Calgary Real Estate predictions?

[Johnny199r]

Originally Posted by Table 5

Not every wife has such poor taste.

My spouse has never owned a car and grew up poor. She's a lawyer. She has no interest in anything more than a 5 min lrt commute. I got lucky with her.

[jammies]

Originally Posted by Red

Always nice to chat with inner city folks. They never fail to tell you how ugly the burbs are and how smart of an investment they made.

Whereas the smugness of the 'burbs lies in telling people how it'll be different when you have children because clearly what the majority of people do must be right because otherwise they wouldn't do it.

I live right by Central Memorial and I see lots of (teenage) kids walking to and from school. I also see younger kids out and about. So clearly some people manage to live in the core and raise their kids, so telling people they "will" move to the suburbs when the time comes is not any kind of high ground from which to distribute sarcasm.

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by Red

Always nice to chat with inner city folks. They never fail to tell you how ugly the burbs are and how smart of an investment they made.

Hey I was just poking fun. But I'd rather be known as an inner city snob than be the guy who thinks that every wife is some princess who demands you buy her big shiny stuff.

Never said anything about making a smart investment. Just laid out my reasons. You're the one who chose to be offended.

[Red]

Originally Posted by Table 5

Hey I was just poking fun. But I'd rather be known as an inner city snob than be the guy who thinks that every wife is some princess who demands you buy her big shiny stuff.

Never said anything about making a smart investment. Just laid out my reasons. You're the one who chose to be offended.

Ha, no worries, not offended at all and even if I was, who cares.

For the record, you did mention how inner is a better buy in both, down and up markets.

And I was obviously joking about the wife thing. I even made sure to put a smiley.... Your poor smiley etiquette resulted in me insinuating that you are an inner city snob. So there.....

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by Red

And I was obviously joking about the wife thing. I even made sure to put a smiley.... Your poor smiley etiquette resulted in me insinuating that you are an inner city snob. So there.....

Oh I'm probably a little snobby about certain things...but not about whether people choose to live in the inner-city or the suburbs. Calgary's too expensive for everyone to live in their ideal scenario...we all just get as close as our finances can afford.

I do think McMansions are hideous though! And I'm not going to put a smiley here because I mean it, ha.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by jammies

Whereas the smugness of the 'burbs lies in telling people how it'll be different when you have children because clearly what the majority of people do must be right because otherwise they wouldn't do it.

I live right by Central Memorial and I see lots of (teenage) kids walking to and from school. I also see younger kids out and about. So clearly some people manage to live in the core and raise their kids, so telling people they "will" move to the suburbs when the time comes is not any kind of high ground from which to distribute sarcasm.

I think that there are good points to job the inner city and the suburbs. I have no doubt that in the near future I'll move from the suburbs to the core.

I quoted your post though because it highlights the ever-expanding definition of what the core is in an ever-expanding city. I don't know where exactly you live, but is Central Memorial really in the inner city? Seems pretty far out to me, but I have no idea where the inner city/outer city line is anymore!

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by Slava

I have no idea where the inner city/outer city line is anymore!

No kidding. It seems to be expanding out the more expensive the inner communities get, and the more densification development creeps outwards. I know for us when we were looking, our definition of inner-city was East of Crowchild, North of Glenmore, South of 16th, and West of Deerfoot...and even that is perhaps a bit of a stretch in terms of what inner-city means, as some of the outer communities are pretty suburban in nature, just happen to be much closer in physically.

Even with our loose definition, we broke that rule many times. Lots of places like Killarney, Wildwood, Mount Pleasant, Capitol Hill have a similar feeling to the closer-in communities...or at least are starting to. We ended up fairly close in, but I could've seen myself a little farther out if we found the right house.

[Red]

I remember when Killarney was "out there". Now it's considered inner city.

I lived in Bridgeland, that was inner city. Too bad the "element" moved there after Victoria Park started to develop. Such a nice neighbourhood.

[tvp2003]

We're obviously doing it wrong because shortly after having kids, we moved from the suburbs into the "inner city". Figured it was worth it being home with the family an extra 60+ minutes every day, versus being stuck on the road commuting...

