Calgary's Top Neighbourhoods

       (Henryk Sadura/Shutterstock)

House prices in the No. 1 ‘hood have appreciated 30% in the last five years

Mark Brown and Romana King

April 10, 2017

                                                                                   

Hoping for a rebound

Many homebuyers in Toronto and Vancouver are becoming convinced you can’t lose money on real estate; homeowners in Calgary know better. Four out of every five neighbourhoods in Calgary lost value last year. The hardest hit areas were also the most expensive. For instance, homes in Elbow Park, just 10 minutes south-west of the Calgary Stampede fairgrounds, fell 12% to an average price of $1.1 million. Overall, neighbourhoods across this city fell on average by 3.1%. Our top 25 however fared slightly better, dropping by an average of 2.5%.

Realtors, however, suggest the worst may be over. More than half of the realtors we surveyed expect prices to stop falling this year, and two out of five expect prices will actually head up again. The east and northeastern parts of the city offer the best value and strongest price momentum, although realtors are cool to a few of these areas. Neighbourhoods favoured by realtors as desirable places to live offer little relative value and weaker price momentum than other parts of the city.

Calgary at a glance… 

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	City	Top 25
Average Neighbourhood Price	$556,429	$395,191
Median	$512,858	$394,067
Max	$1,604,550	$550,558
Min	$328,992	$330,983
Below $500K	46%	96%
Average 1-year return	-3.1%	-1.6%
Average 3-year return	7.7%	14.8%
Average 5-year return	18.1%	30.3%
Realtor grade (out of 5)	★★★	★★½

Calgary’s top 5 neighbourhoods

1. Albert Park/Radisson Heights, East

Homes in Albert Park/Radisson Heights go for as little as $350,000. It’s affordable, but is it good value? It depends on what you’re looking for. If you’re looking at appreciation potential, this area has momentum on its side. While the average neighbourhood price in the city fell by 3% last year, the drop in prices here was a little more modest. That’s important given homes in this neighbourhood are up almost 30% over the past five years, which far outstripped the average. Realtors, however, are reluctant to give this neighbourhood high praise. It’s close to the LRT and strip malls, but it’s more conducive to income properties, says Casey Pedazo with Re/Max Realty Central. It’s a good location, but the area is mostly populated with bungalows that were built in the 1970s and 1980s.

2. Martindale, Northeast

Almost every neighbourhood in Calgary saw home values fall when the provincial economy hit a rough patch, but Martindale was one of the few exceptions. Even after surging 35% over the past five years, homes in this area held their value in 2016. And according to Pedazo, activity is already starting to pick up here. Unlike Albert Park, Martindale is comprised of newer homes that are better suited for families.

Photo gallery: Top 25 Calgary neighbourhoods »

3. Castleridge, Northeast

If you’re looking for a neighbourhood closer to the city, consider Castleridge. While homebuyers can expect to find bungalows that aren’t too old, many of them are being knocked down and replaced by larger two storey homes with an attached garage. This is an established area that really appeals to buyers who don’t want to travel further east, away from the city, says Pedazo.

4. Southview, East

This neighbourhood is close to amenities and offers easy access to the downtown core, but one of the key attractions for homebuyers in Southview is price. This is a low-income part of the city says Gary Fayerman with Re/Max First. The area is made of well-kept bungalows and is appealing to families.

5. Falconridge, Northeast

Proceed with caution. That’s the advice of Fayerman when it comes to Falconridge. “We’re very cautious in that district,” he says. This is a low-income area that is only attractive because of its low-cost. Indeed, it is the third-cheapest area in the city. While prices took a step back in 2016, home values in this neighbourhood are up more than 36% over the past five years.

Realtor Pick: Hillhurst, City Centre

If you want to get realtors excited in Calgary, ask about Hillhurst. “This is a great area,” says Fayerman. Builders have been sweeping in here in recent years to rip out older homes and replace them with new higher-end dwellings. “It’s really changing over,” he says. Fayerman estimates 60% of the properties here are now new. This area is particularly attractive for investors and builders, he adds.

