Fort McMurray NF

[carp-starter]

I think it was yesterday that I saw a clip on the CBC that the cost of real estate up there is an average of $600,000.00. So I took a look.

 

The first area I looked at was in SAPRAE CREEK area. I found 4 houses. The prices ranged from $763,658 (1602 sq feet, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms) to $1,089,000 (2595 sq feet, 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms).

 

http://www.mls.ca/PropertyResults.aspx?Mod...p;ps=10&o=A

 

At over ¾ of a million you get just 1602 square feet and 3 bedrooms. At this price, a lot more can be gotten in Oakville or Markham.

 

I then looked for something cheap (I am sorry, I should have said – something cheaper).

 

I found a 2 bedroom mobile home at only $334,900. This one has only 1 bathroom but a driveway good for 6 cars. With only 2 bedrooms, I guess they believe in 3 per bedroom.

 

http://www.mls.ca/PropertyDetails.aspx?vd=...pertyID=6056624

 

Here is the main page of the MLS site. Take a look at it if you have nothing better to do. It is simply amazing.

 

http://www.mls.ca/map.aspx?AreaID=6419

 

How can people afford so much? Is everyone well off and the only poor person is me? I looked for RENTALS but my search did not give me anything – maybe something is wrong with my PC.

 

Any comments?

 

carp-starter

[ecxstriper]

you think that is bad trying looking for place in North New Jersey where the property taxes are $12,000 to 20,000 an year You will pay 400,000 for 1000 ft and will get no yard

Edited August 12, 2007 by ALEX

[Guest gbfisher]

OIL SANDS!

[nofrills]

OIL SANDS!

 

Exactly right!

Fort McMurray is an industrial town. The oil sand workers are paid HUGE DOLLARS!!! The company I work for opened a store up there a couple years ago, and has allready had to relocate to a MUCH larger location, and quickly became the number one store in a chain of 400+ stores nation wide! BIG bucks up there!!

[danc]

I've had a few opps to go to Fort Mac. The local company that I work for has a job there. 7 days a week for 10 hours a day works out to be about $4000.00 a week gross. And I just talked to our business rep today and he told me that he can get me on higher paying jobs than that. One guy from our local is clearing $2800.00 per week. And they're looking for more guys. A lot of what determines what's a good job or not is if they put you up in a camp. If they do, then you have no expenses. You take home what you make. Or I can go to a new diamond mine that's under construction in Northern Ontario near Hudson Bay. The guys up there are clearing over $2000.00 per week and they need more men. But I'll just stay home and get my measly 40 hours per week in and survive on that. I like it here.

[Guest gbfisher]

There are other ways to profit from not being there.

Invest in Canada's black gold market. (Canadian Oil Sands)..

[holdfast]

Guess what. The secret has gotten out about Saskatchewan. Forget about PA, Regina and Saskatoon. I bought my house last August for 104,000. Now I can auction over 200,000. I hate it. Now Albertans are buying everything and driving prices up. Its Crazy. The only good thing about it is if you sell, you might get ahead in the small towns. I bought a double Mobile 2.5 hours from here in Big River for 9,000. Its not a cabin in the woods, but its my Retreat central to fantastic fishing. My point I guess is that you have to be lucky to work where you live and see an end to your bills, or do like a lot of guys do here. Buy cheap, cheap, and work camp for 12 days straight and 12 days off and travel a day to get home. I heard there are even Ontarians that fly home on their off shifts in Fort Mac. Its all about the money.

[danc]

I've heard big things about Saskatchewan too holdfast. Apparently there's more oil there than in Alberta. I'm too old to play that game though. I don't need a half million dollar mortgage on a mobile home only to see the bottom crash out of the oil market and find out that I can't sell it for squat two years later. And that will happen some day. But certainly something for the younger guys to think about.

[holdfast]

Yup you're right. My first job here and a civilian since 25 yrs was working the fields driving a pressure truck. I learned to Hate it. I would start at 7 in the morning and I would be an hour from the shop which was another 40 minutes from home and the dispatcher would send me back on another task at 10 at night. 10 Days on for days off. I would average 135 hours. Money was awsome, but I was miserable. So I quit my 1st job in 25 yrs and now I work driving a roll off for half the salary but I travel up to 4 hours from home. Its all country. Flat surface, traffic thats not insane, and great scenery. Were 1 hour south of the Boreal. But heres the good. Wife makes the same wage and benifits as a government employee in in Finance at Maple leaf. She was Part time cashier IGA in Wasaga. My daughter Works at Walmart and may promote to a supervisor. That was while she is finishing High School. What Im saying is that Employers will give you the Experience. You dont need to be Bilingual or loaded with experience. Maybe it might be worth working in the Fort for all its living expenses just to get the experience and chance. But youre right its a young hard working mans world here out west. The Land of the Coveralls

[POLLIWOGG]

Ahhhh Fort Mac, Sort of miss the ol arm pit of the world.

 

Holdfast, your dispatcher wasn't Gord by any chance?

[holdfast]

Nope