[Slava]

Originally Posted by tvp2003

We're obviously doing it wrong because shortly after having kids, we moved from the suburbs into the "inner city". Figured it was worth it being home with the family an extra 60+ minutes every day, versus being stuck on the road commuting...

I don't think there's a doing it wrong because I have thought about that aspect a lot as well. Time spent commuting could be time spent with the family!

[jammies]

Originally Posted by Slava

I think that there are good points to job the inner city and the suburbs. I have no doubt that in the near future I'll move from the suburbs to the core.

I quoted your post though because it highlights the ever-expanding definition of what the core is in an ever-expanding city. I don't know where exactly you live, but is Central Memorial really in the inner city? Seems pretty far out to me, but I have no idea where the inner city/outer city line is anymore!

That's because it's actually Western Canada High School.

[darklord700]

I think the pain of 15 minutes more one way commute is over-rated. I live in Edgemont NW and I could move to Capital Hill or University Heights to cut 15 minutes off my commute. But comparable houses in two areas will cost me at least $300K more than what I have now. I’m fine with older 60s houses but I just can’t see myself living in a new built semi-detached narrow corridor houses with the kitchen and it’s countertop taking up almost the entire main floor.

Are we really spending all available time with our family or doing useful stuff? I certainly am not and will probably sleep off the extra 15 or 20 minutes I have or wasting it mindlessly browsing the web.

Those infill new builts will always attract power couples with good dual income so they’ll hold their values. But I don’t think they provide good value for your money.

[Red]

Originally Posted by tvp2003

We're obviously doing it wrong because shortly after having kids, we moved from the suburbs into the "inner city". Figured it was worth it being home with the family an extra 60+ minutes every day, versus being stuck on the road commuting...

There is no right or wrong.

I live outside of the core and spend 20 minutes commuting each way. Not a huge deal. I don't work downtown though.

My point is that inner city isn't better. Or worse for that matter. It depends on what you want.

But some try to tell us that everyone wants to live in the core but can't afford it. And that not everyone can live in a perfect place (inner city) etc. That's not true, that's hog wash. I will take a clean street in Lk. Bonavista/Parkland/Maple Ridge over anything inner city. My kids can go out and play with a bunch of other kids without me worrying about traffic or needles in my backyard. I know, things like that can happen anywhere, but I've never seen a drug deal done in front of my house. My friend in inner city has seen it a few times and he only moved there couple of years ago. He has no kids so he is not worried and he loves to be in the core. Good for him, but to me, that's a no starter. Maybe I'd be ok if my kids were still little because I wouldn't let them out of my site, but as they get older it changes.
Schools are a huge deal to me too, neither one of my kids have or will take the bus to any of their schools. If you know someone whose kid is on a school bus program they will tell you how much they love it. Especially in the winter.

Those are the things that make my life easier. And if it costs me 20 more minutes of commute time, so be it.

[tvp2003]

Originally Posted by tvp2003

We're obviously doing it wrong because shortly after having kids, we moved from the suburbs into the "inner city". Figured it was worth it being home with the family an extra 60+ minutes every day, versus being stuck on the road commuting...

Sorry, I guess I should have used green text on that one...

Not much to add, but I will say that if you don't work downtown, your situation is apples versus oranges. Personally, I don't see why you would even consider living near the core (i.e. with a family, not in a condo) if you didn't work in the core. Yes, you're closer to certain downtown amenties (as well as more things in general by virtue of being located more centrally), but that itself isn't worth the premium you have to pay to live near downtown IMO (either in cost or by sacrificing house size/amenities). Not by a long shot.

[chemgear]

Originally Posted by darklord700

I think the pain of 15 minutes more one way commute is over-rated.

Originally Posted by Red

There is no right or wrong.

My point is that inner city isn't better. Or worse for that matter. It depends on what you want.

It's a personal pet peeve of mine to be stuck in traffic or having to deal with people on the road for any longer than necessary. Having to suffer at least 30 minutes of extra "pain" every single day would certainly wear on/kill me over time.

But that is just me. The tipping or balance point for somebody and their family will certainly vary - pros and cons certainly. And of course you've got factor in your family situation, kids, etc. It's a value proposition I guess - how much is your time worth to you versus what can be had if you give some of that time up every day?

