Getting Medical Care in PEI: Walk-In Clinics, Maple, and What You Need to Know Before You Move
What happens if you get sick in PEI before you have a family doctor? Walk-in clinics, Maple virtual care, and the Patient Registry waitlist, explained — plus the prescription and referral prep that makes the transition easier.
If you're thinking about moving to PEI, "what happens if I get sick and don't have a doctor" is probably somewhere on your worry list. It's a fair question — PEI has a real family doctor shortage, and it's one of the most common things people ask me in the Move to PEI group. So let's talk about it honestly.
The short version
You will not be assigned a family doctor the day you land. You'll go on a waitlist called the Patient Registry, and depending on where you land on it, that wait can be long. In the meantime, you have two main options for non-emergency care: walk-in clinics and Maple (virtual care). Even when you are assigned a doctor, receiving acute care for infections and sickness can be hit or miss, depending on how your doctor operates so you may still be reliant on walk-in clinics even when you have a family doc.
Here's how each one actually works.
Walk-in clinics
They run first-come, first-served — no appointment needed.
Registration typically opens around 8am, and clinics close registration early once they hit capacity for the day. Get there early if you can.
You'll need your PEI Health Card to be seen without paying out of pocket.
The part most newcomers don't know about: several clinics use an online booking system called Skip the Waiting Room.
It's still first-come, first-served — the line-up for it starts at 7am, same as showing up in person. What it actually gets you is certainty: registering online tells you sooner whether you're getting in to see a doctor that day, instead of driving over and finding out only once you're standing in line. There's a small booking fee (a few dollars) for registering online; registering in person is still free. Not every walk-in clinic offers it, so check whether your closest one does before you plan around it.
[Bracket aside: for the clinics that don't offer online booking, it's back to the "show up early, bring a book, and don't take it personally if they close registration before you get in" system. It's not glamorous but it works for non-urgent stuff.]
Maple (virtual care)
Maple is a virtual care platform — you talk to a doctor by phone, text, or video for things like prescription refills, requisitions, or referrals.
The important part: the province only covers Maple for free if you're on the Patient Registry waitlist and get invited by Health PEI directly. You book through Health PEI, not through the Maple app itself — private bookings through Maple ask for payment. There was a plan to make Maple free for all Islanders regardless of waitlist status, but as of mid-2026 that expansion has been paused. So if you land in PEI and aren't yet registered, don't assume Maple is automatically free for you — check your status first.
My experience with chronic headaches while using Maple is that I was referred through Maple to a primary care physician. But those appointments are only available through Maple when you have a need that cannot be assessed online.
What covers you while you're becoming a PEI resident
If you're moving from another Canadian province, there's a gap you should plan for: PEI has a three-month waiting period before your new PEI Health Card coverage kicks in — coverage generally starts the first day of the third month after you establish residency.
The good news: your previous province's health plan typically continues to cover you during that gap, under the reciprocal billing agreements between provinces. So if you move from, say, Ontario or Nova Scotia, keep your old health card active and don't cancel it the day you arrive — it's what's covering you medically until your PEI card activates. Confirm the specifics with your old province before you move, since the rules and timing can vary depending on where you're coming from.
If you're coming from outside Canada, this doesn't apply the same way — international arrivals may be eligible for coverage starting sooner, but it's worth confirming your specific situation directly with PEI Health PEI or an immigration advisor, since status and permit type affect it.
Apply for your PEI Health Card as soon as you arrive regardless — processing itself can take several weeks on top of the waiting period, so the earlier you start, the sooner you're covered.
Getting on the Patient Registry (the actual process)
Straight from Health PEI's own FAQ, here's what you need to know about the waitlist itself:
To be eligible, you need:
A valid PEI Health Number
To be a permanent resident of PEI
No existing primary care provider
How you register: online through the Patient Registry form, by phone (1-855-563-2101), or in person at any Access PEI location. You'll need each household member's Health Card (or Health Card number + date of birth if you don't have the card yet).
How matching actually works: it's based on your application date, provider availability, and region — not a strict "first come, first served" line the way it sounds. Health PEI now lets you pick a secondary preferred region in addition to your primary one, which can help you get matched sooner (just make sure you could realistically travel there for appointments). A few things can also move someone ahead of you legitimately — a new baby joining the household, a family member with more complex care needs, or a retiring doctor flagging existing patients for continuity of care. So if a friend who registered after you gets matched first, that's usually why.
While you wait: you're confirmed eligible for Maple virtual care the entire time you're on the registry, and Health PEI will check in with your household twice a year to confirm you're still looking and keep your contact info current.
Other things worth knowing
811 — PEI's health advice line — is free and available if you need guidance on whether something needs a doctor visit.
Emergency departments at Queen Elizabeth Hospital (Charlottetown) and Prince County Hospital (Summerside) are there for actual emergencies — not a substitute for the above, but good to know where they are.
Get on the Patient Registry as early as possible after you arrive. It's a waitlist, not an appointment — the sooner you're on it, the sooner your name moves up.
Two things I tell everyone before they move:
Get your prescriptions renewed before you move — ask your current doctor for a full year of refills if they'll do it. You don't want to be trying to find a new provider to renew something a month after you land.
If you're under specialist care, have that specialist send a referral ahead of your move. This matters most for ongoing care — say your kids see a pediatrician, or you see a specialist for something chronic. Have your current provider send the referral directly to a PEI provider in the same specialty before you leave, so there's already a file and a connection waiting, instead of starting from zero once you're here.
Why I'm telling you this
I moved provinces and countries enough times myself to know that "what about healthcare" isn't a small question — it's one of the practical things that can make or break how settled you feel in a new place. I'd rather you know the real system going in than find out the hard way during your first island cold.
And as a mom, I get why this one hits different than the other move logistics. You can wing it on finding a good coffee shop or figuring out which grocery store has what you need. You can't really wing it when your kid spikes a fever at 2am and you don't know where to go yet. Knowing the system before you need it is one less thing keeping you up at night during an already overwhelming move.
If you're weighing a move to PEI and want to talk through what else to plan for before you land, that's exactly the kind of thing I help people with.
More on moving to PEI
Everything You Need to Know About Buying a Home Here — the bigger picture on relocating and buying, healthcare is just one piece
Charlottetown Neighbourhoods: Where Should I Buy? — because where you land also affects which clinics and providers are close by
Relocating to PEI — my page for out-of-province and international buyers making the move
This information reflects the system as of mid-2026 and is subject to change — always confirm current details directly with Health PEI before making decisions based on it.
Where to Live in Greater Charlottetown: Charlottetown vs. Stratford vs. Cornwall
Same island, same 15-minute radius, three totally different ways of life. If you're buying in Greater Charlottetown, this is the comparison nobody gives you straight.
If you're house hunting in Greater Charlottetown, you've probably noticed the same three names keep coming up: Charlottetown itself, Stratford, and Cornwall. They're all a stone's throw from each other, but they feel pretty different once you're actually living there. Here's how I'd break it down for a buyer.
Charlottetown: closer to it all, pay for the privilege
Charlottetown is the island's only real city — downtown core, older character homes, tree-lined streets in neighbourhoods like Brighton and Parkdale, and the shortest commute you'll find anywhere on PEI (sometimes zero, if you're downtown).
Worth being honest about: this isn't a walk-everywhere city, even in Charlottetown proper. The core and close-in neighborhoods are walkable for day-to-day stuff, and the city's gotten more bikeable over the last few years — but it's still a work in progress. That's especially true if you're in the outer parts of the city like East Royalty, West Royalty, or Winsloe, where you're driving for most errands just like you would in Stratford or Cornwall.
Good fit if you:
Want the most walkable/bikeable options on the island, even if it's not true everywhere in the city
Like older homes with character (and are comfortable budgeting for the maintenance that comes with them)
Want the shortest possible commute to work downtown or at the hospital
Are looking for lower-cost entry points — Charlottetown has more selection of townhomes, condos, and mobile homes on rented land than Stratford or Cornwall
Trade-offs:
Lots downtown and in the newer subdivisions tend to run smaller, though there are pockets throughout the city with larger-than-expected lots — worth asking about if yard space matters to you
Housing stock skews older, so inspections matter more
Median single-family price as of June 2026: $448,000 — the most affordable of the three, though you're trading some yard space for it
2026 property tax rate (PEI resident, provincial tax credit included): $1.67 per $100 of assessed value
Stratford: newer builds, water views, a short bridge away
Stratford sits just across the Hillsborough River from Charlottetown — a few minutes over the bridge and you're downtown. It's grown a lot over the last decade and has a reputation for newer subdivisions and larger lots. Stratford has also been the more sought-after of the two "across the water" communities for years, and the price gap between Stratford and Cornwall reflects that history — though Cornwall's growth (bypass and all) has been narrowing that gap.
Good fit if you:
Want a newer build within a short drive of downtown (bridge traffic aside)
Like the idea of water proximity — several Stratford neighborhoods back onto the river/harbour
Want more yard space than you'd typically get in Charlottetown proper
Have kids, or plan to — Stratford's Community Campus (a new high school plus sport fields, trails, and a wellness centre) is under development on ~170 acres, with the high school currently under construction
Trade-offs:
Less walkable — you're driving for groceries and errands more often than in the city
Fewer character/older homes if that's what you're after
If you work in Charlottetown, you're crossing the Hillsborough Bridge to get there — and that's a real bottleneck during peak traffic times
Median single-family price as of June 2026: $511,000 — the highest of the three
2026 property tax rate (PEI resident, provincial tax credit included): $2.72 per $100 of assessed value
Cornwall: small-town feel, still close to the city
Cornwall is on the other side of Charlottetown, a bit further out than Stratford but still a manageable commute. It's got a stronger small-town, community feel — good for buyers who want some separation from city life without going full rural.
Cornwall's also seen real growth over the past several years, and a big reason is the Trans-Canada Highway bypass — through-traffic (including truck traffic) now routes around the community instead of through the middle of it. That's made a noticeable difference in how the town feels day to day, and it's part of why more people are looking at Cornwall than they used to.
Good fit if you:
Want a quieter, more small-town vibe — helped along by the highway bypass keeping through-traffic out of town
Are looking at larger lots or acreage-adjacent properties
Don't mind a slightly longer commute in exchange for space and quiet
Trade-offs:
Commute is a bit longer than Stratford's — and Cornwall has its own chokepoint at the North River Causeway, though the roundabouts there tend to keep traffic flowing better than the Hillsborough Bridge does
Less walkable — plan on driving for most day-to-day needs
Some areas may be on well/septic rather than municipal services, which is a bigger factor to plan around than people expect
Shopping options are more limited than what you'll find in Stratford — you'll be driving into Charlottetown or Stratford for a lot of it
Median single-family price as of June 2026: $477,500 — sits between the other two
2026 property tax rate (PEI resident, provincial tax credit included): $2.80 per $100 of assessed value
So which one's right for you?
