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Nova Scotia Thread- Merged

AD Tech said:
Hello All

My family & I are posted this summer to Halifax MARLANT (near the dockyard?) and am interested in what kind of commute times we can expect to/from the various districts such as Bedford, Dartmouth etc; a general sampling of communities outside of Halifax.

Where are the "good" areas to live, IE: school districts, work, shopping etc.?

Thanks for your help.

So schools in Lr Sackville teach correct math, Beaverbank doesn't.  Hope that helps when it comes to picking schools...
 
Permit markers for me folks... rolling with the big boys now.
 
CdnArtyWife said:
bit of a hijack here, but I'd say Moncton has the most Tims per capita...

According to the website there are 27 Timmies in the greater Moncton area (Moncton, Dieppe, Riverview)

see for yourself ;D :cdn:
Agreed, lived there for 4 years.  Everywhere you turn, there's a Tim Horton's.
Regards.

Back on track here:
Most areas around Halifax proper are nice places to live. Clayton Park and Fairview at least have the bus system which will get you to Dkyd/ Stad in about half an hour.  I used to work in the Hill and it took me about 45 to get to the top.
Soo, bus - no bus?  Long drive-short drive?  Nice house and low taxes?  Old house and high taxes? {in town}  Don't buy the house next to Alexander Keith's place...no one can afford that house... ;D
Cheers, BYTD
 
I am posted to Halifax and am looking for info on the cost of property taxes and basic utilities.  Things such as Internet, Oil for heating, electricity.  Also, which is better:  Oil or electricity?  I am pretty much sold on living outside of Halifax proper so any and all info would be great.  I think I am leaning towards Sackville, Bedford, or Harrietsford.  Thanks a bunch in advance
 
AD Tech.....

you already had a thread going about your posting to Halifax, starting a new one was not necesary......i merged them

army.ca staff
 
Internet, cable and phone services...well some of them atleast.  I use Aliant for cell and Eastlink for cable/Internet.

http://eastlink.ca/specials/residentialbundles/

http://productsandservice.aliant.net/PS/ns/english/productsandservices/ps_1.jsp?section=1&bodycont=productsandservices%2fvalue.jsp&subsection=1&curbody=1&product_id=0

As for the rest, I am currently a ShackRat until my S/O is posted here so...I will bow out at this point.



 
AD Tech said:
I am posted to Halifax and am looking for info on the cost of property taxes and basic utilities.  Things such as Internet, Oil for heating, electricity.  Also, which is better:  Oil or electricity?  I am pretty much sold on living outside of Halifax proper so any and all info would be great.  I think I am leaning towards Sackville, Bedford, or Harrietsford.  Thanks a bunch in advance

Property taxes are going through the roof.  My own assessment in Dartmouth is up 26.6% in three years, and that's tame compared to some of the stories in the news.

You can view the assessment history of any property in the province at http://www.nsassessmentonline.ca/Main/Home.aspx.  Might help in your decision as to whether a property is over or undervalued.

Electricity is ridiculous.  NS Power has asked for and gotten three rate increases in five years, and should never have been privatized.  The only way I'd recommend electricity is if you're building your home and have ETS heating units installed, which qualifies you for time-of-day rates with NS Power.  Then you can save a few bucks.

Heating oil is running around $0.60/litre right now. 

Water is expensive, with about 1/3 of your bill being for actual water use.  The rest is for an environmental protection surcharge and a wastewater treatment surcharge.  They've gotta pay for the new sewage treatment facilities somehow, since dumping everything in the harbour isn't acceptable anymore, apparently.

For internet, go with Eastlink.  They have 10 Mbps service, while Aliant only has 5 Mbps service and is more expensive.  You can get your cable, telephone and internet bundled together for $112/mo from Eastlink, and that includes full tier cable and extra outlets for televisions, and all the calling features on your phone.  You also get a 15% discount on your Rogers cellular bill if you're an Eastlink customer.

Edited to add the link for nsassessmentonline.

 
You right about the NS Power being a den of thieves.

