Where do I want to Live?
First, consider whether you’re a “Home” person or a “Condo” person!
Take my fun quiz!
-
I like living with a group of homeowners that own individual units in a complex, but have common interest in community property beyond their unit.
TRUE | FALSE - I don’t mind that my storage area and parking stall can be owned individually, but not necessarily.
TRUE | FALSE - I don’t mind paying fees, based on the size of my unit, to cover exterior maintenance, snow removal, grass cutting, building insurance, and repair issues.
TRUE | FALSE - I don’t have to live in a detached house.
TRUE | FALSE - I don’t mind having a set of special homeowner bylaws that I must adhere to.
TRUE | FALSE - I don’t mind possible pet restrictions and age restrictions in my living.
TRUE | FALSE - I can live in either an apartment style or townhouse style space.
TRUE | FALSE
If you answered TRUE to most of these statements, then you are Condo person!
If you answered FALSE to most of these statements, then you’re more likely a Home person!
Next, consider what type of condo or home or fits you best:
Town home
Condos refer to a type of ownership, rather than a style of property. If you like townhouse style condos or homes, there are inline town homes in Calgary, as well as stacked town homes. Inline homes are attached side by side. There is no one under you or above you. Stacked town houses are the opposite; they are “stacked” above or below one another.
Apartment
Usually a condo, they can be low-rise – usually under 4 stories, and may or may not have an elevator, and with stall parking. Condos 5 stories and higher are usually bigger, with underground parking and special amenities.
Half Duplex
Half duplexes are not condo ownership, but have 2 separate titles for one shared house. Each owner is responsible for his or her own half, from maintenance to upkeep and renovation, etc.
Detached Home
Usually not a condo; however, there are a couple of these complexes in Calgary, as well as detached single-family homes.
New construction vs. Resale Homes:
New homes are almost always in less established communities with no schools, no immediate shopping, etc. You might need to build from scratch, but it can be lots of fun to customize your new home!
Resale homes are homes previously lived in. They range from character homes built in the early 1900’s to homes that were built just last month!
If you want to search for current listings of Homes in Calgary try homes.calgarylistings.com
If a condo sounds right for you, check out condos at condos.calgarylistings.com