Honestly — there's no wrong answer here. It comes down to whether you'd rather walk to dinner or have a bigger yard, and how much commute time you're willing to trade for either one. If you want to talk through what fits your day-to-day life, that's exactly the kind of conversation I like having early — before we even start touring houses.
Want a deeper dive on the neighborhoods within Charlottetown itself? Check out my Charlottetown neighborhood guide.
I also sat down for a video discussion on this exact topic — Charlottetown communities and the commutable communities just outside the city. Watch it here.
Prepping a Home to Sell vs. Living In It — The Honest Gap
If you've lived in your house for any length of time, it works for you. The mail pile has a spot. The kids' art is on the fridge. There's a system, even if it doesn't look like one to anyone else.
None of that is wrong. But it's not the same thing as a house that's ready to sell — and I think buyers (and honestly, a lot of sellers) get told the two are basically the same. They're not. Here's the honest gap.
Living in a home is about function. Selling it is about first impressions.
When you live somewhere, your brain fills in the gaps. You don't see the scuff on the baseboard anymore — you know it's there, but it stopped registering years ago. A buyer walking in for the first time doesn't have that filter. They notice everything, in about the first 90 seconds.
That's not a knock on how you keep your house. It's just a different lens.
What "lived in" usually looks like
Furniture arranged for how your family actually uses the space, not for flow
Personal photos, kids' schoolwork, collections — the stuff that makes it yours
A closet that's full because, well, you live there and you have stuff
Maybe a room/space that's become the catch-all (we all have one)
What "ready to sell" usually looks like
Furniture arranged so buyers can picture their own stuff in the space
Fewer personal photos — buyers need to picture themselves there, not you
Closets and storage that look like there's room to spare, even if you have to pack some things early
Every room reads as a room, not a catch-all
Neither version is "better." One is set up for your daily life. The other is set up to sell fast and for the best price. Trying to do both at once is where sellers get stuck.
Decorating for living and decorating to sell are honestly two different jobs. Your decorating style is a reflection of you — but getting your home ready to sell is about making it appeal to the most buyers possible. Same house, completely different goal.
Why this gap catches people off guard
Most sellers don't realize how much prep matters until they're standing in a fully staged version of their own home and thinking, huh, I would've bought this. That reaction is the whole point. It's not about hiding anything — it's about letting the house make its case without your daily life competing for attention.
Getting into a buyer's head
Buyers don't just see clutter — they see a storage problem. A closet packed full doesn't read as "we have a lot of stuff," it reads as "this house doesn't have enough storage." Same with deferred maintenance. A little wear here and there makes a buyer start wondering what else has been put off that they can't see.
None of that may be true. But buyers are making snap judgments with limited information, and it's our job to head off those objections before they even form — not after they've already knocked the price down in their head.
It works the other way too. Walk a buyer into a home with a fresh coat of paint, that smells homey and inviting, and something shifts. They stop noticing the house and start picturing themselves in it — moving their furniture in, hosting people, actually living there. That's the moment you're aiming for.
The honest part
This isn't about spending a fortune or gutting your house. A lot of it is depersonalizing, decluttering, and small fixes that take an afternoon, not a reno budget. But it does take some effort, and it does mean living a little more "staged" for a stretch while your home's on the market.
If your goal is top dollar and a faster sale, closing that gap is worth it. If you're just starting to think about listing, that's exactly the kind of thing we walk through together before your home ever hits the market — including two questions I always ask upfront: how much time do you have to get ready, and what's your budget? Both change what prep actually looks like for you.
At the end of the day, real estate is a trade between time and money. If time matters more to you, you might end up sacrificing a bit on price. If price matters more, you'll need to put in the time (or the budget) to get there. Neither is wrong — it just helps to know which one you're prioritizing before we start.
Top 10 things you should know as a relocation buyer, moving to PEI
Relocating to PEI comes with a learning curve nobody warns you about. From bridge traffic to mud season, here are 10 things I wish every relocation buyer knew before they made the move.
If you are considering a move to PEI, then there are a few important things that you should know before making the move.
You are never more than 15 minutes from the ocean! ‘Nuf said
Sometimes, having to cross the Hillsborough Bridge is just too far to ask someone to go, especially if it coincides with ‘rush hour’.
When we say it will take 45 minutes to get somewhere, that means that you will be driving for those 45 minutes and the only traffic that you may run in to is farming traffic (unless you are crossing the Hillsborough Bridge at peak traffic times).
Some people will be totally okay with driving an hour to go somewhere - me, that is probably a day trip if I have the kids. Some will think it is absolutely too long to even drive half an hour…unless you are going to Halifax - then 3 hours is nothing!
Everyone knows someone who knows someone. Ask about a house, a contractor, or a person and there's a solid chance the person you're asking is related to them, dated them, or went to high school with their cousin. Word travels fast here — be nice to everybody. I have literally had someone try to tell me we were related because he used to be best friends with my dad’s cousin’s ex-husband.
The red dirt gets on everything. Your shoes, your car, your dog, your kids' pants right after you put clean ones on them. Then mud season hits — that stretch in spring when the frost comes out of the ground and everything turns to soup — and it gets so much worse. Just accept it now and save yourself the fight.
Ferry or bridge, winter can shut either one down. If a storm's coming, don't plan anything that depends on leaving the Island that day — just do what every Islander does and grab your storm chips. [If you don't know what storm chips are yet, you will soon].
"Just up the road" is a real unit of measurement and it has nothing to do with actual distance. It could be 5 minutes, it could be 20. You'll just have to go with it.
Grocery and big box shopping is more limited than what you're used to — no Costco on-Island, so that's a trip across the bridge (see #4, hello Halifax). Islanders plan their big shops around it. I plan a trip to Hali early December to get a Costco stock up in and do a bunch of holiday shopping.
The pace of life is genuinely slower — and that's the whole point. If you're moving here expecting the conveniences of a city, you're going to be disappointed. If you're moving here for the quiet and the beach 15 minutes away, you picked right.
Where to Live in Greater Charlottetown: Charlottetown vs. Stratford vs. Cornwall
Which community should we live in?" is one of the first questions almost every buyer asks me. Here's my real answer — trade-offs, prices, and all.
If you're house hunting in Greater Charlottetown, you've probably noticed the same three names keep coming up: Charlottetown itself, Stratford, and Cornwall. They're all a stone's throw from each other, but they feel pretty different once you're actually living there. Here's how I'd break it down for a buyer.
Charlottetown: closer to it all, pay for the privilege
Charlottetown is the island's only real city — downtown core, older character homes, tree-lined streets in neighborhoods like Brighton and Parkdale, and the shortest commute you'll find anywhere on PEI (sometimes zero, if you're downtown).
Worth being honest about: this isn't a walk-everywhere city, even in Charlottetown proper. The core and close-in neighborhoods are walkable for day-to-day stuff, and the city's gotten more bikeable over the last few years — but it's still a work in progress. That's especially true if you're in the outer parts of the city like East Royalty, West Royalty, or Winsloe, where you're driving for most errands just like you would in Stratford or Cornwall.
Good fit if you:
Want the most walkable/bikeable options on the island, even if it's not true everywhere in the city
Like older homes with character (and are comfortable budgeting for the maintenance that comes with them)
Want the shortest possible commute to work downtown or at the hospital
Trade-offs:
Lots downtown and in the newer subdivisions tend to run smaller, though there are pockets throughout the city with larger-than-expected lots — worth asking about if yard space matters to you
Housing stock skews older, so inspections matter more
Median single-family price as of June 2026: $448,000 — the most affordable of the three, though you're trading some yard space for it
2026 property tax rate (PEI resident, provincial tax credit included): $1.67 per $100 of assessed value
Stratford: newer builds, water views, a short bridge away
Stratford sits just across the Hillsborough River from Charlottetown — a few minutes over the bridge and you're downtown. It's grown a lot over the last decade and has a reputation for newer subdivisions and larger lots.
Good fit if you:
Want a newer build within a short drive of downtown (bridge traffic aside)
Like the idea of water proximity — several Stratford neighborhoods back onto the river
Want more yard space than you'd typically get in Charlottetown proper
Have kids, or plan to — Stratford's Community Campus (a new high school plus sport fields, trails, and a wellness centre) is under development on ~170 acres, with the high school currently under construction
Trade-offs:
Less walkable — you're driving for groceries and errands more often than in the city
Fewer character/older homes if that's what you're after
If you work in Charlottetown, you're crossing the Hillsborough Bridge to get there — and that's a real bottleneck during peak traffic times
Median single-family price as of June 2026: $511,000 — the highest of the three
2026 property tax rate (PEI resident, provincial tax credit included): $2.72 per $100 of assessed value
Cornwall: small-town feel, still close to the city
Cornwall is on the other side of Charlottetown, a bit further out than Stratford but still a manageable commute. It's got a stronger small-town, community feel — good for buyers who want some separation from city life without going full rural.
Cornwall's also seen real growth over the past several years, and a big reason is the Trans-Canada Highway bypass — through-traffic (including truck traffic) now routes around the community instead of through the middle of it. That's made a noticeable difference in how the town feels day to day, and it's part of why more people are looking at Cornwall than they used to.
Good fit if you:
Want a quieter, more small-town vibe — helped along by the highway bypass keeping through-traffic out of town
Are looking at larger lots or acreage-adjacent properties
Don't mind a slightly longer commute in exchange for space and quiet
Trade-offs:
Commute is a bit longer than Stratford's — and Cornwall has its own chokepoint at the North River Causeway, though the roundabouts there tend to keep traffic flowing better than the Hillsborough Bridge does
Less walkable — plan on driving for most day-to-day needs
Some areas may be on well/septic rather than municipal services, which is a bigger factor to plan around than people expect
Median single-family price as of June 2026: $477,500 — sits between the other two
2026 property tax rate (PEI resident, provincial tax credit included): $2.80 per $100 of assessed value
So which one's right for you?
Honestly — it depends on what you're optimizing for:
Walkability and shortest commute → Charlottetown
Newer build, water proximity, still close to downtown → Stratford
Small-town feel, more space, willing to drive a bit more → Cornwall
There's no wrong answer here. It comes down to whether you'd rather walk to dinner or have a bigger yard, and how much commute time you're willing to trade for either one. If you want to talk through what fits your day-to-day life, that's exactly the kind of conversation I like having early — before we even start touring houses.
Want a deeper dive on the neighborhoods within Charlottetown itself? Check out my Charlottetown neighborhood guide.
I also sat down for a video discussion on this exact topic — Charlottetown communities and the commutable communities just outside the city. Watch it here.
Charlottetown Neighbourhoods: Where Should I Buy?
Thinking about where to buy in Charlottetown? A REALTOR's honest breakdown of Brighton, downtown, West Royalty, Winsloe, and more.
One of the questions I get asked more than almost anything else: "Okay, but where should we actually live?" Here's my honest, no-fluff breakdown of the main Charlottetown-area neighborhoods, so you can start narrowing it down.
If you're moving to PEI or buying your first place here, the neighborhood question can feel bigger than the house question. Totally normal. Here is a quick breakdown of the main areas I get asked about most.
