location, location

[Zudnic]

Curious why do you live where you do? Mine is simple, I was born and raised here in BC. I stay because overall its a nice place to be. Sure fall it rains a lot, but it rarely dips below 40. Winter is very mild and mostly in the 40's during the day. Rare to go below freezing and when it does its not for long. It only snowed once last year and two times the year before. In late winter, you could easily boat. Just wear a sweater and jeans. Spring and summer are spectacular. Its not too hot nor too cold. O.k. where I live in June to early August it can be 90 out. But that's not extreme hot. I have two decent lakes 25 minutes from my house, 40 minutes to the ocean and 3 1/2 hrs. to Kelowna. Downtown Vancouver is a great city. Lastly the scenery is the best in the world. Coastal Mountains and looking over the ocean to the gulf islands. We have real mountains, not hills. I've lived in several places outside of Vancouver, Phoenix, Seattle, Toronto, Eastern Washington and even Lake Tahoe. Vancouver though has one thing the others don't and that is its home. So why do you live where you do?

[Lenny]

Simple, I live in Victoria which is an ocean and an hour away from you. Scenery is better here :) way less people, best boating in the world. Oh, and the crabbing and fishing are great as well :biggrin.: 15 minutes by water to the USA. ( Roche Harbor, Friday Harbor etc ) 35-40 minutes to Vancouver. 700 Gulf Islands south of Nanaimo to explore.

Half the rain of Vancouver due to being in the "banana belt."

[Zudnic]

Victoria is nice. My Dad was raised near Victoria and still have relatives on the island. Plus my brother lives in Nanaimo.
:biggrin.: But I like being near Vancouver. I moved out to the Fraser Valley, simply because real estate is a lot cheaper. I'm thinking of moving closer to Vancouver, ever since the new bridge, everyone and their dog is moving out here.

[woobs]

I live in Newmarket, just north of Toronto. It is a growing area that has any and all amenities one could ask for. I have a good sized suburban home on a small street. It's quiet, safe and clean. There is so much green space in back I cant see any neighbours homes in the summer. The USA is a couple of hours away and a slightly longer drive takes you to Quebec for a completely different experience. Then there's, all of Toronto with NHL, NBA, MLB, CFL, MLS, Theatre, restaurants, museums, attractions just a quick trip down your choice of highways (except at rush hour[s]) and beautiful Muskoka is less than an hour north. Minutes away from my home I have lake Simcoe and it follows the Trent- Severn waterway east to the Kawarthas where you can boat for days in one direction. Collingwood is another quick trip with another ambiance altogether and Georgian Bay beckoning.

We get four real seasons and I enjoy them all. I too have lived in other places including Vancouver (my brother still lives there), and travelled most of Canada and the US. If citizenship were not an issue, I'd consider the charm of Long Island NY or New London CT, maybe somewhere in Florida as it has lots to offer as does Houston TX or Scottsdale AZ. There are beautiful places in Wisconsin and UP Michigan too. However, when looking at where we are it's true when they say "there's no place like this place, anyplace". And truthfully, I just wish I could afford to retire in Muskoka!

83015

[Zudnic]

I did live in Mississauga for seven years. It was nice and the Toronto amenities nearby was good. But it could never become home. Although I did see a property in Caledon worth moving back for.

[woobs]

I did live in Mississauga for seven years. It was nice and the Toronto amenities nearby was good. But it could never become home. Although I did see a property in Caledon worth moving back for.
I lived in Mississauga just after I graduated university... couldn't wait to leave. But, believe it or not I like the Hamilton/Ancaster/Dundas escarpment area!

