Finding Homes for Sale in Calgary Real Estate Market

By on April 28, 2012

When you are planning to move to Calgary due to an employment change or company change, and you have never been to Calgary in your life, you are going to have a lot of questions about what part of the Calgary to move to.

Where is the best area in Calgary for raising kids?

Where is the best area  in Calgary for commuting downtown?

Where is the best area  in Calgary for elementary and secondary schools?

Which community  in Calgary has the lowest crime rates?

Which community  in Calgary will retain it’s market value the best?

Which properties and areas will increase in market value over time?

Which properties in Calgary are closest the new hospital?

Etc. Etc.

So the first thing we can do if we are planning to move to Calgary is VISIT. You need to take a drive (preferably) in the summer so you can see all the splendor of the trees, boulevards, flowers, etc. Calgary is not so pretty in the winter or the early spring – the trees are rather naked and the grass is all brown, or the there is just snow everywhere. Dirty streets generally too, and not as much sun the summer days.

You can’t always choose when you are going to be moving so you can’t choose when you first visit to see what Calgary has to offer.

When you land at the Calgary airport you will be in the Northeast quadrant of the city. The properties in this area of Calgary are generally less expensive that other suburbs, and communities. Not exactly pretty if you are used middle-class, to upper middle-class neighborhoods. The North East quadrant of Calgary is where a lot of new-comers live, especially if they are immigrating to Canada, and don’t have much money to invest in a fancier area.

If you want to spend a more considerable amount of money on a residential property you can start by looking in the NW, SE, and SW quadrants of the city. Your humble narrator’s favorite areas are in the south (SE and SW), but this are large quadrants and there hundreds and hundreds of homes for sale in these areas.

The thing to do is drive through all of the Calgary – downtown, NE, NW, SE, SW and ascertain the neighbourhoods you can afford that you like the most. Some of the new bedroom communities (like McKenzie Town, Auburn Bay, Prestwick, Lake Chaparral, etc.) have affordable residential homes to chose from.

If your morning commute downtown is a factor, AND price is a factor, you could opt in for a southern bedroom community that is VERY close to the C-Train, and then you never have to drive to work – it’s fast, and there is no headache with rush-hour traffic.

Whatever you do, don’t just land in Calgary, and buy the first house you view with your realtor or agent. Drive around and check out all of the areas, because there PLENTY of neighbourhoods to choose from.

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Calgary Real Estate Market Spring 2012 – Update

By on April 14, 2012

Well, it’s now the 14th of April, 2012 and the Real Estate market in Calgary is starting to pick up. We’re seeing homes getting listed and sold within days again.

Hopefully this is trend that will continue. Your humble narrator just sold his home in Lake Bonavista and the sale happened fairly quick considering we thought the Real Estate market might have been somewhat stagnant coming out of the winter months.

After talking to some realtors in Calgary that are actively working the market, talking to their fellow realtors, it seems that “the word on the street” is positive as we head towards the busy season for selling and buying homes in Calgary.

Now we have to wait and see where it’s all going. The United States’ economy is slowly (very slowly) coming out of recession and the lending rates in Canada are extremely low right now, so all of that is helping spur on growth, and therefore the oil corporations are making moves in the marketplace and therefore more families are moving to Calgary and looking for homes to buy.

There are a lot of buyers who are upgrading to bigger homes in more expensive neighbourhoods of Calgary as well. For example the people that bought our house actually have a home in Lake Bonavista Downs and they wanted to get a property in Lake Bonavista Commons. There are three areas of Lake Bonavista – the Downs, the Commons, and the Estates. Most of the houses in the Downs don’t have lake privileges, so homeowners living there would prefer to have those lake privileges that the homeowners in the Estates and Commons have. The Downs is also down the hill towards Bow Bottom Trail. In my opinion, the Downs is a GREAT neighbourhood and if you don’t really care about having lake access, then Bob’s Your Uncle.

