When you think of Calgary, you don’t often think of sandy beaches, paddleboating, or fishing, especially within the city limits. But residents of the city’s upscale Lake Bonavista community get to enjoy these activities at their leisure (at least, when the weather cooperates).

This nearly fifty year-old neighbourhood was one of our country’s first to be built around a man-made lake (others followed suit, including in Calgary). Beginning as a trailer park, it has grown to house more than 10,000 residents with a median income over $100,000. Served by four local elementary schools and three junior highs, Lake Bonavista is a great place for young families.

With stores and restaurants (including the renowned Newport Grill), easy access to major thoroughfares, and a well appointed community centre, offering two skating rinks, a gym, and multipurpose rooms, Lake Bonavista is rich with amenities, but it’s most prominent feature is the lake itself and its associated benefits.

To see homes available in Lake Bonavista, do a Quick Search.

To get a complete market report on Lake Bonavista, or any other neighbourhood you are interested in, use our quick and easy market report request.

With the civic election just weeks away, city planning is a hot topic of conversation in the media thanks to a rather scandalous video taped surreptitiously at a home builders’ meeting earlier this year, with city aldermen called out for being friendly or unfriendly to developers’ interests, and the not always amenable relationship between our mayor and the Home Builders’ Association.

That’s led to some pretty serious propaganda surrounding Calgary’s housing market, including a website launched mid-September by Common Sense Calgary that warned of city planners making Calgary unaffordable for our children, citing the high price of property in Vancouver as an example of what we can look forward to.

Don’t be fooled; we’re not Vancouver. There is already a great deal of land within Calgary city limits set for new neighbourhoods to be constructed, neighbourhoods that will offer starter homes at relatively affordable prices. According to the Royal Bank Affordability Index, which measures how much of an average family’s income would be taken up by housing costs, Calgary is one of the most affordable major cities in which to own a home in Canada. Our affordability index is 33.6 percent. The national average is 48.4, and Vancouver’s is a whopping 85.8. And these are 2013 numbers, as we’re in the midst of a seller’s market.

Why are homes so expensive in Vancouver? Well, the obvious answer is it’s a coastal city, so land is at a premium. Add to that, the commute for people who work in Vancouver but live in the neighbouring communities – Burnaby, Langley, and so on – is hellish, so a small house in the city is still extremely appealing. Compare that to Calgary, a city built on the prairie with so much land we have the country’s largest green space (Nose Hill Park) in our city limits. Suburban life here doesn’t mean commutes of three hours each way; someone can live in Tuscany and still get to work downtown in under 45 minutes during rush hour. Plenty of residents of Airdrie, Cochrane, and even Didsbury happily commute daily, with travel times a fraction of those for commuters to Vancouver.

So, no matter what you think of Calgary’s city planning, or whether you approve or disapprove of the way the mayor’s office relates to home builders, don’t be swayed by the fear tactics employed by a special interest group looking to influence the upcoming election. Do your own research, and judge on facts, not hyperbole.

One of the many great things about Calgary is its extensive pathway system, and it is well used. Offering riverside views and protection from the wind, thanks to densely planted trees, the paths present a place to walk, run, bike, and toboggan in almost every community. Sadly the Great Flood damaged nearly one hundred kilometres of pathway, to the extent that these sections had to be closed. Thanks to well coordinated efforts by city staff, a whopping 57 kilometres have been reopened. The remaining portion, however, will take some time to fix up. There are a number of factors slowing things down, including eroded riverbanks, fish habitats, and ownership considerations, but as the province continues to inject money and staff continues to work exceptionally hard, things will be back to how they were as quickly as possible.

When you’re taking your next fall stroll after supper, have a look around at our great pathway system and consider how fortunate we are to have had city planners take greenspace so seriously.

