Destination Calgary
Dec 9th 2006 | 2:01 pm
#1
Thread Starter
halfway
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 40
Destination Calgary
Me , Wife & 2 Kids (baby & 4) Are Coming To Calgary In April , We Are Starting Off In A Short Term Let In Somerset S.w. So When We Arrive We Will Have Lots Of Work To Find A Suitable Area To Live In As Calgary Is Such A Big Area , Can Anyone Suggest Areas To Consider Or Avoid . I Could Be Working In Any Part Of The City Depending Where My Employer To Be Needs Me , My Wife Is A Hairdresser And Will Look For Work When The Kids Are Settled In A Bit , Our Price Range Is Average .
Thanks
Thanks
Dec 9th 2006 | 4:40 pm
#2
little snowy owl
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 6,921
Re: Destination Calgary
Try looking through the posts on this search ..... this question has been done to death.
http://britishexpats.com/forum/searc...earchid=815859
Quick question for you ..... why on Earth do you start every single word with a capital letter .... isn't it a bit time-consuming?
http://britishexpats.com/forum/searc...earchid=815859
Quick question for you ..... why on Earth do you start every single word with a capital letter .... isn't it a bit time-consuming?
Dec 9th 2006 | 4:51 pm
#3
Lotus-eater
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 5,069
From: Cascadian Autonomous Elysian Region
Re: Destination Calgary
Originally Posted by Morwenna
...why on Earth do you start every single word with a capital letter .... isn't it a bit time-consuming?
He Could Be Starting A New Trend On Here ?
Rich
Dec 9th 2006 | 5:40 pm
#4
Now on Vancouver Island
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 6,935
From: Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada
Re: Destination Calgary
Hello dmelec,
Here are the CliffsNotes.
Basically the more desirable areas in which to live in Calgary are in the northwest, southwest and far southeast quadrants. Broadly speaking, the areas to avoid are in the northeast and close-in southeast.
If you go the the Multiple Listing Service map of Calgary:
The reason to avoid the northeast is to get away from airport noise and to avoid a part of the city that has a relatively higher crime rate by local standards. The reason to avoid the close-in southeast is its proximity to an industrial area and its relatively higher crime rate.
Okay, so now you're left with the NW, SW and far SE. Within those areas, the commute to downtown usually is shorter and quicker the more centrally located you are. The further out you live, the longer your commute, on average.
While it's nice for downtown office workers to live centrally, the fact is its expensive to do that. At least it is for people who've been earning their salaries in Canadian dollars all along. The further out you live, the longer your commute (if you work downtown), but the lower the cost of housing.
So everyone makes the best compromise they can between convenience and cost.
I think Calgary's commuting times are bad for a city of one million. The city is having a hard time building new roads and widening old roads fast enough to keep up with the phenomenal growth. But posters who have come here from the SE of England say that commuting in Calgary is a doddle by comparison.
It would not be fair to list the residential areas of Calgary without mentioning the satellite towns that are popular with some people : Cochrane to the NW, Okotoks to the south, Airdrie to the north, and so on. If you do word searches for those names here at British Expats, you'll find several threads in which people have described what it's like to live there.
If you work in Foothills Industrial Park (340 on the MLS map), it would be convenient to live in the far SE quadrant. I've also heard that Chestermere, a satellite community to the east of Calgary, has good access to Foothills Industrial Park.
When you go shopping for houses, your real estate salesperson usually will drive you round during the day in his/her car. If you like a given house, return to that neighbourhood on your own in the evening, walk around it, and assess the vibe. Are there children in the playgrounds? Are there people out walking their dogs? Etc.
I would also suggest that you test the rush hour traffic to or from a neighbourhood that you're considering. It may be impractical to test it in the morning. But it may be feasible for you to drive from work to another neighbourhood in the afternoon / evening rush hour.
When you make an offer on a house, make your offer conditional on a satisfactory inspection by an independent building inspector. That's a common condition around here. But you occasionally hear of someone who skips that step or doesn't know it's necessary. They find out how useful that step would have been when a structural defect comes to light.