[gcarter]

I left Houston in July of '84 due to the lack of engineering jobs of a particular type and I went job shopping in Orlando.
Over a period of about 18 months, and a collection of friends, I met my future wife, Elaine Jeske. We got married in March of '86 and went on a contract w/GM Hydramatic Div. in Ann Arbor, MI. We managed to stay there about 17 months, but not a second winter, and moved back to Central Florida in September of '87.
Elaine's siblings were deeply involved w/Kinetico Water Systems, and Elaine and I were offered a three county area in Central Florida, west, and north west of Orlando.
Today, that dealership wouldn't be so easy to start.
Our office is in Leesburg, FL, right in the middle of the Harris Chain of Lakes and not far from Lake Dora. Our home is in a closed country club community on one of the lakes in the chain.
I'm almost 71 and seriously considering selling our business in several years and we're in a quandary about staying here in Central Florida, or moving to the Hill Country of Central Texas.

http://www.lakefrontflorida.com/harris-chain-map.html

[Zudnic]

I was in port credit area, nicest part of Mississauga. The only part of being in Ontario I didn't like was the winter. Do miss easier access to Florida or even Cuba to escape the cold. Both fast and cheap. New York city as well. Plus the finger lakes are also really close. O.k. I'll admit its a pretty good place to live.

[Ed Donnelly]

Toronto is my home and I always come back.
Lived in Germany, South Africa, New Orleans ,Venon B.C. And North Vancouver.
Did not like Vancouver as I always felt locked in by the mountains to the north and the ocean to the south.
The weather was much nicer in Vancouver, but the winters were brutal in Vernon..Ed

P.S. George stay in Florida as Texas is too far to drive for my yearly visits

[Morgan's Cloud]

Not everything it's cracked up to be but at least we only get the occasional hurricane and not forest fires , floods , earthquakes or tornadoes .
Summers can be brutal but the winters aren't bad at all .


http://www.bermuda-online.org/abcbda3.htm

Hey , I can almost see my house !

[Lenny]

Bermuda, very nice but I think I saw a shark in that photo !

George, I have to admit, I do have a love of Texas. Growing up, watching westerns, gunsmoke, whatever, I formed a mental image of what I would be presented with if I ever travelled there. Well, I've been there a half dozen times and I really love the State. Far cry from what I originally expected. HOT though c/w nasty snakes and giant man eating bugs. That kinda threw me off...

:)

[gcarter]

One thing I can say about living in Central Florida (and largely applies to most of Florida) is summer IS NOT a fun boating season. The rest of the year (about 9 months) are super. We are pretty far north in the state, Gainesville and Jacksonville are only about 1-1/2 hours north of us, but we typically get less than two weeks a year (and not all together) when you wouldn't want to go boating in the winter.

[gcarter]

George, I have to admit, I do have a love of Texas. Growing up, watching westerns, gunsmoke, whatever, I formed a mental image of what I would be presented with if I ever travelled there. Well, I've been there a half dozen times and I really love the State. Far cry from what I originally expected. HOT though c/w nasty snakes and giant man eating bugs. That kinda threw me off...

:)

Lenny, the only person I've known to get bitten by a rattle snake, in my whole life, is our cottin' pickin' friend up in the panhandle. Go figure.......
I've spent many, many days in Big Bend Nat'l Park on the back of a motorcycle w/o seeing any rattlers.
Saw some in my own yard growing up though. I've seen 3" tarantulas in Big Bend, and the only coral snake I've ever seen was in my back yard here in Florida.
So, don't worry Lenny, give it a shot!

[Zudnic]

They have rattle snakes in Central Washington State. I do know someone there who was bit. He was being stupid though and it was his fault. Had a nest near his house and he tried to move them on his own. Also knew of a few dogs that got bit walking the trails. I did see one or two around our warehouse building. You leave them alone, they'll leave you alone.

I like Phoenix, love the heat. But it lacks good boating. Havasu is fun and all, its however too much a college crowd. The crowds and party atmosphere gets old fast.

Nice thing about Vancouver is places like Lake Shasta are fairly close. By plane Vegas and LA are easy.

[mike o]

Simple, I live in Victoria which is an ocean and an hour away from you. Scenery is better here :) way less people, best boating in the world. Oh, and the crabbing and fishing are great as well :biggrin.: 15 minutes by water to the USA. ( Roche Harbor, Friday Harbor etc ) 35-40 minutes to Vancouver. 700 Gulf Islands south of Nanaimo to explore.

