Moving to Canada: Episode 3 - How to Find an Apartment in Vancouver

[@Moving2Canadainfo]

Where are you living in Canada? Or planning to live? Let us knowwww

[@andrewconway2950]

Fairview, found it difficult to find somewhere but found a great place in the end

[@isaacomondi2474]

Richmond

[@stephentadgh]

@@isaacomondi2474 Nice! I've only been down in Richmond for IKEA but seems like a really nice spot!

[@DenisRyan]

We chose the Marpole neighbourhood for a few reasons: a) more green spaces, b) we didn't want to live in the noise and bustle of the city core, c) it's still in transit zone 1 for getting into downtown. Great video Stephen!

[@lynnmariee_]

Considering it!

[@samanthalocadia3764]

I love this series that you made! LOL you are so funny We are making that step actually next week and learning along with you.

[@DenisRyan]

Hi Canada bound friends! Hi Stephen! Something that I genuinely think is vital to picking a place to live is the transit system. The greater Vancouver area, thinking of places outside the city core, like North Van, Richmond, Burnaby and beyond is divided into transit zones. But those zones extend beyond what you might think of as Vancouver city itself. We knew we'd be working in the downtown area, but we're not big party people, we're not interested in moving in the heart of the city, and we didn't mind a little travel to and from work. That said, we did want to stay in Zone 1, which covers the entire city centre area. But it also extends way south to just north of Richmond. And that's where we chose to settle in. About 30 minutes by bus into the middle of the city, but far enough out to be away from the hustle and bustle, with lots of green spaces, parks, playgrounds, and plenty of facilities and walking distance to a major, fully stocked store. This grants us significantly cheaper rent, like $1200CAD for a two bed, and still only the minimum monthly transit fare. Plus, because it's a smaller neighbourhood, we made lots of friends fast. Food for thought.

[@TheChannel1978]

$1200 cad for a 2bed, I don't think so anywhere within 30min of the CBD...

[@hugoodoherty842]

Great insights, Denis. Best of luck in your new home!

[@arshthescene]

This is helpful to know! Thank you Denis :)

[@lukerowland7836]

As someone looking at moving from the UK to Van in 2023, so glad to see anOther episode

[@stephentadgh]

Ah thanks very much Luke! The next video is all about actually living in the city and what to do for fun and work/life balance so make sure you're subscribed and let us know what else you'd like to see as someone who is gearing up to move across!

[@viewer1959]

Native Vancouver it’s here. Downtown is nice..BUT.. during normal times which hopefully we are heading back to it can be a real problem to get around. Fireworks…. That is where roads are closed for 4 nights in a week and a half. 250,000 - 350,000 people each night pour into the west end to see them. Then there is harpy pride parade…my favourite parade of all time but again not easy if you live there to get around..w most demonstrations and protest including the bikes that stop traffic on Friday evenings. All cause great inconvenience.. I chose false creek….right in the Granville island area. Easy to get to Vancouver centre. Quick walk across the bridge…harbour ferry…great buses and Canada line. Still fantastic access to the beaches and a little quieter…not to mention Granville island and easy shopping on fourth avenue…and restaurants. Kitsilano is known for its restaurants too.

[@stephentadgh]

Nice! False creek looks like a great spot to choose! I did notice the downside of Downtown during the Truckers convoy. The beeping was non stop! After 2+ years of living in a dead city centre in Ireland, I'm hoping a bit of life will be a nice change 😂

[@backpackingcraic]

We are in Vancouver too! Naturally we ended up in Kitsilano! 😂 So that gets our vote for the best neighbourhood 👌

[@gerrystafford7055]

Stephen this is a great video and very useful. That being said please let me gently point out an omission and perhaps a subject for a future video. Outlying areas of Vancouver offer newcomers the option of livng more affordably anywhere along major transit lines. When I moved here first I lived in New Westminister and then moved to the West End when I could afford it. I suggest that newcomers look at a Skytrain map and consider accomodation close to any Skytain Station. In your second video you referred to 7:30 as crazy o'clock. For the information of those moving here, many business start office hours at 8AM or earlier - especially those with business back East which is 3 hours ahead. You get used to it and the bonus is you get off earlier.

[@Moving2Canadainfo]

Hi Gerry! Thanks so much for your comment and glad that you like the videos! Living further outside the downtown core is a great way to save money for sure, and we're hoping to do more videos about places like PoCo, Surrey, Richmond etc... over 2023. But love the idea of using the skytrain map as a way of leading into those videos. As for the early mornings! It was certainly something that took some getting used to but after over a year of living here the earlier business hours is worth it for more time in the evening (esp in the summer!)