Some people come here asking about getting houses built from scratch. It is very difficult to find a builder during Calgary's current boom. When you do find one, it's a challenge to get the builder to stick to the agreed budget and timeline. If I'm going to stick to my resolve to keep this post short(ish), I'll just tell you to avoid getting a house built from scratch. If you do choose to have a house built, that is a topic in its own right. It has been discussed here before, and you can find relevant information by using the forum's search function. It's important to do your research before embarking on a new build.
Hope that helps.
Here are the CliffsNotes.
Basically the more desirable areas in which to live in Calgary are in the northwest, southwest and far southeast quadrants. Broadly speaking, the areas to avoid are in the northeast and close-in southeast.
If you go the the Multiple Listing Service map of Calgary:
Districts A and C (essentially the northwest and southwest quadrants respectively) are fine.
District B (northeast quadrant) is not recommended.
The more southerly parts of District D (far southeast quadrant) are fine, while the northerly parts of District D (close-in southeast quadrant) are to be avoided.
District D deserves further explanation. If you click on District D you'll see a map that's broken down into neighbourhoods : 200 (Inglewood), 202 (Ramsay), 205 (Highfield), and so on. You'll also see the Bow River flowing from north to south through District D. It's represented by a blue band. On the west side of the Bow River, you're okay from 215 (Acadia) and southwards from there. On the east side of the river, you're okay from 320 (Douglas Glen) and southwards from there. District B (northeast quadrant) is not recommended.
The more southerly parts of District D (far southeast quadrant) are fine, while the northerly parts of District D (close-in southeast quadrant) are to be avoided.
The reason to avoid the northeast is to get away from airport noise and to avoid a part of the city that has a relatively higher crime rate by local standards. The reason to avoid the close-in southeast is its proximity to an industrial area and its relatively higher crime rate.
Okay, so now you're left with the NW, SW and far SE. Within those areas, the commute to downtown usually is shorter and quicker the more centrally located you are. The further out you live, the longer your commute, on average.
While it's nice for downtown office workers to live centrally, the fact is its expensive to do that. At least it is for people who've been earning their salaries in Canadian dollars all along. The further out you live, the longer your commute (if you work downtown), but the lower the cost of housing.
So everyone makes the best compromise they can between convenience and cost.
I think Calgary's commuting times are bad for a city of one million. The city is having a hard time building new roads and widening old roads fast enough to keep up with the phenomenal growth. But posters who have come here from the SE of England say that commuting in Calgary is a doddle by comparison.
It would not be fair to list the residential areas of Calgary without mentioning the satellite towns that are popular with some people : Cochrane to the NW, Okotoks to the south, Airdrie to the north, and so on. If you do word searches for those names here at British Expats, you'll find several threads in which people have described what it's like to live there.
If you work in Foothills Industrial Park (340 on the MLS map), it would be convenient to live in the far SE quadrant. I've also heard that Chestermere, a satellite community to the east of Calgary, has good access to Foothills Industrial Park.
When you go shopping for houses, your real estate salesperson usually will drive you round during the day in his/her car. If you like a given house, return to that neighbourhood on your own in the evening, walk around it, and assess the vibe. Are there children in the playgrounds? Are there people out walking their dogs? Etc.
I would also suggest that you test the rush hour traffic to or from a neighbourhood that you're considering. It may be impractical to test it in the morning. But it may be feasible for you to drive from work to another neighbourhood in the afternoon / evening rush hour.
When you make an offer on a house, make your offer conditional on a satisfactory inspection by an independent building inspector. That's a common condition around here. But you occasionally hear of someone who skips that step or doesn't know it's necessary. They find out how useful that step would have been when a structural defect comes to light.
Some people come here asking about getting houses built from scratch. It is very difficult to find a builder during Calgary's current boom. When you do find one, it's a challenge to get the builder to stick to the agreed budget and timeline. If I'm going to stick to my resolve to keep this post short(ish), I'll just tell you to avoid getting a house built from scratch. If you do choose to have a house built, that is a topic in its own right. It has been discussed here before, and you can find relevant information by using the forum's search function. It's important to do your research before embarking on a new build.
Hope that helps.
Dec 9th 2006 | 11:36 pm
#5
Thread Starter
halfway
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 40
Re: Destination Calgary
Originally Posted by Judy in Calgary
Hello dmelec,
Here are the CliffsNotes.