Brighton
Brighton is one of Charlottetown's most established, walkable neighborhoods — close proximity to downtown and Victoria Park, with mature lots and classic homes that make it a desirable spot. In 2025, homes here sold in the $600,000–$1,000,000 range.
Schools: Kent Street Elementary, Queen Charlotte Intermediate, Colonel Gray High School.
Good fit if you want in-town living without actually being downtown.
The 500 Block & Downtown Core
This is as central as it gets — walk to restaurants, the waterfront, work, everything. It's a mix of older homes, condos, and some newer build additions. Smaller condos start around $225,000, ranging up to luxury waterfront condos in the high $700,000s. Single-family homes sold for $300,000–$700,000 in 2025. Parking space can come at a premium down here, and the walking and biking lifestyle is often weather-dependent.
Depending on where you land, elementary is either St. Jean's or Prince Street School, both feeding into Queen Charlotte Intermediate and Colonel Gray High School.
Good fit if lifestyle and walkability matter more to you than square footage.
Parkdale, Spring Park & Sherwood
I'm grouping these three together because they tend to come up in the same breath for buyers — very family-friendly, larger yards and homes, neighbourhood parks, and quiet streets good for biking and street hockey. Condo developments (especially around the university) range from $200,000–low $300,000s. Single-family homes range $300,000–$700,000.
Elementary schools: Parkdale Elementary, Spring Park Elementary, Sherwood Elementary — Spring Park and Sherwood are newer builds, both offering French immersion alongside the regular English track. Parkdale and Sherwood feed into Stonepark Intermediate, then Charlottetown Rural High School. Spring Park feeds into Queen Charlotte Intermediate, then Colonel Gray High School.
Good fit for buyers who want an established neighborhood feel without being brand new construction.
West Royalty & Winsloe
West Royalty covers a good chunk of newer development on the edge of the city, with a mix of subdivisions at different price points. Winsloe sits right alongside it — a bit more rural feel, generally larger lots. Lower-priced homes in this area are in Meadowvale Park, a rented-land community in Miltonvale, running $165,000–$270,000. Single-family homes are a mix of semi-detached and detached, ranging $300,000–$1,000,000+. School is West Royalty Elementary, with a French immersion option at Spring Park, then Queen Charlotte Intermediate and Colonel Gray High School. Commute to downtown runs about 15–20 minutes, depending on traffic and weather.
Standout pocket: Lewis Point. Larger, luxury homes on larger lots, many with water views or water frontage. Homes here run $600,000–$1,000,000.
Good fit for buyers wanting newer construction with more room to grow, or a bit more breathing room without a long drive into the city.
Hillsborough & East Royalty
Grouping these together as well — both sit on the east side, with a mix of established and newer housing stock. Two rented-land communities here — Parkwood Estates and River Ridge Estates — with properties selling $155,000–$300,000. Condos sold $200,000–almost $400,000. Single-family homes (a mix of semi-detached and detached) ranged $215,000–$820,000. Schools: L.M. Montgomery Elementary, Stonepark Intermediate, then Charlottetown Rural High School. Commute to downtown runs about 15–20 minutes, depending on traffic and weather.
Good fit for buyers who want east-side convenience with some variety in home age and style.
So... where should you buy?
Honestly? It depends on your lifestyle, family needs, your budget, and what you actually want your day-to-day to look like — not just what looks good on paper. That's the conversation we have in your onboarding consultation, and it's a big part of why I don't just hand people a listing sheet and call it a day.
If you're just starting to figure this out, these might help too:
Want to talk through which neighborhood actually fits your life? Reach out anytime.
All price figures reflect 2025 sales data and are subject to change.
Chat soon! Amy
The Hidden Costs of Buying a Home in PEI (Beyond the Down Payment)
Budgeting for a home purchase on PEI? Inspections, land transfer tax, IRAC approval for larger or waterfront properties, and the fuel tank adjustment can all add up fast. Here's what to expect before closing day.
If you're buying a home [check out our buyer services page] in Charlottetown — or anywhere on PEI — you've probably done the math on your down payment, maybe priced out a moving truck, and figured you had your budget covered. Then a few days before closing, your lawyer sends over a document with a handful of line items you've never heard of, and suddenly you're wondering if you have enough cash to actually close.
This happens to almost everyone. So let's go through it before you're staring at that document wondering what half of it means.
Inspections
The total cost of the inspection can vary depending on the size of the home but generally right now, this is the cost of a full home inspection. In addition to the home inspection, if the property is rural and not on municipal sewer, a septic inspection is a good idea.
Home inspection: around $700
Septic inspection (if the property's on a septic system): around $700
These aren't legally required, but I push for them every time. A few hundred dollars now is a lot cheaper than finding out about a furnace has an air lock — or a failing septic field — after you already own it.
Land Transfer Tax
If you're not a first-time buyer, PEI charges a land transfer tax of 1% of the purchase price. First-time buyers are exempt — so if this is your first home, cross this one off your worry list. [Worth double-checking the exemption qualifiers haven't changed before this goes live.]
This one's worth flagging early, because on a $450,000 home, 1% is $4,500. It's not a small number, and it's not optional if you've owned property before.
IRAC Approval for Out-of-Province Buyers
This one's specific to relocation buyers, and it catches people by surprise. If you're not a PEI resident and you're buying 5+ acres or 165+ feet of waterfront frontage, the purchase needs approval from the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission (IRAC).
That approval comes with its own cost: 1% of the purchase price, plus roughly $1,500–$2,000 in additional legal fees to handle the application. This is a range as it can vary depending on the law firm but when I spoke with several different lawyers at the beginning of 2026, they all fell in that range.
If you're moving to PEI from away and have your eye on a larger property or a place with real water frontage, this is a cost to ask about early — not something to discover after you're already under contract. In fact, it can be a determining factor if your offer on a property is accepted so it cannot be something that is added later as the IRAC application greatly effects the timeline of the transaction as well.
The Fuel Adjustment
Here's one that surprises a lot of buyers: on PEI, it's standard practice to buy a property with the fuel tanks full. That's actually the fair way to do it — full tanks are the only way for anyone to know exactly how much fuel is being purchased, instead of guessing at what's left. So at closing, you reimburse the seller for the cost of that fuel at the closing day’s current fuel price.
This can add up more than people expect, especially if the home has both an oil tank and propane tanks. [Personal experience talking here — I had one oil tank and two propane tanks on my last home purchase, and that adjustment was not small.] It's not a hidden fee exactly, but it's also not something most buyers think to budget for until they see it on the statement.
If you're buying a home heated by oil or propane, ask your REALTOR® early what heating system the property uses — it changes how much cash you'll need on hand at closing.
Statement of Adjustments (this is the one nobody explains)
When your lawyer finalizes the deal, they prepare what's called a Statement of Adjustments — basically the math that splits costs fairly between you and the seller based on the exact closing date. The other pieces that show up most often:
Land transfer tax — calculated right into this statement, if it applies to you
Title insurance — protects you against title issues that didn't turn up in the lawyer's search
Legal fees — your lawyer's fee for handling the closing
Deed registration — the cost to register the deed with the province
Mortgage registration — the cost to register your mortgage, if you're financing
Title search — checking the property's legal history
Real estate disbursements — small admin costs like document production and registry copies
HST on the taxable items above
None of these are PEI-specific scams or hidden fees — they're just standard parts of any property closing in the province, bundled into one document so your lawyer can show you exactly what you owe and what you're getting back.
How Much Should You Actually Budget?
There's no single number that fits every purchase — it depends on the purchase price, whether you're a first-time buyer, whether IRAC approval applies, and what the home is heated with. That's exactly why this document exists: to give you the real number for your specific deal before you're standing at the lawyer's office.
The best move is to ask your lawyer for an estimated Statement of Adjustments as soon as you're a few weeks out from closing, so there are no surprises on closing day.
Why this matters
None of this is hidden on purpose — it's just not necessarily the stuff that gets talked about when you're house hunting. Your lawyer will walk you through the actual numbers on your Statement of Adjustments before closing, and I always tell buyers to ask questions on anything that doesn't make sense. There's no dumb questions on closing day.
If you're working through your own first-time buyer budget, check out my First-Time Buyer Tips.
And if you're relocating to PEI and want the full picture before you move, here's my guide to buying from out of province.
Quick FAQ
Do I have to get a home inspection in PEI?
No, it's not legally required, but it's strongly recommended — especially on older homes or anything with a well or septic system.
Is land transfer tax the same for everyone?
No — first-time buyers in PEI are exempt. Everyone else pays 1% of the purchase price.
What is IRAC approval and who needs it?
Non-resident buyers purchasing 5+ acres or 165+ feet of waterfrontage need approval from PEI's Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission, which adds 1% of the purchase price plus roughly $1,500–$2,000 in legal fees on top of standard closing costs. To be considered a resident of PEI, you must have resided full-time in the province for 12 of the past 24 months.
Why do I have to pay for fuel that's already in the tank?
Because the tank comes full at closing — it's the standard, fair way to handle fuel costs on PEI, since a full tank is the only way to know exactly how much fuel is being transferred. The seller ensures that the tank is full just before closing and then you pay for a full tank. They provide a receipt to their lawyer proving that they had the tank topped up. As the buyers agent, we also ensure that the tank is full at our final walk through.
The Real Estate Dream
Sometimes, it pays off to listen to your parents and the advice they give.
When I was in my early twenties, I remember one specific nugget of advice that my dad gave me (there were lots but this one really stuck with me).
“If I could do it again, for our first house, I would have bought a duplex.”
Here is a man who has put himself through university, got a job, bought a cheap house in the country, fixed it up while working full time and raising his young family and has been moving his way up in houses over the years. The house they were living in at the time was a wonderfully comfortable, family home more than large enough for all of us. And still, he had a thought about how he could have done something better. And it stuck with me.
When Tyler and I talked about buying our first home, this long remembered piece of advice was discussed and we decided that yeah, buying a duplex for our first home WAS a great idea. We could live in half, charge rent for the other half and essentially live almost rent free. So we did.
As we searched, for each property that we looked at, we evaluated the price, the rent numbers, the bills, etc. We had a spreadsheet that gave an extrapolated income versus expenses for each property (we were both in our nerd element here) - we needed to know that we could cover the expenses of the property for several months without any rental income coming in. In the end, we only looked at 5 or 6 properties before we made an offer. and we were ready to jump at the property when we found it because we had been doing our homework.
And so we did it - we jumped at the opportunity to buy our first property. Four year later, we did sell it when we were expecting our third kiddo. Today, I joke that we traded our investment property for a minivan, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
What Should I Expect When Working With a REALTOR®️ in PEI?
A straightforward guide to working with a real estate agent in Charlottetown and across PEI — covering commission, timelines, and what buyers and sellers should expect at every step.
If you're thinking about buying or selling a property on PEI and you're weighing your options for who to work with — this one's for you.
