Housing Choices - where you choose to live - Page 2

glam · #21 Posted **Jul 24, 2009, 4:01 PM**

Currently live in a SFH in Signature Parke, used to live in Glamorgan. With 2 kids, and possibly 1 or 2 more down the road (depending on who you talk to, me or my wife), we needed the space and bedrooms. We tend to have family, etc stay with us on a regular basis so there are usually lots of rugrats running around.

Some other reasons we bought here:
-walking distance to future LRT line
-close enough in that I can commute on my bike - we're trying to make do with just one car
-decent, relatively secure back yard for the kids to play within sight of the kitchen, etc.
-reasonably close to Edworthy and the Resevoir. We also enjoy just walking around through the neighbourhoods nearby
-easy to get out to the mountains, where we spend a lot of time
-lots of schools nearby
-my wife loves to garden. She grew up on an acreage.

When I was single, I had always wanted to live in one of those 3-storey townhouses in the Beltline. Before we had kids, we had planned to get in a highrise condo, but i guess that wasn't meant to be...for now.

MonctonGoldenFlames · #22 Posted **Jul 24, 2009, 4:29 PM**

currently live in and love mayland heights.

i was a student graduating from sait in 2005 and was renting a 1 bedroom basement suite in mount pleasant. i wanted to get into the my own home, but my options were limited due to my single income. so i had to find an r-2 zoned house that had a suite. in march of 2006, i found the house in mayland and it was extremely affordable, complete with basement suite. i lived down and rented up while i spruced up the basement, then moved upstairs a year later and rented the lower to friends.

mayland heights really is a hidden gem, due to it's proximity to downtown and major roads. if i don't live in mayland heights, it's cause i don't live in calgary.

Rusty van Reddick · #23 Posted **Jul 24, 2009, 5:10 PM**

My partner and I own a 1400sf craftsman bungalow in Bankview on a large (60x85) lot by inner city standards. We're in "lower Bankview" within smelling distance of Moti Mahal, on 19th Avenue. We chose Bankview in 2001 after having lived in an apartment tower (Westview Heights) for our first year in Calgary. Downtown was GREAT and I'd absolutely do it again, especially given positive changes there now and I'd kill to be a three-minute walk to the Globe and the Uptown, but we wanted a neighbourhood that was more like our old one whence we moved in Toronto- it's called Seaton Village and is directly west of the Annex. Near but not IN downtown, with an interesting "destination" strip nearby. We wanted something gay-friendly as well, not that the burbs or whatever are not (we know lots of gay folks who live in the outer reaches of the city and even on acreages), but we didn't want to feel isolated in that respect. So our search entailed the usual suspects- hillhurst, sunalta, inglewood, crescent heights, and we found a gorgeous condo at a great price (1220sf on two levels with amazing views for $137,000!) in UPPER Bankview, 22nd Ave and 17A St, bought it and lived there for about 3.5 years. We liked the unit itself but the dysfunctions with the building (too many crazy neighbours, and I mean restraining-order crazy, and the financials were not looking good) pushed us out.

We closed on our house in Dec 2004 in what has superb timing; we kept the condo as a rental and sold in in April 2006 in what was also superb timing.

I love our neighbourhood; it has character, views, is full of smart progressive interesting and creative people, and I am sometimes just amazed at what I can walk to here. We're both big foodies and within a 10-minute walk we can encounter three sushi places, three shawarma places, two Indian, three Vietnamese, an Afghan place, a superb German bakery and deli, one of the city's best tapas places, an excellent "Bier"-focussed pub with great food, and more mundane things like McD-KFC-Wendy's and the new Moxie's. I can't believe how blessed we are in the food area and on this mark I'd say we're better off than our old digs in Toronto.

I do NOT like owning a detached house per se. I don't get a lot of pleasure from lawn care or snow shovelling. I have no interest at all in gardening and we inherited a huge garden that has gone to shit (and I don't care; I'd like to cover the entire yard with evergreens and bricks and be done with it but it's a huge job). We both travel a lot and it's always a pain to arrange mail and such, not to mention snow shovelling over Xmas. We also live under power lines on 19th Ave, which is ugly, and the biggest problem with our house is that it abuts a horrible gravel laneway to the side. This alleyway is eroded and disgusting and is a the preferred path for all sorts of human garbage.