We will be watching the Real Estate market closely to see how fast homes are selling and to see what these homes are selling for. It seems that many homeowners in Calgary are still overpriced and these owners are still hoping for the prices we had in the big bubble before the economic crash of 2008. When it comes down to it though, no matter how much homeowners hope for top dollar, and how much they think their property is worth, the market will dictate the cost of housing.

As soon as someone’s financial situation is effected negatively, or if they are forced to move because of an employment relocation, they HAVE to sell their homes and move on. They can try for top dollar for awhile, but if they really HAVE to sell they are going to keep dropping their asking price until their home sell to a willing buyer.

As more and more of the homes in Calgary start to sell in this way the overall value of the market will naturally drop, and the correction begins. However, I don’t see the price of Real Estate in Calgary dropping significantly this year. As a matter of fact, after all economic factors are taken into consideration we estimate the value of Real Estate in Calgary will increase by 7% by the end of 2012. You can only make guesses really as to what the marketplace will bear, and we have to wait and see like every other city in Canada.

One thing for sure, the home-builders and the City are building rapidly. There are still plenty of home-builders building on speculation, and there are new overpasses being built around Calgary and there is a great deal of expansion going on in the North and the South. All you have to do is go for a drive in the South along Highway 22X and up by the airport in the North to see for yourself.

The big retailers are growing and expanding too, with new malls popping up around Calgary as well, showing further signs of growth and speculation.

Whatever happens in Washington DC with the Oil Sands pipeline (Keystone Pipeline) will effect Calgary as well, but in the long run, regardless of opposition to the Tar Sands, that oil is going to be resourced and sold to a willing buyer. After all, they want to run a pipeline west of the Tar Sands through British Columbia and sell oil to the Chinese. Either way – there are billions and billions of dollars to be made and it’s just a matter of time before the oil is sold to the highest bidder. Just look at the cost of energy these days. Going nowhere but up.

“They” have always said that Alberta is a boom or bust Province because of big oil, and there is no question in my mind that there will be another big boom coming – the only question is how big is the boom, when it comes, and how long it will last.

I wish I had a crystal ball when it comes to the Real Estate market in Calgary, but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that buying property in Calgary is a sound investment. Just make sure that when you buy Real Estate you buy in the most desirable neighbourhoods.

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Best Neighbourhood to Live in Calgary

By on March 27, 2012

This is certainly subjective for sure. Which is the best neighbourhood in Calgary to live i? Well, of course that completely depends on where you are in life – are you raising a family, or are you single, working downtown Calgary, and want to live a purely urban lifestyle.

There are hundreds of thousands of people moving to Alberta every year and all of these people are coming here to work and live. Every single person has a different idea of where they want to live in the city, and they take in a lot of considerations before making a decision on “where to hang their hats”.

Some new Albertans will want to find a quiet bedroom community in which to live and put their kids in daycares and schools. The daily commute to work becomes as huge factor in that decision as well. The location of the nearest C-Train Station becomes a factor as well.

Then there are those Albertans who are concerned about their property as far as resale goes. These smart Real Estate buyers know that houses in the preffered communities will retain their value and grow in value as the years go on. Continue reading Best Neighbourhood to Live in Calgary

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The Calgary Real Estate Market vs the Saskatoon Real Estate Market

By on March 18, 2012

Well it’s spring time coming around the corner in 2012 and the Calgary Real Estate market is starting to expand as usual this time of year. If you check out the MLS web site you can see for yourself how many properties are coming on the market all of a sudden.

It’s that time again.

You can see an abundance of new Calgary listings now, and there are more For Sale signs showing up on lawns every day. On the weekends you can see more open house signs at the corners of intersections and there cars cruising around all of the neighbourhoods as potential buyers are looking at their options, price points, locations, etc.

Calgary has always been a bustling city, and there is certainly some movement in the Real Estate market, but houses aren’t “flying off the shelves” like in other times in the past.

Often you hear people say, “Alberta has always been a boom or bust Province”, and that is somewhat a truthful statement. However, there is always a slow growth with an upward trajectory in so-called “quiet times”. It’s just that there are these bubbles that come along in Alberta every ten years or so. These bubbles in the market are always extreme, when Real Estate agents, builders, land developers, brokers, and banks are making off like bandits. Like anything in the market, if you are in a financial position to take advantage of the good times you can do really well in Alberta.

