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The Vancouver Thread

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    #92
    kronsington
    Registered Users Posts: 2,009 ✭✭✭kronsington


    How're ye lads.. Looking for a new place downtown from next month. Checking craigslist and other sources. If anyone has any ideas thoughts or knows anyone who might be looking to share or have a room to spare then please PM me. Thank you.

    Or anyone who reads these threads and is looking to share a place from sept/oct give me a shout on here. Cheers


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    #93
    Faith
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 30,657 Mod ✭✭✭✭Faith


    We arrived in Vancouver on Saturday. Gotta say, I'm loving the place! It's so easy to get around, everyone is so friendly, it's so clean and the weather has been great. Getting set up with our SINs, bank accounts and phone contracts was a walk in the park compared to home, and especially compared to the UK!

    We'd be up for pints at some stage too, but probably not until we're settled in an apartment. We're staying a bit far out at the moment :)


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    #94
    Faith
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 30,657 Mod ✭✭✭✭Faith


    Actually, we're thinking of viewing a few places in the West End. Has anyone any experience of living here? It's cheaper than Yaletown, but is it worth the money to live there? We're caught between wanting living space, and being near shops/bars/etc.


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    #95
    fergusb
    Registered Users Posts: 331 ✭✭fergusb


    I live in West End and love it there. I find people there are more friendly, there are more options for food, and nearer to the supermarkets (Safeway, No Frills etc). And its beside Stanley Park which is pretty handy.

    Personally I find Yaletown a bit sterile. I'm sure other people will think otherwise but thats my experience there.

    From the apartment point of view, West End apartments are older, so they may not be as fancy, but generally are a bit more spacious for what you pay for. Unfortunately the older apartments generally have shared laundry which is a bit of a pain but you get used to it.


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    #96
    shalalala
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,710 ✭✭✭shalalala


    I am torn between moving to Vancouver and victoria. I have somewhere to stay in victoria for a bit but I am a city girl and I don't want to feel removed from the hustle and bustle. Any tips?


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    #97
    Faith
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 30,657 Mod ✭✭✭✭Faith


    fergusb wrote: »
    I live in West End and love it there. I find people there are more friendly, there are more options for food, and nearer to the supermarkets (Safeway, No Frills etc). And its beside Stanley Park which is pretty handy.

    Personally I find Yaletown a bit sterile. I'm sure other people will think otherwise but thats my experience there.

    From the apartment point of view, West End apartments are older, so they may not be as fancy, but generally are a bit more spacious for what you pay for. Unfortunately the older apartments generally have shared laundry which is a bit of a pain but you get used to it.

    Yeah, we've decided against Yaletown because it's just too expensive for us really. Seems like West End, Kits, Fairview and maybe Mount Pleasant are the best contenders for the mix of good price and bustling location.

    We've been emailing people, but we're not getting too many replies so I think we'd be best off calling. We've one viewing lined up for later today, and one for Sunday. But from experience at home, you'd view 10 places before you'd find somewhere that suits.


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    #98
    fergusb
    Registered Users Posts: 331 ✭✭fergusb


    I'd recommend just walking around the area. most apartments will have signs up advertising space. We were looking for a few days online didn't find too much, and then just wandered around, viewed about 10 places which weren't online and found our current place that way.


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    #99
    LittleRxx
    Registered Users Posts: 3 ✭LittleRxx


    Moving to Vancouver in 4 weeks and when looking up bank accounts i found this one Tangerine (boards wont let me post link as i am new user), little to no fees at all! Passing it on for anyone who is interested and wondering if anyone is with Tangerine or if there is any horror stories?

    Also defo up for a few beers if you want to wait till after 23rd Sept!