Half the rain of Vancouver due to being in the "banana belt."
Foggy used to post lots of boating pic's of his - your neighborhood. Being that he is boat less, Just chickens and Mushrooms and such on FB :kingme:

[Zudnic]

Bermuda would be nice. I've been to the Turks and Caicos, really nice place. But I couldn't live in the Caribbean because I'm also into cars. I've been thinking about moving closer to Vancouver. Problem most places closer lack garage space. The places that do are way out of budget. :biggrin.:

I was even thinking Kelowna for awhile, the real estate there is insanely overpriced. Victoria is still somewhat reasonable when compared to the lower mainland.

[Zudnic]

I have to get a better paying job!

http://www.priceypads.com/world-class-private-peninsula-34000000/

http://www.priceypads.com/west-vancouver-b-c-residence-with-private-yacht-garage-lists-for-23-8-million-photos/

Its not so much the houses, its the boat garages.

[gcarter]

Your 2nd selection is interesting. All that wood that's available in the NW.
Here in FL, even if you wanted joiner work like that, transportation would
be overwhelming. I remember a house built in Houston w/all American black walnut
that came from eastern Canada. I understand they brought in a box car
load and it was milled in place in the 4000 sq ft garage.
But the nearest navigable water was at least 20 mi away.

[Zudnic]

We do take it for granted here. It would probably cost you over $20million to do a house like that in Florida. Ontario is all brick and stone houses. Can't remember why. I really missed wood and NW style living there. One of my favorite places is Lake Tahoe, wood houses and the wooden boats galore. Wood is an awesome material.

[olredalert]

----I pinch myself every day when I think about how lucky I am to live on the Saint Clair river just north of Lake Saint Clair. 2200 feet from the great white north, Canada. This area has the feel of big water because it is big water. The great lakes are virtually endless, and the best part......wait for it......NO SALT!!! Also,,,cheap housing compared to other "on the water" areas. There are 30 year old boats up here that, with minimal care, are still in near mint condition. I know its a bit cool in the winter but that just gives us time to travel a bit, and me a chance to get ready for next summer......Bill S

[Zudnic]

I do like fresh water. I'm thinking of getting a cabin on a local lake here. Its a very small lake though. The main reason we have family friends who have a cabin there. My parents group of friends all go there because of them. Loads of friends there all summer. Second my Mom has relatives and friends in the area. Lots of family use the lake in summer. If it wasn't packed with friends and family, Id keep looking in Kelowna.

[bertsboat]

Batten the hatches and charge the video camera battery. We want footage !!!


Not everything it's cracked up to be but at least we only get the occasional hurricane and not forest fires , floods , earthquakes or tornadoes .
Summers can be brutal but the winters aren't bad at all .


http://www.bermuda-online.org/abcbda3.htm

Hey , I can almost see my house !

[yeller]

I have to get a better paying job!

http://www.priceypads.com/world-class-private-peninsula-34000000/

http://www.priceypads.com/west-vancouver-b-c-residence-with-private-yacht-garage-lists-for-23-8-million-photos/

Its not so much the houses, its the boat garages.Sucks living in Vancouver area when it comes to real estate. If you want just a mediocre water view its $3M for tear down on a 8000sqft lot in West Van.

[Ed Donnelly]

Good luck getting a permit for a dock anywhere around Toronto, as the crown owns the water...Ed

[Morgan's Cloud]

Batten the hatches and charge the video camera battery. We want footage !!!

Tis a mere summer breeze .. Feel sorry for those parts of the Bahamas though that it just sat on and squashed for 2+ days .