Working with a real estate agent should make the process easier, not more confusing. But if you've never done it before (or you've had a frustrating experience in the past), you might not know what "good" actually looks like. Here's my honest breakdown of what you should expect.
First Things First: What Does an Agent Actually Cost?
This is the question we get asked most often — and the answer surprises a lot of people.
On PEI, commission is paid by the seller, not the buyer. It's typically 4–5% of the purchase price, plus HST, and it's usually split equally between the selling agent and the buying agent.
Many agents like to say that it doesn’t cost the buyer anything to work with an agent but that’s not exactly true. You are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars so of course it is costing you something. Here's the nuance: The commission is built into the purchase price of the property — so in a roundabout way, it's factored into what you're paying. But you won't [usually] write a separate cheque to your agent at the end of the deal. That cost is [usually] handled through the seller's proceeds.
What this means practically: as a buyer, you should absolutely have your own agent representing you. There's no reason not to — and a good one will help you more than anything else.
What Happens Before You Even See a Property (Or List One)
Here's something we wish more clients knew before their first call: the work you do upfront makes the process easier later.
If you're buying:
Get a mortgage pre-approval before you start seriously looking. This isn't just a box to check — it tells you your actual budget, speeds up the offer process, and signals to sellers that you're a serious buyer. In a competitive market, it can be the difference between getting the house and missing it. There are a number of factors that get worked into the numbers to determine your purchasing power: income, debt, property taxes, heat/electricity costs, dependents, etc - the list goes on. So checking this box ahead of time can alleviate a lot of stress down the road.
If you're selling:
Take more time than you think you need to prepare the property before it goes live. We know that sounds counter-intuitive when you're eager to get moving — but properties that are properly prepared sell with less stress, fewer surprises, and usually better results. We'll tell you honestly what's worth doing and what isn't.
What Does Having Your Own Agent Actually Mean?
There's a difference between an agent who opens doors and an agent who actually knows you.
When we take on a buyer or seller as a client, we want to understand what you're looking for — not just the number of bedrooms, but the life you're wanting to build. That context matters. It's what helps us flag the right property, ask the right questions, and guide you through decisions that sometimes have to be made quickly.
You are not just a transaction to us. We're here for the individual and family — and that means your agent should be someone you can actually talk to, who picks up the phone, and who tells you the truth even when it's not what you were hoping to hear.
We work with many clients who are coming to PEI to build their island dream. If you're moving to the Island from out of province, relocating to PEI comes with its own questions — and buying a home from out of province is something we walk clients through often - from choosing a community, finding the home, and making sure everything is ready for them to start living their island dreams.
What the Process Actually Looks Like (Step by Step)
Every deal is a little different, but here's a general picture of what to expect:
For buyers:
Initial conversation — we get to know what you're looking for and where you're at financially
Mortgage pre-approval (if not already done)
Property search and showings
Offer preparation and negotiation
Conditions period — inspection, financing, insurance, title
Pre-closing walkthrough
Closing day 🎉
For sellers:
Initial consultation — we walk the property, talk pricing and timing
Preparation phase — pre-packing, staging, photography, any recommended updates
Listing goes live
Showings and open houses
Offer review and negotiation
Conditions period
Closing
Throughout all of it, your agent should be the one keeping track of deadlines, flagging what's coming next, and making sure nothing falls through the cracks.
What Good Communication Looks Like
You should never feel like you're waiting and wondering. A good agent keeps you informed — not with a flood of updates, but with the right information at the right time.
We're big believers in explaining the why behind every step. Not just "you need to sign this form" but "here's what this form is, why it exists, and what happens next." The process has a lot of moving parts, and our job is to make sure you always know where you are in it.
Ultimately, every decision is yours to make. We'll give you our honest read — and then we'll give you the space to think it through. [We're not going to push you into anything. That's just not how we work.]
The Bottom Line
Working with a real estate agent in Charlottetown should feel like having someone genuinely in your corner — someone who knows the process, knows the market, and actually knows you.
If you're comparing agents right now and trying to figure out who to work with [check out my “10 questions to ask a REALTOR®️ during the Consultation process“ blog], here's our honest advice: find someone you can talk to. Someone who asks good questions, gives you straight answers, and doesn't make you feel like a number.
That's what we try to do at Blue Door Properties.
Have questions about buying or selling on PEI? Reach out — we're happy to chat before you're ready to commit to anything.
Relocating to PEI: Everything You Need to Know About Buying a Home Here
Buying on PEI works a little differently than wherever you're coming from. From dual agency to IRAC to why that tax number on realtor.ca is almost definitely wrong — here's the plain-English breakdown for out-of-province buyers.
What You Need to Know Before Buying on PEI
This blog is repurposed from a live discussion from the Facebook group Move to PEI. The recording of the live disucssion can be viewed here.
So you're thinking about making the move to Prince Edward Island. Maybe you've been lurking in our Facebook group for a while, saving posts, daydreaming about red sand beaches and a slower pace of life. Maybe you've already got a timeline. Either way, at some point the daydream turns into a plan — and that's when the questions start.
One of the biggest ones we hear is: how does buying here actually work?
And the honest answer is: a little differently than wherever you're coming from. PEI has its own rules, its own quirks, and its own market behaviour. Some of it will surprise you. Some of it will be a relief. All of it is worth knowing before you start.
So grab a coffee. Here's the breakdown.
Finding the Right Agent — and Why It Really Matters
Let's start here, because everything else flows from this.
When you're buying on PEI — especially from away — your agent should be doing a lot more than opening doors. They're your eyes on the ground. They're the one showing up to your inspection, asking the questions you didn't think to ask, noticing that the oil tank is original or the roof is closer to the end of its life than the listing suggests.
If you're not on the island yet, we'll often do video walkthroughs — full tours of a property, narrated, so you're seeing the gutters and the basement and the water heater, in addition to the pretty kitchen. We've built private YouTube playlists for out-of-province clients so they can go back and watch multiple properties side by side without their brains turning to mush. [And trust us, after five showings in a day, your brain starts to go a bit mushy.] WeTransfer works for big files when YouTube isn't the right fit. There are options.
The point is: distance doesn't have to be a dealbreaker. But you do need someone who actually shows up for every step of the process — virtually or in-person. That's exactly what our relocation services are built around.
One thing PEI still has that some provinces have moved away from is dual agency. That means the listing agent — the agent who represents the seller — can also represent you as the buyer. It's legal here. But it comes with real trade-offs that are worth understanding before you assume it's fine.
When an agent is representing both sides, they're legally required to sit in the middle. They can't negotiate for you. They can't tell you whether the seller would take less, or push back on something in the inspection, or advocate for your position at the table. They can push papers from one side to the other, and that's about it. If you're a confident, experienced buyer who is here in person and wants a transaction handled cleanly, maybe that's fine. But if this is your first time buying here, or you want someone actually in your corner? Get your own representation. It changes the whole experience. And I know Brooke and I wouldn’t balk at you saying to us that you want your own agent - we totally get it! Check out what it looks like to work with us for buying…
Multiple Offers — What Actually Happens
The spring market on PEI moves. And when inventory is tight and a good property comes up, multiple offers happen.
Here's how it works here, because it's a bit different from what you might have experienced elsewhere.
When a second offer comes in on a property you've already offered on, the listing agent is required to notify you. You get the opportunity to revise your offer — once. That revision is your final and best offer. There's no second kick at the can, no back-and-forth. You put forward what you're putting forward, and then the seller picks.
The thing we always tell our clients: you never find out what the other offer says. Not the price, not the conditions, not the closing date. Nothing. That information is confidential, and it stays that way. What your realtor can do is ask the right questions — things like whether a particular closing date would work better for the seller, or whether there's flexibility on something specific. There's information you can gather without crossing any lines. A good agent knows how to do that.
What we also tell clients: this is not a competition. The goal isn't to win. The goal is to feel good about what you've offered for a property you actually want to live in. Some people get competitive, and that's human — but overbidding on a house just because another offer showed up is a fast way to feel buyer's remorse on closing day. Offer what you're genuinely comfortable with. And if it doesn't work out, there will be another house.
That said, price isn't the only lever. Flexible closing dates, fewer conditions, creative structuring — all of these can make your offer more appealing without necessarily costing you more money.
SOBP — The Selling-While-Buying Scenario
If you own a home where you are right now and you need to sell it before you can buy here, that's what we call a Sale of Buyer's Property condition — SOBP for short. It's one of the most common scenarios we work with for out-of-province buyers, and it's worth understanding in some detail.
Here's how it plays out: you come to the island, you find a property you love, and you want to make an offer — but the purchase of the house you want is conditional on your house back home selling first. That condition goes into your offer to purchase. The sellers know what they're agreeing to. We'll still work through the other conditions — inspection, financing, insurance, septic if it's a rural property — within the typical two-week window but that SOBP clause stays open while you're actively working to sell, often for a month to start.
The ideal version of this looks like: your house back home is already listed, it's priced right, and the market is moving. Things are happening in parallel. You close on yours, you firm up on theirs, everyone moves on a coordinated timeline. [Yes, it can feel like a very high-stakes game of Tetris. That's accurate.]
The trickier version is when things stall. Your house isn't selling as fast as expected. The price might need adjusting and you might need to ask for an extension on the SOBP clause. And this is where communication between everyone involved — us, the listing agent on the PEI side, your agent back home — really matters. Everyone has to be pulling in the same direction.
Here's the part every buyer with an SOBP clause needs to know: there's something called an escape clause. If another buyer comes along with a clean offer — one that doesn't have an SOBP condition — the seller can activate that clause. What that means for you is you get a short window (typically a few days) to decide whether you can drop your SOBP condition and firm up the purchase, or whether you have to step aside.
We call it having your offer being "bumped," and it can be as stressful as it sounds. You may or may not be in a position to make that call, depending on where things stand with your sale back home and your personal financial position. There's no perfect answer — just being prepared for the possibility so it doesn't catch you completely off guard.
The lower-stress version of all this, if you can swing it, is to sell first and then buy. Clients who come to us already sold have a noticeably different energy. That weight is off their shoulders. They can make decisions from a position of clarity rather than contingency. If that's an option for you — even if it means a rental in the middle — it's worth considering.
Deposits — Smaller Than You'd Think
If you're coming from Ontario, the deposit conversation might feel a little anticlimactic.
PEI deposits are generally modest. For a $400,000 property, it's common to see something in the $2,000 to $10,000 range. On higher-end properties or in higher-stakes situations, deposits can go higher — we've had a $30,000 deposit on a property over a million — but the massive deposit requirements you might have encountered in Toronto or Vancouver are not the norm here.
You typically have 48 hours to a week to send the deposit after an accepted offer, usually by e-transfer. If the deposit is on the larger side, we'll often write in more time to account for daily transfer limits.
Assessments and Taxes — This One Trips People Up
This is probably the piece of information that causes the most confusion for buyers coming from away, so let's spend some time on it.