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    #100
    Faith
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 30,657 Mod ✭✭✭✭Faith


    Just signed a lease for a lovely little 1-bed in the heart of Kits :). It was a little trickier than expected, getting a place. You have to fill out an application and just hope you get selected if it's a popular place. We applied for 3 yesterday - one was provisionally leased by the time we viewed it, and they confirmed this morning that the first person signed the lease. The second place haven't gotten back to us yet, they're apparently deciding tonight. We got the impression that we wouldn't stand a chance because we didn't have jobs though, and the building manager that we met wasn't involved with deciding what tenants got the place. The 3rd place was a winner straight away, and the building manager is also in charge of choosing who gets the place. We got on well with him, and he phoned us back this morning to offer us the place.

    It's definitely a disadvantage not being employed and not having local references when you're renting an apartment rather than a room, but it's definitely possible to find somewhere quickly.


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    #101
    Stinjy
    Registered Users Posts: 785 ✭✭✭Stinjy


    Question Faith if I may, and you don't have to answer but how much are you paying a month and does it include utilities or water or anything? just wondering as I'll be moving over in about 6 weeks and have been looking online, but it's hard to know whats good and whats not.. ya know..


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    #102
    Faith
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 30,657 Mod ✭✭✭✭Faith


    Stinjy wrote: »
    Question Faith if I may, and you don't have to answer but how much are you paying a month and does it include utilities or water or anything? just wondering as I'll be moving over in about 6 weeks and have been looking online, but it's hard to know whats good and whats not.. ya know..

    It's $1360 per month (for a 1-bed), and that includes heat, hot water and a storage locker. It's pricy enough, but the location is savage and the suite has just been completely renovated with all new appliances. We have to pay our own hydro (electricity), but apparently that's only $20-$25 dollars a month, and we'll have to arrange our own internet, but that's fine too.

    The was another place a few blocks away that's renting for $1250 and included everything, but it was TINY.

    Looking online before you come is grand, but we found places were snapped up instantly. For instance, a place went online on Wednesday afternoon, we viewed it on Thursday morning at 10am and they'll choose a tenant by this evening. The place we got went online at lunchtime on Thursday, and it was ours by lunchtime today.

    Do you know what areas you'd like to live in? If you come further away from the city, it gets quite a bit cheaper, but then you have the downside of having very few amenities around. We're staying on West 46th Ave at the moment, and it's a 10 minute walk to the nearest shop, 15 minutes to an off-licence, and 15 or so to any kind of commercial district.


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    #103
    ustari
    Registered Users Posts: 504 ✭✭✭ustari


    Is that furnished Faith?
    If so I think you are getting that at a good price so congrats!


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    #104
    Faith
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 30,657 Mod ✭✭✭✭Faith


    ustari wrote: »
    Is that furnished Faith?
    If so I think you are getting that at a good price so congrats!

    No, it's unfurnished*, but that's what we wanted. Years of sleeping on lumpy mattresses has meant we're more than happy to buy a bed and a couch :D.

    *It has kitchen appliances - fridge, freezer, dishwasher and oven/hob.

    According to padmapper, it's about the median price for the area :)

    Oh yeah, those of you who are still to come, if you're not already using it, start using padmapper.com. It makes house hunting WAY easier!


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    #105
    Faith
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 30,657 Mod ✭✭✭✭Faith


    Faith wrote: »
    It's definitely a disadvantage not being employed and not having local references when you're renting an apartment rather than a room, but it's definitely possible to find somewhere quickly.

    I think I stand corrected on this. We just got a call offering us the other apartment we'd viewed, and the management company of the first place we viewed (where a lease was signed by someone else just after we viewed it) offered us a different apartment if we wanted it. So actually, we're 3 for 3 despite not having jobs, credit or local references.


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    #106
    Scruffy19
    Registered Users Posts: 237 ✭✭Scruffy19


    Faith wrote: »
    I think I stand corrected on this. We just got a call offering us the other apartment we'd viewed, and the management company of the first place we viewed (where a lease was signed by someone else just after we viewed it) offered us a different apartment if we wanted it. So actually, we're 3 for 3 despite not having jobs, credit or local references.

    Theres not many places that will take you on with out having them so congrats :D

    Check craigslist for free stuff, you can get a lot handy stuff there to get you started!


