Wednesday, May 28, 2008

I'll Take The Bait


After checking my Google alerts it looks like the only thing in the news today is that people are leaving Alberta to buy houses in Eastern Canada.



"A serious influx of Western Canadian purchasers has bolstered housing sales in every Atlantic province. Tremendous job opportunities available in Alberta that allow commuting to and from the East Coast have served to further strengthen home-buying activity in the region. Last, but certainly not least, after living in Western Canada for many years, more and more Maritimers are returning home."Michael Polzler, Re/Max’s regional director

It is not an uncommon trend, look at real estate on the west coast where many of the buyers are Albertans looking for second homes or ready to move out of the blustery cold into a milder clime. A friend of mine who moved to the island (Vancouver Island) after many years in Calgary said all her new neighbours are Albertans. The funny thing (I want to write irony but I'm not sure this is a clear case) is that many British Columbians are moving to Alberta for the stellar wages and low taxes and we all know about the large maritime population in the oilsands as well.

One thing to be sure of is Alberta still boasts the highest income -- measured as gross domestic product -- per capita of any province and will continue to do so over the coming half decade. They may live where they like but Alberta is the place to get a great paying job.

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