I will always be inner city. Always. But I really would rather be in a condo or townhouse and not have to contend with the idiosyncrasies of an old house and its grounds.

freeweed · #24 Posted **Jul 24, 2009, 5:29 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by glam

Currently live in a SFH in Signature Parke

Please for the love of all that is holy, someone tell me that was a typo.

Radley77 · #25 Posted **Jul 24, 2009, 5:32 PM**

I grew up on a two-storey farm house in a rural setting in Saskatchewan. Since then, I have lived in several countries and housing styles including a townhouse in an English village, university residence at the U of S, SFH in Grande Prairie and Red Deer, gated community apartment block with pool in Tulsa, OK, SFH in Citadel, Calgary, and MFH in Crescent Heights.

I work as an engineer in the downtown core, although occasionally travel for work. I often work late, so being highly connected to the downtown core was important so I could leverage my time both at home with family and at the office better. I live in a 1300+ square foot two storey condo in Bridgeland and have amenities like the Princess Island park, Glenbow Museum, Riverwalk, Saddledome and Calgary zoo are within a short walking distance. There are unique restaurants in the area like Il Sogno, Noon and Diner Deluxe that are unique and have great food. I also am looking forward to the U of C downtown campus completion, and may pursue an MBA if offered at that time in the evenings. It's also been handy living downtown I find that have friends over constantly as it is easier to go out and dance at nightclubs and they often end up crashing at our place. I walk to work on a daily basis, but own a SUV I find that I rarely use (except for groceries and trips camping in the Rockies). I am president of the condo association, so I make the majority of decisions regarding operations and maintenance. When I do maintenance on the building from time to time, I get paid money instead of simply sweat equity (compensated for opportunity cost). In my spare time, I prefer listening to a street busker on Stephen Avenue over watching TV and would rather play badminton at the YMCA than have a basement gym.

I believe if it wasn't for the importance of the core for my work, and the opportunities that provides, that I would be living in a SFH in the suburbs. The cost of parking downtown which is $500/month in my tower, plus the time (opportunity cost) I spend in commute, plus milage without getting paid for it was the primary motivating factor for living downtown. The other amenities in the area are a bonus, but not really needed.

I would also consider living in ArriVa (views are gorgeous) or a SFH inner-city bungalow. Just a bit pricier than my tastes for similar square footages!

glam · #26 Posted **Jul 24, 2009, 6:50 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by freeweed

Please for the love of all that is holy, someone tell me that was a typo.

Ha ha, unfortunately no. Tacky, contrived names sure didn't originate with POV, etc.

octothorp · #27 Posted **Jul 24, 2009, 6:59 PM**

My wife and I have a small house in Sunnyside. She bought it in 2000 before we met and before the property market there started going nuts. Now we're at the point where we're starting to outgrow the house and we'll need to make some hard decisions about moving or expanding. I love Sunnyside though; I don't know that I could give it up (possibly for Ramsey, but that would be it). Really quiet neighbourhood for something so central (although we aren't on one of the quieter streets), so close do downtown, the pathways, and an off-leash area, and central enough that it's easy to get to any major artery. And we'll have a view of the Bow from our backyard once it gets a bit taller.
Access in and out of the community can be a little hairy at various times during the day, and Kensington isn't quite what it used to be (we really miss the magazine store and all the used book stores), but the good vastly outweighs the bad.
I lived in various apartments for about 12 years (including some very cool ones including the Barnhart, the Congress, and the Burns Block in Inglewood, but I don't think I could go back to an apartment after living in our house. So if feels a little hypocritical of me to criticize anyone who chooses a house in the suburbs over inner-city apartment or condo living.

sauril · #28 Posted **Jul 24, 2009, 8:42 PM**

Great topic!

I grew up in the suburbs of Montreal (Beaconsfield for those of you who know it) and thought it was great until I turned about 11 or 12.

When I moved to Calgary, I lived in Mission and the Beltline for a while, and loved the neighbourhoods. My (now) wife and I were sharing a 2 bedroom on 13th Ave and 11th Street when we saw Stella going up, so we decided to check them out one day. After realizing where prices were going, we started looking for a house so we could buy before it was too late. We were lucky. We also couldn't believe how cheap houses were close to Downtown compared to Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver.

