Someone live in Calgary, please help
 

I am looking at Trico Home and Cardel Home website, research the models and communities.
http://www.tricohomes.com/communities.php
http://www.cardelhomes.com/public/Ca...w_where_we_are

There are so many locations, and I am really confused. Generally, I have been told NW is good but expensive? OK, so all I want is a nice neighborhood, quite and safe, school is not important for me. So, what are the suitable ones do you think? My goal is to get something 2000sqf and less than 300k...please help, list the community locations that you think are good ones.
And, in Calgary, shall I use realtor for buying new home? Since I will be doing this from abroad, it's better if I get some helping hand.
Oh, one more question, any other builders that are good too?
Thanks.

Re: Someone live in Calgary, please help
 

Are you sure it isnt worth the cost of a visit to check things out in person before commiting to a $300k purchase?

Re: Someone live in Calgary, please help
 

I agreewith iaink, you really should visit Calgary before you decide where you want to live. We've been twice and still are'nt 100% sure.

Re: Someone live in Calgary, please help
 

I quite agree with the others. You definitely need to visit the areas to make a sensible decision about where to live. If you make a bad one it will cost you a lot in realtor fees to rectify it. 7% of the first 100 k and 3% on the rest. So it would cost you 13k to sell a 300k mistake.

You have nothing at all to loose using a reputable realtor when buying a property. It's the seller who pays.

If you are relocating to Calgary and need a realtor, try contacting Canilink. they provide a range of free services to help people move and settle in Calgary. All that ask in return is that you use them as your realtor when you buy you first house. This again costs you nothing. I've met the guy and although we didn't use him because we decided to build our own house (which doesn't really need a realtor) and didn't feel we should then use his other free services, his appears very honest and genuine.

Another builder to consider would be Talisman. They deal in standard properties ranging from your price level (and below) up to luxurious custom build. I've seen a number of their show homes at all price levels and even the entry level homes are well built (which is more than I can say about some others that I have seen) .

Re: Someone live in Calgary, please help
 

I agree with you guys. But I have some issue here that prevent me from visiting. Here is way:
I have to move May/June 2006;
I am unable to visit Canada before April...
There is no work round..

So, in order to avoid double moving, and make sure I have a place o live in on June, I have to build it now or before next month...I think new construction takes 6 months?
With moden moden technology, decide on a good location and reputable builder, I hope the risk shall be minimum.

And, for a new home, does builder give discount if I don't use realtor? If not, I'd rather use a realtor who will help us out a little bit, am I right or wrong?

Re: Someone live in Calgary, please help
 

Rent first, its cheeper than paying a realtor to sell an albatross property, and gives you a good long time to find where you really want to live. Hell, it may already have been built and be waiting for you to move in after the previous owner fixed all the problems left by the contractor:) Will avoid the dreaded GST on new home cost too.

If you dont want to move a bunch of stuff twice in a year, just keep the essentials and put the rest in storage for a while. Winter building will be sloooow anyway, and I cant think of anyones whos construction project has ever been finished on schedule anyway.

Re: Someone live in Calgary, please help
 

Dream on. Maybe 1 year ago. Now it's up to 12 months. The only builders who can build in 6 months or so are the custom builders who have a loyal workforce who work for them alone ($$$$$). Most builders are dipping into an inadequate pool that can't cope with the amount of construction work at the moment.

Also, 6 months would be an ideal time without the problems of digging foundations in Winter.

Re: Someone live in Calgary, please help
 

Isn't it scandlous what realtors charge over here? The realtor we used for our new home purchase was very polite and everything, but didn't really appear to DO an awful lot - easy money or what? Makes me think of using ComFree when we come to sell.

Re: Someone live in Calgary, please help
 

Sorry - scandalous!

Re: Someone live in Calgary, please help
 

Lipards,

Why the fixation on a new build place ?

