Moving to a new school is difficult and even more difficult is to make that change during the school year. But if you're a parent who has to move during the school year, take heart. Children will adjust; it might just take a little more effort on your part to help them settle easily into the new school.

Talk to Teachers and Administrators Before You Move

School administrators will be the first to tell you that it's important for the school to be notified of your child's arrival, any special needs your child may have and if there were any problems at the old school.

You may also want to discuss how your child feels about the move, if your child is shy or has academic challenges you're concerned about. Remember, teachers and staff are there to help you with the transition. The more you're willing to share, the easier you'll make it for your child to succeed.

It's also equally important to point out your child's strengths, their passions and what they might miss about their old school. For instance, if your child played in the school band, and the new school doesn't have a band program, you may ask the staff what the community offers or if they have other suggestions on how you can keep your child engaged. It's critical that the things your child loved to do in the old school be transferred to the new community.

Talk to your Children About What to Expect

Remember that each child will have their own way of dealing with the change. Some children will be vocal, while others may have a harder time expressing their feelings.

Ask them what they need, how you can help and how they're feeling about the change. The sooner you start to talk to them about the move, the sooner they'll start to open up. Remind them that you know the move will be hard on them and that you're there to help. And when a child shares their feelings, make sure you try to understand what they're going through and be sympathetic even though you're going through your own transition and change.

Get Kids Involved in School Activities

With your child, talk about the activities at the new school that they might be interested in joining. Knowing ahead of time what the school offers is a great way to help your child begin the transition. If possible, get in touch with school coaches, teachers, councilors - whoever can assist in getting your child immersed in their new environment. Find out if the school has a buddy system for new students and ask for the buddy's name in advance.

Encourage Kids to Stay in Touch and Make New Friends

A great way to start the transition to the new school is to contact your child's new teacher and ask that soon-to-be classmates offer to be pen pals. Teachers are usually quite open to this idea as it helps bridge the gap and encourages students to become active in another child's experience. While it's a great idea to encourage your child to stay in touch with old friends, making new friends in the new school is even more important. Try to balance contact with old friends and contact with new friends. Often you'll find that once your child is in their new school, it'll just take a few weeks before the new friends begin to take center stage.

Stay in Touch and Engaged After the Move

Just because it seems that your child has adapted to their new school, make sure you ask to speak to teachers and administrators who may have a better view of just how well your child has adjusted.

They may see signs of trouble before you do; some children hide problems from their parents and want you to think that everything is fine.

As written in the Toronto Star - Keeping It Real-Estate.

The Bank of Canada announced a raise of its key policy rate by 25 basis points, up to 0.75%, marking the first hike since September 2010, in the context of an economy approaching “full capacity” and inflation expected to reach its 2% target in the next few months.

Bank of Canada Governor Stephen Poloz expressed concern about the sustainability of growth as well as US-based policy uncertainties, although delays in decision-making south of the border seem to have moved those concerns further into the background. He said it meant strong business sentiment for investment and hiring intentions, despite the lack of clarity south of the border. There is no “predetermined path” for further increases, he said, adding that the rate policy would be examined quarterly.

The rate hike will immediately impact adjustable-rate mortgages and home equity lines of credit. Hot on the heels of the announcement, the Royal Bank, Bank of Montreal, TD, Scotiabank and CIBC all announced an increase in prime rates, up to 2.95% from 2.7%. Although they’re holding for now, we may see fixed rates inch up as well.

It’s difficult to forecast future rate trends, he said, given the vagaries of President Trump and the outlook for world oil prices, but with our historically high levels of debt, it does have the potential to leave consumers vulnerable.

The Bank’s next rate announcement is set for September 6th.

There isn’t any reason for immediate concern, unless you’re stretched so tight that even the most minor rate hike can affect your cash flow, but it isn’t the time to get into further debt. If the economy continues to do well, we could see the rate get hiked again.

