[mr.steevo]

Hi,

My wife and I recently moved back to Calgary after being away for almost 10 years. Calgary looks very different and feels different from what I remember, and I am wondering where all my secret parking spots downtown went(!). We were living in a warehouse loft in downtown Edmonton and are looking to buy a house that is somewhat close to downtown. I'm just wondering what areas of the city you all would recommend we take a look at once our loft sells. We are looking in the $500,000 range.

Also, in Edmonton there is a website called Connect 2 Edmonton that has a similar feel to this site but is all about the city (rather than skyscrapers around the world). Is this the best online forum to discuss Calgary topics or is there somewhere more appropriate?

Finally, we were both involved somewhat in the live music scene and had some success with holding concerts in our loft ( www.loftconcerts.ca ) . I am wondering if that sort of thing goes on here in Calgary and if there is an interest in it.

Nice to meet you all.

s.

[Bigtime]

Hi there Mr. Steevo, welcome to the forum!

I would say that the Calgary threads on here are probably the best source of information for everything. To my knowledge we don't have anything like C2E set up.

I'm thinking our resident musicians JeffWhit and Sean.Perrin can probably fill you in on some of the music scene questions you have.

[Calgarian]

I would reccomend Garrison Woods / Marda Loop, you should be able to get a decent place for $500 000 there.

[Ramsayfarian]

Welcome back to Calgary. I sent you a private message about a loft.

[mr.steevo]

I would reccomend Garrison Woods / Marda Loop, you should be able to get a decent place for $500 000 there.

Hi,

That is exactly where we are at the moment. It is a great area, but we already knew that as this is where my wife grew up.

Thanks!

s.

[idl]

I'd recommend taking a look at Bridgeland. Walking distance to downtown, but in a historic residential neighborhood.

[Bigtime]

I'd recommend taking a look at Bridgeland. Walking distance to downtown, but in a historic residential neighborhood.

Great access to the LRT station as well. With The Bridges phase 1 fully built out the area has already taken a turn for the better, and it wasn't exactly a bad place before that either!

[Surrealplaces]

Agreed. Bridgeland is a great little area. Really evolving nicely. The next round of construction activity will bring even more changes.

[mr.steevo]

Hi,

Thank you for your input so far. It is appreciated and I encourage anyone else with opinions to please chime in.

I am wondering what "The Bridges phase 1" is and how it has (and will) impacted Bridgeland.

Also, Inglewood vs Bridgeland vs Kensington. Any thoughts? Ramsayfarian suggested Ramsay, which I suppose could be clumped in with Inglewood.

Thank you again. It is good to get some opinions from people on this board and get a sense of the pulse in the city.

s.

[canlefty]

Hi,

Thank you for your input so far. It is appreciated and I encourage anyone else with opinions to please chime in.

I am wondering what "The Bridges phase 1" is and how it has (and will) impacted Bridgeland.

Also, Inglewood vs Bridgeland vs Kensington. Any thoughts? Ramsayfarian suggested Ramsay, which I suppose could be clumped in with Inglewood.

Thank you again. It is good to get some opinions from people on this board and get a sense of the pulse in the city.

s.

"Kensington" aka(actually known as). Hillhurst / Sunnyside, gets my vote, and more so to the prior. But perhaps I'm a tad biased what having lived all 23 years of my life there.

[Sean.Perrin]

Finally, we were both involved somewhat in the live music scene and had some success with holding concerts in our loft ( www.loftconcerts.ca ) . I am wondering if that sort of thing goes on here in Calgary and if there is an interest in it.

There are several smaller venues that hold music shows such as Broken City (rock), Beat Niq (jazz), The Soda (electro/ambient) and Cantos (classical/other).

That being said, your loft idea is intriguing and I'm sure there would be a lot of interest. I, for one, would be interested in putting on a contemporary music night once a month in such a venue with local musicians. That would be really fun.

Welcome to Calgary!

