FAQs

+ Where should I live in the Maritimes?

The first thing on your buying “to do” list? Focus on location. Determining your geography will bring a lot of common sense questions. What’s your budget? Will you need to commute for work? Are you looking for urban, rural, a combo… or just a small level of remoteness, with proximity to a city or town? That, in turn, will help you gauge your level of sociability. And, of course, if you have school-aged children, there is a lot to consider.

The ability to work remotely opens up many options for finding the ideal life-work balance.

For example, in Nova Scotia, we typically start with this question: Do you want to be close to Halifax? Or, how far from Halifax do you want to be? A 30- to 40-minute commute to the city is attractive for many. The criteria are so different for everyone. The question is: What is most important to you. If your answer is: Close to the ocean! — well, we have good news for you. Absolutely anywhere in the province is less than an hour from shore — in most cases, the trip is 15 minutes or less.

(Fun fact: You are always less than 60 kilometers from the ocean.)

There are other hubs in the province to consider. The South Shore encompasses Lunenburg, Chester, Bridgewater and Liverpool. The Annapolis Valley (aka, The Valley) is centred around the towns of Wolfville and Kentville. The North Shore is a little more diverse in geography, with the village of Tatamagouche becoming an active community both for locals and those new to the area. The Eastern Shore is a quieter, less populated zone once you head east of the Porter’s Lake and Lawrencetown communities. Lastly, there’s scenic Cape Breton, with Sydney as its largest city (population of about 30,000). Other pretty spots to consider include Baddeck, Inverness and Ingonish.

+ How long will it take us to find a property?

High demand for inventory of homes is anticipated to continue into 2024 as more look East for lifestyle factors and housing opportunities. To make things easy, we suggest signing up for our automated MLS property alerts, for the area(s) of your choice and connect with us to let us know about your preferred timing and what you are looking for on your new home “wish list”. We’ll help you find it!

+ What is the current market like right now?

We are in the midst of an historic real estate boom that is stretching across Nova Scotia and the other Atlantic provinces. In the early part of spring 2020 there was an expectation that real estate might take an extended pause during the uncertainty of the pandemic. In fact, it’s been the opposite.

Multiple factors have accelerated growth and demand: a low inventory of homes, increasing remote work options, low interest rates, and our success in fighting the virus compared to other areas — all of these have combined to boost the market here.

A forecast of increasing immigration and the notable return (in Nova Scotia) of native Bluenosers is expected to apply more pressure to the market. These conditions are continuing in 2024. If you’re planning to downsize, relocate or invest in the coming year, it’s never been more important to be organized and well informed. We love to chat real estate, so feel free to get in touch anytime.

+ What are the main steps in buying a home?

1. Connect with a reputable real estate team — that’s us! So you can cross that off your list.

2. Let us help you evaluate your criteria and match you with the province, region and neighborhood that fits. Do you need to be close to school district? Do you need the bustle of a downtown city core or do you prefer something in an out-of-town oceanfront property? There’s so much to consider, and we can help.

3. We provide you a shortlist of properties. The more you see early on the better. With each viewing you should develop a clearer idea of the criteria that are most important to you. Streamlining the search into specific types of properties, styles, and neighbourhoods will allow you (and us) to hone in on the very best match for you.

4. Contact an experienced mortgage professional. It’s so important to fully understand your financial comfort level early on. Banks and lenders have been moving a little slower during the current situation and so it is more important than ever to have all of documents at hand to avoid any frustrating delays.

5. Try to look ahead. Are there other dates on your calendar that will impact the timing of your move? We always recommend working backwards from your preferred closing date. If you’re tied up with a family wedding, or with study or travel, be sure to allow yourself enough time to avoid unnecessary stress.

6. If you presently own your own home you’ll have to decide the best, and most effective, path forward. In a busy market it’s critically important to line up the dominos in a way that will get you into your new home with the least amount of stress.

There are three general approaches to making the transition.

Start by selling your current home. Negotiate a longer closing date with the understanding that you may need to rent for a period while familiarizing yourself with your new area.