Why not move over, rent short term, get cash ready for a quick move, negotiate hard like The Devil Himself, and most likely get better VFM. No landscaping hassles, no hassling over what has or hasn't been put in, no settlement or remedial work hassles ?

In three months you'd have recce'd the area, got a real feel for where everything's at, had time to get to know your realtor and what you're after and got a home set up. Some people may take a year to do all that but if you're focused, sharp and motivated, no reason why you can't work this through. That resale home might not be perfect in terms of what you would want off a plan but it will ease a lot of stress, and getting into your home and being set up quickly makes a hell of a lot of difference to how you'll feel about the whole move thing.

Good luck whatever...

Rich.

Re: Someone live in Calgary, please help
 

OK, seems like I have to give up. The whole point was to avoid moving twice, but if new home build take 12 months, I anyway will move twice...

One advantage of building new, is that I like certain model 1 1/2 stories, which is usually very difficult to find in existing homes. Is this kind popular in Calgary?

Windsor II from Cardel:

http://www.cardelhomes.com/public/Ca...39&ModelID=129

Re: Someone live in Calgary, please help
 

I looked at the link. This looks like every other house in Calgary.

You are unlikely to get a Windsor II for under $300K. You should be aware that the standard house is exactly that - standard (read basic). Most people spend a substantial amount on upgrades - think in the region of $350k minimum for these.

I was also advised that there is a concrete shortage in Calgary - likely to dent the time scales a bit.

Re: Someone live in Calgary, please help
 

I agree with iaink, you really need to visit Calgary before you put down all this money.

You say you don't want to do a double move, but this is the likely outcome if you purchase before you check everywhere out.

You need to be a good negotiator to get the best price for your house and that is what realtors are "supposed" to be for. Realtors will also have access to alot more information, especially if you intend following you current chosen route.

Based on all your other posts I would suggest finding a good shipper that is willing to hold you personal effects for a month or so before shipping them. You can easily buy a house in a short space of time in Canada, and renting will give you the opportunity to look around. There are month to month rents available in Calgary.

The shipping company we chose held our goods in the UK for two months without any additional charges.

Re: Someone live in Calgary, please help
 

We took on a short term rental property to go straight into when we landed and we negotiated just 3 months , and we organised it all from the UK. It was just about the right length of time as we could have a good scan around all the areas and not make a rushed decision on where to buy.
To take on a rental unseen is still a risk, but to buy unseen ?????!!!!!!
We were quite lucky in that the rental property was only a couple of years old and we kind of new the location too, so it was fine, and we knew it was only short term.
I would recommend this way of doing things.....as you also need time to establish just how much you can realistically afford, as cost of living really is an unknown until you actually get here and start the living! :)

Re: Someone live in Calgary, please help
 

I agree with Cowtown on this.

The Windsor II looks very much like just about any new home in that size range in Calgary at the moment. I am a little confused though as it looks to me like it's a two storey home not one and a half.

Most people do not use a realtor when building from scratch, they normally deal directly with the builder. Hence it's highly unlikely there would be a discount.

Just as an aside we have friends who are having a new home built in the northwest. They signed the paperwork in early summer and have been given a possession date of approximately next August.


Cheers
Steve

Re: Someone live in Calgary, please help
 

Im just curious if anyone living in something like this can tell me....Does it get noticibly colder in the master bedroom as its over the top of the garage, which presumably is pretty chilly in the winter, what with the front opening up to the winter air?

I know the end of our house with the garage beneath is noticibly cooler than the bit we huddle together in during the winter. Our heating duct system could probably be better balanced and the insulation and draft proofing below better...but still.

Insulation on a new place is presumably better than ours, but it cant be that good can it if you actually use the garage in the winter?

Re: Someone live in Calgary, please help
 

You're getting good advice here. When we arrived in Calgary, we made the mistake of buying too quickly, and found ourselves looking for a better location inside a few months!! A real pain when you've just moved a whole family and all the wordly goods that go with it, only to find you got it wrong. :( If you can find a fully furnished rental, at least you won't have the entire 'move' twice, just yourself and a few personal belongings. I wouldn't advise building without the ability to keep a VERY close eye on progress, anyway (we did it almost daily), and especially not without a good lawyer!