[rapid_business]

Steevo. Off topic, but I saw your loft on a Springwise e-newsletter a little over a year ago. I really liked the idea!

As per location: Inglewood, Bridgeland and Kensington are all winners in my mind. They all are relatively the same distance from downtown, and from LRT access. If you can find something decent, Inglewood wouldn't be bad, but housing stock isn't the same there as you'll find in Kensington and Bridgeland.

[Rusty van Reddick]

Steevo. Off topic, but I saw your loft on a Springwise e-newsletter a little over a year ago. I really liked the idea!

As per location: Inglewood, Bridgeland and Kensington are all winners in my mind. They all are relatively the same distance from downtown, and from LRT access. If you can find something decent, Inglewood wouldn't be bad, but housing stock isn't the same there as you'll find in Kensington and Bridgeland.

Inglewood isn't on the LRT- not even close.

[frinkprof]

Inglewood isn't on the LRT- not even close.
Yet.

[Rusty van Reddick]

Yet.

:cheers:

[Wooster]

Mission, Cliff Bungalow, Lower Mount Royal, Bankview, South Calgary also deserve some consideration beyond Kensington, Bridgeland and Inglewood etc that were already mentioned.

Basically draw a 2-3 km radius around the downtown core and you can't really go too wrong.

[rapid_business]

Inglewood isn't on the LRT- not even close.

Sure it is. A 10 min walk to the 3rd St. station.

Ok... so it was a little further then I thought.

[mr.steevo]

Steevo. Off topic, but I saw your loft on a Springwise e-newsletter a little over a year ago. I really liked the idea!


Hi,

Oh, you mean this Springwise article? (http://www.springwise.com/entertainment/loft_concerts_intimate_venues/) We were pretty surprised when we found out about that.

You may be interested in knowing we made the front page of the Edmonton Journal for one of our shows. (http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/ed/story.html?id=e5361448-aeb8-49a1-9382-2cf60f339ea9&k=84892) That was a shock too!

They are a lot of fun to do and not hard to make happen. I just wish we could have brought the place to Calgary with us (and the friends we made) but unfortunately we have to sell it. We fully intend to continue with concerts once we sell and buy a place in Calgary. If anyone knows someone who is looking for a loft they can check out www.buythisloft.ca

Thanks again to everyone for piping in about area's to look at. I am intrigued with what is happening in Inglewood and will probably check that out first.

s.

[Rusty van Reddick]

Sure it is. A 10 min walk to the 3rd St. station.

Ok... so it was a little further then I thought.

Okay, if you walk FAST and depending on where you are in Inglewood. But the walk is a very unpleasant one.

If you want a 10-min walk to the LRT, you have to consider the Beltline, too.

[Big Sky]

South Calgary/Bankview is my favorite, but it sounds like you are already in the vicinity (Marda Loop). Bridgeland is really up and coming.

[rapid_business]

Okay, if you walk FAST and depending on where you are in Inglewood. But the walk is a very unpleasant one.

If you want a 10-min walk to the LRT, you have to consider the Beltline, too.

Sure. But not a lot of single family in Beltline.

Look, it's much close to an LRT station then 90% of communities in Calgary. If you want to talk semantics about what 'close' means we could do that too. :cheers:

[freeweed]

Inglewood is "close" to the LRT like I'm "close" to retirement - yup, it's planned, but it could be in 5 years if I'm very lucky, or 35 years if things keep going the way they seem to lately. And if I wanted to work my ass off every day through unpleasant conditions, I could be essentially retired today.

The C-Train is much like my career in many ways. Massive beginning, then stalled for 10+ years, then slow growth in fits and starts. :D

[SeeGeeWhy]

Mr Steevo, check your PMs. I've got a place in Mount Pleasant that you might be interested in.

Cheers,
CGY

[Innersoul1]

Hey Steevo! Welcome!