We both wanted to live inner city, and had a limit of 16th ave N, Deerfoot, 14th st, and 26th ave S. After looking at houses in Ramsay, Inglewood, Crescent Heights and Bridgeland, we chose a great little house in Renfrew. A smaller lot, but that's ok, I hate cutting grass. It was built in 1914 and has everything that our friends who bought in the burbs don't want: small bedrooms, not much backyard, inconsistent finishing, and a low basement ceiling. We love it. It has tons of character, we have a view of the top of downtown (we can see PetroCan and a few other tall buildings over our neighbours' roofs), and we can live with one car.

I love being a 5 minute walk to the grocery store, the butcher, the liquor store, and many other things. I love being able to bike to the Folk Fest in 10 minutes, baby in tow, and I love the fact that we can live with one car. If I go out after work it's a $10 cab ride home. If I drive to work (I work in Ramsay, hi!) I can go home for lunch if I want to.

I wish we had a bit more room, that every time we wanted to update something it turns into a major project (I don't think there's a right angle in the whole house) and the trek to get out of town is getting longer and longer, but we've made great friends with our neighbours, have a canopy of trees over our avenue, and unless we leave Calgary, we have no plans to move any time soon.

devonb · #29 Posted **Jul 25, 2009, 12:05 AM**

I've said the same things about buying an inner city home in Calgary. We couldn't believe the prices, especially when so many new cookie cutter, vinyl sided homes in the suburbs were the same prices.

We got lucky and bought a 1911 two and a half story home in Crescent Heights, a block from Rotary Park. It was priced to sell at about $100k below market and we snatched it quick

We love the house and location. We can walk to almost anything we need and are close to major routes for driving. Even newer homes can't match the fir floors, wood panelling, and quality craftsmanship our home offers.

I also lived in the Beltline and Hillhurst, and I loved both areas. My favourite area of Calgary is still down in Mission. I love the density, shops, restaurants, trees, and river. I'm hoping Edmonton Trail and Centre Street will see development like this in the future.

kap384 · #30 Posted **Jul 25, 2009, 2:20 AM**

My turn. Saskatchewan farm kid that first came here to live in the summer of '99. Rented an apartment in Bridgeland that summer and walked downtown to work. The next summer I came back and rented a place with a friend in Crescent Heights. Walk to downtown got shorter, but didn't really think about WHERE I was living. It was just a means to an end at the time.

It's March 2001 now and I've got a full time job in downtown. I realized I really enjoyed the walk to work and the flexibility it offered in my two summer experiences, so I rented again in Crescent Heights. Great exercise climbing uphill both going to work and coming home! Owned a car, but just used it to get groceries and head out of the city. Took full advantage of enjoying the nightlife downtown and not worrying about driving home. It was always just a stumble home from Ceili's, or the Saddledome, or wherever. Not like winters here are anything like SK anyway, so walking to work all year is no big deal.

2003 comes around and I'm really hankering for more garage space. I've got a truck and a motorcycle, but I get increasingly more looks as I wrench on my vehicles in the underground parking. I need a 2+ car garage, don't want to have noise limitations because of shared walls, and want a pool table and a good house to entertain in. Around this time, my apartment got new ownership and their decision was to renovate the units and sell as condos. I had really grown to love Crescent Heights/Bridgeland, and thought it would have been a great economic decision to get into one of the emerging condo properties (ie. Bridges), or a tiny house. However, my desire for a garage won out.

That garage and room for a pool table, combined with my available funds, pushed me out of the downtown and surrounding area. If I was stuck in the 'burbs, there was no way I was touching Deerfoot. For me, the only road infrastructure that wasn't already choked to death was the swath from Coventry Hills all the way over to ~Cougar Ridge.

I had friends that lived in Hidden Valley, and I deemed access as pretty damn good. I had grown up in a bungalow and was sure I wanted a 2 story house. I wasn't against having to do some reno's to get what I wanted, so I was looking past all the nasty late '80's and early '90's brass, oak and pink. Problem was, I was finding all of the floorplans idiotic.