Basically the more desirable areas in which to live in Calgary are in the northwest, southwest and far southeast quadrants. Broadly speaking, the areas to avoid are in the northeast and close-in southeast.
If you go the the Multiple Listing Service map of Calgary:
The reason to avoid the northeast is to get away from airport noise and to avoid a part of the city that has a relatively higher crime rate by local standards. The reason to avoid the close-in southeast is its proximity to an industrial area and its relatively higher crime rate.
Okay, so now you're left with the NW, SW and far SE. Within those areas, the commute to downtown usually is shorter and quicker the more centrally located you are. The further out you live, the longer your commute, on average.
While it's nice for downtown office workers to live centrally, the fact is its expensive to do that. At least it is for people who've been earning their salaries in Canadian dollars all along. The further out you live, the longer your commute (if you work downtown), but the lower the cost of housing.
So everyone makes the best compromise they can between convenience and cost.
I think Calgary's commuting times are bad for a city of one million. The city is having a hard time building new roads and widening old roads fast enough to keep up with the phenomenal growth. But posters who have come here from the SE of England say that commuting in Calgary is a doddle by comparison.
It would not be fair to list the residential areas of Calgary without mentioning the satellite towns that are popular with some people : Cochrane to the NW, Okotoks to the south, Airdrie to the north, and so on. If you do word searches for those names here at British Expats, you'll find several threads in which people have described what it's like to live there.
If you work in Foothills Industrial Park (340 on the MLS map), it would be convenient to live in the far SE quadrant. I've also heard that Chestermere, a satellite community to the east of Calgary, has good access to Foothills Industrial Park.
When you go shopping for houses, your real estate salesperson usually will drive you round during the day in his/her car. If you like a given house, return to that neighbourhood on your own in the evening, walk around it, and assess the vibe. Are there children in the playgrounds? Are there people out walking their dogs? Etc.
I would also suggest that you test the rush hour traffic to or from a neighbourhood that you're considering. It may be impractical to test it in the morning. But it may be feasible for you to drive from work to another neighbourhood in the afternoon / evening rush hour.
When you make an offer on a house, make your offer conditional on a satisfactory inspection by an independent building inspector. That's a common condition around here. But you occasionally hear of someone who skips that step or doesn't know it's necessary. They find out how useful that step would have been when a structural defect comes to light.
Some people come here asking about getting houses built from scratch. It is very difficult to find a builder during Calgary's current boom. When you do find one, it's a challenge to get the builder to stick to the agreed budget and timeline. If I'm going to stick to my resolve to keep this post short(ish), I'll just tell you to avoid getting a house built from scratch. If you do choose to have a house built, that is a topic in its own right. It has been discussed here before, and you can find relevant information by using the forum's search function. It's important to do your research before embarking on a new build.
Hope that helps.
Here are the CliffsNotes.
Basically the more desirable areas in which to live in Calgary are in the northwest, southwest and far southeast quadrants. Broadly speaking, the areas to avoid are in the northeast and close-in southeast.
If you go the the Multiple Listing Service map of Calgary:
Districts A and C (essentially the northwest and southwest quadrants respectively) are fine.
District B (northeast quadrant) is not recommended.
The more southerly parts of District D (far southeast quadrant) are fine, while the northerly parts of District D (close-in southeast quadrant) are to be avoided.
District D deserves further explanation. If you click on District D you'll see a map that's broken down into neighbourhoods : 200 (Inglewood), 202 (Ramsay), 205 (Highfield), and so on. You'll also see the Bow River flowing from north to south through District D. It's represented by a blue band. On the west side of the Bow River, you're okay from 215 (Acadia) and southwards from there. On the east side of the river, you're okay from 320 (Douglas Glen) and southwards from there. District B (northeast quadrant) is not recommended.
The more southerly parts of District D (far southeast quadrant) are fine, while the northerly parts of District D (close-in southeast quadrant) are to be avoided.
The reason to avoid the northeast is to get away from airport noise and to avoid a part of the city that has a relatively higher crime rate by local standards. The reason to avoid the close-in southeast is its proximity to an industrial area and its relatively higher crime rate.
Okay, so now you're left with the NW, SW and far SE. Within those areas, the commute to downtown usually is shorter and quicker the more centrally located you are. The further out you live, the longer your commute, on average.
