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Orginally posted by jake3d

cool. But then you are on canadian desi ? Nostalgia? Validating your decision to leave? Widening your horizons? All of the above?

Everyone has a reason...mostly ego driven.

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Orginally posted by Manasvi

Do u mean that people who leave Canada or abt 2 arrive 2 Canada (like me) have no right 2 b on Canadian Desi ????

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I think these 2 categories r also VERY important 2 b right here as that gives more info & wider meanigful perspectives 2 the board. A prospective Immigrant is hence able 2 see all the sides.

Manasvi.

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Here's a family who might give us plenty of reasons to immigrate here.
2 thumbs up for them.


Jun. 4, 2005. 01:00 AM

>ADVERTISEMENT<


The immigrant experience
New arrivals are looking to newly built homes in younger communities

Legalities, liabilities and lingo of house hunting can prove a stressful experience


VICKY SANDERSON
SPECIAL TO THE STAR

It's a long way between high-tech Hyderabad, the capital city in India's southeast coastal state of Andhra Pradesh, and the well-manicured town of Richmond Hill.

But for Anu and Srinivasa (Sri) Donkana, there's a tale that links these two cities.

The story begins in 1999. That's when Srinivasa left a three-bedroom apartment in Hyderabad, a city full of family and friends, and travelled to Toronto in the hope that this new city might offer the prospect of a happy, prosperous life.

The first few chapters of Sri's story moved quickly; in less than a year he found work in his field — computer programming. He also organized accommodation and arranged to have his wife and sons Sai and Anish, now 13 and 10, leave their three-bedroom apartment in India and join him in September 2000. Anu recalls her trepidation when she stepped off the plane and, armed with six suitcases, walked into a new life in Canada. "It is such an insecure feeling," she explains. "You are totally wrapping up everything that is established in your life — home, job, kith and kin — and coming to an alien country about which you have no clue."

In many ways, Sri, 41, and Anu, 35,are typical of 2.2 million immigrants who came to Canada in the last 10 years, a decade which saw the largest influx of newcomers since the turn of the century. Like close to 44 per cent of those new to the country, the couple chose to make their home in Toronto. And, like 58 per cent of new immigrants, their Canadian dream included home ownership.

While new Canadians have often traditionally chosen urban neighbourhoods where they'll find a familiar cultural mix — think Little Italy or Chinatown — families new to the country are increasingly looking to younger communities and newly-built homes that offer lots of space and state of the art construction.

That's why Sri and Anu wanted. But for them, the road to homeownership was an eye-opening and sometimes stressful experience. Along the way, they learned the lingo, legalities and liabilities of Toronto house-hunting.

Because they wanted to make sure that Sri's job was the right fit before buying a house, the family first settled in a comfortable two-bedroom apartment on Yonge Street in North York, which was close to schools, shops, and the public transit Sri required to get to work.

But it wasn't long before the whole family began dreaming about the extra space and the privacy that a house would offer them.

"My kids kept looking at the houses in the neighbourhood on the way to and from school," says Anu, "and they kept asking when would we have a house like that. Soon, I told them."

By the summer of 2000, Sri and Anu were ready to commit. They had mobilized money for a down payment and started to search for a house. But the couple admits now that they didn't realize just how much time and money a house purchase would consume.

"I didn't know there was something called semi-detached, detached, townhouse, row house, bungalow, split level," laughs Anu. "We were totally lost!"

Soon after, a colleague of Sri's referred them to a real estate agent and the search began in earnest.

Anu gave the agent a list of features she considered essential — open concept, close to schools and shopping and newer construction —and was annoyed and puzzled that the agent seemed to largely disregard her preferences. She was also taken aback by the speed at which house-hunting in Canada proceeded and the amount of pressure they felt from the agent.

"The agent kept saying, `oh this is great, that is great, why don't you put an offer right away!' After a while I said to him, `to you every house looks good, but it's me that's going to have to live there!'

"I didn't understand this because we were used to a situation where the husband and wife can sit on their own and discuss the matter privately."

Stephen Bloom, who's been selling real estate in North York for almost 20 years, says homebuyers should take a step back if they begin to feel pressured, and suggests interviewing a few realtors before choosing one.

"A good agent will not object to being interviewed," says Bloom. "It's important because you must feel comfortable. The person who makes you feel pressured is not the right one because he's not doing his job properly. The agent's job is to give you as much information as you need to make a decision on your own."