It never hurts to be cautious, but even the slightly higher rate is something from which the economy should benefit. It should encourage Canadians to save more. On the other hand, a higher cost of borrowing can mean an increase in production costs, which could trickle down to higher prices and make our exports less competitive.

It doesn’t mean much right now, but with its having been such a long time since we saw any kind of rate hike, it’s not a bad time to behave with a little caution.

Speaking of Affordability Issues

Renters in Vancouver are facing bidding wars that can get just as heated as price wars, according to Straight.com. One would-be landlord relates his experience renting an apartment on behalf of a friend who had to make a quick move to Kelowna. He started, he says, at $1,175/month because there weren’t any neighbourhood comparables, but he found himself inundated with emails. He finally got the barrage under control at $1,400/month, set up an open house, and quickly found himself with numerous would-be tenants willing to pay a little more, and willing to pony up three and four months’ rent in advance.

He finally rented the place for $1,600 and four months’ rent in advance, plus a damage deposit and a pet deposit for the couple’s cat. That didn’t stop others, who hadn’t made the shortlist, from continuing to bid, with one guy even offering a $1,000 kickback.

Anecdotally, we may be headed in the same direction. I have friends who recently went on the hunt for a rental property in the east end. It didn’t seem to matter what kind of shape the place was in or how desirable the neighbourhood — just about everything was in the $1,900 range from Rouge Hill toOshawa.

Further east, that might have got them a detached house with a yard, while closer to town it may be a townhome or a smaller detached, but they even looked at one place on a less than desirable main street in Oshawa that had no — literally not one — closet anywhere within the property. The backyard was a scrub brush with a fence around it.

One detached home’s basement smelt so badly of mould, they were afraid they would walk away from the viewing with lung disease. One odd place in Pickering was advertised as a three-bedroom, but one of those bedrooms turned out to be more like a sunroom at the front of the house and the other a similar space at the back. Upstairs, without benefit of a door, the one actual “bedroom” (sort of) was lined with myriad doors that opened into an uninsulated attic space. There were already potential renters lining up to take it.

Hopefully whatever else the rate hike might bring, it’ll be the beginning of some sensibility in the rental market as well as the housing market.

Ontario’s Rent and Housing Reform: What Homeowners, Renters, Buyers & Sellers Need to Know

It may seem like you’ve traded up when you moved into your four bedroom home in the suburbs. With a yard in the back and an open spacious kitchen, windows all along the house and the park and school just a few steps away. It’s hard not to fall in love with the fantasy, especially if you’re a new family, starting off your lives with the kids. But is it true that suburban living offers the dream of quality life along with substantial savings? You’ll have to look closely at the cost of living, as well as the expenses of commuting to get a fair analysis whether your life in suburbia is a dream come true, or a financial setback.
 
Research shows that a suburban home costs almost $200,000 less than a home in the city. But the cost of commuting is almost $10,000 per year, versus the $3,000 a year you’ll be spending on transit costs within the city. Adding along the monthly utility bills of water and electricity, and cost of home maintenance, you’re looking at an ongoing upward scale where the people who are living in suburbia continue to battle their income with their expenses.
 
Recent surveys and cost calculators have predicted that people living in suburbia will pay almost 1.3 million in living and travel costs over 40 years, and in comparison people living in the city will pay around 1.27 million for the same. It’s hardly a $30,000 difference. So is it really worth the price to pay? That would depend entirely on you. Whether you’re looking for a bbq and a backyard or a short walk to work, depending on how you prioritize your life, you’ll be able to better decide where you want to live. 
 
Choosing and investing in a home is a personal choice. While some value certain attributes, others find them unnecessary. It’s all about finding that balance that you need in order to have a life that you need, without giving up too much of your wants.
 
If you would like to chat more about housing choices, I would be happy to help you out with more information and the types of neighborhoods you can look into! Give me a call and let’s discuss your options of city life versus the suburbs.