I'd stumbled across a realtor that seemed to get a really good sense of what I was looking for. She kept humouring me by finding houses to look at in Hidden Valley, Kincora, Evanston. I found even the new construction in my price range just had nasty, awkward floorplans. It was the realtor that dragged me to a house in Royal Oak.

Uh oh, it was a bungalow, it was waayy further out, and it was on the wrong side of Stoney Trail. I remembered thinking one time, heading out to the mountains, "Who the hell would live West of Stoney Trail?" A little too suburbia for my taste. But the house won me over.

Custom built 1500 square foot bungalow with a very open floorplan, 13' common ceiling over the dining, kitchen, entry and living room. 2 bed and 2 bath. 2 car garage and a basement I could properly fit a pool table into. (And SMART, good looking finishing materials thorughout! Not necessarily expensive, just contemporary)

I stressed over moving that far out, so I figured out I was only 2 blocks from an Express bus route. Timed the drive downtown, 23 minutes with no traffic. Showed the house to the most downtown lifestyled girl I knew, and she agreed that the house was worth it for me. Paid my very outer limit at the time ($230K) and haven't looked back. (I've come to REALLY appreciate bungalows ever since. Easy access for day to day movements, not to mention moving in. No uber hot second story. Huge basement!)

Moved in October 2003. Sobey's had opened since I'd inked the deal, so groceries were covered. I've got great access that keeps getting better the 2 directions I escape to (West & North). It's been a challenge getting a decent pub nearby (still debating whether the Blind Monk works, I want it to) though. The cab ride wasn't as prohibitive to my after work activities as I'd thought it would be. I've driven and express bussed over the years, but I'm sick of putting the miles on a vehicle and with Crowfoot open, the train/feeder buses are a much more convenient option. I'm now a c-train commuter.

In a perfect world, my next home ends up in a 191x house somewhere surrounding downtown with a lot that already has or that I can incorporate my necessary garage size into.

Danma · #31 Posted **Jul 25, 2009, 3:01 AM**

This is a fantastic thread that we've got here... one thing I'm finding interesting is not just where people moved but when they did it. I went shopping in spring 2006, and my house cost nearly $300k. The same house, 18 months earlier, sold for $190k. Had I been in a position to buy even 2 years earlier I believe I would either have a larger house or live much closer to downtown. I work in Ramsay and back in 2001 a house in the area for $130k was common; Nowadays there are old shacks literally falling apart selling for three times that price (or more).

Ultimately when I was shopping to find a home it really felt like if I didn't buy right away I was losing an opportunity to buy a home at all (or at least somewhere that isn't too much in the middle of nowhere...) even now, despite the house prices backing down a bit, our own home still would sell for 60k more than I bought it, which would have been out of our price range. As a result, I read some people's experiences above and envy them for getting in "under the wire" before things went totally insane. Reading about Furry's 1200 sf condo for $137k in upper Bankview makes my head spin!

P.S. What would get me into an apartment condo? Three bedrooms!

Jay in Cowtown · #32 Posted **Jul 25, 2009, 6:21 AM**

I finally convinced my wife last fall to sell our house in Rocky Ridge and move to Cochrane... I grew up in the area and have alot of friends and family here. We bought a rediculously large (3500 sq ft) 2 storey walkout for just the two of us because it helps compensate for my small dick.

Cochrane is a very pretty town but sucks shit for amenities that not only Calgary has but even other towns of similar size like Airdre & Okotoks have. Not to mention the roads & highways in Cochrane were designed for 7000 people, not 17 000!

Even though Cochrane's pretty much a bedroom community... it still has a small town feel to it, people are more friendly here I find and our neighbors are becoming fairly good friends of ours, something that never happened in the 6 years that we lived in Calgary.

I can safely say you couldn't drag me by my nuts back to Calgary!

freeweed · #33 Posted **Jul 25, 2009, 12:48 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Danma

As a result, I read some people's experiences above and envy them for getting in "under the wire" before things went totally insane.

Tell me about it. Considering the banks give rougly 3x your gross household income for a 25 year mortgage, and houses here average $400,000+, that's nearly $150,000 in average annual salary necessary to buy an average house here with a 25 year mortgage. Now just imagine working where the vast majority of your co-workers paid about $150,000 for their house - but they're earing that $150,000 in household income. There are a LOT of people in Calgary living mortgage-free very, very young compared to most places. I'm talking people in their early 30s in some cases, but certainly by early 40s most I know don't have a mortgage. Unheard of where I come from.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jay in Cowtown

I finally convinced my wife last fall to sell our house in Rocky Ridge and move to Cochrane...