Good luck!

Re: Someone live in Calgary, please help
 

I know why I might want to keep an eye on things - but then I have no experience in this. On the other hand you sound as if you know from experience. Care to elaborate?

Re: Someone live in Calgary, please help
 

Iain,

I haven't looked at the house plan mentioned, ours has master right over the 2 garages, reverse level, grade level entry with den hall and basement down.

Master bed doesn't get any colder really, I figure the insulation is good (5 year old home) as it is everywhere else I've checked in the place. Garages get bloody cold at night, we have BBH but don't use them in there. Cold garages doesn't seem to affect rest of the house.

The front, hall and den are all on the open sides exposure (land runs back up by the house at 35 degrees approx). Downstairs front is a little colder inside but house is open plan up, so air can vent right up the stairs from all downstairs areas. As we have 2 cats we leave all downstairs doors open.

No real big deal apart from a few degrees diference in temps. Summer will be nicer down. Err, once I finish the basement off. :o

Rich.

Re: Someone live in Calgary, please help
 

We don't have this style of home, but my friend does. The kids bedrooms are directly over the garage and they don't feel any cooler than any other room in the house. The garage is insulated but not heated.

He, like me, doesn't see the point in having a garage if you are not going to use it as such. :)

Re: Someone live in Calgary, please help
 

Guess I need to fix up that insulation then!

Re: Someone live in Calgary, please help
 

Ah you have cold garage syndrome ? :mad:

Nasty business. Call in Mike Holmes, he'll fix it.

Rich.

Re: Someone live in Calgary, please help
 

Mike Bloody Holmes would just knock my place down and start again...I think my wife has already asked him to come have a look come to think of it. She insists that he must be Gay. I'm not so sure!

Re: Someone live in Calgary, please help
 

Would it make any difference if he was? :)

Re: Someone live in Calgary, please help
 

i agree with everyone else, at the least you should rent first ( weve just done a 10day fact finding trip in calgary) and have decided to rent first as calgary is too big to get to know quickly and you will get differing advice on locations to live.

Ps that aside anyone have a rental preference eg sub-let, private or large firms that specialise in furnished as any help would be appreciated ( we have experience of rental in england)

Re: Someone live in Calgary, please help
 

Hi Cowtown :)

This was our experience of new homes here:

We built a home during our first year here. Although it was with one of the apparently better builders, a number of things would have been incorrect had we not caught it as it happened. Some things small, but others more major, like failing to insulate the (exterior) walls behind the bathtub, (maybe you should check you actually HAVE insulation, iaink ;)) and installing the WRONG (cheaper) tub, not the one we had ordered. Other things like very bad studding in places (diseased wood), which we pulled out and insisted they replace, and layout of the bathroom was all wrong. I think the builder learned a lesson, too, as I don't think they made a lot of profit on that particular house, due to our 'hands on' approach. :D

Although it was very stressful (it was 40 mins drive from home with three young kids), the end result was worth it. Though I'm not sure I'd be too willing to go through it again in a hurry, and compared to us, some of our neighbours had far worse problems than we did, and this was with a variety of builders. I think you can actually get a better deal these days by buying a newer existing home. As someone already mentioned, no GST, no landscaping costs, or the mess of living in an 'under construction' neighbourhood.


