Moving in the region | Five tips for a successful “big move”

From Rimouski to Fermont via Kamouraska, La Tuque and many other municipalities, Mariloup Wolfe documented the move to the region of some twenty families for the show The big move. This week, she launched a guide inspired by the series. The Press asked the host as well as participants in the second season, currently broadcast on Canal Vie, for advice on how to make a success of his “big move “.

Veronique Larocque
The Press

Don’t be held back by fear

Have you been thinking about moving to the region for some time? “Dare”, encourages you Mariloup Wolfe. “Everyone moves for different reasons, that’s for sure. There are still things that overlap. One thing that jumped out at me in my meetings was the quality of life, the time that people find again, ”says the host. She also noticed that all the participants of the show seemed more fulfilled when she returned to visit them once they were settled in their new region. And then, if, in the end, you regret your decision, there is always a way to sell your house and move again, she argues. ” You must not feel afraid. We can go back. »

Embark on the project 100%

In The little guide to the big move, Mariloup Wolfe talks briefly about her own experience. In her twenties, she left Montreal for the Laurentians, where she lived for 12 years. ” My big move wasn’t completely successful because I didn’t quit everything. I see that the big ones moves that work better is when you decide to change everything. […] Me, I came back to work in Montreal every day. It’s as if I spent my life in my car. Does she regret her years in Sainte-Anne-des-Lacs? Not at all. “Living in the region has been a great stage in my life. The one where my children were very small, where they had a large area to play outside, where we took advantage of the silence, the space, the isolation, the edge of the water. I liked several aspects of this period… I even discovered that I loved mowing the lawn! “, she says in the book which contains splendid photos of Quebec.

Don’t rush things

The guide also contains testimonials from participants of the show The big move. Nicole Girard and Marc Lacroix, who left the northern suburbs of Montreal for Laterrière, in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, advise “not to rush too much to buy a house, but rather to wait for the one that corresponds as much as possible to his needs”. Before embarking on the project, the couple had compiled a list of all the essentials that their adopted neighborhood should have. “All the little boxes had to be ticked,” illustrates Marc Lacroix. These outdoor enthusiasts particularly wanted to have easy access to a river. “We had really targeted a street,” he recalls. We often looked to see if there were any houses for sale on that street. If it had to be done again, the couple would perhaps wait a longer time before buying, since their home does not quite correspond to what they would have wanted. Despite everything, Nicole Girard and her spouse are happy with their move. “I love the region,” she says.

Adapt to the rhythm of life

Such a big upheaval comes with a period of adaptation. Louis-Philippe Genest, who moved to Rimouski in June 2021 with his spouse, Yvan Tremblay-Morneau, can attest to this. “People are very warm here. They are much more relaxed, they are less stressed than in town,” he noted. This difference has repercussions on his work as a real estate broker. “I do the same job as I did before in Montreal, but it’s not the same working methods and it’s not the same pace either. I had to lower my expectations because they were very high. But that’s not a bad thing, he hastens to add. With the current real estate overheating in the metropolis, Louis-Philippe Genest confides: “My job drove me a little crazy in Montreal. »

Get involved in your community

This last piece of advice does not come from Mariloup Wolfe, but from all the speakers she met on her show, she insists. The key to success for a successful move to the region is to integrate into your community. How ? By participating in the activities offered there, by volunteering, by taking the initiative to meet new people, gives as examples Mariloup Wolfe. Among other things, she thinks of a family from the second season who moved to Fermont. “It’s clear that the mother is going to make a success of her big movebecause it is everywhere. […] In two months, she was already more active than many people who live there. This is the best way to develop a sense of belonging to the region, observes the facilitator. “If you move and you never get a sense of belonging, you’re always going to want to be somewhere else or go back. That’s where you fail your big move. »

The big move, Mondays at 7:30 p.m., on Canal Vie. Episodes are also offered at Noovo.ca.

The little guide to the big move

Mariloup Wolfe

Cardinal Editions

192 pages