The Economist Intelligence Unit’s annual ranking of the livability of cities around the globe has found Calgary to be the most livable city in North America and the fifth most livable city in the world.
Imagine being an hour’s drive away from the spectacular Rocky Mountains. For Calgarians, this is a reality, along with easy access to Banff, Canmore and Jasper. Calgary is also a three-hour drive from the Coutts/Sweetgrass United States border crossing, the third-busiest border crossing in the western states and provinces.
Within the city limits, Calgary Transit has been moving Calgarians since 1909 – over 100 years of service. Today’s transit fleet is made up of 225 regular buses, 575 low floor buses, 63 articulated buses, 102 community shuttle buses, and 160 light rail vehicles. Calgary’s transit service has been responsible for many aspects of Calgary’s growth and development.
The City has all the benefits of a large metropolitan and sophisticated centre enjoyed in a relaxed and friendly lifestyle typical of Calgary’s legendary western hospitality. Calgary’s dynamic and innovative spirit, superior workforce, and clean and safe environment make Calgary a world-class city and a global business choice.
Calgary has a lifestyle focused on family, community and wellness. Calgary is a community rich in the arts, culture, entertainment and leisure activities and venues. Calgary boasts the most extensive urban pathway and bikeway system in North America (700 km along rivers, 260 km of on-street bikeways), along with abundant green space and parks (3,000 sites).
Calgary is ranked first out of Canada’s 100 largest cities by Environment Canada for the sunniest days year-round and in the winter. Calgary has the sunniest winter months with an average of 2,300 hours of sunshine annually.
Calgary’s Inner-City has been attracting Developers and Investors from across Canada, and it’s no surprise.
Smart people invest in smart places.
Large scale Developers look to diversify their portfolio – and Calgary has been a no- brainer!
Developers such as Graywood, Minto, Great Gulf, Fram + Slokker, Bosa, Anthem United and Grovsnor have all developed in Calgary’s Inner City and continue to do so.
Calgary makes investing and purchasing real estate EASY
In Calgary, you don’t need to worry about some of the added after sales fees found in Toronto. In addition, Alberta does not have Vacancy Tax, Foreign Buyer Tax or Speculation Tax.
NO Land Transfer Tax
There is no land transfer tax in Alberta. A Simple land registration fee is charged of $50 plus $1 for every $5000 in property value. A property worth $500,000 pays a registration fee of $150.00
NO Development Charges
Closing costs are much lower in Alberta than other provinces. Alberta does not have levies, development charges, property transfer tax or pre-occupation fees totalling around $30,000.
LOW Closing Costs
Closing costs in Alberta are minimal, and include things such as legal fees, adjustments, title and mortgage registration fees bringing the total cost to under $1,500.
LOW Deposit Structure upon contract signing
Take a look for yourself, these are significant cost savings – saving you thousands!
In addition, your investment can be cash-flow positive – Ask Us How!
Improving net migration and the introduction of the stress test
for homeowners have translated into improvements in the
rental market. Downtown vacancy rates have eased over the past year with rates dropping from 3.9 in 2018 to 3.4 in 2019. This trend is expected to continue, we should start to see some room for further rental- rate growth.
CMHC has reported that the demand for rental housing in Calgary continues to rise with rents increasing by 1.9% in 2019. The inflow of urban professionals attracted to what the city has to offer has resulted in increased demand for rental units.
Like any city, Calgary has both established and emerging industry clusters – as the city diversifies from Oil and Gas, Calgary continues to see growth in its emerging industries:
•Life Sciences •Financial Services •Creative Industries •Tourism
Established industries include: •Agribusiness •Transportation & Logistics •Energy
Provincial government forecasts call for Alberta’s labour market to grow by more than 1.3 million job openings over the next decade. The openings are expected to be created from both expansion demand due to economic growth and replacement demand resulting from several labour force separations. Much of this growth is expected in tech across all sectors.