For those that don't realize, what he's saying is that he moved 400m down the road.

Seriously, Rocky Ridge/Royal Oak is actually closer to Cochrane than it is to downtown Calgary. Both in sheer distance and in time to get there.

Rusty van Reddick · #34 Posted **Jul 25, 2009, 5:06 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jay in Cowtown

Cochrane is a very pretty town but sucks shit for amenities that not only Calgary has but even other towns of similar size like Airdre & Okotoks have.

Which ones? To my perception Cochrane is a great town that's pretty self-contained- you even have your own theatre- cute downtown- I love Cochrane and would take it any day over Airdrie, never been to Okotoks tho.

mersar · #35 Posted **Jul 25, 2009, 5:14 PM**

I also live in Cochrane, and personally I don't find we're lacking too much in terms of amenities. Sure you may need to make a couple stops to get the same things you can pick up in one stop at Walmart, but everything is here if you need it. Recreation and entertainment wise we have pretty much everything that you can find in Airdrie or Okotoks (well to be fair Okotoks does have a proper baseball stadium), and a lot of the stuff we do have is also being expanded (the theatre is currently expanding from 2 to 5 screens, new ice surfaces at the arena, new pool coming in the next few years). I'd be curious as to what you think is missing as well.

In terms of the topic of this thread, I'm still not sure where my next move will be to, I could see myself staying out in Cochrane, or moving into the city (likely a condo or apartment, I can't picture myself in a full house at this point in my life), not sure which yet. Commuting into the city for me is not a big factor, and if we get the regional bus service anytime in the coming years will be even less of one to me.

Ferreth · #36 Posted **Jul 25, 2009, 6:36 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Danma

This is a fantastic thread that we've got here... one thing I'm finding interesting is not just where people moved but when they did it. I went shopping in spring 2006, and my house cost nearly $300k. The same house, 18 months earlier, sold for $190k. Had I been in a position to buy even 2 years earlier I believe I would either have a larger house or live much closer to downtown. I work in Ramsay and back in 2001 a house in the area for $130k was common; Nowadays there are old shacks literally falling apart selling for three times that price (or more).
[...]
P.S. What would get me into an apartment condo? Three bedrooms!

I purchased in '97 for $120K. In ten years, the value tripled, with a slight pull back from that currently. I only wish my wages had tripled!

I cringe at how far most young people are willing to extend themselves to get into a house. But CHEAPER alternatives if you want three bedrooms and are planning on having a family - limited in Calgary. I'd note that as a group we are evenly split between inner and outer city choices, with a majority preferring the inner city if price was no object. I'd also note that most of us strongly prefer a house.

Frankly, if apartments are going to really take off in Calgary, houses need to get even more expensive and/or the commutes needs to get worse. Since we are building ring roads and LRT out to the 'burbs, we are left with more expensive houses. Apartments need to get better too - not in height, fancy amenities, or superior finish. Those things are for DINKs AND SINKs who have extra money to afford on those things. Apartments need focus on basic value, like 3 bedrooms, children's private play area, in - apartment laundry, schools within walking distance, enough square feet for two kids and two parents without feeling like you're in a rat cage, and a bunch of other things I'm probably not thinking of being a SINK myself.

The PRICE is everything. If you can get a 3 bedroom apartment for <$300K, versus a starter home for >$500K, people will have to buy the apartment, no matter how much they want a back yard.

Apartments need to offer such features in the inner city, not out in Royal Oak. I don't know how you get buildings like that built in the inner city - right now it caters mostly to the upscale singles - I'm sure mostly due to land value and lack of child-amenities nearby. I'd say the best Calgary can do is to go forward with Planit, and encourage TOD near LRT, and restrict the R1/R2 zonage, including the towns surrounding Calgary. We can't be too restrictive - we are still competing with other cities, but it certainly would be nice to be taking the lead in building a compact city for a change.