[Zudnic]

West Van and Vancouver, there is a tear down lot in point grey for $20million are expensive. If you want waterfront here, the best place is Tsawwassen. A smaller normal house on an o.k. lot can be had for under $2million. Weird thinking under $2million is a good deal. On the high end there its around $5million max, bargain when you look in West Van or Van.

these are just under $5million

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEpiMrqQ1c8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSOG-h7Izw0

This is under $2million

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsKb2zoyFng

Unlike Van and West Van these are right on the beach. Transport Canada is unlikely to allow a dock these days. But they do allow floating lift docks and buoys. Drawback it is salt water.

[RockyS18]

----I pinch myself every day when I think about how lucky I am to live on the Saint Clair river just north of Lake Saint Clair. 2200 feet from the great white north, Canada. This area has the feel of big water because it is big water. The great lakes are virtually endless, and the best part......wait for it......NO SALT!!! Also,,,cheap housing compared to other "on the water" areas. There are 30 year old boats up here that, with minimal care, are still in near mint condition. I know its a bit cool in the winter but that just gives us time to travel a bit, and me a chance to get ready for next summer......Bill S

The St. Clair River is beautiful, I went to the Riverfest the last couple years for racing, it's a hell of an event. I wish we had something like it on Lake George, Lake George is more spread out events throughout the summer, nothing huge. You also have easy access to some big water in Lake Huron, that's gotta be a blast.

[Zudnic]

We only have the Fraser River here. Its o.k. but has lots of dead heads and logs along it. Plus its pretty dirty. Well I do drive to Eastern Washington and the Columbia River. It has a few dams on it, sort of like big lakes between the dams VS a river. I'm in the process of selling all land, etc. in Eastern Washington. Was thinking of staying there as a vacation area, but the 4hr drive, I decided against it.

[chip w]

I'm with George. I spent 30 years in upstate with winter's that seem like they last 7 months. Fl has 3 months in the summer that aren't great but the rest of the year there is great boating and a lot of different places to go. It's also great for cars and bikes and that suits me well. When the hot season comes we spend a few weeks in the Central Adirondacks, about an hour northeast of Lake George. It's a nice break from the heat and the boating is great. But I wouldn't want to go back to 150+ inches of snow every winter. On the plus side, no state income taxes, sales tax is reasonable as are property taxes and real estate is outrageously price. FL is it for me for the past 21 years.

[Zudnic]

Cold winters and snow is why I don't like Toronto. Here last year it snowed once and it lasted 3days. Usually during the day its well above freezing, 40's to low 50's. That's liveable. Here its the 3months or so of rain, for fall and early winter. By January and the Vancouver boat show, its jeans and sweatshirt/sweater weather. In deciding location, I'm surprised at people's choice when it involves cold. I did live near Phoenix for 2years. Came back to Vancouver in April, was about a year and a half of living in Arizona. It was around 60 and sunny in Vancouver. I was in jeans, sweatshirt and ski jacket, I was shivering. I actually moved from Phoenix to Toronto, it was Dec. Toronto was experiencing record cold. That was torture going from 80 everyday to well below freezing and snow.

[TBroccoli]

Live here in Delaware. Never lived anywhere else. Location is great. Get a touch of all seasons. Summer can get hot. Winters cold. Each season makes you appreciate the other ones. Location wise we are close to everything. The Delaware River and the Atlantic are within an hour. The Chesapeake Bay and it's northern rivers are also within an hour. Philly is a half an hour away. Baltimore and NY City are under 2hrs away. Plus you can hit the calmer country settings in under an hour. We have a little of everything. Oh, and sales tax free.

[Zudnic]

The only thing I don't like about places like Toronto is the cold in winter. I don't like snow and salt on the roads. Here its mostly low 40's, you can drive an old car on sunny days and not worry about salt.

I got busy this week, playing real estate agent. Have a 10k sqft. warehouse building in Eastern Washington. Its been for sale for the past 8 years. Did have an actual real estate agent, but he got very little interest. Now with legal marijuana I have lots of interest from marijuana growers. The problem four so far have not been able to close. The banks won't lend them money because of the federal drug laws. I have been willing to owner finance. I can turn around and sell the note. Showed to two more growers. Just need one to come up with the down.