When you look at a listing on realtor.ca, you'll see a tax figure. And sometimes that tax figure looks really, really low for the price of the property. Almost suspiciously low. We've had buyers wonder if we were pulling a fast one on them. We were not.
Here's what's actually happening: property tax assessments in PEI are based on the last sale price of the property. If a home sold in 1988 for $95,000 and hasn't changed hands since, the assessment is based on that number. It has nothing to do with what the property is worth today. So when you see a $400,000 property with $1,200 in annual taxes, that's why. It hasn't sold since before the internet existed.
What happens when you buy it is that it gets reassessed. And that reassessment is based on your purchase price. Based on what we've been tracking:
Resale properties tend to reassess at roughly 60–70% of the purchase price
New builds are coming in closer to 85% of the purchase price
[I need you to know that this is not a hard and fast rule! The numbers above are just an estimation based on what I have seen with other properties in the past. ]
That's a meaningful difference. If you're buying a new build in Charlottetown in the $400,000 range, you're likely looking at around $6,000 a year in property taxes. If you're looking at a resale property in the same price range, it'll be lower — but still significantly higher than what you see on the listing. Plan accordingly.
New builds that have never sold also won't have any tax figure listed at all, because they've never been assessed. Same principle applies — that number will come after closing.
When we're working with buyers, especially in neighbourhoods where we know the assessed values have recently updated, we'll look at comparable properties to give you a realistic picture of what to expect. It's not an exact science, but you shouldn't be walking into closing blindsided by a tax bill you weren't prepared for.
Water, Wells, and the Poop Talk (Septic)
Okay, this section covers some unglamorous but genuinely important stuff.
Where does your water come from?
On PEI, there are three possibilities:
Municipal water is exactly what it sounds like — city water, connected to a municipal system. If you're in Charlottetown, Summerside, or Montague, this is likely what you're dealing with. It comes with a bi-monthly water and sewage bill, which tends to run around $150 every two months depending on your usage.
A private well means the property has its own water source on the land. When you're buying a property with a private well, the seller is required to have it tested by a third party before closing — a plumber or another qualified professional, not the next-door neighbour. The samples get sent to the province for testing, which is free. If the results come back with any issues — coliform bacteria being a common one — then we can ask for the sellers to fix it, qhether that means shocking the well, installing a UV filter, or installing a sediment filter.
Community wells are less common but do exist in certain areas — places like Victoria, McMillan Point, and parts of Rustico. These are tested on a regular schedule, records are available, and remediation costs fall on the community, not the individual homeowner. If you're looking at a property in one of these areas, it's worth asking about.
And then there's septic.
If a property is not connected to municipal sewer, it has a septic system — a tank and a leach field. As the buyer, you're responsible for arranging and paying for the septic inspection, which currently runs about $700. That includes someone coming out, inspecting the tank, pumping it, and taking away the contents. [Yes, you are paying to remove someone else's waste. We know. We agree. It's a little backwards.]
In Nova Scotia, this cost falls on the sellers. Here in PEI, it falls on you. It is what it is.
There are also holding tanks — essentially just tanks with no leach field. These are older and not commonly used in new builds, but they do exist, often grandfathered into older rural properties. The practical reality of a holding tank is that it needs to be pumped far more frequently (think every six months or so) and you have to be mindful of water usage. If you come across a property with one, just go in with eyes open.
IRAC — The Elephant in the Room
If you've spent any time in our community group, you've probably seen IRAC come up. It's the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission, and it's the body that reviews and approves real estate purchases when certain thresholds are crossed.
Specifically, you'll need to go through IRAC if you're buying:
5 acres or more of land, or
165 feet or more of waterfront
Unless — and this is the key part — you've lived in PEI for 12 consecutive months out of the last 24. Establish residency, and the IRAC requirement goes away for standard purchases.
Why does this matter? Because the IRAC process adds time, money, and uncertainty to a purchase. You're looking at roughly 1–2 months added to your closing timeline, plus 1% of the purchase price in fees, plus $1,500–$2,000 in additional lawyer costs. And the outcome isn't guaranteed — it's at the discretion of the commission.
A lot of people moving here choose to rent for their first year specifically to sidestep this. You come, you get settled, you figure out which part of the island actually fits your lifestyle (this matters more than people expect), you find your people, get your ducks in a row — and then you buy. By the time you're ready, IRAC isn't a factor anymore.
If you're not interested in more than 5 acres and you don't need 165 feet of waterfront, you can skip all of this entirely and buy right away. But if a chunk of land or waterfront frontage is part of the dream, just factor IRAC into your timeline and your budget from the start.
Down Payment Assistance — Worth Knowing About
PEI has a Down Payment Assistance Program that doesn't get talked about enough.
If you're moving here from a major Canadian city, you might be in a situation where a down payment just hasn't been possible. Housing costs in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary — they've made saving feel like an exercise in futility for a lot of people. This program exists for exactly that situation.
Here's how it works: the province will cover up to $17,500 toward your down payment (that's 5% of the purchase price) if you qualify. There are some conditions:
Purchase price must be under $350,000
Household income must be under $110,000
You can't have other savings options available (RRSPs, TFSAs, the First Home Savings Account)
You need to have employment set up on the island — not just a plan, but actual income or a confirmed employment letter
The program is available to people moving here, not just existing residents. And there's also a closing cost assistance program for first-time buyers that's worth looking into alongside this one.
If any of this sounds like it might apply to you, flag it early with your mortgage broker or lender. These programs have application steps and the earlier you're in the loop, the better. More information is available here.
When to Buy — and When Not to Stress About It
The PEI market has a rhythm.
The active season typically runs April through early August — that's when listings come out, buyers are motivated, and things move quickly. Multiple offer situations are more common in this window. If you're buying in the spring, come prepared.
Things tend to quiet down in mid-August. Sellers and buyers alike want to soak up the last of the summer before school starts and the season shifts. The market slows a bit, and that's not a bad thing if you're a buyer.
Then there's a fall bump — usually mid-September through early December — where activity picks back up.
And then January through March is quieter, though not dead. There's a lot of prep-work happening behind the scenes — sellers getting ready to list, buyers getting pre-approved, agents having a lot of "okay, when are we doing this?" conversations.
Here's what we'd say about off-season buying: there's a real argument for it. The people who are still listed in November genuinely want to sell. The competition from other buyers is lower. Your negotiating position is stronger. If you're flexible on timing, buying outside the peak season is worth considering.
That said, inventory on PEI has been tighter than expected recently, and that affects all seasons. The market here is smaller than what most out-of-province buyers are used to. There isn't always a huge pool to choose from. Being patient, staying in communication with your agent, and not waiting for a "perfect" moment is generally better advice than holding out for ideal conditions.
One Last Thing
Wherever you are in this process — just starting to think about it, actively searching, or somewhere in the middle — make sure the people you're working with are actually working for you. That means clear communication, honest answers, and someone who's going to tell you what you need to know, not just what you want to hear.
PEI is a genuinely wonderful place to land. The pace, the community, the land, the coastline — people move here and they stay, and they're glad they did. We see it all the time.
If you have questions about any of this, drop them in the comments or send us a message. This is exactly what we're here for.
Your Questions Answered: Moving to Prince Edward Island
Moving to Prince Edward Island comes with plenty of questions — and healthcare is almost always at the top of the list. In this community Q&A, Amy Palmer from the Move to PEI Facebook group walks through the practical side of island life: how to navigate the provincial patient registry, what to do if you're seeing a specialist back home, where to find $10/day daycare, and why securing a rental from out of province is very doable — just requires a little caution. Whether you're comparing Charlottetown to Summerside or bracing yourself for your first island winter, this is the honest, local perspective you won't find in a tourism brochure.
Whether you're curious about navigating the healthcare system, finding affordable daycare, understanding private school options, or locking down a rental from afar, here are the most common questions we hear from people planning a move to PEI — along with honest, practical answers.
This blog post was taken from the live discussion which can be listened to here
Healthcare on PEI
Healthcare is by far the most common concern we hear from people considering a move to the island. Like much of Canada, finding a family doctor here takes some patience — but there are systems in place to help. There really are no tricks, it’s not about who you know - it’s just about time and sometimes some luck.
The first step is to register with the provincial patient registry. When a doctor has openings in their practice, they draw from this list. It's not instant, but it's the only starting point.
Moving tip: Renew your prescriptions before you leave - Before your move, get all prescriptions refilled for the coming year and transferred to a pharmacy near your new home. This buys you time to get to know the local system without running out of medication.
If you're currently seeing a specialist — a cardiologist, neurologist, paediatrician — ask them to send a referral to a counterpart on PEI before you move. This can help keep your care continuous and avoids re-entering waiting lists from scratch.
A few things worth knowing: cardiac cases are typically referred to Saint John, NB, and neurosurgical consultations go to Moncton. PEI does have a neurologist, but not a neurosurgeon. I have had a neurosurgeon in Moncton for 3 years now while I have been waiting for my referral to make it to the top of the pile in PEI to see the neurologist (still in May 2026). This is simply part of how healthcare is organized for smaller provinces.
Daycare and the $10/Day Program
PEI participates in the national $10/day childcare program. To access this rate, you'll need a spot at a provincially registered childcare centre. Home-based or unregistered providers typically won't offer the subsidized rate. The typical daily rate for child care in a home-based day care is around $35/day, from what I have heard.
If you have a space at one of the registered centres, the subsidy goes directly to the centre, and you simply pay $10 per day. The waitlists can be competitive in some areas, so it's worth getting your name in early — before you even arrive, if possible. If you put your name on the provincial registry for day care, you must log on ONCE A MONTH to keep your registry active! VERY IMPORTANT!!!!!
For after-school care, you can expect to pay around $15/day/child/. For summer/PD/March Break camp costs, you can expect to pay $35+/day/child and those fees do not include meals.
Private Schools on PEI
PEI's public school system is generally strong and consistent — there really isn't a "bad" school to avoid. But if you're looking for private options, here's what's available, primarily in the Charlottetown area:
Grace Christian School
Faith-based, to Grade 9+
Emmanuel Christian School
Faith-based, to Grade 9+
Great Wisdom School
Buddhist Institute
Moonlight International Academy
Buddhist Institute
The Mount Academy
Athletics-focused, growing campus
Island Montessori Academy
Toddler–preschool; Cornwall & Stratford
The Mount Academy is a newer and exciting option, with a major building expansion underway at the old Mount Edward Road nunnery. Island Montessori operates two campuses but currently offers programs only up to the preschool level.
Renting from Out of Province
Securing a rental while you're still living elsewhere is one of the trickier parts of the move. The good news: the rental market has loosened up a bit compared to a few years ago, when listings would attract hundreds of applicants within days.
The bad news: rental scams have made there way here as well. Never send a deposit to someone you haven't verified. At minimum, insist on a video call — if someone won't show their face, that's a serious red flag. If you're unsure whether a listing is legitimate, send us a message in the Move to PEI group and we'll help you look into it. If a rental sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.