Photo gallery: Top 25 Calgary neighbourhoods »

Where they land on a map

Tap or click to see where to find the top five Calgary neighbourhoods and this year’s realtor pick.

 

Top 25 Calgary neighbourhoods ranked

Click here to see the full ranking of Calgary neighbourhoods.Calgary-25

• Search to filter by neighbourhood or area

  Rank	Neighbourhood	Area	Average price	Average price vs. area	Average price vs. metro district	Average price vs. greater city area	Value	1-year price change	3-year price change	5-year price change	Momentum	Realtor grade
  1	Albert Park/Radisson Heights	East	$343,808	96.6%	61.7%	68.5%		-2.00%	16.39%	27.8%		★★½
  2	Martindale	Northeast	$360,550	92.4%	64.7%	71.8%		-0.32%	18.12%	34.5%		★★
  3	Castleridge	Northeast	$337,258	86.4%	60.5%	67.2%		-1.90%	18.13%	36.5%		★★
  4	Southview	East	$380,058	106.8%	68.2%	75.7%		-1.40%	14.62%	31.6%		★★½
  5	Falconridge	Northeast	$331,367	84.9%	59.4%	66.0%		-2.32%	18.68%	36.8%		★★
  6	Marlborough Park	Northeast	$398,708	102.1%	71.5%	79.4%		2.56%	22.90%	44.6%		★★
  7	Pineridge	Northeast	$394,067	101.0%	70.7%	78.5%		1.35%	21.56%	45.7%		★★
  8	Abbeydale	Northeast	$337,150	86.4%	60.5%	67.1%		-2.87%	19.35%	35.4%		★★
  9	Taradale	Northeast	$398,075	102.0%	71.4%	79.3%		-1.50%	16.41%	34.4%		★★
  10	Haysboro	South	$470,667	98.3%	84.4%	93.7%		-0.06%	11.48%	23.5%		★★★½
  11	Skyview Ranch	Northeast	$410,733	105.2%	73.7%	81.8%		-3.10%	17.51%	25.5%		★★★
  12	Country Hills	North	$415,717	93.8%	74.6%	82.8%		-0.74%	11.99%	21.6%		★★★
  13	Coventry Hills	North	$434,458	98.0%	77.9%	86.5%		-1.43%	12.42%	24.5%		★★★
  14	Dover	East	$350,100	98.3%	62.8%	69.7%		-2.70%	20.84%	40.6%		★★
  15	Forest Heights	East	$330,983	93.0%	59.4%	65.9%		-1.51%	13.38%	30.0%		★½
  16	Fairview	South	$410,283	85.7%	73.6%	81.7%		-0.43%	9.20%	19.7%		★★★
  17	McKenzie Towne	Southeast	$424,175	94.7%	76.1%	84.5%		-4.50%	9.49%	22.3%		★★★½
  18	Harvest Hills	North	$454,908	102.6%	81.6%	90.6%		-0.89%	13.68%	26.1%		★★★
  18	Whitehorn	Northeast	$361,408	92.6%	64.8%	72.0%		-3.92%	12.02%	28.4%		★★
  20	Kingsland	South	$473,492	98.9%	84.9%	94.3%		-0.29%	11.41%	23.7%		★★★
  21	Tuscany	Northwest	$550,558	101.1%	98.8%	109.6%		-2.03%	14.02%	38.0%		★★★½
  22	Bowness	Northwest	$348,367	64.0%	62.5%	69.4%		-3.31%	7.76%	18.2%		★★★
  23	Monterey Park	Northeast	$415,033	106.3%	74.4%	82.6%		-3.30%	15.62%	33.9%		★★½
  24	Rundle	Northeast	$380,883	97.6%	68.3%	75.8%		-2.17%	10.59%	25.4%		★★
  25	Marlborough	Northeast	$366,975	94.0%	65.8%	73.1%		-2.44%	11.64%	28.5%		★★