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`I didn't know there was something called semi-detached, detached, townhouse, row house, bungalow, split level ... We were totally lost!'

Anu Donkana, new homeowner

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Anu and Sri began on what seemed to be an endless round of house visits with their realtor. But they soon decided to return later on their own, after they began noticing that the agent forgot to mention little things — like the fact that the house was located next to a railway line or huge power transformer, or that the school he described as perfect for their kids was actually a private separate school.

Despite the road bumps, the couple found a place they liked and cobbled together 5 per cent of the asking price of the $235,000 home. In December 2000, they took possession of the 1,700 square foot, two-storey detached home in the Bathurst and Centre Streets area.

While it may have been prudent to leave well enough alone, it was just less than a year later that Anu, inspired by their first successful purchase, asked Sri to phone their agent and inquire about market conditions.

"We were doing well and had saved some money," she explains. "I thought maybe we should upgrade ourselves — it's better to invest the money in a bigger home rather than just blowing it on something where you won't enjoy the fruit of your investment."

Once again, the two were shocked by the speed of events. "I had not even put the phone down (with the agent) before he was at the door," says Sri, who agreed that day to sign a listing agreement.

However, Bloom says that that kind of speed isn't necessary.

"People should be aware that they can ask for a free market analysis of their home. That's the point at which the broker can discuss the whole selling procedure. But getting the analysis doesn't mean you are obligated to agree to sell," he says. "It's another good example of how feeling pressured can be a sign to stop and pause."

Bloom also suggests new Canadians be clear on the difference between a MLS listing agreement, under which any broker can participate in the deal and an exclusive listing, which gives the broker the sole right to negotiate the transaction.

The three-bedroom home was sold in four days for $250,000. For Anu, the new search was on; complicated by the fact that Sri was away on business four days each week in Britain. "She would look at houses that she liked, and by the time I came home to see one, it would be gone," recalls Sri.

Even though the couple had increased their budget and widened the area in which they were prepared to look, stress levels began to rise.

Things started to look up when Anu and Sri began working with another agent.

But the pressure was still on. "We felt very stressed," says Sri. One day he came directly from the airport to see a house that Anu liked in Richmond Hill. It was large, open and relatively new.

An offer was quickly made, and accepted on the 3,200-square-foot, three-storey, four-bedroom detached home, for which the couple paid $425,000.

But there were still hurdles. Anu realized after the offer had been accepted that the clause requesting that the home be left in "broom-swept" condition had been omitted.

Bloom says the problem might have been avoided if the Donkanas had viewed the property one day prior to closing, which he says is their right. "That way, if there's really something that's wrong, you can hold off on the closing until you're satisfied."

When Anu arrived at the new house on moving day, she found a couple of surprises. Fixtures had been removed from the walls; there was broken glass on the floor, and rubble from a basement reno had been left in the yard. For six months, discussion between the two families went back and forth.

"I decided just to close this chapter, and not spend any more energy on it," says Anu, who, by this time, had begun a challenging teaching career.

Now comfortably settled in their new home for almost two years, Sri bursts into laughter when asked if they'd consider moving again soon. "Oh no, no, no," he says, shaking his head.

For the time being, the family is content. "We worked hard to make this house into a home," says Sri. "For now we want to just enjoy that

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Orginally posted by BlueLobster

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Orginally posted by Chris

dan, let me ask you a question:

if you had the choice, would you rather be poor in a rich country, or rich in a poor country?

think it over and let me know your answer.

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I'd choose the place where I'd be happier. And both of the above have nothing to do with that.

As a matter of fact, there may be situations where even after a lot of analysis, I would not be able to figure this out unless and until I spent some time in both the places.

Which is why a lot of people come to Canada despite the challenges and all the negative advice. To see for themselves. And I think that's a good thing.

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Orginally posted by manjeet444

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Orginally posted by BlueLobster

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Orginally posted by Chris

dan, let me ask you a question:

if you had the choice, would you rather be poor in a rich country, or rich in a poor country?

think it over and let me know your answer.

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I'd choose the place where I'd be happier. And both of the above have nothing to do with that.

As a matter of fact, there may be situations where even after a lot of analysis, I would not be able to figure this out unless and until I spent some time in both the places.

Which is why a lot of people come to Canada despite the challenges and all the negative advice. To see for themselves. And I think that's a good thing.

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Hey...didn't know I had a assistant on CanadianDesi.