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    #107
    Stinjy
    Registered Users Posts: 785 ✭✭✭Stinjy


    Faith wrote: »
    Do you know what areas you'd like to live in? If you come further away from the city, it gets quite a bit cheaper, but then you have the downside of having very few amenities around. We're staying on West 46th Ave at the moment, and it's a 10 minute walk to the nearest shop, 15 minutes to an off-licence, and 15 or so to any kind of commercial district.

    I was looking at Kerrisdale, gran lives on W39th and I'm pretty familiar with that area as i lived there as a kid. kits would be lovely but its a tad pricy I was looking at padmapper and anywhere out as far as burnaby would be grand. The public transport is good enough to get me where i need to go.. but I may branch out further .. depends on how I do with getting a job and how stable it is.. but thats great info! Thanks for that :)


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    #108
    Faith
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 30,657 Mod ✭✭✭✭Faith


    We considered Kerrisdale briefly as well, but we were afraid that it was too far out and we'd get isolated. With no friends and no jobs at the moment, we wanted to be somewhere with a lot going on. But if you have family over here, that's great!


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    #109
    Stinjy
    Registered Users Posts: 785 ✭✭✭Stinjy


    Yeah, see I don't want to be too isolated either! once I'm within easy distance if she needs anything I don't really know what the "good" areas to be in are really for socialising and the like.. I guess that's something I'm just going to have to work out by walking around and getting to know people :) Though your positive messages so far have been very reassuring and making me want to leave right this minute :)


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    #110
    Faith
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 30,657 Mod ✭✭✭✭Faith


    Stinjy wrote: »
    Yeah, see I don't want to be too isolated either! once I'm within easy distance if she needs anything I don't really know what the "good" areas to be in are really for socialising and the like.. I guess that's something I'm just going to have to work out by walking around and getting to know people :) Though your positive messages so far have been very reassuring and making me want to leave right this minute :)

    We're in Oakridge right now, so not too far from Kerrisdale. It's close enough to a skytrain line - about a 10 minute walk for us. That makes it quite handy for getting in and out of downtown anyway. It's just if you're somewhere that's not on a Skytrain line (like Kits), it's a pain to get back here. If you went out for a few drinks and had to get home on your own, it could involve two buses and a bit of walking, which is off-putting for me anyway at night.

    Definitely have a walk around when you get here and get a feel for the place. After a week here, I can say that I would happily live in Kits, West End and Fairview/South Granville because they all have so many amenities. Yaletown and Gastown don't do much for me in terms of living there, although you can't argue with the location. I haven't been out towards UBC yet, nor around Commercial Drive.

    Of course, it depends where you're likely to be working too!

    But I'm glad you're getting excited about coming. We got very nervous in the last few weeks before we left, but we both love it here so far. We did the Hop On/ Hop Off bus tour today and it was amazing!


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    #111
    Stinjy
    Registered Users Posts: 785 ✭✭✭Stinjy


    Faith wrote: »
    We're in Oakridge right now, so not too far from Kerrisdale. It's close enough to a skytrain line - about a 10 minute walk for us. That makes it quite handy for getting in and out of downtown anyway. It's just if you're somewhere that's not on a Skytrain line (like Kits), it's a pain to get back here. If you went out for a few drinks and had to get home on your own, it could involve two buses and a bit of walking, which is off-putting for me anyway at night.

    Definitely have a walk around when you get here and get a feel for the place. After a week here, I can say that I would happily live in Kits, West End and Fairview/South Granville because they all have so many amenities. Yaletown and Gastown don't do much for me in terms of living there, although you can't argue with the location. I haven't been out towards UBC yet, nor around Commercial Drive.

    Of course, it depends where you're likely to be working too!

    But I'm glad you're getting excited about coming. We got very nervous in the last few weeks before we left, but we both love it here so far. We did the Hop On/ Hop Off bus tour today and it was amazing!

    Yeah I'm gathering that theres much more to be thought about! I'll have to make a list of the areas and just wander. :)

    Being nervous is all part of it but once youre both happy to be there :) good call on the bus tour - I'm sure it brought you to the BC Lions arena and Rogers arena? -This is what I most look forward to- icehockey!!