There have been some fantastic suggestions here, with the price you are working with and the market being the way it is you should be able to find something really nice. Altadore, South Calgary, River Park, Bankview, Hillhurst Sunnyside, lower Crescent heights are all fantastic choices.

Love you loft idea. I acutally had a friend in MTL who had a very similar set up. Being more into the electronic scen he would host dance parties. I actually DJ'd a couple of shows in his loft. Good Times!

[Riise]

I actually DJ'd a couple of shows in his loft. Good Times!

You're a dance dj? You have instantly sparked my interest, we shall talk on Saturday!

[Innersoul1]

You're a dance dj? You have instantly sparked my interest, we shall talk on Saturday!

Yessir. I do what I can. Look forward to you. Maybe we can discuss stadia as wll! LOL

[Bigtime]

This get together will have many layers of conversation, like an onion. And some of us may end up crying.

[Riise]

Maybe we can discuss stadia as wll! LOL

Haha, for sure! I'm also planning on bringing a United scarf to set ablaze; I'll use my splintered dreams of Charlton getting promoted as kindling...



And some of us may end up crying.

Hey, it was just that one time and I had something in my eye!

[Innersoul1]

Glory Glory Man United!!!


mmmm all this talk of DJing, I am going to go buy some music on Beatport.com fcuk the recession!

[rapid_business]

/\ this is getting way off topic, but perhaps you can steer me in the right direction for some electronic choices like Last.fm and some friend have. If I told you I really like Justice, Digitalism, some aspects of Crystal Castles, etc. you would point me in what direction?

[Innersoul1]

/\ this is getting way off topic, but perhaps you can steer me in the right direction for some electronic choices like Last.fm and some friend have. If I told you I really like Justice, Digitalism, some aspects of Crystal Castles, etc. you would point me in what direction?

I will PM you.

Back on topic now... :tup:

[Innersoul1]

Just uploaded a new mix! Feel free to DL it here. It's a bit marginal by my standards but not bad at all!

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=H5ZRZ4K6

[Beshpin]

Just wanted to let you know that calgary has the CCC or the calgary culture club, you'll find it first result on google and it's pretty good for events going on around town.

[mr.steevo]

Hi,

Finally, after significant hand wringing and some haggling, our loft in Edmonton has sold. Took more than 9 months and $200,000 in price drops. Uggg.

On the brighter side, we are now looking for a place to live in Calgary. We are still interested in continuing with our house concert series (www.loftconcerts.ca) so we need a house (no condo's or duplex's) with a large open space. Keep in mind that the loft was 23 ft across and about 75 ft deep, almost the size of some infill lots. We could fit 60 people plus the band on a busy evening.

So this is what we are looking for. Something large enough for house concerts that has character and inner city. Around the $500,000 mark. I was thinking an old church or a general store, but I'll consider all suggestions.

Fire away.

s.

[MalcolmTucker]

You might want to relax your expectations on size and layout but who knows might get lucky.

Here are two MLS listings that look promising.
http://www.realtor.ca/propertyDetails.aspx?propertyId=7463635

http://www.realtor.ca/propertyDetails.aspx?propertyId=7826754

[mr.steevo]

You might want to relax your expectations on size and layout but who knows might get lucky.

Here are two MLS listings that look promising.
http://www.realtor.ca/propertyDetails.aspx?propertyId=7463635

http://www.realtor.ca/propertyDetails.aspx?propertyId=7826754

Hi,

We looked at the second listing already. The area felt sketchy and the house was too close to the traffic.

I'm not familiar with the area of the first property you pointed out. What is Mount Pleasant like?

That is the kind of place my wife likes. I don't mind it, but I am looking for the unusual. Something that may not be listed in the MLS.

Thank you again.

s.

[sauril]

Mt Pleasant is nice and on the rise, so to speak. I live about 10 blocks away from there.

[mr.steevo]

Hi,

Still looking around for a house. Lots out there but not much that is unusual. It feels like all the old interesting structures have been torn down in Calgary and replaced with stucco duplex boxes.

sigh.

s.

