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.

iaink

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

Craftybanshee

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.

Posidrive

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) .

lipards

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?

iaink

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.

Posidrive

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.

NewCalgarian

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.

NewCalgarian

Sorry - scandalous!

Rich_007

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.

lipards

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

Cowtown

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.

philcUK

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.

R2D2

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!

Steve_P

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