I am putting in a pellet stove this summer or borrowing a Herman Nelson.

Nova Scotia in general is ridiculous!!
 
AD Tech:

Couple of things to add for you to look into and ask about during your HHT.

Not all communities and areas have full Eastlink services so either ask the agent to confirm or call the service providers to confirm, I bought a house in an area that was excluded from the telephone service bundle and it was frustrating waiting for it to appear.  (I posted out before it ever got hooked up).  

There was a trend going on a few years ago with the insurance carriers for home insurance and forcing owners to update their oil tanks (if they were a certain vintage) before they would continue with coverage or even begin coverage.  The house I was in at the time, got caught in that scheme as I couldn't locate the invoice/proof of when it had been changed out by the previous owner and I had to replace a perfectly good tank with pretty much the same quality of tank before the house could be insured.  So make sure you inquire about the age of the tank and ask for proof of the update when you put in your offer.  

If you are heading out to the Harrietsfield area, then take note that besides testing your water source before purchasing, keep in mind that the water supply in the raw form from a well out there contains minerals that will grey a white shirt within 3 washings.  The houses out there really need a water conditioner and filter.  

The tax rate in NS is higher than Ont and once you arrive, see your pay clerk to bump up your remaining tax year deductions to account for that otherwise you'll in all likelihood end up owing.  

Property tax is a funny beast.  For the most part, the taxes you are made aware of during a house viewing/offer stage are in all likelihood based on what the current market value of the house *for the current owner* and what the properties have been sold at in the last tax year for that area.  So when you put in your offer of say 150K, and the house four doors down also sold for 155K but both houses had been previously sold for 110K, on the next tax assessment, those increased property values will be factored in in the calculations of mill rates.  So, going on what the current owner pays for their taxes isn't necessarily going to give you the rate at which you will be paying your taxes once your new property is assessed.  So, not only look at the property you are interested in and its sale record and tax rates, but also look at the area surrounding it, your agent can pull up those records for you.  

One other little quirky thing about property in Nova Scotia, it's been historically sold on the Grantor/grantee system and traditionally the land registry has been satisfied that a clear 40 year record is sufficient to convey the property and offer a quiet title.  In the last 5 years, NS has been moving towards converting over to the torrens land registry.  Many of the older properties in NS had their surveys done in chain measurements as well (that's always fun to try and figure out when you need to put up a new fence on a property line and yes, there are properties that actually still have rocks and tree stumps as their markers for their survey so ask to see a copy of the survey to know what your are potentially dealing with).  The conversion has not been without its problems and it's been slow to complete the conversion.  Be prepared for some delays in the conveyancing should the property you are going after falls in between being converted and on the old grant system.  

 
HFXCrow said:
You right about the NS Power being a den of thieves.

I am putting in a pellet stove this summer or borrowing a Herman Nelson.

Nova Scotia in general is ridiculous!!

Immersion heater for me. I think CFHA would not be pleased when the pipe has gone in the ceiling/roof.  ;D
 
The town of Bridgewater is going to be hosting a Red Friday Rally to support the troops. General Rick Hillier is one of the confirmed guests.
The parade kicks off at about 1:15 and march to the South Shore Exhibition Grounds.

http://www.redfridays.ca/bridgewater2008.htm

I had planned on attending, but unfortunately on Friday I'm going to be in Kentville sitting around the DMV waiting for my number to be called  :-\

Midget

 
Well, turns out I will be able to attend (as long as rain doesn't hamper the driving conditions too much).
Damn, I was looking forward to sitting in the DMV all day too. Shucks. Maybe next time.

Midget
 
Harley Sailor said:
Maybe I'll see you there.  I'll be the one in the top hat.

Abe Lincoln style top hat or one of those fancy new breed hats?  :blotto:

I'll be the one in a red shirt.  :p

Midget
 
uncle-midget-boyd said:
Abe Lincoln style top hat or one of those fancy new breed hats?   :blotto:

I'll be the one in a red shirt.  :p

Midget

Abe Lincoln with a red shirt.
 
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