[freeweed]

Hi,

Still looking around for a house. Lots out there but not much that is unusual. It feels like all the old interesting structures have been torn down in Calgary and replaced with stucco duplex boxes.

sigh.

s.

There never were many old structures here - this city is close to 90% post-1960 construction. I only wish I was exaggerating.

Stucco?? Come to the NW and witness siding hell. I'd kill for more stucco in this city.

[davee930]

I'd kill for more stucco in this city.

:no:

[rapid_business]

Stucco is shit, siding is just as bad. Hardie Board is where it is at as an alternative to other acceptable but more expensive external finishings such as brick, glazing, and EFIS.

[freeweed]

:no:

Disagree all you want, but it's 1000x safer than plastic gas.

[defaultuser]

I'm not familiar with the area of the first property you pointed out. What is Mount Pleasant like?


it inspired a song

http://www.imeem.com/people/f9Z7zm5/music/r2SeNo4w/dragon-fli-empire-mount-pleasant/

[DizzyEdge]

I live in da hood known as Mount Pleasant

[mr.steevo]

Hi,

I just find it surprising that we're ready to buy and there is nothing, at the moment, unique or interesting for a half a million dollars.

Seems odd.

Speaking with our realtor, when asked what happened to the "cool" 1950's homes and the impressive 1900's period houses, she just shook her head.

Apparently builders have been busy tearing down.

s.

[freeweed]

what happened to the "cool" 1950's homes and the impressive 1900's period houses

They never really existed (again, Calgary is 90% post-1960) and those that do, cost a hell of a lot more than half a million dollars.

Half a million buys you a slightly-better-than-average house in the suburbs in this city. I'm perplexed that you'd think you could find a much rarer, likely inner city (and therefore heavily desirable location) gem for the same price - maybe you just don't "get" the market here.

In many (most?) cities older and centrally located housing is the cheapest. Calgary just about the polar opposite of that.

[mr.steevo]

Hi,

Maybe you're right.

s.

[mr.steevo]

Hi freeweed,

Sorry, I had to sign off to catch my bus.

I understand that Calgary's market is expensive, but what I am looking for doesn't necessarily mean expensive. The problem we're having is that everything we've seen so far looks the same, and the areas where we think there would be houses of interest have been converted to new infill. We are currently in a 1910 house in the Marda Loop area, but all around us the character houses are being torn down and replaced with brown boxes. It's sad to think that the little bit of history and character that our province has is being cut down for the "sameness". But now I am digressing ...

What I'm hoping is that someone out there will read this and think "I wonder if this area/street/house has been considered". We've all been out to a neighbourhood that took us by surprise with it's uniqueness, and while I am trying to get out to see as much of the city as I can, I could use a bit of help to find them.

Again, all thoughts and suggestions are welcome.

Thanks.

s.

[drew]

Hi,

I just find it surprising that we're ready to buy and there is nothing, at the moment, unique or interesting for a half a million dollars.

Seems odd.

Speaking with our realtor, when asked what happened to the "cool" 1950's homes and the impressive 1900's period houses, she just shook her head.

Apparently builders have been busy tearing down.

s.

My sister just bought a pre-1920's 1-1/2 story house in Mount Pleasant on a double lot for ~420k. It's not a huge house, but apparently completely reno'd and in great shape.

Apparently it's a decent deal for Calgary, and by looking at Google Maps, the area is pretty central, and not out in the suburban sticks.

Of course I had to give her a couple digs about her mortgage payments being triple that of my own for our vintage 1907 house in Winnipeg located in an comparable "inner" city pre-WW1 suburban area.

[h0twired]

Hi freeweed,

Sorry, I had to sign off to catch my bus.

I understand that Calgary's market is expensive, but what I am looking for doesn't necessarily mean expensive. The problem we're having is that everything we've seen so far looks the same, and the areas where we think there would be houses of interest have been converted to new infill. We are currently in a 1910 house in the Marda Loop area, but all around us the character houses are being torn down and replaced with brown boxes. It's sad to think that the little bit of history and character that our province has is being cut down for the "sameness". But now I am digressing ...

