Many can attest that moving with the CAF is an experience in itself. Many Canadian Military Personnel are expecting to be posted to Kingston this year, so as Kingston’s #1 Real Estate Team, we wanted to help out as much as we can! This week we’ve interviewed Chantal, a Military Spouse, about her experiences moving to Kingston back in 2010.
Chantal: Kingston is such a beautiful city. I definitely did my research before I came, but seeing photos online couldn’t even do it justice. Experiencing the relaxing waterfront, and life of downtown for the first time was absolutely amazing.
We were posted in August of 2010 from Petawawa. I won’t lie, the move was very stressful, but there were a ton of great resources at our disposal. The move ended up going very smoothly, but there are definitely a few things I wish I knew before moving:
Budgeting Tricks
Something that really helped us out when moving down was being really careful to save the budget given to us for our HHT (House Hunting Trip.) A lot of people don’t actually know that whatever money you have left over from your HHT can be put towards your down payment. I think I saved upwards of $3,000-$4,000 just from doing basic things like planning correctly, choosing affordable accommodations, and cheaper transportation. It definitely helped out a lot!
Air BnB – Save Your Money
Air BnBs have been gaining a lot of popularity lately. They’re cheaper than hotels (especially during Spring, Fall, & Winter,) and have more space for your family, but something that I found personally was that you could actually feel what it was like to live in a home in Kingston.. does that make sense? You also save tons of money from eating out because you can cook meals for you and your family in your own kitchen… HEY! I also happen to be renting out some Air BnBs in Kingston!! Can you give me a plug?? Tell everyone to book with me!
[Click Here to Check Out Chantal’s Air BNB Properties]
Neighbourhoods – The Good VS The Bad
Learning about the different areas of Kingston before coming down was an absolute must. The city of Kingston has profiles for each of the 40 or so (43) neighbourhoods in the city, so you can literally pinpoint the area that works best for you and your family before you even see the city. You can learn about the average income, employment rates, age, race, family size, etc, just by looking through these profiles. It’s really helpful to know which neighbourhood would be a match for you and your family so you can make the best decision about where you want to be spending the next chapter of your life.
[Click here for a complete look at profiles of Kingston’s Neighbourhoods]
Get Rid of Your Hairspray!
There are some certain items that you won’t be able to take with you during your move so you’ll want to dispose of them beforehand… it’s stuff like needles, fire extinguishers, bleach, liquids, flammables. Don’t wait until moving day to find out that they won’t take your stuff!!
Community Facebook Pages
Honestly, I wish the first thing I did when I moved here (even before unpacking!) was joining the local military Facebook groups to make connections. There are two main pages, “Kingston MFRC” which is full of upcoming events for military families, and “Kingston Military Family” which is like a discussion board full of really friendly people who are in the same situation as you! My only mistake was NOT joining these pages sooner.
[“Kingston MFRC” Page] , [“Kingston Military Family” Page]
CanEx Furniture Plans
When we furnished our home, we bought almost exclusively from the CanEx, it just made the most sense. We filled our entire house with furniture, appliances, electronics, and everything else completely interest-free, it was almost too easy.
Kingston Military Discounts
I knew that we were eligible for Military Discounts, but I definitely recommend looking into some of the specific discounts offered to Kingston’s Military Personnel and their significant others. I didn’t start taking advantage of some of them until a bit later, but again, I recommend going to their website and checking out what they have to offer.
[Click Here to Access Kingston’s Military Discounts]
“Moving to Kingston” Military Package
If you’re being posted to Kingston and plan on buying a home, you’ll want to sign up for the package we created just for you, it includes a military guide of Kingston, HHT Plan & Checklist, a weekly updated list of homes, and a free consultation with a local professional. It is all absolutely free by the way! You can sign up by clicking the link below!
Click Here To Download the Full “Moving to Kingston” Military Package
Thank you for reading, and special thanks to Chantal for telling us about her experience of being posted to Kingston! We wish you the best during your posting in 2018. If you know anyone that might be moving to Kingston, send them to this blog, it might just make their lives that much easier!
Happy house hunting 🙂