Bird Talk » Dollars & Sense

Posted date : Nov 4, 2017.

Dear Bird Talk, This may be old hat to experienced snowbirds, but it was news to us. We are newbie snowbirds planning to spend February through April in South Carolina. We put our second car into storage and removed all but comprehensive insurance; the resultant savings paid for the storage fees three times over. So […]

Posted date : Nov 4, 2017.

Dear Bird Talk, Snowbirds who are looking at renting a house in Florida that uses propane for heating a pool should be very careful. Although some people claim that heating a pool with propane is similar in cost to that for hydro, propane rates from propane suppliers vary widely based on a home’s annual usage […]

Posted date : Nov 4, 2017.

Dear Bird Talk, The statements made in the Government Relations report of Issue 93 of CSANews are misleading. I quote the following from the Saint Lucie County Property Appraisers’ website: “Amendment 10 (Save Our Homes): Effective January 1, 1995, Amendment 10 to the Florida Constitution limits any annual increase in the assessed value of residential […]

Posted date : Nov 4, 2017.

Dear Bird Talk, In your winter 2014, Issue 93, you advised Linda Johnson of Vancouver B.C. that the sale of her current home “would be subject to capital gains tax on the difference between the sale price and the purchase price you paid, less improvements. Ten per cent of the sale price is required to […]

Posted date : Nov 4, 2017.

Dear Bird Talk, I am a snowbird from Canada who has purchased a single-family home in a 55+ community. I have powers of attorney for both my estate and personal care written in Ontario by a lawyer. Should I have a power of attorney certified in Arizona as well? I am sure that there are […]

Posted date : Nov 4, 2017.

Dear Bird Talk, My wife and I own a home in Arizona. Can you give guidance concerning the estate tax? Specifically, circumventing it. Should we have a separate will for the U.S.? Should we have our children’s names on the title? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. W Delorme Calgary, AB Response: Ed.: For persons […]

Posted date : Nov 4, 2017.

Dear Bird Talk, We are Canadian with a vacation home in Arizona. Our AZ builder offers a trade-in program, so we are using this and building a larger home. Our current home gets listed by a realtor which they use for their trade-in business and they pay 1/2 his commission. We pay the balance and […]

Posted date : Nov 4, 2017.

Dear Bird Talk, My question is about defining working in the U.S. I could ask at the border, but I’m afraid that asking will bring attention to my situation with potential negative fallout. I am a contractor for a Canadian education company providing services to Canadian businesses only. Within this role, I provide course facilitation […]

Posted date : Nov 4, 2017.

Dear Bird Talk, I think it important to warn other snowbirds about my unfortunate experience with Bell Canada. For two years, I requested temporary suspension of my satellite dish for the TV while I was in Florida. This was done…and I was charged a minimal amount. This past October 2013, I phoned them as usual. […]

Posted date : Nov 4, 2017.

Dear Bird Talk, Like many snowbirds, we do our banking online while in Florida. While away from home, we use Kathy’s debit card information to access our company and personal bank accounts but, last winter, we discovered that her card was about to expire while we were away. It had a November expiry date. According […]