[Marlin275]

Now with legal marijuana I have lots of interest from marijuana growers. The problem four so far have not been able to close. The banks won't lend them money because of the federal drug laws. I have been willing to owner finance. I can turn around and sell the note. Showed to two more growers. Just need one to come up with the down.

I overheard some business people here in NYC that as soon as it comes off the schedule 1 classification they are going to buy a bank, to clear up that little financing problem.

[gcarter]

Boy, has this thread gotten off track.......financing pot!

Where we live here in the middle of Florida, not only are we on a
beautiful chain of large lakes, but I can be on the Atlantic or the
Gulf w/in 2 hours. Actually about 90 minutes, but you might want
to go a little further afield.
The Keys are about 5 hours depending on where ya want to go.
Another advantage of the center of the state is lower property taxes
and insurance. Due to the three large hurricanes we had here in '05
(I think, how quickly we forget.....) insurance rates really went up
depending, to a large part, on your location in relation to the coast,
etc. I don't have a clue as to the rest of the country, or Canada,
but our property taxes are about $1,900.00, and insurance is about
$1,700.00.

[Ed Donnelly]

My house is half the size of Georges and my property tax is double
Car insurance is 4,800 for the jeep, Vette and Dodge Magnum

[wwahl]

You could choose to live on Lake Washington. I got my property free. It is an old municipal water pump station. I built my house on top of the utility building. I sold off the excess property to pay for the purchase. It has 120 feet of frontage. Everyone needs to be creative. It was in the 70's today and the boats were all out. The Donzi is in the picture foreground.

[Zudnic]

Lake Washington is a nice area. BC property tax is reasonable for Canada. Believe we are lower VS Ontario. Our provincial highest income tax bracket is also lower. But our fuel costs are the highest in Canada. Vancouver at times has the highest fuel cost in North America. Our auto insurance is a government owned insurance company, our insurance rates are also very high. What we save in taxes, gets eaten by high insurance, fuel costs and grocery costs. If you compared us to the states, everything is very high. Assessed value of my house is $479k and paid $4,671.80 in property tax. The area though we beat Ontario in isn't the tax rates, its in assessed value. We assess very low here and they assess closer to market value.

[Marlin275]

Assessed value of my house is $479k and paid $4,671.80 in property tax. The area though we beat Ontario in isn't the tax rates, its in assessed value. We assess very low here and they assess closer to market value.

I live in Westchester County, NY right next to NYC.
We have the highest property taxes in the Western Hemisphere?

In 2013, the median property-tax bill was $2,132 in the United States.
In Westchester County, N.Y., it was $13,842 — the most of any county in the nation, according to the real estate website Zillow.
It lowers the potential home value by about 35%

When I was in Canada, years ago, it seemed more expensive for most things.

[Zudnic]

I live in Westchester County, NY right next to NYC.
We have the highest property taxes in the Western Hemisphere?

In 2013, the median property-tax bill was $2,132 in the United States.
In Westchester County, N.Y., it was $13,842 — the most of any county in the nation, according to the real estate website Zillow.
It lowers the potential home value by about 35%

When I was in Canada, years ago, it seemed more expensive for most things.

My expenses here in BC are about double over my expenses when I lived in Washington State. Property tax in WA is almost why bother collecting it. I'll have to look up the bills (accountant pays everything in WA), but believe building on 5 acres, small house on 8 acres and 300 acres of raw land was under $3,000 per year.

[gcarter]

Florida property values still haven't recovered. Of course a lot depends on
location. But our 2,200 sq ft house on a 1/2 acre lot in one of the nicest
closed country club communities w/a ranked golf course appraised in '07
for $390K and hit a low of $175K in '12. It has recovered to about $260K,
so there're still bargains to be had in Florida.
In '13, there was a 4,400 sq ft house on top of a high hill overlooking the
north end of Lake Griffin that was located just outside of the south gate of
our community. In '07, it was on the market for $1.3M, and after foreclosure
in '13, it sold for $390K. There have been hundreds of opportunities like that.

