3 Things to Consider before Moving to Kitchener Waterloo

moving to Kitchener Waterloo

Last year I helped several families move to Kitchener Waterloo. They came from South Korea, Hong Kong, Oman, Kuwait, New Brunswick, Thunder Bay, Whitby and Toronto. They settled in Clair Hills, Beechwood, Lackner Woods, Westvale, Kiwanis Park, Westmount, and Eastridge.

I also helped people relocate within Waterloo Region –  from Forest Hills to Stanley Park, from Lincoln Heights to River Ridge, from the Civic District to the North Ward. As my grandmother used to say, “everyone is going somewhere”.

 

Most people moving into Waterloo Region are doing so for one of two reasons: 

1) a lifestyle change or

2) a new job.

Depending on which it is, where they choose to live is either decided by looking at neighbourhoods and schools or by considering proximity to work and lifestyle factors. Luckily, Waterloo Region is a microcosm of the world. We can find almost everything here, so settling newcomers is not that difficult once we know what is important to them.

 

Canada is in the Top 10 destinations for Global Relocation

According to Cartus, a global relocation company, Canada is the top tenth destination for global relocation. The others are: United States, United Kingdom, Singapore, Switzerland, Hong Kong, India, Germany, China, and the Netherlands. Of course, relocating to China is very different than relocating to Canada. They both have their challenges and unique difficulties.

 

The top three relocation challenges

A survey conducted by Cartus looked at key concerns in 11 regions around the globe and identified the most difficult challenges faced by relocation managers. They are:

1) Controlling relocation costs (77%)

2) Housing (47%)

3) Complying with laws and regulations (45%)

 

Costs

You have to move and move quickly. Every day you are in a hotel or living in a short term rental is costing you money. Settling quickly is important to controlling costs. In order to to that, the internet is your best resource. Fortunately, people moving into the region can research homes, schools, neighbourhoods, realtors, real estate prices, restaurants…most everything.

 

Housing

Homes in Waterloo Region are very different than those in Oman or Hong Kong. Many people in other parts of the world dream of living in an “American” style home, but they haven’t considered wood frame construction, how to change a furnace filter or what a water softener does. It is fun being a Realtor.

 

Regulations

The last one is “red tape”. My sister is moving back to Canada from living the past 20+ years in the USA. You think it would be easy to move within North America but she has to consider things like ensuring that her pets have the proper immunizations and that her car complies with Canadian standards…I can only imagine what it might be like to relocate to Africa or Central America or from them to Canada.

 

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