or visit www.undiscoveredproperties.com.

“I don´t even know what street Canada is on”- Al Capone

by Charlotte Ashton Canada

Al Capone may have had trouble locating the world’s second largest country but according to recent statistics Canada has over 250,000 new immigrants discovering and arriving in the country each year.  Until recently, home ownership has proven difficult for new Canadians but with 20% of the population now being foreign born the government and banks have taken steps to make it easier for people to move swiftly into their very own homes.

“Mortgage insurers all over Canada are now offering products that will allow new immigrants to buy their homes with as little as 3% down,” states Glen Ward, a regional Invis business leader.

In a recent report published on the Canadian website migrationexpert.com which looks into the various aspects of migrating to Canada it states: “Immigrants are more likely than Canadian-born residents to spend more than 30% of their incomes on housing as they tend to live in large, expensive cities and usually have larger families.”
With a world screaming credit crunch but the ongoing desires of people that want to buy abroad still very fervent these facts are an encouragement to all those wanting to take the plunge and buy in the glorious country of Canada.
Ward concludes: “Compared to three years ago, there’s a lot more product in the marketplace that can be tailored to the needs of immigrants, allowing them to get into housing in Canada quicker and easier.”
John Prior, Director of property agent Undiscovered Properties, is frequently asked about the mortgage availability in Canada, he states: “Buying in Canada is similar to the UK. Payments are staged and all transactions are in Canadian dollars. Typically Canadian banks will lend up to 65% of the base property cost to overseas residents and preferential rates are available to clients at all of our available properties.”
For more information on properties available in Canada call Undiscovered properties on 0870 734 7968 or visit www.undiscoveredproperties.com.