There are always speculators who do research and track the oil industry and try to make predictions on which way the Alberta Real Estate market is going in the near future, and in the distance future, but the truth is you never REALLY know which way the market winds are going to blow.

For instance, when I talk with our realtor Larry, he will tell you that he has a basic idea what the Real Estate market will bear presently, and perhaps in a year or two, but he is always careful not to make any hard and fast predictions on the future. The Real Estate market in Calgary is just like the weather in Calgary – if it feels warm or cold, just wait five minutes because it’s going to change.

So as usual timing is everything.

A classic example of smart timing is when the Calgary Real Estate market was booming almost out of control before the United States market crash of 2008-2009, when houses were selling really fast, and there were many homes subject to bidding wars as buyers were desperate to snatch up good properties.

When The Saskatchewan Birds Fly Home

Many of the residents in Calgary are originally from Saskatchewan and at the time of the big boom, property values in cities like Saskatoon, SK were valued much less than those of Calgary. So when the Real Estate market was red hot in Alberta, MANY of the home owners in Calgary who were orginally from Saskatchewan sold their houses and moved back home to Saskatoon, Regina, or Prince Albert (etc.). They can only take the big city and the Deerfoot for so long ;-) .

For example, I personally had a friend who sold his house in Calgary for $750,000 dollars and bought a really nice property on the East side of Saskatoon for $450,000. Both house were very similar in that they were both bungalows built in the mid 1980s and their square footage was between 1500 and 1700. He managed to pay off his mortgage with the Royal Bank and buy his home in Saskatoon for cash. He was now mortgage free, and his vehicles were all paid off to boot. Smart, and the timing was right.

A year later many people in Calgary were trying to sell their Real Estate for these high prices and do the same thing, but alas – the Real Estate market in Calgary retracted during the western world economic crash of 2008. The perfect time to sell and move had gone by. Your humble narrator was one of these home owners. We waited too long.

Nowadays the property values in Saskatoon are MUCH higher and Real Estate values in Calgary have dropped. The idea of selling your Calgary property high and buying Saskatoon property for low is “sort of” over for the time being. This is because the oil exploration, pot ash industry, uranium mining industry, rare earths mining, and farming industries of Saskatoon have been growing steadily, and the big oil companies are investing more and more in Saskatchewan resources.

It’s been said by many oil industry experts that there is actually more oil in the ground of Saskatchewan than in Alberta. I’m not an oil industry expert (or expert in anything for that matter) so I’m not sure about the facts with a statement like that, but I do know this much – Saskatchewan is growing in leaps in bounds – both in population, due to an aggressive campaign by the Saskatchewan government to attract immigration, and attract big oil and mining interests.

The times they are always-a-changing, it’s going to be very interesting to watch as Father time ticks on down the line. Stay tuned. It still hasn’t got weird enough for me ;-) .

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Continued from Realtors in Calgary on Sundance Community Real Estate

By on March 7, 2012

For schools there are plenty to choose from in Sundance and the neighboring area of Shaughnessy. There is Centennial High School, Sundance Elementary School, Fish Creek Elementary School, and Midsun Junior High School.

There is also the popular Bishop O’Byrne High School (AKA: BOB) to consider as well within the blanket of the Calgary Catholic School District. All of these schools provide an excellent education for children growing up of all ages.

Sundance is located just South of the Midnapore community in South East Calgary which we covered on another post already. Either one of these communities is a perfect choice for any family planning to move to Calgary and still have all the advantages that come with a great lake community.

Because of the complete package of shopping available across Macleod Trail in the Shaughnessy area, and all of the schools nearby, and the easy access on the C-Train for commuting, there is no reason why somebody has to live in the more congested and expensive areas closer to downtown Calgary.