[Marlin275]

In '13, there was a 4,400 sq ft house on top of a high hill overlooking the
north end of Lake Griffin that was located just outside of the south gate of
our community.

A hill in Florida, that is rare!

At 312 feet (95 meters) above sea level is also the highest point on the geographic Florida Peninsula.
The mountain is in Lake County, near the town of Clermont.

[gcarter]

Yes, it's about 20 miles south of us and is called Sugarloaf.
On a clear day (rare here w/all the humidity) you can see Orlando from the top.
But Lake county is right on the backbone of the peninsula and much of it looks
like parts of Kentucky rather than the stereotype of Florida.
My driveway is 200' above sea level and is the highest point in our neighborhood
which is made up of three hills on about 800 acres. Previously, it was an orange
grove but the citrus industry has moved south from here. The property is on
Lake Griffin which is about 100' above sea level so there's really a discernible
elevation change.
Here's the web site for my neighborhood: http://www.harborhills.com/
There's a banner across the top of the site w/one picture showing the elevation
drop from the club house across the golf course to the lake, another picture under
the "golf" drop down also shows the elevation. It's not huge, but it's pretty unique
In Florida.

[Marlin275]

Saw your area on Maps and it is beautiful water country there!
Just South of the best horse country.

Grew up in South FLA now just FL
flat as the Bahamas and every other Key.

Moved to Brooklyn, and now Westchester Country Life.
Have the finest clients in NYC, so its really worth living here.

Its all good
with a Donzi . . .

http://www.donzi.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=83106&d=1445031040

http://www.donzi.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=83107&d=1445032163

[Greg Guimond]

Funny I was thinking of you Marlin when I was out this evening running The Mule. I ran into a tasteful 200 footer heading South and took this quick photo in Hell Gate. Not another boat or tug to be seen except for the mega yacht and little me. On top of that East River was dead calm. Strange all around.

[Marlin275]

Greg- Great you get ALL the boating season here,
I hope to be back on the Hudson, next year.

Nothing better than to launch on the Hudson, head down to the Statue of Liberty, fly around Manhattan and back in about an hour.
What a cruise!

The world is on that island.

http://www.donzi.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=83110&d=1445078597

[Zudnic]

I didn't want to claim BC and Vancouver as having the lowest property tax in Canada, without doing some research. It turns out I was right. http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/09/27/property-taxes-canada_n_5890090.html

For Americans, also consider the exchange rate, at 70cents to the U.S. dollar, we are pretty reasonable. One factor is our cities in BC can't borrow more then 24% of tax revenue. A major borrowing project must also be approved by neighboring cities. They have a city committee board. So my city can't just build a sports complex without going before the committee. They also can't just raise taxes to pay for it. Keeps spending in check!

[DickB]

Moved to a Florida lakes area south of Orlando in June from Minnesota. We lived on a beautiful chain of lakes in the Brainerd area, but boating season was short - it is over this time of year. We grew tired of the long, cold winters, and my wife grew to hate the snow. We did spend January and February in Florida the last couple of years, but decided to make the move permanent and year round. Still visit Minnesota and the grandkids several times a year. Our new place is on a canal connecting one small and one large lake, and we are of course within driving distance of both coasts. A pontoon and Sea Doo are on their own lifts in a boathouse on the canal; the Donzi is being trailered for now. Looking forward to taking the Donzi to the Intracoastal soon. It is still a good time to buy real estate here. I think we got a bargain on our new place. It is bigger than our last home and well appointed with granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, lanai, hot tub, and ridiculously big master bedroom and bath. We were able to purchase the home and an adjacent lot and built a large garage and air conditioned woodworking shop all for the same money as what we sold our Minnesota home. With no natural gas heat required, utilities in total are less expensive than up north, property taxes about the same (although I expect that to change when the new garage/shop gets assessed), and of course no state income tax. Yesterday was a beautiful boating day as are most days this time of year.

