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Simeon Mitropolitski is a Canadian analyst, of Bulgarian origin, and a former syndicated columnist with the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA). He is the author of several hundred articles dealing with hot political and economic topics, both national and international.

He was part of the first group of Bulgarian intellectuals and students that began the opposition movement that finally put an end to the communist regime in this country in 1989, and in 1996-1997 participated in international observation teams during the elections in several Balkan countries - Romania, Albania and Bulgaria.

In 2002 Simeon and his family moved from Bulgaria to Canada where they live now in Montreal, province of Quebec. Simeon is a Master of Political Science from McGill University and a B.A. of Political Science and History.

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To have or not to have a vacation property? That is the question that haunts Canadian souls and minds. So far just 10% of the adult population own some cottage as a second or a vacation residence. One sixth of them (1,5%) seriously want to sell it in the next 3 years or so. On the other hand, the demand for the villas is 4 times bigger (6%). Even in this quiet country many villa owners expect one day their children to wage "a war of the roses" claiming their rights on the property. Among the villa owners almost 25% fear a family feud between the inheritors. This percentage is even bigger among prospective buyers (34%).

To have a house of your own (why not own two houses) has always been an American dream, and a Canadian dream, too. Even in modern cities large groups of the population live in quiet neighborhoods where life looks very much the same as in the villages of the early 20th century. For many others who don't enjoy this quiet way of life within the city borders, and for those who prefer to feel completely away from civilization even just during the weekend, there is a radical solution. . .buy a vacation property.

It seems that in spite of the fears of heirs' wars, having a villa has become increasingly popular among Canadians. This explains why prices have begun skyrocketing in recent years. Prices in many provinces are now competing with those of the houses in urban areas. The situation for the Canadian buyers worsens because of the competing factor coming across the American border. Every time the Canadian currency loses weight against the US dollar, a new wave of American buyers enters the Canadian market. Right now the Canadian dollar shows signs of stabilization but nevertheless it remains well below its levels of the early and mid 90's.

According to Canadian brokers the most popular areas for the Canadian and the American buyers are the Atlantic provinces (Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia). The average waterfront cottages there have climbed by 20-30% in the last couple of years. Another popular place is the province of British Columbia, where there are many owners coming from California. The cottage prices in some areas there have already reached $300,000 Canadian.

When it comes to Canadians and their buying attitudes, the Albertans are most likely to buy a villa over the next 3 years (9%). Their province also becomes one of the most popular country destinations for buyers, foreign and from the other provinces.

When it comes to prices, the market is determines. There is little to do about except looking for a better deal. On the other hand, preventing a family war lies in large part on the owners' shoulders. As in many other family matters, the worst strategy would be to pretend that the problem doesn't exist and wait until it becomes obvious even for the neighbors. The best thing would be to decide as early as possible which of the children should take over the cottage and think about the ways of recompensing the other legal inheritors.

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