The cost of homes in the Sundance area range greatly. If you buy a property that’s on the lake you can be in the upper ranges from just under $2 million. When you get off of the lake you can be paying up to $700,000 but as low as $350,000 for a smaller residential home property. I would say that the average price for a single-family home in the Sundance area ranges between $450,000 and $650,000.

That is your best guess, and depending on your needs, the size of your family, etc., you can increase the price tag or decrease the price tag depending on whether or not the home has a finished basement and a lot of floor space. Granted, most of the properties in the Sundance community have finished basements because this is a well-developed area that has been around long enough to allow for full property development.

If you are planning a move to Calgary and you are considering moving to the Sundance area and community, and you want to get a single-family dwelling but you don’t have a big budget you do have options.

For example, at the time of this writing there is a four bedroom four level split home on Sundown Way SE, with three bathrooms, finished basement, and it has a floor space of 1800 ft.². This house has a newly renovated kitchen and a wood burning fireplace. The master bedroom has a large 4-piece en suite, new roof, new furnace, and all newer windows. It’s listed at $389,000. A damn good deal for what you’re getting, and in a great neighborhood with Lake privileges.

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Realtors in Calgary on Sundance Community of Calgary SE

By on February 29, 2012

Today we’re going to discuss the neighborhood of Sundance which is also located in Southeast Calgary.

The Sundance neighborhood has its own community Lake and it’s also a very popular area in Calgary, with low crime and an ideal spot to raise children and live a quiet life in.

The Sundance neighborhood is your ideal Calgary bedroom community with lots of shopping and schools right nearby. Sundance is served greatly by the Shaughnessy area shopping and business community. There are medical clinics, and an endless number of different shops and resources there for all to use.

There are restaurants, a bookstore chain, movie theaters, a Great Canadian Superstore, a Walmart, Future Shop, Home Depot, and much much more.

The Calgary C Train has a station in the Shaughnessy area as well, so Sundance is also an ideal Calgary neighborhood for commuters who have to work downtown.

Sundance is served by its main street which is Sun Valley Blvd., and it, along with Spruce Meadows Trail SE/Marquis of Lorne Trail Southeast/Highway 22X, surround the area.

Sundance has many different types of living to consider. You can buy condominiums, rent an apartment, or own a residential home property. This neighborhood is not one of squalor either, in that by and large all of the people living there our hard-working middle-class families, and you can tell by the care taken to keep the homes in the neighborhood “up to snuff”.

The Sundance Lake is very pretty and an extremely peaceful place for the family to get away to in the summer months, and to skate on in the winter months. Just like all of the bedroom communities that have lakes in South Calgary, you will see children playing hockey on the lake in the wintertime, and kids skating everyday. You will see entire families out on the lake spending a weekend afternoon there. It’s truly a classic Calgary experience for these dwellers from the Sundance area.

Your humble narrator seriously considered moving to Sundance when we were looking at different properties in South Calgary. We really do appreciate the fact that there is plenty of shopping all around the Sun Valley Boulevard and Macleod Trail Southeast intersection.

There is everything you need within a 3 minute drive from your home in Sundance. You don’t need to go downtown or take any 15 minute drives if you want to get all of your shopping done. I didn’t mention above that there was a Canadian Tire as well in the Shaughnessy shopping area, so consider that mentioned now.

Continued here….

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Realtors in Calgary – Open House in Lake Chaparral (and a story begins)

By on February 26, 2012

So your humble narrator and his wife went to an open house in Lake Chaparral last week – in Calgary’s SE. There was a husband and wife Realtor team just opening the house when we arrived in our RV. Often we take the RV out and go driving around with the dog and we go to open houses. Fun weekend thing to do, and we’re always keeping our eyes on the new houses that come on the market, the prices, and the location, etc.

We walked into the open house in Chaparral and it was quite a nice house. It was listed at $425,000 and we knew this listing wasn’t going to last long. It was really clean, fairly spacious and the kitchen was really nice. The basement was finished, had a cool back yard with a hot-tub installed as well.