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    #112
    Faith
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 30,657 Mod ✭✭✭✭Faith


    We haven't seen the arenas yet (except in the distance) because they're not too high on our my priorities list :)


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    #113
    Stinjy
    Registered Users Posts: 785 ✭✭✭Stinjy


    Faith wrote: »
    We haven't seen the arenas yet (except in the distance) because they're not too high on our my priorities list :)

    Ah right! My first thing to do will be to go see a hockey game! I'll be on my own so ye will all be welcome to join me :)


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    #114
    MarkJD
    Registered Users Posts: 802 ✭✭✭MarkJD


    Myself and the wife been here since Saturday 23rd... First few days have absolutely flew in as we have a car rental which is only until Monday so we been spending loads of time in Ikea / Canadian Tyre / Walmart getting all our stuff ordered etc. Did the walk through of our apartment on the first day down on Robson St right beside BC Place arena but currently in a short term rental on Seymour until we get our internet (need for work) and place set up. Love the city so far amazing that most the streets are lined with trees and the setting in the background of the mountains is beautiful. We have been so run off our feet we haven't really got to explore and I was working from today but we will definitely catch up on it all soon. Loving the area where we are, rent is high but we didnt mind for the first year at least to be central and get a feel for the place. Iv no idea of the public transport as we have had no need yet but will have to check it out soon.

    Looking forward to be able to relax and enjoy the city after this initial crazy 2-3 weeks :)


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    #115
    Stinjy
    Registered Users Posts: 785 ✭✭✭Stinjy


    [quote="MarkJD;91907582" Did the walk through of our apartment on the first day down on Robson St right beside BC place [/quote]

    Those apartments looked fab, walked by them last year! Good spot too.. :)


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    #116
    Faith
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 30,657 Mod ✭✭✭✭Faith


    Mark, how long is it taking to get internet sorted, and did you go with Shaw or Telus? We've just gotten our keys today and are planning on moving in on Wednesday or Thursday and it's hard to tell how long it'll take.


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    #117
    DJ Hafez
    Registered Users Posts: 948 ✭✭✭DJ Hafez


    Faith wrote: »
    Mark, how long is it taking to get internet sorted, and did you go with Shaw or Telus? We've just gotten our keys today and are planning on moving in on Wednesday or Thursday and it's hard to tell how long it'll take.

    Both Shaw & Telus are always busy at the end of the month so it could be upto a week - Call as soon as you can though and say you'll accept a cancellation and it shouldn't be too long - maybe a couple of days.

    If you can, try and get Novus - they're a lot cheaper and the service is much better. Unfortunately, they're only available in a few places downtown. http://www.novusnow.ca/check-availability/


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    #118
    ustari
    Registered Users Posts: 504 ✭✭✭ustari


    We've Novus in our building luckily enough, go with them if you can, apparently far and away the best ISP.


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    #119
    Faith
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 30,657 Mod ✭✭✭✭Faith


    Novus aren't out in Kits yet :(


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    #120
    micayla
    Registered Users Posts: 872 ✭✭✭micayla


    I'm heading over in 3 weeks, I'm heading over on my own so am looking for shared accommodation, haven't seen it mentioned on the thread but I've been looking on easyroommate.com if anyone else is going it alone and want shared housing. Getting pretty excited! Cheers for this thread, it's really helpful :)


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    #121
    MarkJD
    Registered Users Posts: 802 ✭✭✭MarkJD


    Ye we are lucky that Novus is in our building so we are going with them. Im just a bit concerned that not a lot of good ISPs seem to provide an unlimited package. Wondering how likely we are to go over 750GB. I game a bit and we would easily stream 1-3 shows a night... Will just have to wait and see.

    Ye Stinjy really enjoy the area although there was a football game on Saturday and around the building got a bit mental but great atmosphere alot of roads were closed but we were ok as residents... Not sure if we will do 2 years as its expensive but just really wanted to enjoy our first year :)


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