About six years ago we bought a 'spec' house - one that a builder goes ahead and builds without a customer, then puts on the market. It was a lovely house, our first acreage. We didn't have any major problems with it, until just after the first year when we arranged for the 'poop' guy to come and pump out the septic tank! You wouldn't expect any problems with it being a brand new house - right? He took one look and announced "There's nothing to empty, it's as clean as a whistle!" The plumber who was responsible for all the plumbing/septic system, had installed the pump in the wrong side of the septic tank, and it had been pumping raw sewage, instead of effluent (the liquid) out to the field the whole time. This meant that the field was saturated, and rendered useless. We had to replace the field at a cost of $15,000. The builder had since gone bankrupt and had the world and his wife after him. Worth noting is that new home warranty does NOT cover septic systems (in Alberta), and ours had also PASSED inspection. :scared:


No matter which way you go though - you don't 'need' a realtor, but you DO need a lawyer. Have them go over everything, including your 'offer to purchase'. They will (or should) prevent you from making any expensive mistakes. :)

My dad was in the building trade and I grew up on building sites, learning a lot along the way. As a result, I am very wary, and would advise extreme caution in hiring any contractor. It's sad, but it seems there are more 'cowboys' today than quality guys, and even worse, the government allows it to continue, leaving the poor home owner on the receiving end!

Re: Someone live in Calgary, please help
 

LOL - does she not know he has a wife and at least one son? (OK I know that doesn't neccessarily mean he isn't.....)

Re: Someone live in Calgary, please help
 

Good for you!

That is the main thing that has repeatedly put us off buying a "new" house. Together with the lack of a school.....

How do they test a septic tank then if they dont test the pump?

Re: Someone live in Calgary, please help
 

I will take the advise and renting first..

Are you sure many Calgary house like this one? I didn't find one in mls. Please note that the Windsor II has the living room open to above, so it should have some 16-18 feet ceiling...I am not sure what's the name for this kind in Canada, in US, it's called 1 1/2

Re: Someone live in Calgary, please help
 

A number of phrases come to mind.

'open to above'
great room
cathedral ceiling

Any house with those large two story windows will have this type of layout.

Many, many houses are like this. Partly due to the fact that all of the builders are in the same market and build basically the same thing - and have been doing so for many years. Styles change over the years but each period has its own batch of similar houses.

Re: Someone live in Calgary, please help
 

Technically - yes you're right, but most people including realtors will call them 'two storeys' (look for phrases like "vaulted ceilings", and those that Cowtown already listed).
The house we had built was like it - a two storey living room, with the rest a traditional two storey. Yes, there are hundreds like it in the city.

Re: Someone live in Calgary, please help
 

They don't 'test' it, but they (the building inspector) does a visual inspection and passes it (if it's right......or not, aas the case may be...lol). I reckon this 'inspection' must have been done over a pint in the pub ;) 'cos if he had bothered looking, it would have been caught!

Re: Someone live in Calgary, please help
 

This company manage my furnished rental - http://www.residential-leasing.com/ - I've been very satisfied with them as an owner, but obviously don't have any experience of using them as a tenant...

Re: Someone live in Calgary, please help
 

I would commend your change of location, as you were looking at Fraser Valley Bc in a last post. Loads of people seem to be heading East over the Rockies, not so many the otherway (if you discount homeless).
However like other posts I'd recommend buying a slightly older home in an established sub-division, the main reason being that the current boom, especially as I understand in Calgary has led to the eternal problem of contractors not having enough "skilled" labour. One major area on some of these rush built projects is poor attention and execution, often by underpaid labourers, of the vapor barriers. This is probably the most important aspect in construction in terms protecting the structure. It is also impossible for code inspectors or Home Inspectors to verify its execution (or existance) in many areas.
Problems in this area may not manifest until its too late, I've seen rot in homes under 10 years old that need complete demolition due to failures in the vapor barrier. This reliance on these barriers IMHO is a major problem in N.American construction after the 1970's.
I'd also shy away from Cathedral Ceilings, as roof voids generally are more susceptable to heat loss and moisture ingress.
If you are buying an older home get a qualified Home Inspector, member of CAPHI or NACHI.

Re: Someone live in Calgary, please help
 

Rich.

