Possibly moving to Calgary, i have a few Q's

[spike98]

There is possibly an oppurtunity for my to move to Calgary for work. This job will be a management position and i am quite excited about it.

However, i am viciously terrified about the cost of living. As i live in medicine hat, making a decent wage allows myself to live quite comfortably. There will be approximately a 30% pump in pay but i am not sure if it will be enough.

The position will be downtown so i am wondering where would be a good place to look for a house (3bd 2+bath and garage). On my own (before the wife gets a job) we would be looking at ~$550k. Where would i live that would make the commute easier and will hit my target price? I also have a 6 year old so close to a school would be nice as well.

I have looked at the MLS and have got prices roughly but i don't know what is considered a good neighborhood. Are my figures possible? or would i have to push for a hefty signing bonus to allow myself to get a bigger house.

[Sugarphreak]

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[ercchry]

i'll sell ya my place for that :poosie:

7min to 3rd and 8th ave sw... 3 bedroom, 2 bath and single detached garage. elementary school half a block away... but seriously, you could get into my area easy for that amount. its as close to a small town vibe you will get around here

there is sweet fuck all listed around here right now though, this is probably the best bet. whole area will be seeing a really decent price bump over the next 5 years

http://beta.realtor.ca/propertyDetails.aspx?PropertyId=13868073

just needs paint and a low ball offer

[nykz]

Originally posted by Sugarphreak
Discovery Ridge has a nice homes in that size and price range, very quick 15 to 20 min commute to downtown, low crime, good schooles, wicked community atmosphere with a provincial park attached.

Outskirts of the city suck, housing prices are a bit cheaper but commute times are over an hour long and they all look identical.

Cookie cutter houses in the outskirts :drama:

[01RedDX]

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[spike98]

Originally posted by ercchry
i'll sell ya my place for that :poosie:

7min to 3rd and 8th ave sw... 3 bedroom, 2 bath and single detached garage. elementary school half a block away... but seriously, you could get into my area easy for that amount. its as close to a small town vibe you will get around here

there is sweet fuck all listed around here right now though, this is probably the best bet. whole area will be seeing a really decent price bump over the next 5 years

http://beta.realtor.ca/propertyDetails.aspx?PropertyId=13868073

just needs paint and a low ball offer

That tile :eek:

Thanks for the info people. It looks like i can in fact get a decent place not to far away from the core. I was totally out to lunch with how the market was there. I was under the impression that anything under 3/4 mill was in forest lawn.

There isn't an offer on the table yet so at least i know how things look when there is one.

If i can get them to offer a nice signing bonus i will keep my other properties in medicine hat perhaps up my budget a bit.

[ercchry]

Yeah, ideally a $650k budget will get you everything you want innercity. Anything less and you will have to sacrifice something. Either space, location, or bright shiny new finishes... the eastside (inglewood/ramsey) is pretty much the last up and coming innercity neighborhood... everything else is basically plateaued at this point

[Cos]

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[KRyn]

There are some great communities slightly south of down town that may fill all your criteria (although likely more money). I was able to walk to my elementary, junior high and high school while growing up.

[ercchry]

Originally posted by KRyn
There are some great communities slightly south of down town that may fill all your criteria (although likely more money). I was able to walk to my elementary, junior high and high school while growing up.

fairview/acadia come to mind... big 50s era lots :drool:

[spike98]

Originally posted by Cos
What you are talking about is more an area IN the neighborhood than a neighborhood itself. Most communities have a school, you could live on the far side of the community and the school would be too far.

I do agree though, I would stay west of downtown. It also depends if you have parking or not. If you dont, I would live near transit (NW, West side, etc). If you have parking, live where driving or walking is easier (kensington, mount pleasant, etc.)

You dont say what you want out of a community though. Big new house? Old cool house? Close to walking? Lots of parks? Easy to get out of the city? Shopping?

Ill expand...

I would like my daily commute to be less than 30 min one way in the winter. I am VERY spoiled by the small town commute and the added time with my family would be excellent.

For the house 3+ bed 2+ bath with a garage, fenced yard for the mutt with a contemporary feel. Im not to picky on the size as we fit nicely in a 1200sqft (above grade) house. Old is ok as long as its reno'd to be more modern. That being said i don't want to sink a pile of money into something right away. Id like to stay away from any fixer uppers.

For the location, obviously close to a school and in a friendly neighborhood. Junior or senior high aren't a problem as i have no issues with my kid taking a bus. Parks and playground are always nice but won't be considered a deal breaker. Shopping isn't a problem either. I plan on driving as i will have parking downtown so groceries and others wont be reliant on public transportation.


I have lived in the hat for mostly all of my life and love that family feel of the neighborhood. I did live in calgary for almost a year back in my collage days so i know the city can offer more than just the hustle and bustle/partying of a big city. I just want my family to feel comfortable! They are the ones that would be effected the most.