This home was a typical house you see in the newer areas of Calgary SE and SW – it was a well built two-story, with the kitchen in the back of house. When you walked in the front door there was a staircase directly facing you. The staircase went to the second story. So this was not a bungalow, and it wasn’t a “walk out”.

The reason I’m thinking of this open house was because of what happened when we walked in. The husband and wife Realtor team were extremely friendly and the husband appeared to be somewhat older than his wife. My wife and the lady Realtor went on a viewing tour all over the house – downstairs, upstairs, the finished basement, the kitchen, the back yard. I didn’t look at the house because I struck up a conversation with the husband.

When I first went into the home I went straight for the kitchen area and island. I noticed that the cupboards were the same as our house in Lake Bonavista and I told them that we had changed the cupboard handles, added black granite tiling to the kitchen island and counters. I also mentioned that we applied a gell stain to the cupboards which was fairly easy and it turned out great. As soon as I said that the husband Realtor mentioned that he used gell stain on a guitar he had recently refinished.

So when I heard that I joined him on the living room sofa and told him that I was in many different bands as a kid growing up in British Columbia. It turned out that his childhood memories were almost identical, but for him it all took place in Calgary. So that was the extent of my open house experience – we started talking about instruments, players, memories, memories and more memories.

I never did see more than the kitchen and left the house up to my wife to view. This Realtor and I hit if off and we rambled on in the living room at a rapid pace of dialogue.

Flashback To 2001 In Lake Bonavista

It’s funny too, because that is how we bought our house in Lake Bonavista. We moved to Calgary from Saskatoon around ten years ago and we were forced to move because of a job relocation. We went and looked at quite a few open houses in all areas of Calgary. I was commuting to Calgary weekly already and was renting a house in the North East, near the airport.

We checked out houses and neighbourhoods in the North West, North East, South East, and South West. Every quadrant. We were used to growing up in communties where there was a lot of mature trees, and many of the newer Calgary neighbourhoods didn’t have mature trees. We were still shopping for houses though, and we prepared to look at many before we bought.

Our budget at the time was for around $250,000 and this was in the year 2001. We figured that we would end up buying somewhere in Calgary NE or NW because we were both working for Canadian Airlines (company no longer exists – all Air Canada now) at the time, so we wanted to be near the airport. Well……that’s what we “figured”, but as the saying goes;

“Life is what happens to you while you’re making other plans….”

One night between house hunting we went to visit my wife’s brother and family in the Mckenzie Lake area. They lived in quite a nice house, and they also had lake privileges. We were talking to them about our house shopping and how we were looking in various Calgary neighbourhoods. My brother-in-law then said;

“Lets go for a drive!”

He drove us up the Deerfoot and took the Anderson exit, took a left at Acadia, and then took us through Lake Bonavista. We loved the area, but thought it would be out of our price range.

We drove by some houses that had Realtor signs stuck in the grass, and we were really impressed with the mature trees and the wider lots. We drove past one particular house that was for sale, and we really liked the looks of it. Only thing was that it was a private seller. The owner had just stuck a very small sign on the grass with her cell phone number on it.

My brother-in-law pulled out his cell phone and called the number right then and there. Next thing you know we had a viewing of the house the next day.

So we showed up for the viewing, and the same thing happened that happened earlier in this story in Lake Chaparral. I walked in, looked at the kitchen area and sat down on the back deck on a beautiful Calgary summer afternoon. I spoke with the man of the house, and my wife did the actual viewing. I got a good feeling, and when my wife finally came to the back deck again, I said;

“I’m in – how much, and when can we sign the papers.”

Very bad buying practices – I know. My wife was annoyed because that one sentence pretty well ruined any possibility of negotiating.

Within a week we had bought the house for $299,000 (the were asking for $310,000) – over our intitial budget, but we were in the house we wanted and the neighbourhood we wanted. Now the problem was that we had to drive further to get to the airport for work. It was an emotional purchase for sure.

Six months later we were laid off from work.

To continued…..

Map Shots of Lake Chaparral, and Mckenzie Lake

Lake Chaparral

Mckenzie Lake

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