So, first things first, and this one might seem obvious, but of course you need to know WHERE you’re wanting to live in the province. I mean, it’s an entire province, so there are lots of options based on what is best for you and your family! Do you want to live in a big city, a small city, a small town, or something else?
A good way to start narrowing this down, is looking at the big cities and working your way out from there. Of course our two big cities here in Alberta are Edmonton and Calgary. There’s pros and cons to each of these cities that we aren't going to go over in this video, but there are plenty of videos comparing the two big cities on YouTube!
If you are a buyer and looking to get your home search underway, I would love to help! Click the button below to go fill out my buyer consultation request form!
If you want the big city life, then it’s just a matter of deciding between these two cities, but if you want a smaller city, then you’ll be branching out a bit more. With plenty of options around both cities, and a few small cities that are not close to the major cities, there’s lots of options in the small city size to choose from. Again, look to YouTube to compare some of these areas. We have a video on the channel here that compares Airdrie, Lethbridge and Red Deer, which are the next 3 biggest cities in the province.
If you’re able to, I would suggest planning to come out to Alberta for a week or two if possible, and exploring some of the cities and towns in person, to get a good feel for which one may be a good fit for you. Of course, if you’re not able to do that, there is a ton of information out there on YouTube and Google! So, first things first, you have to nail down where you want to live in the province. Too many people have FOMO’d into their move to Alberta, without really exploring the area thats best for them, and then they aren’t happy with their new home.
Second thing you should know before moving here, is that people in Alberta are a lot for friendly than in other places, especially if you’re coming from a bigger city like Toronto and Vancouver. I never knew this, having lived in Alberta my whole life, but the more out of province buyers I work with, the more I am told this.
Don’t be surprised when someone gives you a smile and a “hello” when you’re walking down the street. They aren’t flirting with you, they’re just Albertan apparently. Or don’t be alarmed when someone holds open a door for you while your still 30 feet away and you have to awkwardly run to the door so they’re not waiting there holding it open for you for too long. It’s just a standard kind of slightly awkward interaction thats very common here in Alberta.
Now moving onto the 3rd thing you’ll want to explore before making the move here, is the affordability. If you’re coming from the heart of Vancouver or Toronto, then pretty much anywhere in Alberta will be more affordable than where you’re currently living. If you’re coming from another province, or from far out of one of those cities, then you may find Alberta has varying affordability compared to where you’re at.
We have a HUGE range of property values here in Alberta, with Calgary being the most expensive area, but the further you go out from the big city you go, the more affordable things like housing will become. For example, 10 minutes out of Calgary, here in Airdrie, you’ll find better prices on homes, but if you go a bit further, another 10 minutes to Crossfield, or 20 minutes to Carstairs, housing gets even more affordable.
If you want to know how much homes are selling for in a specific neighbourhood, I provide a FREE monthly market report sent out by email. Click the button below to go fill out my market update request form!
We do a cost of living video on this channel every year to give you the basic costs that you can expect when living here. So be sure to go check that one out if you’re interested in learning more about the cost of living here in 2024!
Another one that I’ve been told by nearly every buyer I’ve worked with from BC and Ontario, and that is that they weren’t prepared for our sun here in Alberta. It’s pretty widely known that Calgary is the sunniest city in Canada, with over 330 Days of sun per year. But what a lot of people have told me, is that they weren't expecting the sun to be so intense and bright here. I’ve had a couple people who had to make a stop during showings to grab a pair of sunglasses for the rest of the day. Again, being from here, I can’t attest to this one as much, because this amount of sun is all I know. But it’s something that I’ve been told many times. So if you’re coming out here to explore the area, bring your sunglasses and sunscreen!
And now onto our last point, you should know before moving to Alberta, you should know who you want to work with to help you find your home here in the province, whether you’re buying or renting, it’s good to have your local contact that can answer your questions and help guide you to where may be the best fit for you.
Check out my YouTube video below where I go over everything in this blog post and subscribe to my channel if you want to see more Airdrie related content!
- Brad Walker
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