       

Filed under:

• Editor's Picks
• Where to Buy 2017

 

 

Fighting Homelessness

Calgary follows Medicine Hat’s footsteps as it aims to win the battle against homelessness. Getty Images

 

Joel Schlesinger Calgary Community - crebnow.com 

            

Medicine Hat’s virtual elimination of homelessness gives Calgary a good path to follow

Governments of all levels have been talking about ending homelessness for some time now, but Medicine Hat is actually walking the talk.

With a population over 63,000, Medicine Hat, for all intents and purposes, has put an end to chronic homelessness – a cycle in which individuals are perpetually stuck, residing in shelters, or worse, living on the streets for extended periods.

It’s a goal seven municipalities across Alberta, including Calgary, vowed to accomplish almost a decade ago. But only Medicine Hat can claim success — outside of a handful of individuals who continue to use the city’s shelter system on a long-term basis.

So what’s its secret?

“Our plan to end homelessness is based on the housing first philosophy, meaning that housing is a basic human right and people are worth having a roof other their heads,” said Jaime Rogers, manager of Homeless and Housing Development Department with Medicine Hat Community Housing Society.

This approach is by no means unique to Medicine Hat. The Housing First initiative is, in fact, a national campaign that has been embraced by large cities, including Calgary. What makes Medicine Hat a little different is it has been ahead of the curve in prioritizing housing, says Kevin McNichol, vice president of strategy for the Calgary Homeless Foundation, a leading non-profit providing services for homeless individuals and families.

“Calgary was the first city in Alberta to launch a 10-year plan to end homelessness, so in many ways we’re trailblazing,” said McNichol.

Yet early on, its efforts were more diffuse – a patch-work approach of providing food, clothes, blankets and social services to the city’s more than 3,000 homeless individuals, as well as housing solutions.

But about five years ago the city, province and non-profit organizations came together to refocus on housing as the linchpin to ending chronic homelessness in Calgary.

“It was really about recognizing that homelessness is not some dysfunction or failure on the part of people who find themselves homeless,” he said. “There are systemic, structural and societal issues that have often led them to be in a space where they don’t have access for a variety of reasons to basic needs, and housing is central to meeting those needs.”

He adds Medicine Hat’s efforts gave Calgary a good road map to follow.

Our plan to end homelessness is based on the housing first philosophy, meaning that housing is a basic human right and people are worth having a roof other their heads.

Medicine Hat now triages homeless individuals and families who come into the shelter system. It’s a successful initiative that has since been adopted in Calgary.

“Individuals would not have to experience emergency shelters for more than 10 days prior to be connected to the appropriate housing supports to end their homelessness,” said Rogers. “That does not mean they receive housing within those 10 days because there are a lot of external factors that we can’t control like the availability of housing units.”

But thanks to this process the majority of homeless individuals do not fall through the cracks of the system, she adds.

Another factor in Medicine Hat’s success is that housing for the homeless is largely provided by the private sector in Medicine Hat.

“We rely heavily on landlords and property management companies,” said Rogers.

That approach has proven more difficult in Calgary where affordable housing is in very short supply. According to a recent City of Calgary report, Calgary’s subsidized and affordable housing is a little more than half the national average.

While the statistics on affordable housing aren’t pretty, agencies at least now know what they’re up against, says McNichol.

“If we had this kind of data in the early days, we might have set some slightly different agendas.”

Challenges aside, Calgary has made remarkable progress, he adds.

“The fact is we’ve still been able to house over 8,000 people since we started this campaign,” said McNichol, adding the goal is to provide housing for 10,000 people by the end of 2018.

Yet, McNichol says the city will probably never truly end homelessness. “But what is achievable is we can ensure that it no longer becomes a permanent condition for people."