IRAC — your renter's reference pointThe Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission (IRAC) sets allowable rent increases on PEI and also regulates electricity, heating fuel, and insurance rates. It's a useful resource if you have questions about your rights as a tenant. (link)
Visiting in-person before committing is still the most reliable approach. We recently helped a family from Ontario secure a rental during a visit — they're moving in just six weeks. It can absolutely be done.
Our usual recommendation to avoid being scammed in a rental scam is to go through a reputable rental company. But this does mean that you may not score one of the less expensive rentals. But, you can be confident that the rental you secured will be here waiting for you when you arrive.
Charlottetown vs. Summerside vs. Rural PEI
Summerside is about 30 minutes west of Charlottetown and offers many of the same amenities — Sobeys, Superstore, Canadian Tire, Staples, a movie theatre, and good restaurants. Property prices there tend to run roughly 20% lower than comparable homes in Charlottetown.
Summerside also runs its own electrical grid (separate from Maritime Electric) and has historically sourced a meaningful portion of its power from renewable energy (last stat I read was 35% of the energy comes from a renewable source). One fun perk for the drive between the cities: the PEI Hand Pie Company is right along the highway.
For those considering more rural areas — Mount Stewart, Souris, O'Leary, and beyond — keep in mind that distances on PEI are real distances. A 30-minute drive here means 30 uninterrupted minutes on the road, not 30 minutes stop-and-go through city traffic. Factor in fuel costs and access to services when deciding where to settle. It can also mean that 30 minutes of summer driving might be an hour of winter driving.
Winters on PEI
Yes, it gets cold — and yes, it gets windy. PEI is a small island with relatively few trees and a lot of open farmland, which means wind off the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Atlantic can feel quite sharp. The north and east shores tend to be the coldest and windiest, while the south shore (along the Northumberland Strait) is somewhat more sheltered.
Most homes now use heat pumps as their primary heat source. This past winter was longer and colder than recent years, which pushed energy bills higher for many households. Budgeting for higher heating costs in a colder-than-average winter is wise. Oil is also a common source of fuel for heating which, in this economy, can be costly - take it from me, someone who has an oil furnace.
That said, winter here has real charm. Cross-country ski tracks get groomed around Charlottetown's Belvedere Golf Course. Snowshoeing on golf courses is popular. The key is dressing well — good layers, proper mittens, a hat — and leaning into the season rather than fighting it. As Brooke likes to say, there is no bad weather, only bad preparation for the weather!
Have more questions? Join the conversation in the Move to PEI Facebook group. We do regular live Q&A sessions and the community is full of people who have made this move and are happy to share what they've learned. PEI is a wonderful place to put down roots — we're glad you're considering it. (link)
Should You Rent First or Buy Right Away on PEI?
Moving to PEI is genuinely exciting — but it's also a big decision. Before you commit to a property, it's worth asking: do you really know which community is right for you? Renting first can be the smartest move you make, giving you time to get to know the island without the pressure of a $400,000 decision. But buying right away makes perfect sense too, if you're ready. Here's our honest breakdown of both paths.
A frank guide to making the right move — literally — when you're relocating to Prince Edward Island.
One of the first questions we hear from people planning a move to PEI is: "Should I rent for a bit, or just go ahead and buy?" And even if we don’t hear the question, I’m sure many of you are wondering it. The answer isn't one-size-fits-all — it depends on your timeline, your lifestyle, your budget, and honestly, how adventurous you are. Here's our honest breakdown of both paths.
The case for renting first
If you've never spent significant time on the island, renting before buying is often the smartest move you can make. PEI is genuinely wonderful — but it's also genuinely different. The pace, the winters, the community culture, the distance from certain amenities: none of that shows up in Instagram photos. Renting gives you a low-stakes window to decide if this really is the place for you.
We've seen it go both ways. Some people arrive, rent for a year, fall completely in love, and never leave. Others discover the island isn't quite what they imagined and are grateful they didn't sink $400,000 into a property first. Both outcomes are perfectly valid. I, myself, have thought I was way more adventurous with my first teaching position than I actually was. When I first accepted my role at Rainbow Lake School in 2011, I was sure that I would be there for years! But it wasn’t the school or town for me and I only stayed a few months before I packed up my Ford Escape and made the trek home. Thank goodness I was only renting!!!!
"Renting isn't throwing money away — it's buying yourself time to make the right long-term decision."
Beyond the flexibility, renting also sidesteps a significant upfront cost burden. When you buy on PEI, you're looking at roughly $600–$700 for a home inspection, another $700 for a septic inspection on rural properties, and $3,000–$5,000 in closing costs if you're registering a mortgage. Renting lets you arrive, get settled, and build savings before taking that plunge.
For those relocating from outside Canada — particularly from the U.S. — there's another important factor: Canadian credit history. Without Canadian pay stubs and a credit profile, qualifying for a mortgage here can be very difficult. Renting for a year or two while you establish that history is often a necessary first step, not just a lifestyle preference.
Pro’s of renting right away
Get to know communities before committing
Faster and simpler process to get settled
Lower financial risk and upfront costs
Flexibility to move if island life isn't for you
Helps establish Canadian credit history if you are making an international move
Counts toward residency for IRAC eligibility
Con’s of renting right away
Rental market not very pet-friendly
Rural rentals are harder to find
Rent can be comparable to a mortgage payment
Scammers do exist — use reputable property managers
No equity building while you rent
Less control over your living space
A note on IRAC and residency
If you're moving from outside Canada and want to eventually buy more than 5 acres or more than 165 feet of waterfront, you'll need to apply through the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission (IRAC). To bypass that process, you need to establish residency — defined as living on PEI for 12 consecutive months out of the previous 24.
Renting for a year can serve double duty: it gets you settled and starts the clock on your residency, opening up more of the island's property market to you over time.
The case for buying right away
That said, buying immediately makes sense for plenty of people. If you've visited PEI multiple times, know the communities well, and have a clear picture of where you want to be — then there's probably no reason to delay. Renting is not inherently better than buying; it's just a different path.
Buying also means you can settle your family once and stay put. No back-to-back moves, no lease renewals, no negotiating with landlords. You arrive, you unpack, and you start living your island life exactly as you'd imagined it — with the pets, the garden, the chickens out back (well, ten minutes out of town for the chickens).
And of course, real estate, for the most part, remains a solid long-term investment. Markets ebb and flow, but a well-chosen property here is an asset you're building — not a monthly expense with nothing to show for it. But the key word there is long term. Real estate is not meant to be turned over every couple of years and it does require maintenance.
Pro’s of buying right away
Choose exactly the property you want
No restrictions on pets or animals
Building equity from day one
Settle your family once — no repeat moves
Freedom to renovate, garden, and make it yours
Potential rental income if plans change
Con’s of buying right away
Significant upfront costs (inspections, closing, legal)
Can take months from search to closing
IRAC application required for larger/waterfront properties
Harder to course-correct if location isn't the right fit
More complex process overall
Where on PEI should you land?
People relocating from cities often say "I commute an hour and a half now, so an hour would feel easy." But the whole point of moving to PEI is to stop commuting like that. Ten or twenty minutes outside of Charlottetown, and you can be on the water, in the woods, or on a quiet rural road — without sacrificing much in the way of amenities.
Healthcare on PEI
Prince County Hospital (Summerside area) — serves the western end; known for an newer maternity ward.
Queen Elizabeth Hospital (Charlottetown) — the main hospital; home to dialysis, cancer care, and women's health services.
Kings County Memorial Hospital (Montague) — ER open Monday–Friday, 8am–8pm
Knowing what to expect when it comes to emergency medicine can be important factor depending on your age and life phase (if you are older or have younger kids).
Childcare and after-school care remain a real challenge, particularly in rural areas. Small rural schools are wonderful for kids — tight-knit communities, outdoor-focused — but after-school programs can be limited or nonexistent. Summer camps and day programs are more available in the towns. It's worth researching your specific community before committing to a location.
Montague is one we're particularly enthusiastic about right now. It's the service center for the Three Rivers region on the eastern end of the island — with a Sobeys, a Superstore, pharmacies, Access PEI, and yes, a McDonald's (our unofficial measure of a community's amenity level). It's on the water, affordable, and has a new hospital coming. If you want rural beauty without sacrificing services, this is a strong contender.
If you're further out — say, an hour from Charlottetown — you're getting into areas like East Point, Souris, and Murray River. Beautiful, but much more rural. We've seen more than a few families move that far out and, after a while, realize they'd like to be a little closer in - the commute and need for easier access of amenities starts to outweigh the desire to live further outside of town.
Our honest take
There's no universally right answer. If you're adventurous, flexible, and have done your research — buy. If you're uncertain, moving from abroad, relocating with a family that hasn't visited, or simply want to be sure — rent. Both are perfectly legitimate paths to a wonderful life on this island.
What matters most is that the decision reflects your actual goals: how quickly you want to settle, how much risk you're comfortable with, and what kind of life you're building here. We're always happy to talk through the specifics with you — no pressure, just a real conversation.
5 Restaurants I do take my kiddos to (2026 edition)
It is March 2026 - the kiddos are now 5, 7 & 8 and we have started eating out a bit more. This means that we can actually take them out to restaurants and not totally regret all life’s choices within 20 minutes of sitting down at the table. So where do we go when we are deciding what we want to eat???
It is March 2026 - the kiddos are now 5, 7 & 8 and we have started eating out a bit more. This means that we can actually take them out to restaurants and not totally regret all life’s choices within 20 minutes of sitting down at the table. So where do we go when we are deciding what we want to eat???
Ta Ke Sushi - Okay - maybe this makes the kids are a bit strange but they do love going out for sushi. We start with an order to tempura and edamame and then order a sushi and maki platter “c” with an additional roll or 2. Our middle kid doesn’t love love LOVE sushi like the other two so we usually add in a boring veggie roll of something that he wants, like a cucumber roll.
Sam’s Restaurant - the other most requested option for the kids as we can get fish and chips, burgers, pizza, breakfast - all the options. Everyone gets to pick their options.
Stratford Pizza Corner - thank goodness Stratford Pizza Corner is no longer just in Stratford. When we are ordering pizza, we get it from here. I love the Tusacan pizza and we ususally get a Canadian pizza for the kids.
I asked my broker where he takes his three kids when he’s in Charlottetown and they always go to Montana’s. Strangely, I don’t know if I have EVER eaten at a Montana’s but maybe we will have to give that a try??
And last but not least - BOOMBURGER. My favourite. It always has been and probably always will be. Need I say more.
One resource with information to plan a move to PEI
What resources am I currently working on to help those making the move to living their Island dreams? Here is where I chat about how I am helping those who want to relocate to PEI not just a dream but a reality.
