Top 5 Calgary Condominium Purchasing Tips

Are you thinking of buying a condo in Calgary in the near future? If so, here are the top five purchasing tips you can use to make sure that you get top value for your money.

1. Look for Quality Construction

There is a huge difference between concrete and frame construction with concrete lasting a lot longer. The thing you need to watch out for though is concrete that has been post-tensioned since it can lead to problems down the road.

2. Watch the Square Footage!

There are different ways of measuring square footage, and if you really want to be sure that you're getting the right figures take along a measuring tape that you can pull out at any condo that you find interesting. Then, you'll be able to compare condos on a square-footage bas is by dividing the listing price by the total of square feet. You'll end up with a price indicating the dollar per square foot for each condo, which makes it a lot easier to compare prices.

3. Which Way Will Your Condo be Facing?

Figure out which way your new condominium will be facing and what type of sun exposure it will have. Depending on the way it faces your home may be too bright or too dark for your liking. You'll also want to take note of the time of day when the sun will be streaming into your condo. If it's in the early morning, you'll want to know that ahead of time - especially if you like to sleep in on the weekends!

4. Look Through the Condo Documents

You should be provided with financial statements, a condo plan, a study of the reserve fund, a budget and minutes of recent meetings so that you can know exactly what you're buying into. Make sure that you take the time to go through all of these documents since they will end up being legally binding once you sign on the dotted line.

5. What is the Average Age of Owners?

When you're buying a condo you're also buying into a small community and you may want to take part in some of the social activities available. Find out what type of age mix there is in the condo building. If you're a young couple and find out later that many of the owners are seniors, you may regret having made a decision to purchase without first asking about the age averages of the owners.