ronron said:
Homes in the core will likely be higher than in the suburbs. It comes down to whether the person actually prefers the downtown lifestyle and vibe. And from there, it comes down to whether they get priced out or not.
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homes in the core are different than homes in the suburbs. it’s all about value and that has little to do with price.
 
westcoastjos said:
Truth.

If you have the means to do so, even buying infill semi-detached is still better value than buying a condo downtown.
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And that is exactly what my wife and I did - bought a new half-duplex in Alberta Ave for 310k. I like Downtown, but I wanted a small yard for a garden and I despised paying condo fees. I would rent a luxury apartment like Augustana before buying a Downtown condo.
 
I'm torn with two options (down the line, I'm only 16 for crying out loud)--A condo in the middle of downtown or an acreage in the country. I honestly have no idea what I want 😅
 
Believe me, living life in a more rural or at least smaller centre is very tempting. But sadly for me, living without a vehicle would become next to impossible in those scenarios, and my overall health and happiness is currently better served being a non-driver.

That said, semi-retiring in either Canmore or Ganges (Salt Spring Island) is the current dream.
 
I don't think I could live in a rural location or even somewhere much smaller than Edmonton, for that matter. I spent two months living in Westmount when I first moved here and I almost went crazy!
My current life goals include retiring in NYC and living in Manhattan, hahahahahahahaha.
Until I can get there, I'm still on my search for a good rental unit in the Downtown Core, so if anyone knows of a 2bdrm which allows large dogs, please let me know.
And I agree with @kcantor that it's about value, more than price. I've lived my entire life in busier and more crowded places than Edmonton, even if you compare with downtown, and for me the value of being close to everything the core has to offer, living the downtown lifestyle, etc, makes up for the price difference between living, let's say Alberta Avenue, or even Old Strathcona/Garneau, for example.
 
@Daveography with the advent of self-driving green machines you may yet be able to experience both worlds. BTW Edmonton so tugs at the heart strings that I think you might like "semi"- retiring right where you are. You should consider joining our Sunday Zoom calls for life-style enlightenment and long term employment considerations (not a religious cult).
 
Platinum107 said:
I'm torn with two options (down the line, I'm only 16 for crying out loud)--A condo in the middle of downtown or an acreage in the country. I honestly have no idea what I want 😅
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Live both and find out what suits you. I bought a place in DT thinking I would love the hustle and energy but have found myself to be drawn towards more secluded areas with time. If you want an acreage, I recommend checking out some auctions. I just saw an 11 acre farm in Westlock go for 130 grand.
 
ChazYEG said:
I don't think I could live in a rural location or even somewhere much smaller than Edmonton, for that matter. I spent two months living in Westmount when I first moved here and I almost went crazy!
My current life goals include retiring in NYC and living in Manhattan, hahahahahahahaha.
Until I can get there, I'm still on my search for a good rental unit in the Downtown Core, so if anyone knows of a 2bdrm which allows large dogs, please let me know.
And I agree with @kcantor that it's about value, more than price. I've lived my entire life in busier and more crowded places than Edmonton, even if you compare with downtown, and for me the value of being close to everything the core has to offer, living the downtown lifestyle, etc, makes up for the price difference between living, let's say Alberta Avenue, or even Old Strathcona/Garneau, for example.
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I agree about difference between value and price. And, I think generally Edmonton offers some very good value in comparison to other large cities. Although housing certainly is a challenge for some, we have way more choice than Toronto, Vancouver or even Calgary. It is still fairly attainable to buy a larger condo in the core, an acreage not too far from services, or a big house in the 'burbs. We are really spoiled for choice here...
 
tkoe_ said:
I agree about difference between value and price. And, I think generally Edmonton offers some very good value in comparison to other large cities. Although housing certainly is a challenge for some, we have way more choice than Toronto, Vancouver or even Calgary. It is still fairly attainable to buy a larger condo in the core, an acreage not too far from services, or a big house in the 'burbs. We are really spoiled for choice here...
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I've been browsing the listings of condos for sale in the past few weeks, just to get a feeling of what the market trend is, right now, and I'm fairly impressed that you can find renovated units in the core with more than 1000sqft for around 500k and if you're willing to be a bit further from it, in Oliver, for example, you find REALLY good units for 400k. Of course, it's still around the same price range as a much larger house in the suburbs (or even Westmount), but within that whole value argument, it's still a very good range.
That said, even newer, high end buildings in the core have decent prices, all things considered. I saw units in the Legends @JW Marriott going for under 600k for a 2bdrm with roughly 800sqft, for example.
 
ChazYEG said:
I've been browsing the listings of condos for sale in the past few weeks, just to get a feeling of what the market trend is, right now, and I'm fairly impressed that you can find renovated units in the core with more than 1000sqft for around 500k and if you're willing to be a bit further from it, in Oliver, for example, you find REALLY good units for 400k. Of course, it's still around the same price range as a much larger house in the suburbs (or even Westmount), but within that whole value argument, it's still a very good range.
That said, even newer, high end buildings in the core have decent prices, all things considered. I saw units in the Legends @JW Marriott going for under 600k for a 2bdrm with roughly 800sqft, for example.
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My original point was more that there are plenty of infill detached and semi-detached homes in Edmonton in mature neighbourhoods that generally make buying a condo here an odd proposition for many people. I know that folks find fault in Brad Lamb's plans for Edmonton that did not pan out, but his finishes would have been a step above everything else in Edmonton that existed at the time. For example, gas stoves and high end appliances seem to not exist in the majority of luxury condos in Edmonton unless you move into the penthouse range. I mean, the majority of units in Icon/Fox do not even have air conditioning. Meanwhile, in other cities, you see the higher end finishes and appliances even in the smaller units such as studios and one bedrooms as well as additional building amenities like doormen (this would be an excellent thing to have in Edmonton based on several nicer condos I rented in).

I think Edmonton is going through a transition period - it seems like each project gets nicer and nicer - we're seeing this in the rental market right now. That said, there is not one rental building that is absolutely excellent and fully featured in Edmonton. Furthermore, things usually go downhill when a REIT buys the building after a couple years and cheap out on all the amenities that were offered initially.

Our place is a 4 bed/3.5 bath (1500 sq ft with a yard and separate garage) by a fantastic builder and it takes us 25-30 minutes to walk downtown or 5-10 to drive. If there were 2 bed/2 baths that had higher end finishes and appliances in Edmonton and/or doormen/front desks/security, you might persuade more 30 somethings to buy downtown.

I think we are incrementally moving in a better direction and catching up with other cities. Things are drastically better in the high end (not luxury) rental market than when I first moved to Edmonton eleven years ago (there was practically zero high end at that time). I look forward to seeing how things change in the rental market. If there are better amenities offered in the future, I would consider selling our place and going back to renting, but the key is that the building needs to be well run and not at the lowest common denominator (sleazy property management companies - I can't think of too many companies that are truly customer service focused). Katz has an opportunity with Ice District phase two to really change the conversation in the downtown residential scene - if he wants to.
 
Looks like it's the urban village application.

The scope of this rezoning looks like it includes land further east and west which is interesting:


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