In the spring of 2024, I was on the Facebook group “Ask PEI” and over the span of a couple of weeks, I noticed multiple people post asking a question about moving to PEI. It could be something so simple as “I’m thinking of moving to this community, what should I know” up to the over inundated question “Making the move to PEI - who is a great REALTOR®️ to work with?” What I noticed in the comments is many responses like “Hope you don’t need a doctor” “Hope you have lots of money for renting” and more unwelcoming posts. Any time anyone asked a question that had anything to do with moving to PEI, they were met with rude and unhelpful comments. (Unless you were asking about a REALTOR®️ and then you were probably inundated with so many DM’s from local realtors offering to help you out.)
I have spoken about this many times and will continue to talk about my own experience of moving home to PEI. I took the huge step in January of 2022 to get my real estate license while we were living in the Annapolis Valley, NS. I had passed the exam and chosen a brokerage and started my business the week before Mother’s Day that year. Mother’s Day weekend, we dropped the kiddos off with my parents and went to Halifax for a bit of a get away. On the drive from my parents house to Halifax, Tyler recieved a call with a job offer. Ultimately we decided that this was a good opportunity for him and he accepted the job. A major bonus was that he could work from anywhere. In August, we made the leap to move home to Charlottetown and we were back living on the red soil by November.
Us living on PEI was always a choice. We wanted to raise our kids here. When we moved, I had 3 grandparents living in Charlottetown; Tyler was born and raised in Charlottetown and we both had many extended family members and close friends near by. My experience living on PEI has never been the one of discouraging people to come here. I love that you can walk down the street and strike up a conversation with a stranger, let your kids ride their bikes around the neighbourhood without added worry and have a generally ‘normal’ life. And I knew that there are many people, like me, who are wanting that life for themselves and their families. And so began my journey to create more resources and a community of like-minded people, all looking to make the move to PEI to build their Island Life.
Hence, the creation of the Move to PEI Facebook group was started. (link)
What is this group? It is a community of people who have made the move to PEI and those also hoping to make the move in the future. It is a community of support and encouragement for those who don’t know where to get started. It is a community of experience of what went well for people when they moved and what was a challenge. In this group, anyone who has a question about a potential challenge they are facing can expect a non-sarcastic, helpful answer to their question along with stories about what others have experienced in the past. It is a community where more resources are shared.
There are so many challenges that people face when moving here from away that we wanted to keep the island spirit of helping out your neighbour alive. When people are already here and integrating into Island life, people are very welcoming and ready to help you out. But not so much on social media…
One thing that has grown as the group has grown is that we now do live discussions the last Friday of the month. In the past, we have talked about: IRAC and the role is plays in renting and also buying, Commutable Communities, What to Expect in your First Year, Raising Kiddos, etc. Tomorrow is our next discussion (July 25, 2025) and we will be talking about Summer Living on PEI. People are able to ask questions in live time and we will answer them. Can’t make it to the live discussion, then you can watch the recorded discussion on your own time.
Additionally, we are working on building out the resource files to support those making the move. Our Communities Guide as well as a PEI Rental Guide are just the beginning. Aren’t on Facebook but want to see the playback of the live discussions, visit this link for the playlist. Want to chat more about where you can get started on making your move to PEI, send me an email or a text and let’s chat.
Spring Day-adventure with the Kiddos
Our day enjoying our local fun spots with the kiddos. From a walk on the trail, a picnic, a stroll along the beach, stop at a cafe and then a bike on the rails for trails, we make use of the fun our island has to offer.
Last weekend was a day from a dream weather-wise on PEI. The sun was out, the temperature was warm and the wind was not too much. It isn’t every weekend that I have a Saturday off, I do tend to host an open house or have a relocation client in town wanting to view houses. But this Saturday, I was off and we were ready to put the list of Spring To-Do’s back on the fridge, put off to another day, and go out exploring the Island with the kiddos. We didn’t know exactly where we would end up so we packed a picnic lunch, extra snacks and mittens and the bikes and set off.
First stop was Breadalbane - I had the listing at 3864 Dixon Road and we know the buyers so it was fun to drop in on the property and show them where our friends will be living in the not-too-soon future. From there, we popped over to the Island Trails Breadalbane trail and did a good jaunt on the trail.
Side note: We are working on getting the kids able to walk longer distances. I would say our goal is 5ish km without too much complaining from the kids for when we go to Cape Breton this summer.
We did a good hike around there and by the time we were finished, it was closing in on lunch time. So we popped into Breadalbane town and had a picnic at the park.
From the picnic lunch, we decided to head to the north shore. We were thinking of letting the kiddos bike along the walking path in Cavendish National Park. But we were drawn to walking along the beach, exploring what the ice of winter had deposited on the shore.
Things were pretty chilly along the coast, so we needed a pick-me-up and something to warm our bellies. One of my favourite places to get a latte when I’m on the road is from The Willow Bakery. They have 2 locations, Kensington and then seasonally in Stanley Bridge. So we headed off to Kensington to get some yummy treats and lattes and hot chocolate. I had the Lavender London Fog and it was amazing. Tyler had a regular latte and was definitely jealous of my choice. The kids were almost stunned into indecision with the variety of yummy treats to pick from. We tried the cinnamon rolls, one with cream cheese frosting and one with brown butter frosting, a chocolate drizzled oatmeal cookie, and more!
After our snack, we walked along the Rails for Trails in Kensington and the kiddos rode their bikes with us. They were a bit sad when the day was over, but this is only the first adventure of the season - can’t wait to see what our next one will bring!
IRAC and the role it has for renting and/or buying on PEI
If you are planning to make a move to PEI, whether you are looking to rent when you arrive or buy a property, then understanding how IRAC oversees both the rental industry and also the Lands Protection Act of PEI.
If you have spent any time on a PEI Facebook group, then you have probably seen the term IRAC. Whether it is someone complaining about the price of heating oil, the cost of gas, whether gas will be going up or down at the next price adjustment, unfair rental rules, who to talk to if you think a landlord is taking advantage of a renter, where to find rental regulations or forms, the list goes on. Islander’s routinely lament about what IRAC is doing and we often do it no matter what stand you take. Something is alway’s IRAC’s fault.
But what is IRAC and how do they “control” so many aspects of Island life?
What is IRAC?
IRAC stands for the “Island Regulatory & Appeals Commission”. It is a non-governmental agency that has been put in charge of regulating many aspects of Island life, including:
Petroleum
Electricity
Rentals
Lands Protection
Municipal
Water & Sewer
Auto Insurance and
Waste Management
With regards to relocating to PEI, there are 2 areas that IRAC would impact your relocation process - renting and land’s protection.
Renting on PEI & IRAC
If you are renting a property on PEI, it is now required that you sign a rental agreement and it should be a rental agreement on the forms provided by IRAC. If you have any disputes with your landlord, then the dispute would be heard by an IRAC commissioner and an order will be issued based on that hearing. Additionally, the responsibilities of both the tenant and the landlord are outlined by IRAC.
IRAC also sets the limit that a landlord can raise the rental rate. One important thing to note is that rental increases follow the calendar year, not your lease. So if a unit is able to raise their rent on October 1 but your lease runs from July 1-June 31, your rent can be raised in the middle of your lease. But there are standardized forms and requirements of notice that must be provided to you set out on the IRAC website.
There are so many in’s and out’s about renting that if you have any specific questions, you can always reach out to IRAC. They usually get back to you in 2-3 days of receiving your question.
Buying on PEI & IRAC
Many provinces have a rental regulation agency so it shouldn’t have come as any surprise that there is a rental regulation board here.
However, one additional role of IRAC is to enforce the PEI Lands Protection Act. And what is the LPA of PEI you ask?
The issues involving land ownership and land use in Prince Edward Island began in the early history of the province. The Island was initially divided into sixty-seven 20,000-acre lots or townships. These lots were allocated in advance of settlement to a relatively small elite group of absentee proprietors. Over time, the land was purchased from the absentee landlords and returned to local ownership.
Issues associated with absentee landlords resurfaced again in the 1960’s, as non-residents began investing in local real estate throughout the province. As a result, substantial amounts of land in the coastal areas fell out of the control of local residents. In 1972, Government introduced amendments to the Real Property Act to restrict the purchase of land by non-residents.
In 1981, an application by a non-resident corporation to acquire 6,000 acres prompted public concern over the perceived impacts of land ownership distribution and its implications for the future. Some viewed this as giving pre-eminent control of the province’s agricultural industry to one company. This led to the introduction of Bill 37 – the Lands Protection Act (the Act) in 1982.
So what does this mean for you, as someone who is looking to relocate to PEI?
If you are buying property on PEI and you are not yet a current resident (of PEI), certain properties will require an application to IRAC; when the property is larger than 5 acres and/or has in excess of 165 feet of shore frontage (Shore Frontage Regulations). This application is completed by a lawyer and submitted on your behalf. In addition to the extra legal fees of completing the IRAC application, there is a fee that is either $550 or 1% of the agreed upon purchase price.
If an application to IRAC is needed for the purchase of a property, an additional clause is written in to the Agreement of Purchase and Sale by the buyer’s REALTOR®️ . The conditional date of the clause often coincides with the hearing schedule, seen here. Often, if a property would not require an IRAC application and would be geared to off-island buyers, you will see a note about it in the property description.
The entire goal of the Lands Protection Act is to keep the land in Islander hands. So there are advertising guidelines that must be followed when listing a property for sale and bringing a non-resident buyer. Please note that this Act is in addition to the Foreign Buyer restrictions put in place by the Canadian federal government in January 2022 which has been extended until 2027. (More information on that here).
All in all, if you are planning a move to PEI and what to chat about what the process looks like for you, then please reach out. Even if you are concerned about whether or not a rental is a scam, I am happy to help - I did have am acquaintance reach out because she was concerned she was getting scammed on a rental and I was able to confirm for her that it was a scam, saving her the money that she would have lost. Navigating finding a rental from away can be very intimidating and there are some not so pleasant individuals out there looking for an easy buck and unfortunately, PEI right now is prime for these scams. The rental vacancy rate in Charlottetown is still extremely low. (See graph below). We are always wanting to help make a move as smooth as we can - it’s how Blue Door Properties PEI operates.
Historical vacancy rates in PEI for rentals. Based on Q2 numbers
Our Winter Staycation at Mill River Resort
What can you do to be more active in the Winter on PEI and spend time as a family? Read about our family Stay-Cation on PEI this January.
On the weekend of January 24-26, we took the kiddos up west to stay at Mill River Resort. During the summer, this is a big destination for golfers but during the winter it is a great place to take in some of PEI’s snow fun.
Special drinks for the kids - who doesn’t love a Shirley Temple??
We decided to take the kids up to Mill River before Christmas and we worked the idea into our Christmas gifts. Each kiddo got a new sled from us (Tyler picked up some awesome inflatable sleds from Costco for the boys) and then we got a foam sled with handles that make it possible to be worn on the back to walk up the hill for Ellie. They also got new winter gloves and Ellie got some needed winter boots. All of these winter themed gifts were part of the surprise of going away as a family for the weekend.
Prior to this weekend, we had not stayed in a hotel with the kids (other than a drive from NS to PEI that got snowed out by Amherst). This was a big step for us as a family of 5 whose kiddos are getting older. We got a double queen bed room with a roll-away cot.
