Housing in Calgary
 

I am being interviewed in London for a posistion working for a company who's office is on 6th avenue in Calgary. Could anyone give me an idea of what areas I should be looking at to rent / buy a place close to that location? I've been to Calgary before and dont remember seeing that many houses in the downtown area, would it be a case of having to live outside the downtown area and commuting and if so what would be the best area for transport links? One final question is there a lot of period property in Calgary and is it in a good part of town meaning it'll be more expensive than a new build?

Thanks

David

Re: Housing in Calgary
 

Period Housing nearish 6th (i presume SW) does exist. It will possibly be cheaper than an equivalent new build ie Single Family for Single Family.

Personally I would be looking Beltline, Kensington\Hillhurst, Bridgeland\Crescent Heights (at a stretch Renfrew), Mission, Ramsay and Inglewood.

I'm assuming you want 'kewl' neighbourhoods.

What are your actual requirements? Do you have a family? Partner? Pet?

Re: Housing in Calgary
 

What period housing nearish 6th that might be cheaper than a new build are you thinking of, Butch?

I agree with that.

David, I don't know what you mean by period buildings. I'm guessing you mean Victorian / Edwardian. Calgary has a bit of that, but not much.

Buildings started to be erected in what is now downtown Calgary in the 1890s. In 1904 there was a fire that destroyed much of the fledgling town of Calgary. The then-Methodist Church, now Central United Church, which is opposite The Bay (department store) on 7th Avenue, was built in 1905. It's considered to be an old building by Calgary standards.

The only housing that I would consider to be affordable in downtown Calgary or in one of the close-in neighbourhoods that Butch mentioned would be an apartment or a townhouse. There are houses in Hillhurst, but they are very expensive. At least they are very expensive for someone whose earnings are in Canadian dollars. If you are able to bring with you a nice nest egg in British pounds, buying a single-family house in Hillhurst might be more feasible.

If I didn't have kids and a pet, my preference would be to live in one of the close-in neighbourhoods that Butch mentioned.

Gerald Rotering, a real estate salesperson who specialises in condominiums, has on his website a Condo Directory for inner-city Calgary. If you search through it, you will find a few period buildings, for example, Manhattan Lofts, Lewis Lofts, Imperial Lofts.

If you do have kids and a pet, and if you aren't a millionaire, you pretty much have to live out in the suburbs. The transportation situation from the suburbs to downtown totally sucks. During the city's recent growth spurt, Calgary has not been able to keep up with its transportation infrastructure needs. You might think that living close to the C-Train helps, but it does not. The trains are so packed during rush hour that riding on them is a vile experience. People have said here that commuting in Calgary is a doddle compared with SE England. Well I've never lived in the UK, so I can't compare. But I think that, for a city of only one million, Calgary's commuting situation is bad. (Not that I'm blaming local government. Responding to the sudden influx of people would have put anyone to the test.) Anyway, because commuting from the suburbs to downtown is so awful, there really is no point in trying to find out which suburban neighbourhood is better for commuting (or perhaps I should say less bad for commuting). Just base your decision on other factors (schooling for your kids, etc.).

If you're going to live in the 'burbs, my post in the thread entitled Destination Calgary may be helpful.

Re: Housing in Calgary
 

Sorry Judy I was meaning a period property in say Mission would (possibly) be cheaper than an infill (ie new build).

I realise I didnt make myself that clear.

I also realise that Mission isnt that close to 6th :p

Re: Housing in Calgary
 

Oh, okay. Fair enough. :)

Re: Housing in Calgary
 

Butch and Judy
Thank you very much for your advice.
David

Re: Housing in Calgary
 

Judy - those Lofts in Calgary look great - I'm guessing there will be very expensive! At the moment we dont have any kids, but do have a dog (Macy the West Highland Terrier).......