You can enjoy 300 days of sunshine in Arizona but the best times are late September thru mid May!  It is possible to fly into Sky Harbor Airport in the morning and be on the golf course by noon! From Edmonton the West Jet and US Airways have direct flights and you can be here by lunch!.

On my web site is the name of a person who lives in a 55+ community that will shuttle you to and from the airport.

If you purchase a home here the communities are gated and guarded and I can give you names of persons who will check on your property for a small fee. 

Also on my web site are names of people to assist you with decorating, painting or landscaping so you don't have to hunt for them.

Discover the simple pleasures of winter in the sunshine.

Real Estate Concerns

Arizona is an escrow state.  That means when a Contract to Purchase is agreed to and signed it is turned over to a Title and Escrow company for closing.  The Title and Escrow checks and confirms a clear title from the seller and passes it to the buyer and takes the buyers money and passes it to the seller. Cash sales can take only one week.

There is no sales tax on property to buy or sell.  There is a Federal tax when you sell your house if it is over $ 300,000.  The Escrow and Title company than has to send 10% to the US Treasury.  It would be necessary to obtain a Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) from the US Internal Revenue Service and than file for that money through an accountant or tax advisor. (See advisors below.)

If you are an investor in housing in the US, please obtain professional advice on setting up a company and filing the proper forms.

Property taxes are about 1% of the sales price of a home.  The Maricopa County Tax Assessor collects the taxes.  One can access their tax account (called the Assessors Number, AN xxx xx xxx) and pay them on the Maricopa County web site, see my concierge section for access.

What happens when you want to sell? Or do you want to invest? Here are futher resources.

 Financial Advisors

Keats, Connelly and Associates, Inc. for tax information and cross-border real estate investing

Dale Walters, CPA, PFS,CFP   US and Canada   dalew@keatsconnelly.com or call 602 955 5007

or visit the website at www.keatsconnelly.com

Order their book: The Border Guide by Robert Keats at www.theborderguide.com

Transitional Financial

Brian Wruk, is in Gilbert, AZ, and  is a financial planner specializing in Canadian residents moving to the US or for snowbirds. He has US and Canadian designations and is a dual citizen. also, Terry Ritchie, partner,  is in Calgary  Web site : www.transitionfinancial.com  or call 480 722 9414

Order the book The Canadian Snowbird  by Terry Ritchie and Brian Wruk   from their website  This is easy to read!

Currency Exchange

HiFx Currency Exchange  see www.hifx.com

They give spot and long term locks on exhcange rates and say they can save you 2-4% even on a Canadian Bank Commercial exchange. check out this web site!