[Cos]

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[ercchry]

30min to DT in winter is putting you basically in the innercity... some of those westies might say they can do it... but there will for sure be days they cant... plus you want a friendly neighborhood :rofl:

for your needs... i think a duplex infill might be on the money for you like this:

http://beta.realtor.ca/propertyDetails.aspx?PropertyId=13840661

[BensonTT]

Originally posted by ercchry
i'll sell ya my place for that :poosie:

7min to 3rd and 8th ave sw... 3 bedroom, 2 bath and single detached garage. elementary school half a block away... but seriously, you could get into my area easy for that amount. its as close to a small town vibe you will get around here

there is sweet fuck all listed around here right now though, this is probably the best bet. whole area will be seeing a really decent price bump over the next 5 years

http://beta.realtor.ca/propertyDetails.aspx?PropertyId=13868073

just needs paint and a low ball offer

House looks like it's haunted.. LoL

[kaput]

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[01RedDX]

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[Sugarphreak]

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[Cos]

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[CanmoreOrLess]

I'd shoot for more than 30% as a pay bump, add housing costs, property taxes, labour rates, vehicle insurance, extra commuting time (sounds like four plus hours/week, 190 hours/year) and wear on all vehicles.... plus bump in income taxes.... plus ???? Consult a pro who knows exactly how to figure this all out. I'd take a 30% drop in pay to move to The Hat, at least without going into the numbers too far I think I'd come out better for it.

[Sugarphreak]

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[max_boost]

Originally posted by Sugarphreak


When you are right, you are right! There has been exactly 1 day this year I didn't make it downtown in less than 25 mins

....that said, nobody in the "inner city" could even get off their own street because there were so many cars snowed in :poosie:

Anymore than 5mins and I get irate lol

20mins to work. I dislike traffic haha

[Env-Consultant]

I just moved to Glendale (between 37 st sw and Sarcee Trail; 17 ave SW to 26 ave SW) and I absolutely love the neighbourhood, proximity to the C-Train (<8 blocks from my house), and a quick commute downtown. I haven't seen any houses for sale for a bit, but depending on if it's been renovated, you're probably looking at $500,000+. My house is completely redone + finished basement, 4 bedrooms, attached + detached garages, 2 full baths, great shape - paid around $550,000. Tons of schools + parks.

If you're going to be paying half a million plus, I'd stay away from any brand new neighbourhoods/cookie-cutter tiny lot typical new Calgary BS. That's just me though. I'm in my mid-twenties with no kids, grew up in a tiny town/hamlet and I absolutely love living in a neighbourhood with old growth trees, friendly people, people who take care of their yard/houses, etc - not to say you won't find that in newer areas, just basing that on my experience.

The 30% pay bump is a little arbitrary though. Let's say you're making $50,000 a year, now you're making $65,000 - I wouldn't even think of it. $100,000 up to $130,000 - reasonable - depending on if you think that $30,000 will account for extra costs, and so on and so forth.

There's a lot more to consider than just dollars and cents though - do you have good friends and family around you in MH? Not saying you won't make good friends in YYC, but those lifelong connections being 5 minutes away are pretty priceless. Calgary is busy, traffic is typically a bitch, and sometimes meeting up with people is such a headache it feels like a chore. A lot of good stuff here too though, but now I'm rambling, so I'll shut my pie-hole.

[spike98]

Originally posted by Env-Consultant
I just moved to Glendale (between 37 st sw and Sarcee Trail; 17 ave SW to 26 ave SW) and I absolutely love the neighbourhood, proximity to the C-Train (&lt;8 blocks from my house), and a quick commute downtown. I haven't seen any houses for sale for a bit, but depending on if it's been renovated, you're probably looking at $500,000+. My house is completely redone + finished basement, 4 bedrooms, attached + detached garages, 2 full baths, great shape - paid around $550,000. Tons of schools + parks.

If you're going to be paying half a million plus, I'd stay away from any brand new neighbourhoods/cookie-cutter tiny lot typical new Calgary BS. That's just me though. I'm in my mid-twenties with no kids, grew up in a tiny town/hamlet and I absolutely love living in a neighbourhood with old growth trees, friendly people, people who take care of their yard/houses, etc - not to say you won't find that in newer areas, just basing that on my experience.

The 30% pay bump is a little arbitrary though. Let's say you're making $50,000 a year, now you're making $65,000 - I wouldn't even think of it. $100,000 up to $130,000 - reasonable - depending on if you think that $30,000 will account for extra costs, and so on and so forth.

There's a lot more to consider than just dollars and cents though - do you have good friends and family around you in MH? Not saying you won't make good friends in YYC, but those lifelong connections being 5 minutes away are pretty priceless. Calgary is busy, traffic is typically a bitch, and sometimes meeting up with people is such a headache it feels like a chore. A lot of good stuff here too though, but now I'm rambling, so I'll shut my pie-hole.

Thanks for a lot for the suggestions, all of you! I know i didnt touch on the paticulars about pay and such but that 30% is from an already 6 figures.

I do have a LOT of family in medicine hat but any of my friend that have been successful have generally got out and live in calgary already. The family thing will be a little tougher but i generally don't see a lot of them anyways. Always on the phone though.

Its going to be a tough choice but its the next step for building on my career. I have to move up when i can because i dont have a degree to fall back on.

[C_Dave45]

With a budget of $550, you'll have no problem. But's scalable.