[@elaineholloway1891]

15 min walk to downtown. Quick bus ride to Kits, more beaches. I love it here.

[@NamrataBilurkar]

West end?

[@vadym3248]

Wow! Those apts you found are way cheaper than anything I see on the web right now. Can't find anything like that in the area cheaper than 2300$

[@Moving2Canadainfo]

Its crazy how much things have changed in the last 8 months!

[@mateorendon5533]

What an incredible and well produced video! Looking forward to the series

[@stephentadgh]

Thats so kind of you to say Mateo! Appreciate it!

[@babyniq08]

Very good and informative series as we will also need this (hopefully soon lol)! Subscribed!

[@Tim_638]

Super cool apartment, a good price too

[@SammarKattan]

Thank you so much for all the help and great content. Can you please upload similar video about Toronto? It would be great to understand the city better. Thank you!

[@Moving2Canadainfo]

We have this video on Toronto! It's not quite as in-depth, but it's a great intro to the city: kzbin.info/www/bejne/i5_TeKB5hp2Mrq8

[@SammarKattan]

@@Moving2Canadainfo Thank you for your reply and your work to help newcomers!

[@MattKander]

This was a great video thank you! Just moved to Van so appreciate the concise content!

[@stephentadgh]

Glad to be able to help Matt! Hope you're enjoying it here! The weather seems to have just started to pick up thankfully.

[@GayAstray]

Gaston looks fun!

[@Moving2Canadainfo]

You should see LeFou ;)

[@BerryStraw15]

Can't wait for episode 4

[@stephentadgh]

Should be out soon! Had to reshoot a section as speeding down a snowy mountain on a piece of wood with a microphone = rubbish audio! Hopefully this week though! 🤞🏻

[@jackmccullagh9358]

I am in the middle of getting my IEC, any recommendations from native Canadians on which provenience/city is best to stay overall? Appreciate any recommendations!

[@elaineholloway1891]

I live in West End 1 block to the beach, half hr walk to Stanley park, 15 min walk to Granville Island 15

[@stephentadgh]

Gorgeous location! I love walking along the beach and trips across to Granville for some doughnuts!

[@dallasgrful]

Welcome to Vancouver!

[@stephentadgh]

Thanks so much Dallas! Loving the city and still trying to explore it all!

[@lazhan2489]

where can a student live if they will be attending UCW, thinking about somewhere not too far from school or accessible transportation

[@Moving2Canadainfo]

You could check out Yaletown, Coal Harbour or Westend if you wanted some safe (but not cheap) options close to UCW. further out you have Fairview, Mount Pleasant or down by 'Commercial st' as some pretty cool options

[@lazhan2489]

@@Moving2Canadainfo thanks alot

[@ameliabuns4058]

I wish the city center was closer to the.. well actual center. I can't afford a house there but all the nice things are up there. And my university is far away.

[@stephentadgh]

I feel yeah! To be honest though I feel like Vancouver has good so many great lil communities around the area. I love pretty close to Downtown and always find myself trying to get out to Kits or East Van as that’s where more of the cool restaurants and cafes and activities tend to be.

[@ameliabuns4058]

@@stephentadgh I'm probably gonna be 30m away from downtown ;-;

[@lynnmariee_]

Can you do minimum wage? Or what they pay for a regular with no experiences. Please and thank you!

[@stephentadgh]

Great video idea Lynn Marie! Is there anything in particular you'd like to know? Work conditions/ rights? Finding a job etc?

[@Teagueykid]

Got my IEC visa ready to go...just got to decide whether I want to move to Vancouver or Toronto! I have close family in Toronto (and I've visited) but Vancouver looks so cool! I can't drive so public transport is essential, which has better public transport would you say?

[@hugoodoherty842]

Vancouver SkyTrain beats the TTC for comfort and speed, but Toronto probably has a wider network. Have you considered anywhere else in Canada?

[@Teagueykid]

@@hugoodoherty842 fair! Honestly nowhere else based on what I've heard in regards to lack of public transport, open to suggestions! I looked into Montreal, but the language barrier put me off (I'm learning French but french-french!)