8510 Wentworth Dr SW

Upgraded townhouse in prestigious Wentworth. Over 1900 sq.ft. of developed space. Kitchen with walk-in pantry and a breakfast island, and stainless steel appliances. Bright open living room has large south-facing windows and a gas fireplace. Hardwood floors with tile entryway complete the main floor. Upstairs all three bedrooms are quite large. The master and the 2nd bedroom both boast deep walk-in closets. Family/play room in the builder-finished basement. Within the walk-zone for West Springs Elementary School (2 min walk). Walking distance to numerous great food joints like Fergus & Bix, Vin Room, Mercato West, Ohh La La Patisserie, My Favourite Ice Cream Shoppe as well as many shops, services, groceries, drug store, bank, etc. This one is a fantastic deal. Act fast!

To view more photos, full listing details, floorplan and virtual tour visit my webpage.

# 1305 281 Cougar Ridge Dr Sw

328 Cougartown Ci Sw

Former show-home! next door is also for sale (C3586465), own the whole duplex! 9′ ceilings, hardwood floors and tile on main. Kitchen has espresso shaker cabinets and granite counter-tops. Functional floor plan with a main floor den and an open island kitchen. Corner fireplace in living room. 3 large bedrooms upstairs. Master has an ensuite and a huge walk-in closet. Very large back yard. Right near a playground and green space. Close to schools, restaurants and shopping.

For more photos, full listing details, floorplan and virtual tour visit my webpage.

332 Cougartown Ci SW

What an opportunity! Awesome deal in a great neighbourhood. Next door is for sale too (C3586467 – you could own the full duplex). Nice open plan with 9′ ceilings, an island kitchen, a corner fireplace in the living room and a main floor den area. 3 large bedrooms upstairs. Master has an ensuite and a huge walk-in closet. Corner lot with a very large back yard with potential for RV parking. Right near a playground and green space. Close to schools, restaurants and shopping.

For more photos, full listing details, virtual tour & floorplan visit our webpage.

City council has been debating what I expect will be a hot topic in upcoming civic elections: secondary suites, where they can be, and how easy they should be to add to the market. Mayor Nenshi was pushing for major revisions to laws around the suites, but the majority of council preferred small, incremental changes: secondary suites damaged in the flood that had been grandfathered in, for example, can be rebuilt without rezoning, for example, much to the relief of the overwhelmed rental market. And a pilot project has been launched to inspect secondary suites for safety and adherence to code, which should come as a relief to tenants looking at their single window and wondering if they could actually crawl out of it in a fire.

So, good stuff, if perhaps not particularly groundbreaking. With the sales market in Calgary as hot as it is, with prices up more than eleven percent over last year, though, there are bound to be more residents looking to rental properties as a stopgap until deposits can be saved up – and plenty of investors will want to be capitalizing on their property holdings by adding basement suites for additional income. Surely once debates begin in the aldermanic races, lines are going to be drawn showing where each candidate stands on increasing our city’s stock of secondary sites, and that could seriously affect outcomes in ridings popular with, say, university students. This is a topic to watch.

The 35 year-old community of Edgemont, in Calgary’s northwest quadrant, is one of the city’s largest, boasting a population of nearly 16,000 in 2012. Butting right up against the formidable Nose Hill Park, Edgemont residents have access to some of the most extensive hiking trails available within the city limits of any North American community.

Edgemont has an active community association, hosting business expos, craft sales, a skate park, and hall rentals. Kids in Edgemont attend one of three schools in the community through junior high, then move on to nearby Sir Winston Churchill and Saint Francis high schools.

Median household income in the community is on the high side, about $88,000, with about a third of the residents having immigrated from other countries.

To see homes available in Edgemont, do a Quick Search.

To get a complete market report on Edgemont, or any other neighbourhood you are interested in, use our quick and easy market report request.

Here’s a record I didn’t expect to see made: a week ago this last Friday, twelve homes sold for more than a million dollars each, at the end of a month that saw 67 percent more luxury homes change hands than in any previous month, ever. Even in the standard market, some are reporting homes selling for $100,000 over list price. Yep, it’s a seller’s market alright.

If you’re considering getting in on the fun as a buyer, I can’t recommend strongly enough that you secure a pre-approved mortgage before going shopping. When competing offers are involved, potential buyers without pre-approval are at a serious disadvantage, so a trip to your lender is a half hour well spent.

Those of you looking to sell, work with your Realtor (I’m available) to come up with an appropriate price for your neighbourhood and you should have no problems getting your home sold.