What I'm hoping is that someone out there will read this and think "I wonder if this area/street/house has been considered". We've all been out to a neighbourhood that took us by surprise with it's uniqueness, and while I am trying to get out to see as much of the city as I can, I could use a bit of help to find them.

Again, all thoughts and suggestions are welcome.

Thanks.

s.

That is what happens when the land is worth more than the house that sits on it. Not many people are really looking to spend $500k on an 800 sq ft house just for the "character" of it. Hence the reason that they are torn down and replaced with larger infills.

Calgary never really had a huge stock of 1900-1950's homes. Calgary was a tiny city up until the early 60s. Even then the majority of the homes were smaller (under 1200 sq ft) residences for the working classes. Calgary in the early years was not filled with merchants, bankers and lawyers like a city like Winnipeg was.

[h0twired]

My sister just bought a pre-1920's 1-1/2 story house in Mount Pleasant on a double lot for ~420k. It's not a huge house, but apparently completely reno'd and in great shape.

Apparently it's a decent deal for Calgary, and by looking at Google Maps, the area is pretty central, and not out in the suburban sticks.

Of course I had to give her a couple digs about her mortgage payments being triple that of my own for our vintage 1907 house in Winnipeg located in an comparable "inner" city pre-WW1 suburban area.

The same house in Winnipeg (fully renovated and on a double lot in Wolseley) probably wouldn't sell for that much less now.

I have been looking at the nicer character homes in Winnipeg and the ones properly renovated (not 80s renovations) are selling in the $250-325k range and finding a double lot is next to impossible in Winnipeg. A 33 ft wide lot is often the best you can do.

[drew]

^ that's true. I guess my mortgage comparison is a little unfair, considering I bought in 2005, when Winnipeg was in the middle of its own real estate value boom.

[Jimby]

how do property taxes compare?

[Rusty van Reddick]

Your realtor is an idiot.

STUNNER in Bankview for 599- http://www.mls.ca/PropertyDetails.aspx?vd=&SearchURL=%3fPage%3d5%26Mode%3d0%26vs%3dResidential%26ret%3d300%26curPage%3dpropertySearch.aspx%26sts%3d0-0%26beds%3d0-0%26baths%3d0-0%26ci%3dbankview%26pro%3d-1%26mp%3d0-0-0%26mrt%3d0-0-4%26trt%3d2%26of%3d1%26ps%3d10%26o%3dA&Mode=0&PropertyID=7978155

[drew]

how do property taxes compare?

They don't. The actual city property taxes are similar, but then MB tacks on the education tax on top as well which basically doubles it on a comparable house.

[freeweed]

Of course I had to give her a couple digs about her mortgage payments being triple that of my own for our vintage 1907 house in Winnipeg located in an comparable "inner" city pre-WW1 suburban area.

I'll only give you one dig, but my 2008 T4 shows that I paid nearly as much in income tax for the year as some of my colleagues back in Winnipeg earned in net income.

Mortgage payments out here really aren't that scary by comparison. ;)

But yeah, both cities' real estate markets have changed dramatically since 2005. What's interesting is that Calgary's continues to fall, when Winnipeg's is staying fairly stable, from what I hear.

[h0twired]

^ that's true. I guess my mortgage comparison is a little unfair, considering I bought in 2005, when Winnipeg was in the middle of its own real estate value boom.

I would guess that is actually prior to the Winnipeg real estate boom.

Things were certainly picking up but didn't really take off until 2006.

[h0twired]

But yeah, both cities' real estate markets have changed dramatically since 2005. What's interesting is that Calgary's continues to fall, when Winnipeg's is staying fairly stable, from what I hear.

Winnipeg is starting to come down now too.

I have been watching the listings over the past 6 months.

