I'm thinking of buying land in Nova Scotia -- any advice?

I am seriously worried about the future of this country (plus I have two draft-age sons) and am thinking of buying some oceanfront land in Nova Scotia, partly as an investment, partly as a way to get a toehold on Canadian soil should we suddenly decide we need to emigrate. I live in Maine, so the cold won't bother me. Has anyone bought Canadian property? What sort of red tape will I have to endure? Are there unexpected tax implications? Thanks!

about the red tape or tax implications, but it should be a tropical paradise in about ten years.

you can sadly say that again.

interesting. Seems that the shorefront is the least valuable property...at least in terms of the housing occupying the land. I suspect that it has changed over that time. I'm also in Maine....

Perhaps you can get Canada to invade, and take over Maine. Don't worry, the rest of the US would never notice that Maine was gone.

And death - 2 things you can count (especially these days) from the old red white and (gulp) blue. I still like that new map, showing the east and west coastlines as US of Canada and the rest is either Jesusland or Texasland. Canada is a nice place to live. Clean, civil, no war talks... geez, talk about culture shock!

but gave up and bought in Wisconsin instead. too much red tape.

I sold about an acre on the water on Cape Breton about 10 years ago and I really got slammed with taxes and legal fees etc. I was not a resident,though,and not planning on becoming one so that would make a big difference,I assume.

I lost roughly half of the selling price on fees,realtor,and taxes.

on the ferry back from some where up there - sorry some of the details escape me

It might have been a ferry from the halifax are part of canda back to bar harbour or something like that

anyway this man and his family were on the boat and he talked about them owning 60 acres in Canada - they had bought it for the future - I was thinking about how cold it woudl be - but he was very happy with it

so it can or could be done and someone did it

the details I don't know about - probably need to go over to canada and talk with realtor who has sold to international owner before - they could answer your questions

Here's what I learned-

Money crosses borders without friction.
You can stay in Canada six months before having to come back.

In all of my real estate searching, I've discovered that Nova Scotia is very inexpensive. There is a reason for that. I don't know what it is. Probably weather.

When I got close to buying the land, I found that I would need to be an immigrant to stay on my own property. It was the mosquitoes and long nights that eventually swayed my decision to buy. And it's a 26 hour move, each way. However, I did contact an immigration attorney.

Well, two days ago he emailed me again. It's been months since we first made contact. But a lot has changed. I am now thinking of getting my immigration status. It takes nearly two years to get it, depending on what way it is obtained. Needless to say, if you are rich, it's much faster and easier.

It was a post on DU that got me interested in Canada again. I hate overpopulation. And Canada has 31 million people. So if I can tolerate certain aspects of Canada, I'll be moving, someday.

Edit- caution, do not depend on realtors for information! They all, but one, said I could be a "landed immigrant" by simply buying land. Bullshit. However, I did talk to Americans who had been living in Canada for years, and never knew they had to immigrate. So you can try what you want, but I think that with computers, and the terrorism bullshit, you won't get far without being detected.

The whole idea is that I don't want to come back!

H E L P ! :crazy:

I know, I thought I could just leave. But then discovered that one must have immigrant status before being allowed to stay.
I don't know your circumstances. Relatives, speaking French, being under 49 years old, having work experience in "qualified" categories, and other things, can aid in being allowed to stay.
My honest opinion is that if you can get across undetected, you can do whatever you want. But they generally require documentation in order to cross the border.
Don't trust me. I'm still learning. Contact an immigration attorney. Or just wing it. Just go until either something happens, or nothing happens. Hell, you can buy the land. That, I know. You don't need anything to exchange cash, and buy property. Staying there could be another story.

Best of luck.

At least, compared to coastal Maine. (We have mosquitoes here, too.) It's so sad -- I have never before considered leaving the U.S., but I'm starting to feel that this is no longer my country. Especially when I correspond with my usual loop of acquaintances, and suddenly, people whose politics I never knew feel it's their right to spout right-wing politics. It's as if they now know it's safe to come out and tell the rest of us they've taken over the country and we'd damn well better kow tow to them. And when I mentioned on the loop that I wouldn't let my sons get called up for Iraq, they tell me I'd be a traitor if I tried to keep my boys out of the military.

Thank god, at least, I live in a blue state.

Red staters may tell me "good riddance and go," but I'll damn well be taking a huge chunk of cash and income with me.

The Canadian dollar is very, very strong right now. The American dollar is currently only worth about $1.17 in Canadian, while in comparison, the Canadian dollar is worth approx. 84¢ against ours. Just two years ago, the American dollar was $1.54 and the Canadian was only 62¢ or thereabouts.

As far as buying land, since Celtic music has kind of become popular, people buying land there has gotten preposterous. It's very expensive. A lot of the land owners are divvying it up among their heirs, like my grandfather did--mostly to the male offspring. My mom and aunt got nothing when it happened--and even if I had wanted to live there, there is no place for me to build.

I would suggest you check out http://www.realtor.com and look into it before any decision. Also, I would suggest you check out Newfoundland, as it's also in the Maritimes, or PEI (Prince Edward Island), because there is probably a better deal to be gotten in either of them before Nova Scotia. NS has sort of become "chic" and the cost is way too high. My mom had to stay in some cabins in Troy when she and my neice went in August. The cost per night was $149. IMO, that's downright robbery!

Cape Breton is EXQUISITE. *g*

But, unfortunately I can't give you any details on buying property up there. Wish I could, since I wouldn't mind headiing there too with my own kids. *hugs*

We are hoping to retire there.
My family is from Canada but these past two generations are American.
The taxes IN Nova Scotia are pretty low.
On my acre of undeveloped waterfront land, I think I pay about $68/year.
You can retain your US citizenship with a visit to the US once every 6 months. If you are thinking of immigrating you must put in an application and wait til they get around to you. They are VERY backlogged right now. On the Canadian immigration site they have answers. You do not need a job in Canada to immigrate. In Nova Scotia jobs are very hard to find. Expect to downgrade your career.
Most jobs are in industry and trades, etc. Outside of the "big cities" life is quite different than in the US.... but people are nicer there, and neighbors are neighbors. The small towns have virtually no crime, because everybody knows everybody. When you drive down the street, strangers wave at you. People are more interdependant than they are here.
Health care is pretty good, wages are lower because taxes are higher to pay for health care and retirement. Mortgages are easier then in the US. You refinance every five years.
Prices are going up and a nice piece of property is getting harder to find. Ten years ago you could really find great bargains but with everyone discovering Nova Scotia and a lot of Europeans investors, the bargains get slimmer. Many Germans are retiring to NS.
My advice is to go there and live a year or two before you make a big investment. It's quite a culture shock, but as someone else said here, with computers and Fedex today the shock is less.
I bought because I have roots there and have loved the place for a long time. Your reasons may be different. I have no idea of what you are looking for or expect, don't know your age, etc., so I am at a loss to advise you further.
Good Luck to you whatever you do!

Here are some links that were helpful to me:
capebretonrealty.com
marypatrealty.com
cansorealties.com
wblack.com