Mill River has some different packages available for the winter months. We went with the Fun and Frosty 2-night stay which included: 2 night stay, $100 gift card to the restaurant and 2 day activity passes (aka, unlimited time on the tube hill, snowshoe rentals, cross country ski rentals, outdoor ice-skating (skates not included) a horse-drawn sleigh ride, and unlimited access to the Aquaplex facilities and game room). Additionally, when we arrived, they gave us a schedule of weekend activities, some that we did do and some that we didn’t, which included face painting, scavenger hunts, mini-stick tourney’s and more. The trails around the golf course, for skiing and snowshoeing, as well as the tubing hill were all groomed trails. This made it very easy for the kids to just “do their thing.”
To say that the place was busy is an understatement. For a random weekend in January, I was surprised by how many people were there. I’m pretty sure there was like 7 people there with their families who went to school with Tyler. We saw familiar faces around every turn and it made it feel more comfortable for the kiddos. We ate some good food at the restaurant, they had pick-up options or room service options as well and the kids really got great experience eating at a sit-down restaurant (also something we don’t do very often).
And I haven’t even mentioned one of the best surprises. In the ballroom, they had 2 inflatable bouncy obstacle courses set up to be used at any time. If you needed to get some energy out but didn’t want to get dressed to go to the pool or outside, the bouncy “castles” were there for you.
All in all - it was a great weekend away. 10/10 would do it again.
Why do I love working with those making the jump to relocate to PEI?
We just had a closing on a house with another buyer who is making the move to PEI. They are in the process of setting up their life here and it really made me think about how much I love working with clients like this.
When you work in real estate, there are many different types of clients that you can work with, and that I have worked with.
First time homebuyers (also a favourite of mine - it’s the teacher in me)
Move up buyers
Downsizers
Investors
First time investors (also a favourite of mine as that is how we started our real estate journey)
and
Transplants.
For those looking to make the move to PEI, they can often be met with a good amount of hate, especially if you ask any questions about making the move to PEI on the Facebook group “Ask PEI.” If you happen to make that mistake, you will be answered with a couple of good answers, and a whole lot of sarcastic answers about needing a doctor, there being no housing, the influx of new Canadian’s, the lack of working opportunities and also, so much traffic. It can seem that PEI has lost so much of the spirit that many of us are drawn to. So why am I going against this trend and looking to welcome as many new islanders as want to join us on our sandbar? Because I am a transplant myself.
In 2009, I made my first move to PEI. I had been coming here since before I was born and I will tell everyone that I am not an islander. (By definition, you must have been born on on PEI to be consider a TRUE islander, and I wasn’t. It doesn’t matter that both of my parents were born in Charlottetown, that I still have 3 grandparents living in Charlottetown, that my husband and 2 of my children were born in Charlottetown. I was not and I am perfectly happy with that.). I made the move in 2009 to attend UPEI and completed my Bachelor of Education. After I was done with that degree, I packed up my vehicle and moved to northern Alberta to start my teaching career. Well, that position sucked and it was only a matter of a few months before I was moving back to PEI.
I stayed on PEI for a number of years before deciding to head abroad to teach in England. While I was over there for 14 months, my relationship with a lovely island boy started up and in 2014 we both made the move “home” to PEI to start our life together.
In 2019, for a new position for my husband, we then moved our family to NS where we lived until fall 2022 when we have made the most recent move home.
When the opportunity presented itself, we have always decided that PEI is home to us. It is where we have friends and family that we want to be near. But it is also the place where:
The kids can go to park up the street without us having to worry
The kids can ride their bikes around the neighbourhood
On a rainy Saturday, we will head to Home Depot to get some project supplies and give the kiddos the change to get some energy out (yes we are that family)
Where the neighbours will call to ask if we have a couple of extra eggs because they ran out
Where, on Halloween, we chatted with parents in our front yard while the kids Trick or Treated our immediate neighbours without us.
Where we can let our kids be kids
Where I can volunteer at the kids school with ease and the teachers there will know me.
I love working with transplants because we have a very basic common ground to start from - we are both choosing the Island for our home. So what is drawing you to the Island? What are you dreaming of building when you make the move? The island is waiting for you to start living your island life and it will continue to be here when the time is right for you to make the move.
What can you get for $500,000 on PEI?
Depending on your proximity to Charlottetown, the spread of properties that you can purchase with $500,000 can be wide. Therefore, I have decided to break this down into 3 categories:
What can $500,000 get you in the Greater Charlottetown Area?
What can $500,000 get you within 20-30 minutes of the GCA?
If you can be very flexible with your location on PEI, what can you get for $500,000?
Depending on your proximity to Charlottetown, the spread of properties that you can purchase with $500,000 can be wide. Therefore, I have decided to break this down into 3 categories:
What can $500,000 get you in the Greater Charlottetown Area?
What can $500,000 get you within 20-30 minutes of the GCA?
If you can be very flexible with your location on PEI, what can you get for $500,000?
The darkest circle-esque shape in the middle is the Greater Charlottetown Area encompassing Charlottetown, Stratford, Cornwall, and pushing it a bit into Mermaid, Meadowbank and Winsloe.
The second darkest circle is the close proximity to the GCA - pushing out to almost Pisquid, Vernon River, Donagh in the east and Bonshaw, Clyde River in the west and up to Oyster Bed Bridge through Hunter River to the North.
What can $500,000 CAD get you in the Greater Charlottetown Area (GCA).
First, it can get you a family friendly neighbourhood where the kids can free range with their friends. A neighbourhood where you know your neighbours and routinely stop to chat with them on the weekend. It can get you quiet streets where the kids can learn to ride their bikes without too much worry about traffic.
$500K can get you a larger home where there is enough space for 2 living rooms, often 3-5 bedrooms, 2-3 bathrooms. It can get you a home that is somewhat updated and fairly recently built, but it might need a fresh coat of paint.
The property will likely be at least 0.3 acres but if you are pushing your budget to get you into the downtown core, the lot will be smaller.
If you are wanting a bit of a smaller home on a slab with some of the higher end touches, then that is definitely doable for $500,000.
It can mean that your workplace, daycare and the hockey rink that you spend your weekends at are only a 15 minute drive from home. It can mean that your older kiddos can ride their bikes to school. It can mean that your kids can go to the neighbourhood park without you. But that does mean that they need a watch to know when to come home (and that you have to teach them how to tell time).
This property sold for just under $500,000 in the GCA in January 2024. It has 3🛏, 3🛁, updated kitchen, office space, gym space, and a rec room in the basement.
What can $500,000 buy you with close proximity to the GCA (within a 20-30 minute drive)?
It can get you a small community that you can integrate yourself in. It can get you a bit of acreage - enough room that you can have some chickens if you want to start that hobby. It can put you minutes away to great trails like Bonshaw, Winter River, Donagh, MacPhail Woods and so on.
It can mean that the kiddos are integrated in to a small, country school - often a K-9 school. Where they will know the same faces years in and out, where all the teachers know all of the students because there is often only 1 class per grade. This can mean that there is better attention on students who need a bit of extra help because they can be more easily identified.
It can get you a simpler way of life, a step back into the finer things. Like a wood burning stove, room to have a vegetable garden, freedom to put your clothes on the line and let them blow in the breeze. While restrictive covenants can be found in the rural development areas, most properties in the country are not restricted by covenants so you have more flexibility with what you use your space for.
You become a regular at the local grocery shops, like Gass’s in New Haven or Clows in North Wiltshire. You choose to get your groceries at the local smaller shop because it is more convenient which means that your meat is often locally grown and the vegetables were grown by your neighbour.
We worked with the buyers to secure the above property in Summer 2023. It was just over the $500,000 mark in North Wiltshire, PE.
When location on PEI is an open ended question, what does $500,000 get you?
Privacy.
Space.
Flexibility.
Dreams.
This new build home on a slab is located just outside Montague and is available in Spring 2024 for just under $500,000.
What are you looking for in your Island home? Reach out and let me know so I can help you achieve your Island dream.
Exploring PEI's Hidden Gems: A Guide to 4 Unique Neighbourhoods around Charlottetown
As an agent, I love finding these new, hidden neighbourhoods as I’m out running the roads. This list is only a small taste of neighbourhoods for the Greater Charlottetown Area. I will do a separate bit of writing for neighbourhoods surrounding other municipalities of PEI and continue to expand the list around Charlottetown too.
Maryland Subdivision
I’m not even sure where I was going when I came across this subdivision. All I know is that I was cutting across the back roads, with the kids in the car, and they were not too impressed with the idea that Mommy wanted to prolong the drive by exploring this newly found subdivision.
The Maryland Subdivision is located in Pleasant Grove so it is a rural area. The lots are all large and that is a major benefit of rural living versus town living, but it is just beyond the Greater Charlottetown area so easily accessible for those who work in town.
I did find many of the homes first built in this neighbourhood to be replications of the same home over and over again, but newer builds are unique and giving the subdivision a newer look. The roads are wide and straight and not a thruway for cars to get somewhere else which makes it an ideal place to let your kiddos be free range. Homes don’t come up in this area often so it is a seize it while you can neighbourhood. Property values in this area over the past two years are in the high $400’s and up to just over $600,000.
Clearview Estates
I have long admired this neighbourhood - like we are talking since I was a kid. We always stayed at “the farm” when we visited PEI and “the farm” was in Cherry Valley so we drove past this development for decades. Since it was first started, it has definitely gotten bigger and the homes in the neighbourhood have increased in size and details (some of the homes there now are 🤩).
Again, you have a neighbouhood with roads that are thruways to no where, with larger lots, an ideal neighbourhood to let your kiddos free-range. Property values here are mid $500’s up to $1M now so there is a wide range of homes in this area.
Windsor Park, Charlottetown
Located in West Royalty or actually it probably is Winsloe - (I will be honest, I get a bit mixed up where it changes over. I thought I lived in West Royalty for a while, but it is actually Winsloe.). But anyways, this is a newer subdivision that is continuing to expand the edges of Charlottetown.
Families in this area have the choice of sending their kids to Spring Park Elementary for French Immersion or West Royalty Elementary for English school. It is accessible by public transit and also, not a lot of thru traffic. There is a great park and green space for the neighbourhood.
Because this is a newer subdivision within the past 3-4 years, all the builds are newer and you will find prices a big higher. In the past 2 year, prices have ranged from just under $500 up to just over $600,000.
Sunrise Cove, Cornwall
Located just across the North River from Charlottetown, Sunrise Cove is a neighbourhood that has grown substantially over the last couple of years. It is connected to a neighbourhood that started in the 80’s-ish and today has some of the nicest homes in Cornwall.
This neighbourhood has integrated green space for kids to play, lots of quiet streets and a meandering coastline along the river to allow lots of waterfront and waterview properties.
Homes in the newer section of this neighbourhood range from $600 to over $1.2M but if you include the older connected neighbourhood, you can get into this coveted area for $400-$600,000.