Within 10-15 of downtown, you'd be looking at a house built in the 50's, 60's, smaller in size, little parking, like what Erchry has.

Within 20-25 minutes, you could easily find a larger home, with either detached or attached garage for up to 3 cars, large yard and a little newer, from the 70's, 80's. Such as This Place (http://beta.realtor.ca/propertyDetails.aspx?PropertyId=13674441)
1800 sq ft, triple car detached, with single attached, nice large yard, and an older tree'd community with lots of kids and schools nearby.

Or if you want a brand new house, you're looking at new subdivisions that are a minimum 30 minute drive, 45 in bad weather. But you get a brand new custom built house.

Depends what style of living you want. But easily doable with a $550k budget.

[rage2]

Before you make a decision on community, take a look at this:

http://www.cbe.ab.ca/schools/community.asp

The problem with the nice "west" Calgary communities is that school access sucks unless you send em to private school. You really want to choose a community where the designated schools are walkable if you want the small town feel. I grew up in Varsity where my K-9 schools were literally in my backyard.

Start with that list, find the acceptable communities, then start filtering out based on commute and pricing, and you'll probably end up with a small number to choose from. Google maps is great for showing community outlines to help you plot out designated school proximity. My gf and I still have yet to find a community that fits all of our needs lol.

We currently live in Arbour Lake, great ctrain access, drive to work is 20 mins summer 25 mins winter (except the worst of days), and walkable schools from 5-12 (k-4 is bussed unless you go catholic).

Oh, one other thing for commutes, which part of downtown are you at? Because I used to live inner city off the wrong side of downtown from work, and on the bad days it's a 1 hour commute to work as well just because we had to drive from one end of downtown to the other.

Edit - catholic school guide, there's a link for schools by community:

http://www.cssd.ab.ca/default.asp?V_ITEM_ID=1158

If you have a daughter, stick with public school. Growing up, the biggest sluts were all out of catholic schools. :poosie:

[C_Dave45]

Originally posted by rage2
Before you make a decision on community, take a look at this:

http://www.cbe.ab.ca/schools/community.asp

The problem with the nice &quot;west&quot; Calgary communities is that school access sucks unless you send em to private school. You really want to choose a community where the designated schools are walkable if you want the small town feel. I grew up in Varsity where my K-9 schools were literally in my backyard.


I don't get what you mean by "school access sucks.." Do you mean the schools themselves are no good? Or that they are far away and not easy to get to?

In the 70-80's era communities, there are lots of schools nearby. The one I posted in Southwood has a couple of great elementary schools within blocks. A middle school and high school within a 4 minute drive. Community Center, great outdoor rink, Easy access to major arteries...

[D'z Nutz]

Originally posted by C_Dave45


I don't get what you mean by &quot;school access sucks..&quot;

It means lots of adult supervision and parking spots too tight for a van.

[rage2]

Originally posted by C_Dave45
I don't get what you mean by &quot;school access sucks..&quot; Do you mean the schools themselves are no good? Or that they are far away and not easy to get to?

In the 70-80's era communities, there are lots of schools nearby. The one I posted in Southwood has a couple of great elementary schools within blocks. A middle school and high school within a 4 minute drive. Community Center, great outdoor rink, Easy access to major arteries...
I meant you need to bus. First west Calgary example in this thread, discovery ridge, has their K-6 designated school in Lakeview. On a morning where the bus breaks down and he needs to drive his kid to school, that 20 min commute easily becomes an hour. Our 6 y/o is now bussed and we've had quite the bus cancellations this year.

As for good public schools, that's a whole other can of worms. IMO it's the student and not the school for odds of success. I did my K-6 in Falconridge Elementry lol.

[C_Dave45]

Originally posted by D'z Nutz


It means lots of adult supervision and parking spots too tight for a van. ROFL!!!!!!!

http://semiaccurate.com/assets/uploads/2012/03/I-See-What-You-Did-There..png

[C_Dave45]

Originally posted by rage2

I meant you need to bus. First west Calgary example in this thread, discovery ridge, has their K-6 designated school in Lakeview. On a morning where the bus breaks down and he needs to drive his kid to school, that 20 min commute easily becomes an hour. Our 6 y/o is now bussed and we've had quite the bus cancellations this year.

As for good public schools, that's a whole other can of worms. IMO it's the student and not the school for odds of success. I did my K-6 in Falconridge Elementry lol.

Ahhh...up in those areas, yes you're right. The older established communities built in the 70's and 80's are much closer to schools.

[rage2]

Ya just looked up Southwood great for schools, not sure of commute.

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by C_Dave45




Within 20-25 minutes, you could easily find a larger home, with either detached or attached garage for up to 3 cars, large yard and a little newer, from the 70's, 80's. Such as This Place (http://beta.realtor.ca/propertyDetails.aspx?PropertyId=13674441)
1800 sq ft, triple car detached, with single attached, nice large yard, and an older tree'd community with lots of kids and schools nearby.
.

You just exactly described my 50's house, thats 10min. from downtown, lol.

[spike98]

Lots of good info! Keep it coming!

The office will be located in Livingston Place.