[@stephentadgh]

Amazing on the IEC! Very exciting times! So obviously I'm going to be a bit bias but something about walking around Vancouver and seeing snow capped mountains between the high rises makes you feel very cool! The Skytrain is really amazing here and the buses are well priced and seem to run on time. The DT city is so small that if you stay near the peninsula you can walk pretty much everywhere (just make sure to bring a rain coat). BUT if you don't drive and want to explore more of what BC has to offer as a whole (which is a lot) you may find yourself longing for that car! I've only spent a few days in Toronto before and it was very cool but a very different vibe. It's a gargantuan city that seems to be fairly well connected re public transport. If you haven't already you should check out Dane's video on Toronto for some more info about the city! kzbin.info/www/bejne/i5_TeKB5hp2Mrq8

[@TheEliteMixer]

Great video! Great personality

[@stephentadgh]

Thats very kind of you to say Avi! Hope you enjoy video 4, just uploaded yesterday!

[@nehabhardwaj21]

Hi! Are home stays nice and popular over there? Thanks

[@stephentadgh]

I haven't heard of any personally BUT I was always just looking for an apartment while I searched for long term accommodation. I know there is some home stays for child minders and maybe some agriculture jobs but great idea to look into for the next video!

[@nehabhardwaj21]

@@stephentadgh Many thanks!

[@garyjeffries1041]

1 hr from Toronto Ontario Canada

[@skoklater1018]

Moving to Toronto in the beginning of August, having no family in Canada at all to visit the places there, do you have any recommendations ?

[@stephentadgh]

Toronto is huge and has loads to see! I've only been there for a few days and only left Downtown to visit Niagara Falls! But you should check out Dane's video on things to know before moving across to Toronto! kzbin.info/www/bejne/i5_TeKB5hp2Mrq8

[@skoklater1018]

@@stephentadgh Thank you so much

[@ilikecartoons3543]

I’m also moving to Toronto beginning of August for school

[@skoklater1018]

@@ilikecartoons3543 That's cool, I'm also moving for college

[@stephentadgh]

@@skoklater1018 Amazing folks! Look at that making friends through KZbin 🥳

[@Sillysausage97x]

How much were you paying a night for the air bnb?

[@stephentadgh]

Hi Maxine, so sorry thought I had responded to this already but it didn't post. My AirBnb was v v. expensive. Most in Vancouver are and due to some housing rules some will require a 30 day stay minimum to be deemed a short term let which drives the cost further. I ended up paying around $3250 p/m for over 2 and a half months which really depleted savings quickly but it allowed me time to get familiar with the city and have a real base to work from without worrying about finding a place so soon after landing. To be honest due to the time I was moving over there wasn't a lot of options available and while it was stupid expensive I'm glad I did because of how much space it gave me to find a job / a long term place to stay!

[@Ravengal101]

Downtown Eastside is not the safest option. Gotcha

[@stephentadgh]

Overall Vancouver is a pretty safe city and I've not had any issues so far, but Downtown Eastside wouldn't be the most desirable area for Newcomers to the city. If you want to stay on the peninsula Westend is gorgeous! Esp coming into the summer!

[@andrewconway2950]

Love this video good stuff

[@andrewconway2950]

You should do a finding furniture video using craigslist and fb Market place decorating ur new place

[@stephentadgh]

@@andrewconway2950 Not a bad shout Andrew! Thanks for the suggestions! Hopefully people wouldn't be put off by my taste (its essentially camera gear just all over the apartment 😂)

[@andrewconway2950]

@@stephentadgh hahaha no worrie, good stuff lol. You can find some serious freebies on those sites aswell I'm sure people would love to find out about how to get free/cheap furniture haha

[@ludo_]

Looking for a rental place in vancouver is a nightmare even if you have the money it doesnt matter..theres just too much competition..

[@Moving2Canadainfo]

I think it all depends on how set you are on a certain location as well though. Like if you're willing to go further out of the downtown core, avoid places like Kitslano and Olympic village then you may have more options available to you. Its still tough for sure though.

[@garyjeffries1041]

You point cheaper apartments in Ontario Canada be helpful

[@tipsmcgee1657]

Sure an Airbnb is far cheaper than renting an apartment if you look around

[@Moving2Canadainfo]

Depends on what you want in accommodation we guess? A place to yourself downtown could end up costing crazy more if you stay in an airbnb.

[@kaustubhpatil3989]

Could you suggest any Airbnb in Vancouver which is cheaper than accommodation?

[@Moving2Canadainfo]

@@kaustubhpatil3989 Hi Kaustubh, we personally can't. as we don't believe that AirBnB would be cheaper than renting in Vancouver, all that being said if you want to check out areas around Richmond, Burnaby etc... you might find places you can stay that are cheaper in both regular rental and AirBnB