Can a Canadian purchase, and work on a house, in the USA?

brian6543
New Member



Joined: 30 Sep 2008
Posts: 3
Location: quebec

Posted: Tue Sep 30, 2008 9:18 pm

 

---

I am a Canadian looking to buy a home in Florida for the winters. I do not have enough money to buy a beautiful renovated home, but I can buy cheaper and do the work myself, if I am allowed by law to do my own work. I know that if I ever sell, I will pay taxes, but my plan is only to use it as a vacation home for winter. Would I have to hire contractors or can I do the work myself? Any information would be appreciated.

Thank you,

Brian

---

Steven
CanuckAbroad VIP



Joined: 28 Sep 2007
Posts: 1582
Location: Calgary

Posted: Tue Sep 30, 2008 9:26 pm

 

---

http://www.canuckabroad.com/forums/canadian-res...n-usa-vt2836.html

Technically you can't do work that would usually be paid for, how on Earth that is enforced I have no idea.
_________________
Steve.

---

brian6543
New Member



Joined: 30 Sep 2008
Posts: 3
Location: quebec

Posted: Tue Sep 30, 2008 9:43 pm

 

---

Work that would usually be paid for pretty much sums it up. I guess the only way to avoid that would be to do very poor quality work! This means that I would need to hire contractors. What about cleaning your house then,or mowing the lawn? There must be a line between what is accepted and what is not. I know that enforcing any of this work be hard to do, but I don't want to have to worry about it, so figured I would try to get some info. Anyone out there ever have this situation?

Thanks for the info Steve

---

Steven
CanuckAbroad VIP



Joined: 28 Sep 2007
Posts: 1582
Location: Calgary

Posted: Wed Oct 01, 2008 8:42 am

 

---

This is what it says in the regs but like I said, unless there's an ICE agent hiding in the bushes I just cannot see how they can enforce it. If you say at the POE "oh, I'm fixing up my house" they might refuse you entry (after all, they refused entry to Canadians helping fix houses after Katrina).

I'd be more worried about buying and flipping houses that you've fixed up than what you do to your own vacation home.

Mowing the lawn though is not something to get worried about.

De minimus non curat lex. "The law is not concerned with trifles."

Personally I'd say you only need to worry about it if you do something that is likely to come to the attention of the authorities, for example if you want to build an extension and have to apply for planning permission (but even then how ICE would ever get wind of it I have no clue, some nosey neighbour calling it in is probably the only way).

And even then it would be hard to prove without your neighbour testifying in court they had seen you working on the house.

I'd love to say that ICE would never be this petty, but reading stories about people drowning in the Niagara river being asked for ID and people being arrested for importing chocolate makes me think otherwise.
_________________
Steve.

---

brian6543
New Member



Joined: 30 Sep 2008
Posts: 3
Location: quebec

Posted: Wed Oct 01, 2008 10:03 am

 

---

I do agree that it would not be something perhaps imigration would consider very important, having a guy fixing his own house. I guess it's more that if I happen to buy a house beside a contractor who feels I'm there stealing his work, and he calls them. I wanted to know if it was considered legal to work on my own home, but if it's not, I guess I'll forget about the big stuff and hire out, just keep the painting and small stuff for myself and have no worries about it. Thanks for the info again,


Brian

---

Lindsee
New Member



Joined: 04 Oct 2008
Posts: 2
Location: BC

Posted: Sat Oct 04, 2008 11:54 am

 

---

Where in Florida did you want to buy a place? I have relatives that have done two scenarios. One bought a house in Lutz ,one hour from Tampa. They did most of the reno work themselves and hired some things done by locals. There was never any problem with that. The problem was in having the property looked after when they weren't there. Almost every year they had breakins in the summer while they were at home in Canada. Trying to find someone to keep up the property ( cutting grass picking up papers etc) so it didnt't look abandoned, was a nightmare.Of course their insurance went way up. The other scenario is my parents, who opted to buy a park model trailer in a Palm Harbor( 20 mins from Tampa airport) Florida resort. This place has a pool,activities,is close to shopping and the beach. There is a resident manager and a few year round residents as well as maintenance crew that keep a close eye on things when you arent there. You can buy a beautiful used 1 bed place with a huge sun room ( part of which could be another bedroom if you needed it) for under $45,000 .The monthly pad fees are around $400 including water hydro and maintenance. That amt would be adjusted depending on how much a/c you use !
_________________
Lindsee

---

Steven
CanuckAbroad VIP



Joined: 28 Sep 2007
Posts: 1582
Location: Calgary

Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2008 7:33 pm

 

---

If you're going to buy a place in Tampa, there are something like 2,000 condos going up for auction in November, four developers along Channelside Dr. went bankrupt, so the theory is you can get a $250,000 apartment for $100,000. The bankruptcy court is selling off each development individually, so it's not clear when the units will go on sale.

However the reason they went bankrupt is because no-one wanted them, property market in Tampa is in total meltdown right now.
_________________
Steve.

---