It's been brought up before in the GMG thread, but I find people tend to almost always underestimate their commute times (for a multitude of reasons). I'm not saying that is the case here but that extra 15 minutes works out to be what, about 3 weeks of vacation time every year just on work day transportation? Certainly that time isn't contiguous, but gives you an idea of what's on the table.

[darklord700]

Originally Posted by chemgear

I'm not saying that is the case here but that extra 15 minutes works out to be what, about 3 weeks of vacation time every year just on work day transportation? Certainly that time isn't contiguous, but gives you an idea of what's on the table.

You can't add them up becasue they are not contiguous. It's like saying if every meal is a minute longer you are wasting certain number of days of you life on the dinning table.

15 minutes or however longer a day don't equal a few weeks of vacation a year.

If you work DT, you probably get 4 week plus 5 days of flex days on average. Plus 52 weekends and 12 stat holidays, there'll be 141 days in a year you don't commute to DT, more if you have Sunny Friday off. For about 224 days in a year you spend extra 15, 20 minutes more on the road, fine. But for those 141 odd days, the suburb will give you and your family far better amenities. It's a trade off but I think the pain of extra commutting is over-rated.

[The Yen Man]

I guess I don't feel the pain of people who work downtown, as it really is apples to oranges. I'm not gonna lie, one of the reasons why I don't want to switch jobs is because I don't want to work in the core. It seems like a nightmare to commute to, whether it's bus, c-train, or car. I don't mind my 20 minute commutes that are not dependent on a bus or train schedule. Plus, I don't have to worry about finding parking.

[The Yen Man]

Originally Posted by darklord700

You can't add them up becasue they are not contiguous. It's like saying if every meal is a minute longer you are wasting certain number of days of you life on the dinning table.

15 minutes or however longer a day don't equal a few weeks of vacation a year.

Exactly. 15 minutes or however longer probably just means 15 minutes less of CP or some other trivial activity. It's one segment on the Fan960. In fact, I would say my commute is one of the things I enjoy each day, as my morning commute times perfectly with the 8:20 Freidman/Duhatchuk/Mortganti segments each morning.

[chemgear]

Originally Posted by darklord700

You can't add them up becasue they are not contiguous. It's like saying if every meal is a minute longer you are wasting certain number of days of you life on the dinning table.

15 minutes or however longer a day don't equal a few weeks of vacation a year.

Indeed, that's why I specifically said it wasn't contiguous - merely to give an idea of scale what the time adds up to be.

On the other hand, a good number of companies offer things like every Friday off in the summers or flex days by asking employees to work an extra half hour a day.

Or to stretch the analogy too far, eating an extra 300 calories a day or saving $30 a day certainly adds up over the course of a year. Like I said though, I agree the time isn't contiguous - merely for comparison of scale.

[Red]

Originally Posted by chemgear

It's a personal pet peeve of mine to be stuck in traffic or having to deal with people on the road for any longer than necessary. Having to suffer at least 30 minutes of extra "pain" every single day would certainly wear on/kill me over time.

But that is just me. The tipping or balance point for somebody and their family will certainly vary - pros and cons certainly. And of course you've got factor in your family situation, kids, etc. It's a value proposition I guess - how much is your time worth to you versus what can be had if you give some of that time up every day?

It's been brought up before in the GMG thread, but I find people tend to almost always underestimate their commute times (for a multitude of reasons). I'm not saying that is the case here but that extra 15 minutes works out to be what, about 3 weeks of vacation time every year just on work day transportation? Certainly that time isn't contiguous, but gives you an idea of what's on the table.

My commute is not underestimated. And don't most inner city slicks walk to work? That probably takes longer that my commute.
Plus, you will spend more than that driving your kids to various activities or school when you live in inner city. These same things are more likely accessible on foot in the burbs so no need for me to escort them.

Bottom line, there are a lot of unknown or underestimated variables in both cases. I have lived inner city and the not so distant burbs. As a parent, I prefer to be out of the core. When I am an empty nester I might miss the noise of inner core. For now I prefer the quiet burbs.