It’s probably a safe bet that you wish you could live where you go to have holidays. It’s normal for someone who doesn’t live in Sao Paulo to be bowled over by the amazing nightlife and weather. But then again, some places have their upfront positives and their hidden negatives. Brazil is a beautiful place but it’s been consistently voted as the most dangerous country in the world. So you would probably rather live somewhere else. Some places are fantastic to visit, but you couldn’t see raising your children there. On the other hand, you have incredible cities like New York, London, Melbourne and so much more. These are amazing places to raise a family and to work for that matter. So the big question arises, could you see yourself making a new life in a place where you once only considered taking a vacation? You have to think about your living conditions, professional prospects and the general upsides, to weigh up everything.
The city that never sleeps
New York, New York! Oh, what a place to be. It’s one of the fastest-growing cities in the world and hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down. The people running the city did it right. They knew building further outward would make the city less popular for young professionals. So, they built upwards and at break-neck speed. But how would you move to NYC? First off, know that there are around 8.5 million New Yorkers you’ll be sharing the buildings and streets with. If your family is okay with being among so many other people, going to school in an urban institution, shopping in markets most of the time and surrounded by noise, then you’ll fit right in. But how would you go about it?
First off, plant your feet with a short-term rental. These are usually cheap apartments that give you a few weeks or months, to scour around the city. The reason why you would want to do this is that it’s a bit difficult to get a true gist of the apartments, high-rise condo complexes and suburban homes when you’re thousands of miles away. Many real estate agents do have virtual tours on their websites, many others do not. So, plant your feet and use this time to snoop around looking for the right property and neighbourhood for your family. Look on StreetEasy to find out what kind of school zones you’re close to when you think you’ve found your property. Use the NYPD website to see the crime statistics of the neighbourhood too. Find as much information about the spot as you can before you even make contact with the real estate agent selling or leasing the property.
Waking up to the Eastern sun
Singapore is so much like Hong Kong. it’s a small city-state with a huge heart. There are so many opportunities for your occupation and plenty of cutting edge living spaces being built. In fact, there are hundreds of new apartments up for sale every single quarter. Yes, not annually, not bi-yearly, every quarter. This means that the real estate development for both residential and commercial spaces is off the charts. There are so many opportunities for a reason. This is a hotly contested real estate corner of the world. The main reason is, it’s a truly modern Asian nation, with plenty of English-speakers, lots of professional districts for business, banking, trade, technology, design, property, etc. However, most of these residential spaces are in apartment high-rises.
Take a look at the BTO process and how you could become one of the first to put your name down and buy your own apartment in a newly constructed high-rise. This year and in this quarter, around 4,570 flats will become available to anyone and everyone. In the two mature estates, 1,100 new flats will be built. These will be in Ang Mo Kio and Tampines. In Tengah, there are 3,470 new flats, because it’s a non-mature estate; i.e brand spanking new. The BTO process requires that you buy the flat and wait 3-4 years waiting for it to be finished. Get in touch with a real estate company that is part of the HDB BTO program to get all the relevant information on schools, shops, crime, professional occupations, public transport, and doctor surgery registration, etc.
A cool city skyline
Toronto is almost 2.8 million people. It has one of the most amazing skylines of any city in the world. The average temperature isn’t that bad either since it’s around 21 degrees Celsius. However, during the winter months, the average temperature is around -1, but that’s nothing unusual. In fact, that’s probably a welcome surprise since Canada is known for being a very cold climate. However, the costs of moving here are also pretty average. Shipping your furniture and other household items over to Toronto is going to cost you an average of around $2,700. Considering other cities are double that or not even half that, you’re sitting at a pretty reasonable average. But what about life and living? Well, there are 2.8 million people here for a reason. It’s Canada’s financial and business capital, so if you’re a father or mother that works in these two sectors, you’ll have no problem finding a job.
If you’re going to move your whole family here, you’ll want to know about the school and shopping options. Look on TorontoRentals, and you’ll find plenty of family-friendly neighbourhood options. Most of the city is structured like a European city, with the city centre being the heart and suburban neighbourhoods surrounding it. American cities tend to have pockets of suburbia in the middle of the city. Take a look at Toronto4Kids if you’d like to know what kind of leisure activities there are for your children.
There are some locations in the world that you don’t want to leave when you come to visit. Well, have you ever thought about not leaving? Consider seriously, the options you have for raising a family in places like Singapore, New York, and Toronto. You may find that not only are the professional opportunities quite alluring, but so are the neighbourhoods and schools for your children.
‘Contributed Post’