Re: Someone live in Calgary, please help
 

I know I'm kinda lost...was reserching Vancouver surrounding area, and realize 300k get me a town house 50 miles away in Vancouver, but in the city limit of Calgary for a same size single house.
I think this is the way of the life, paying much much more plus higher tax etc for good weather.
Still, Van is more reasonable than Sillicon Valley, heck I should just get a town home in BC...is sound insulation good in BC town house? Almost gone crazy, where to move is a BIG headache.

Re: Someone live in Calgary, please help
 

Oh yeah it's crazy times eh ? Plan A ...Go with where the work is at, or Plan B...Go with where you want your heart and soul and the rest of a wonderful life to be at, and work towards the work thing as the next challenge.

Roll the dice, play the great immigration game.
Buy into a few off-the-shelf dreams, add in a little dash of luck.
Self belief, a little bit of flexibility, realistic expectations, and lots of patience will all pay off.

Good luck, it takes great bravery to make such a step into a different future.

Rich.

Re: Someone live in Calgary, please help
 

[QUOTE=lipards]I am looking at Trico Home and Cardel Home website, research the models and communities.
http://www.tricohomes.com/communities.php
http://www.cardelhomes.com/public/Ca...w_where_we_are

There are so many locations, and I am really confused. Generally, I have been told NW is good but expensive? OK, so all I want is a nice neighborhood, quite and safe, school is not important for me. So, what are the suitable ones do you think? My goal is to get something 2000sqf and less than 300k...please help, list the community locations that you think are good ones.
And, in Calgary, shall I use realtor for buying new home? Since I will be doing this from abroad, it's better if I get some helping hand.
Oh, one more question, any other builders that are good too?
Thanks.[/QUOT


There are a lot of nice communities in Calgary to move to. Currently being built there are Royal Oak, Tuscany, Cougar Ridge which are all in the NW. Do you know that when you arrange with a builder to build a home he will want the type of flooring/colour scheme/ make and models of appliances. This is not the sort of thing to do from the UK. Even if you find a really good realtor, none of them will really make a decision for you. I am a realtor and I can find you an empty house in a nice area to move into with 3 weeks of moving here.... I know because that is exactly what we did. We rented a furnished apartment for 3 weeks and moved in. Whats is the real need for a new home, how about one 3/4 years old. Remember this is not the UK ... an old house is 10 years old!! A realtor will help you buy a new home, and make sure the builder does what you request, this is at no cost to you. The builder sets his price whether you use a realtor or not, the only break you may get with a builder is not to pay the GST. As a buyer of a property you do not pay a realtor...... there are some realtors who are charging to assist people emmigrate. Don't be conned.

Re: Someone live in Calgary, please help
 

You sure have a lot of choices to make, and I reckon you just have to try and eliminate some. Dont be surprised if you wake up tomorrow and Toronto feels like a good idea. I would recommend a location you feel happy with rather than the big f@#k-off house, your budget in BC for a single home would probably take you to Chilliwack or beyond, I do not like the place but whatever floats your boat.
If you are asking about sound insulation between Townhouse units, the answer is it aint great, basically firewall build, continuous 4-6" studwork with insulation and drywall. I think the code improved in the early 90's so units post 1990 will be slightly better. If you are researching there is a Sound Transmission Classification which you may be able to find out about when looking at units.
In reality the best chance of not being bothered is to move somewhere with a decent strata council who should deal with residents who would be potential noise problems.
Good luck, its a nice way to go crazy looking for location.

Re: Someone live in Calgary, please help
 

In my opinion chosing a location based on what sort of house you could afford for a set sum is a recipe for unhappyness.

Choose somewhere you actually want to live, that offers a chance at good employment in a field you enjoy working in, and has the recreational oportunities you want to pursue, and then figure out how you can afford to live there.

Do you really want to be rattling aroung your nice big house, going quietly nuts as its -30 outside and you would rather be looking at the ocean, or from the other point of view sitting looking at the gloomy rain for the third day in a row thinking how nice it would be to have a nice unbroken stretch of sunny weather.

For my 2cents, forget about what sort of house you can get until you figure out where you actually WANT to live.