While it's nice for downtown office workers to live centrally, the fact is its expensive to do that. At least it is for people who've been earning their salaries in Canadian dollars all along. The further out you live, the longer your commute (if you work downtown), but the lower the cost of housing.
So everyone makes the best compromise they can between convenience and cost.
I think Calgary's commuting times are bad for a city of one million. The city is having a hard time building new roads and widening old roads fast enough to keep up with the phenomenal growth. But posters who have come here from the SE of England say that commuting in Calgary is a doddle by comparison.
It would not be fair to list the residential areas of Calgary without mentioning the satellite towns that are popular with some people : Cochrane to the NW, Okotoks to the south, Airdrie to the north, and so on. If you do word searches for those names here at British Expats, you'll find several threads in which people have described what it's like to live there.
If you work in Foothills Industrial Park (340 on the MLS map), it would be convenient to live in the far SE quadrant. I've also heard that Chestermere, a satellite community to the east of Calgary, has good access to Foothills Industrial Park.
When you go shopping for houses, your real estate salesperson usually will drive you round during the day in his/her car. If you like a given house, return to that neighbourhood on your own in the evening, walk around it, and assess the vibe. Are there children in the playgrounds? Are there people out walking their dogs? Etc.
I would also suggest that you test the rush hour traffic to or from a neighbourhood that you're considering. It may be impractical to test it in the morning. But it may be feasible for you to drive from work to another neighbourhood in the afternoon / evening rush hour.
When you make an offer on a house, make your offer conditional on a satisfactory inspection by an independent building inspector. That's a common condition around here. But you occasionally hear of someone who skips that step or doesn't know it's necessary. They find out how useful that step would have been when a structural defect comes to light.
Some people come here asking about getting houses built from scratch. It is very difficult to find a builder during Calgary's current boom. When you do find one, it's a challenge to get the builder to stick to the agreed budget and timeline. If I'm going to stick to my resolve to keep this post short(ish), I'll just tell you to avoid getting a house built from scratch. If you do choose to have a house built, that is a topic in its own right. It has been discussed here before, and you can find relevant information by using the forum's search function. It's important to do your research before embarking on a new build.
Hope that helps.
Dec 10th 2006 | 2:43 am
#6
Forum Regular
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 74
From: Calgary
Re: Destination Calgary
Originally Posted by dmelec
many thanks for your detailed response , gives me something to go on , could i just ask as i dont understand the value of the sellers asking price for their property in calgary , e.g if a house is advertised as 350,000 CAD , how much would you expect to finaly pay ? . In Scotland , if a house is advertised at say £170,000 its probably because the seller hopes to sell it for £190,000 .Also in Scotland when an offer is accepted on a property it becomes a binding contract to stop a higher bid being accepted at a later date , a practise that i believe is popular in England ( gazzumping ) where this rule is not in use .
Having said that, one must be careful about imposing conditions in a hot real estate market in that the Seller may go with an offer that is unconditional.
As for the listed sale price it really depends on whether it is a seller's or a buyer's market. For instance, back in the spring and summer of this year because it was such a seller's market the listed price would usually go up due to the fact that there were so many buyer's and so little product. Conversely, right now the market has slowed down a bit and so one might be able to get a house for less than the listed sale price. It all comes down to the age old "supply and demand" curve.
Dec 12th 2006 | 6:31 am
#7
Banned
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 504
From: Calgary, South by Java Head
Re: Destination Calgary
Originally Posted by dmelec
many thanks for your detailed response , gives me something to go on , could i just ask as i dont understand the value of the sellers asking price for their property in calgary , e.g if a house is advertised as 350,000 CAD , how much would you expect to finaly pay ? . In Scotland , if a house is advertised at say £170,000 its probably because the seller hopes to sell it for £190,000 .Also in Scotland when an offer is accepted on a property it becomes a binding contract to stop a higher bid being accepted at a later date , a practise that i believe is popular in England ( gazzumping ) where this rule is not in use .
- our buy in cowtown went well, we started off bidding 30k less than asking price & settled on 15k less - on hindsight we could have saved more - this was in September so market had started to cool
we spent a couple of months checking out areas before we narrowed it down, that was pretty hard to figure out