[devonb]

Hi freeweed,

Sorry, I had to sign off to catch my bus.

I understand that Calgary's market is expensive, but what I am looking for doesn't necessarily mean expensive. The problem we're having is that everything we've seen so far looks the same, and the areas where we think there would be houses of interest have been converted to new infill. We are currently in a 1910 house in the Marda Loop area, but all around us the character houses are being torn down and replaced with brown boxes. It's sad to think that the little bit of history and character that our province has is being cut down for the "sameness". But now I am digressing ...

What I'm hoping is that someone out there will read this and think "I wonder if this area/street/house has been considered". We've all been out to a neighbourhood that took us by surprise with it's uniqueness, and while I am trying to get out to see as much of the city as I can, I could use a bit of help to find them.

Again, all thoughts and suggestions are welcome.

Thanks.

s.


We bought in Crescent heights last summer for just over $500K. House needs some work, but overall we found a gem for about $100K less than it should of been due to a motivated seller, though I'm sure value may have gone down recently. We were lucky and bought it hours after it went back on to the market, though in some ways I feel we were fated to get the house. We were scheduled to view it 12 hours after it went on the market, and it was sold before we got the chance. We were really upset because we felt that it was the house we were supposed to raise our future family in. Original buyer backed out and we were the first to see it and made an offer the same hour.

We love the area and it's great to be a 10 minute walk from the downtown or Prince's Island Park. I highly recommend the area and there are occasional deals to be found, especially on the east side of Centre St.

Good luck.

I'll try and attach a couple of pictures, but I've never done it before...

[devonb]

Okay, that didn't work... sorry.

[mr.steevo]

Your realtor is an idiot.

STUNNER in Bankview for 599- http://www.mls.ca/PropertyDetails.aspx?vd=&SearchURL=%3fPage%3d5%26Mode%3d0%26vs%3dResidential%26ret%3d300%26curPage%3dpropertySearch.aspx%26sts%3d0-0%26beds%3d0-0%26baths%3d0-0%26ci%3dbankview%26pro%3d-1%26mp%3d0-0-0%26mrt%3d0-0-4%26trt%3d2%26of%3d1%26ps%3d10%26o%3dA&Mode=0&PropertyID=7978155

Hi,

We saw that one the day it hit the market. Nicely finished inside and out but the location isn't safe enough for my wife's tastes. I lived a couple of blocks from there when I was in my 20's and didn't have a problem with the area, but she is scared of that area. I suppose that corner of Bankview is a bit awkward.

Anyway, we found a beautiful 2 story, 1800sq/ft 1913 home in the Shaganappi area that we've bought. It is the kind of area I was looking for, the kind that not a lot of people know about yet is a quiet gem. We got the house for under our $500,000 budget meaning we have enough money left over to renovate. Thankfully the ecoEnergy Grant just increased by 25% and the federal home improvement tax rebate for this year will counter the costs of insulation and a new furnace. And the room are large enough to continue with house concerts. Bought my new domain name today and expect to get shows up and running late Fall.

Thanks to everyone who gave their input with this. It took a bit of time but looks like it will work out as planned.

Best,

s.

[Rusty van Reddick]

Hi,

We saw that one the day it hit the market. Nicely finished inside and out but the location isn't safe enough for my wife's tastes. I lived a couple of blocks from there when I was in my 20's and didn't have a problem with the area, but she is scared of that area. I suppose that corner of Bankview is a bit awkward.

Oh for the love of God.

[mooky]

Perception trumps reality when your married and the wife makes that type of a comment. Regardless of how safe the area may be, on something like that you just don't argue with your woman unless your looking for a divorce. Just be happy he found a place to call home that met his needs. :sly:


Congrats Mr. Steevo! :tup:
Oh for the love of God.

[devonb]

Perception definitely does affect a lot. My neighbours complain about the riffraff with bottle collectors and the occasional homeless person in our area, but bringing my wife from Vancouver, she thinks it's super clean and safe.