[Zudnic]

I do miss the electricity costs in Eastern Washington. Since the county owns two big dams on the Columbia River, power is crazy cheap. They have a $7.70 bill processing fee and then it plus 2.5 cents a kilowatt hour. Reason the legal marijuana growers are moving to the area. Living there really did save me a lot of money. But after 7 years the feds wont extend an L1 visa. Washington doesn't have state income tax. As an L1 visa holder I wasn't considered a U.S resident for tax purposes, so no U.S. federal taxes. I was however paid in Canada. But since I sold my Canadian real estate, I wasn't a resident of a province. So I only had to pay the Canadian federal rates and not the provincial income tax. So went from over 40% something down to 29%. It was a real nice tax cut.

[JimG]

Texas... 'cause it's, well... Texas!

Y'all live in some beautiful places, too!

[gcarter]

Texas... 'cause it's, well... Texas!

Y'all live in some beautiful places, too!


I love Texas.
Texas will always be home.

[woobs]

I think you are very lucky in the USA to have so many great places to live. Personally I love places in Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, California and New York. I would be hard pressed to decide where to put down roots.

Here in Canada, we have many physically beautiful places too. I have travelled almost all of Canada and lived in both Vancouver and Toronto (GTA) but, they are the only places I would consider living for any length of time.

[Zudnic]

The U.S. does have more variety to chose. I've lived in Phoenix (paradise valley), Lake Tahoe area (incline village), Seattle and Eastern Washington (Wenatchee). All had benefits and negatives, but Washington State for being so close to Vancouver was best in the USA. I really like the mixture of fresh water lakes and major rivers, Columbia or the Fraser here. Plus the gulf islands and San Juan's. The islands are as good as the Caribbean, o.k. the weather isn't as nice. There is some great restaurants on those islands. But nothing beats Vancouver when it comes to restaurants now. Especially if its Asian food you are after. Sushi is my favorite food on the planet. Chinese is second. No better place in North America for these foods!

[Zudnic]

On property tax, Ontario VS BC. Similar size and value properties in similar neighborhoods.

BC house http://www.estateblock.com/surrey-real-estate/13013-56th-ave-surrey-bc-v3x-2z3-mls-f1450173-1

ON house http://www.remax.ca/on/mississauga-real-estate/na-2401-doulton-place-oakv_2085372-lst

Ok the BC house is new and will probably be reassessed, still it probably wont be over $10K. The Ontario house is almost $30k in property tax. Add in higher income tax rates, can cost some extra coin to live in Ontario.

[woobs]

First of all, 7 Million dollar houses ? Really. Not you average single family dwelling though is it.

Also, you used Mississauga vs. Surrey. Again, not a good comparison as areas of Mississauga have a much higher rate (i.e. the mansions along the lake near Oakville) than other areas (i.e. Meadowvale towards Brampton). I would think Surrey is more like Brampton than Mississauga is.

Q; Do you know why people live in Delta, B.C?
A: So they never have to say they're Surrey!

All I really know is that for my 4bdm house in Newmarket I pay nearly $6,000 in property taxes. In the city of Toronto they pay about 40% less for a similar sized house. My brother lives in Point Grey, BC (metro Vancouver) in a smaller house, and pays more than I do. Most of the houses there are multi-millions and don't look like it. So, it can cost a lot more to live in Vancouver!
http://www.realtor.ca/Residential/Single-Family/15894578/4195-W-16TH-AVENUE-Vancouver-British-Columbia-V6R3E4

[gcarter]

There's a doctor couple in Ocala that built a house in a very
high end golf community. The house is very large, at least
10K sq ft, and really fills up the double lot.
I haven't a clue to the value, or the taxes, but I learned
the mortgage is $35K/mo!!!!!!
I have a hard time imagining living life w/that kind of
monthly expenses for at least 15 years!
I know they didn't buy our equipment because they felt
they couldn't afford it even though neighbors have told
us they were very unhappy w/what they ended up with.