Jay in Cowtown · #37 Posted **Jul 25, 2009, 7:19 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by mersar

I also live in Cochrane, and personally I don't find we're lacking too much in terms of amenities. Sure you may need to make a couple stops to get the same things you can pick up in one stop at Walmart, but everything is here if you need it. Recreation and entertainment wise we have pretty much everything that you can find in Airdrie or Okotoks (well to be fair Okotoks does have a proper baseball stadium), and a lot of the stuff we do have is also being expanded (the theatre is currently expanding from 2 to 5 screens, new ice surfaces at the arena, new pool coming in the next few years). I'd be curious as to what you think is missing as well.

Amenities was a bad choice in words... how's shopping?

IMHO, and that of alot of other people I talk to here, we could use a Wal Mart Supercenter, Home Depot, Wendy's & Taco Time... but that's just me being petty!

Don't get me wrong, like I said I love it here... but compared to Airdre & Okotoks, Cochrane is lacking in the big box discount shopping & franchise restaurant department. But as for scenery and the entire looks of a town, Cochrane has the other two beat all to hell, especially it's downtown area.

DizzyEdge · #38 Posted **Jul 25, 2009, 7:30 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by bob1954

Good questionaire in the Herald today. Basically asking if it was more affordable, would live Downtown? Was surpised at the response, 33% yes -67% no! I thought a higher percentage would have said yes...

Still though, 33% is a much higher percentage than actually are living downtown!

Fiveway · #39 Posted **Jul 25, 2009, 7:50 PM**

Cochring has a great skatepark, which makes up for everything else it may be lacking.

I bought a little (800s/ft) 1910 bungalow on a 25x135 lot in Inglewood in early 2006. I paid way too much for it. Things were nuts then.

The choice was between teensy inner-city, and smallish 60's burbs. It came down to this place in Inglewood or an early 60's bungalow in Fairview for exactly the same price. The 5 minute rush hour commute to my job in the beltline was the determining factor.

The house is alright, old and still needs love, but it's been adequate. We love our little yard. It's great for the dogs. And I appreciate the access to transportation, downtown and the beltline, and the river.

I like Inglewood, but it's not without it's flaws. It's proximity to industry and major transportation infrastructure being the biggest drawbacks. The community feels like a community though and I like that. The community association is progressive and active. Joe Ceci lives across the alley so I feel like he gets the community's concerns. And Inglewood is vibrant and will only get better.

Unfortunately my house is a little too small. It's just my wife and I and we don't plan on having kids, but even then 800sq/ft isn't quite enough. We plan to sell in the spring.

After a lifetime of living in Calgary I've grown to loathe it. So my Montreal born wife and I are planning our escape soon. Hopefully somewhere much bigger, more walkable, with a subway, a world class art gallery and a music venue that's better than Mac Hall. Where we hope to live in a smallish inner city townhome with a small yard.

Danma · #40 Posted **Jul 25, 2009, 9:05 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ferreth

Frankly, if apartments are going to really take off in Calgary, houses need to get even more expensive and/or the commutes needs to get worse. Since we are building ring roads and LRT out to the 'burbs, we are left with more expensive houses. Apartments need to get better too - not in height, fancy amenities, or superior finish. Those things are for DINKs AND SINKs who have extra money to afford on those things. Apartments need focus on basic value, like 3 bedrooms, children's private play area, in - apartment laundry, schools within walking distance, enough square feet for two kids and two parents without feeling like you're in a rat cage, and a bunch of other things I'm probably not thinking of being a SINK myself.

The PRICE is everything. If you can get a 3 bedroom apartment for <$300K, versus a starter home for >$500K, people will have to buy the apartment, no matter how much they want a back yard.

Apartments need to offer such features in the inner city, not out in Royal Oak. I don't know how you get buildings like that built in the inner city - right now it caters mostly to the upscale singles - I'm sure mostly due to land value and lack of child-amenities nearby. I'd say the best Calgary can do is to go forward with Planit, and encourage TOD near LRT, and restrict the R1/R2 zonage, including the towns surrounding Calgary. We can't be too restrictive - we are still competing with other cities, but it certainly would be nice to be taking the lead in building a compact city for a change.

I agree that most apartment complexes don't want or don't think that people with kids and families want to live there... certainly a chicken-or-egg scenario. I agree also that they exist but only in the same place I already live!

That's sort of the worst of both worlds...