Find a local property and offer to buy contingent on the sale of your current property. While this appears to be the least stressful option it can be a challenge depending on the strength of the market. If competition is high, a “conditional” offer won’t be as attractive to the seller. As well, sellers often feel such a condition warrants a price premium. You may also feel pressure to sell given your timeline, which can mean selling for less than you would like.

Buy first, then sell or rent your current home. If you are financially capable and comfortable with the prospect of owning more than one property at a time, it’s a simple and stress relieving option.

+ Are many people buying without visiting and seeing the property?

Absolutely, yes! Technology has been a huge driver, allowing virtual tours, Skype viewings, Zoom meetings and so on.

While buying “sight unseen” so to speak is not ideal, we feel it can work — depending on both the type of property being considered and the personality of the purchaser.

New construction, condos and some suburban homes can be pretty straightforward to visualize, while rural properties and cottage are much more “feel-oriented.” It’s helpful if friends or family can act as an extra set of eyes. (And some relish the responsibility!) We do prefer having the buyer view the property in person in almost every circumstance, and especially when bidding on a property in a multiple offer situation. Your price is influenced by market value, of course, but also the “how much do you love it” factor. However, if that is not possible we will be here to assist and help guide you through the process to make your new home a reality.

+ What is the cost of living in Nova Scotia?

Nova Scotia has some of the most affordable costs of living in Canada. Halifax ranks 102nd out of 427 cities in the world for affordable living.

A sample of comparative costs (REF: workfromnovascotia.com):

• Average four-person monthly rent: $4,045
• Single person monthly rent: $1,850
• Local transportation $2.50
• Internet (60 mbps or more, unlimited data, cable/ADSL), monthly $92
• Fitness club, monthly fee, one adult $64
• Preschool, Full Day, Private, Monthly for one child $836
• Apartment (one bedroom) in city centre $1,950
• Apartment (three bedrooms) in city centre $2,500

+ What are my options for renting and leasing in the Maritimes before I move into my home?

There are many options for rentals throughout the Maritimes. Contact us to learn more.

Visit our “Resources” page to gather information about living here.

+ What are the fees involved to purchase a home?

The Nova Scotia deed transfer tax is 1.5% of the purchase price and this is due upon closing. Typical home inspections are about $550. Other expenses include well and septic testing, which may be required by your lender. Sewer line video inspections and radon gas testing may also be required, and you should budget about $1,500 for legal fees.

+ Is it true Maritimers are the most friendly?

Yes, it has been scientifically proven, by study after study. But seriously… come and find out for yourself!

+ How easy is it to fly to, say, New York City or London England?

Flights from Halifax to major cities are quick and easy.

New York city is less than 3 hours, Florida about 3 hours, London about 5 hours, and Toronto and Montreal roughly 2 hours.

+ What's the scene for foodies?

In a word: exciting.

Unless you get bored by endless fresh seafood and seasonal produce.

In recent years, global cuisines have become more available, along with innovative interpretations by young local chefs leveraging authentic heritage recipes and reinventing them for modern palates.

In short, your taste buds will be thrilled to live here.

Keep an eye on our seasonal “road trip” blogs as we’ll be featuring fantastic local restaurants and sampling delicious menus, to tempt you on the many options!

+ What is the weather like, really?

In short: remarkably varied, especially nowadays given climate change. But in general, the ocean is a moderating effect on temperature, creating what is known as a maritime climate.

A maritime climate is generally known for cooler summers and warmer winters versus, say, a continental climate. It’s that ocean – it cools things down in the summer and warms them up in the winter.

Sure, we get a healthy dose of rain, but weather generally comes and goes quickly — so if you like variety, you’ll love it here. (A word of warning: days or even weeks of rain, drizzle and fog (RDF) are not uncommon.) In general, the Atlantic provinces get less snow than central Canada provinces, and the temperatures fluctuate less wildly. So, you don’t get the scorching and humid summers you might find in Montreal or Toronto, nor do you get the extreme deep freezes of winter. We can be pretty smug about that.