A ways back I wrote about moving to Nova Scotia from a land of Boom and Bust: Alberta. Now that North America is digging itself out of the latest recession, it's time to reflect on what we found here and what keeps us from going back. Is it the scenery...? Check out the YouTube video below. Is it the people? Just ask my co-workers at the family oriented brokerage, or my husband's coffee roastery clients. They'd likely say "BOTH".
We considered British Columbia 13 years ago, and made a few buying trips even. Little did we know that the Whistler cafe we decided against pursuing would be the site of the 2010 Olympics!! However, the other opportunities on Vancouver Island seemed also 'not quite right'. It felt like the active Lifestyle went 24/7 -- because it did! Not much of an escape from the rat race of Calgary.
Then while looking on the Internet (way back in 1996) a chance link from a mountain biking site in BC, to a cycling site in the Maritimes, caught my eye. The scenery was stunning. The tourism descriptions were envious. And the real estate was either gorgeous or so affordable my jaw dropped.
So taking the plunge cold turkey, we came to stay. "It was a cold and stormy night" when we rolled into Dartmouth and almost turned around. Having never seen a downtown developed over 300 years, it was chaotic. However living in a B&B in Halifax for 3 months while searching for 'home' was almost like a mini-vacation. The Valley , which had caught our attention online with it's Victorian mansions and cheap land ended up feeling too isolated.
The South Shore of Nova Scotia however, had less heat & humidity and more mix of old and new. The tourist favoured areas were quiet, since it was winter. The beaches were heavenly... solitude and sand dunes. Even in the summers they are unspoilt by vendors or fees! There's also more lakes here than people -- almost. So many waterviews, so little time. Well, actually though, time ticks slower in NS. It's pretentious to quote, so i'll just summarize this saying, that belongs to someone else: "We're so far behind here, we're ahead".
Think about that. A sluggish but stable economy... little crime... also some stores that still close on Sundays. Even us REALTOR(R)'s have a Life, despite what those Canadian commercials say. So if you find this appealing, feel free to contact me about moving here, even part of the year. Lunenburg County prices are down 6% according to Canada Mortgage and Housing as of March 2010. If you can be even further from the airport, the deals increase. Check out my other blogs for more photos, and talk to you soon!
~Bettina
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