Toronto condo/SIN - please help!

[userpg]

Hi guys.
We are moving to Toronto. I am trying to make sense, book our tickets, hotels ect.
Our plan is:
1. We want to arrive to Toronto on the 7th of December.
2. Stay in Toronto and look for a condo for rent (5 nights in a hotel) + rent a condo and get a Toronto address so I can apply for my SIN number.
3. Fly to New Brunswick on the 12 th of December t visit my wife's family for the Christmas and New Year (3 weeks stay in New Brunswick).
4. Come back to Toronto around the 1st of January 2016 (Friday evening), stay in a hotel over the night and pick up keys to the apartment on Saturday, the 2nd of January.

We don't have a Canadian credit history, but we have enough cash to pay the rent a few months in advance.

My questions are:
1. Is 4 work days enough to find a condo in Toronto? Is it realistic?
2. If so, is it possible to sign a contract starting the rent on the 1st of January?
3. Are real estate agencies opened on Saturdays?
4. Can I apply for a SIN number (in Toronto) to be send to an address of our condo in Toronto?
5. Can I stay in New Brunswick for 3 weeks, while waiting for a SIN number or do I have to stay in Toronto?

Thank you for your help in advance!

 

[MiriamT]

4. Can I apply for a SIN number (in Toronto) to be send to an address of our condo in Toronto?
5. Can I stay in New Brunswick for 3 weeks, while waiting for a SIN number or do I have to stay in Toronto?

There's no SIN card mailed to you anymore, this was abolished over a year and a half ago. You go to Service Canada, they give you a letter on the spot stating that that's your SIN and some of your information, and that's it.

 

[8Hannah8]

You get a sin once apply for SIN at Service Canada. Please bring your passport and landing information. Open a bank account to put the cash in. I believe some landlords prefer direct deposts, some ask for cheques (there are some paid cheques could be used for $5-$7 until you receive your chequebook). It's hard to say anything about 4 business days time period. You can find something overprices, or you can find someone really nice and honest (that happened to my friend). Usually people look for a "right place" for about a month. Some condo buildings offer 1-2 months all furnitured suits which are generally pricy. There is also a difference between condo and apartment building. Apartments are usually cheaper, but you have to do your laundy in a special designated area in a laundomat (I believe this how it's called). It all depends on your funds.
Note that in December many people take vacations, so the real estate market might go stale and it would be harder to find a perfect place.

 

[Lammawitch]

Hi guys.
We are moving to Toronto. I am trying to make sense, book our tickets, hotels ect.
Our plan is:
1. We want to arrive to Toronto on the 7th of December.
2. Stay in Toronto and look for a condo for rent (5 nights in a hotel) + rent a condo and get a Toronto address so I can apply for my SIN number.
3. Fly to New Brunswick on the 12 th of December t visit my wife's family for the Christmas and New Year (3 weeks stay in New Brunswick).
4. Come back to Toronto around the 1st of January 2016 (Friday evening), stay in a hotel over the night and pick up keys to the apartment on Saturday, the 2nd of January.

We don't have a Canadian credit history, but we have enough cash to pay the rent a few months in advance.

My questions are:
1. Is 4 work days enough to find a condo in Toronto? Is it realistic?
Yes, if you find one you like/one within your budget.

2. If so, is it possible to sign a contract starting the rent on the 1st of January?
Yes, See above

3. Are real estate agencies opened on Saturdays?
Yes

4. Can I apply for a SIN number (in Toronto) to be send to an address of our condo in Toronto?
No, that's not how it works, see answers from 8hannah8 & miriamt

5. Can I stay in New Brunswick for 3 weeks, while waiting for a SIN number or do I have to stay in Toronto?
see above regarding SIN #. Otherwise, you can go anywhere/stay as long as you like in Canada.

Thank you for your help in advance!

Last time I was apartment hunting (in November 2012), I visited 5 in 1 day, none of which were suitable. One of the property managers called me back the next day to say she might have something else which wouldn't be available for a month. Visited, liked it, signed lease & paid the same day.

Similarly, a couple of years previously, my OH was posted to another area & we allocated one day to go up there & find a place to live. Visited 4 places 8-11am, went to lunch to discuss what we had seen, decided, went back & signed, paid, got keys by 2pm. By 4pm we had chosen & scheduled delivery of basic furniture/appliances & had it done by 7pm.