Beddington Heights is a place I hold close to my heart since the home I was born in and early years of my childhood were held there. My parents' first home. My Grandparents (Nonno and Nonna since they're Italian) lived only a couple blocks away also in the community. They would always pick me up from preschool and take me to their restaurant which was down off Edmonton Trail - Vagabondo was the name. Great Italian restaurant that I am sad no longer exists. I wish I had some food to review but I would only eat gnocchi which they made fresh. We knew so many people from the neighborhood and we still keeps in touch with some of our old neighbors. 

SO WHY CHOOSE BEDDINGTON

Home to nearly 12,000 Calgarians, Beddington Heights is a great, centrally located area in North Central Calgary off of Beddington Trail and Center St. Being an older area the homes have character and the area is fully grown, large trees, lush parks, and mature nature. There are two great parks nearby, Nose Hill Park and Confluence Park. Both are great for walks, runs, and getting the dogs out for exercise. I frequent at least one of the parks every day in the summer going for walks or runs with my dog. She's a Husky with high energy so the endless seeming paths give us so much opportunity for exercise and explore. The Beddington Town Centre provides many amenities like grocery stores, drug stores, a Canada Post location, Starbucks, Tim Hortons, restaurants, bank branches, and much more. It was a surprise when I found out there are At least 4 off-leash dog parks inside the community plus Confluence Park and Nose Hill. For the religious communities Beddington has many different offerings including Catholic, Monnonite, Pentecostal, and Chinese Alliance, and Islamic Association places of worship available. 

Check out https://beddingtoncommunity.ca/ for up to date community information and events. Most communites in Calgary have a newsletter and magazine, Beddington is no different. If you click HERE you can see many of the ongoings within the community from upcoming events, to classifieds and I have even seen job postings in some. It's great to see those in the community contribute to the newsletters and community events. If you're not from Beddington, I still recommend looking through and seeing what your community has to offer. Some of the information I share later is directly from these newsletters and magazines.

COMMUNITY CLUBS AND EVENTS

With so much more to offer, beddington has many local clubs and events right within the community. As I mentioned before there is a great community newsletter / magazine that can be found HERE. I have listed some of the groups/clubs and events I found below:

• Beddington Community Garden & Hub - This is a non-profit volunteer led initiative to build a community gathering place. They are currently looking for volunteers to help with planting Saturday April 30th and Sunday May 1st to build and fill planter boxes. To learn more and how you can get involved you can find more information HERE!
• Stampede Breakfast - What's a community without a stampede breakfast?? You can find information on upcoming breakfasts through the Beddington Heights Community Association Facebook page and on the newsletter previously linked.
• Beddington Book Club - The book club is public and can be joined by anyone in the community. They currently meet via Zoom according to the Beddington Heights Community Association website HERE.
• Community Cleanup & BBQ - The residents have organized a community cleanup to clean up a park and have a BBQ with those volunteers. I think this is a great idea! More details in the newsletter found on page 4 HERE.
• Beddington Theatre Arts Centre - Beddington Theatre Arts Centre holds mamy plays and events in the converted community centre. There are programs for all ages and you can find that link HERE. They also have a number of upcoming plays and classes which can be found HERE!
• Santa's Eve Visit - I was unaware of a few things on this list but pleasantly surprised about the Santa's Eve visit when I found out about it. I imagine the children love this! More information can be found on the Community Association website.

SCHOOLS AND EDUCATION

There are a number of schools in the community so please see some of the information about them below:

• BrightPath Beddington - Early years education and child care are offered. They use a combination of play based and child-led learning experiences along with offering daycare opportunities. For children to young for grade school this is a great opportunity in early development.
• Saint Bede Elementary School - Saint Bede is part of the Calgary Catholic School District and teaches Preschool, Kindergarten, and grades 1-6. https://stbede.cssd.ab.ca/
• Beddington Heights Elementary School - This is a public Kindergarten and grades 1-6 elementary school part of the Calgary Board of Education.  https://school.cbe.ab.ca/school/beddingtonheights/Pages/default.aspx
• Middle & High School - For most students, they will end up in the public CBE system and the two schools they will go to after elementary while living in Beddington are most likely Sir John A. Macdonald (Grades 7-9) and John G. Diefenbaker (grades 10-12). Both of these schools can be found with the following webpages Sir John A. Macdonald & John G. Diefenbaker

POST SECONDARY EDUCATION

There are many post secondary institutions in the city and for a more centrally located neighborhood it's important to understand how close those are so below are the city transit commute times to the near by institutions for current and potential students to reference:

• SAIT Polytechnic and Alberta University of the Arts (Formerly ACAD) - 14 minutes driving, 37 minutes via transit
• University of Calgary - 15 minutes driving, 39 minutes via transit
• Columbia College - 15 minutes driving, 46 minutes via transit
• Bow Valley College - 15 minutes driving, 38 minutes via transit

GREEN LINE C-TRAIN

As I am sure most of the city is aware of the Green Line train transit system being implemented. Stage 1 & 2 are currently planned to be built as far North as 16th Ave. The next northern section of the tracks will pass straight through Beddington as it follows Center St. all the way to Livingston. At least half of Beddington will be within 10 minute walking distance to the train station which will provide key transit across the city as it links straight to the core. Although I don't see a date of when this may be implemented, these projects provide residents an outlook when looking for a place to settle down long term. Projects like these increase desireability of an area and can add value. I have many clients asking for properties close to transit and this new project provides more of those opportunities around Calgary. Below I have added the map of where the project will run throughout the city.

SUM IT ALL UP

To sum it all up, Beddington Heights is a great community that will make you feel like you belong to something and whas so much to offer year round. You can really explore and become a part of it all. I think it's a great opportunity for young families since there are so many family activities and events to take part in. The location also allows easy mobility around the city since there are so many places within a 15 minute drive like downtown, colleges, the airport, etc. As always please reach out with any comments or questions!

Why aren't dogs good dancers? Because they have 2 left feet...

Matt Halladay

403-700-3182

halladayrealestate@gmail.com

REALTOR® | Real Estate Profesionals

MY STORY

I moved to Airdrie as a child around 1998. My family looked for an affordable alternative to Calgary but still allowed them to work in the city. My mother lived in Airdrie for some of her teenage years as well and went to Bert Church high school. I always joke that people from Airdrie never leave and I think it’s true because it’s such a great community. I’ve lived in many different places (Lloydminster, Provost, Vermilion, Butte Montana to name a few) between college, university, and work. The Calgary area always finds a way to pull me back in. My brother and I both took university degrees in the U.S. and guess where we are now… Calgary and Airdrie. I want to share why I think Airdrie is a great opportunity for those moving to the area or trying to stay close to Calgary. Maybe you already live in Airdrie and find something new about wehat this wonderful place has to offer. I hope this offers information valuable to anyone who reads it.

WHAT AIRDRIE HAS TO OFFER

In Airdrie, it seems hard to believe you are in a city of 70,000+ residents. It has the small town feel when compared to Calgary, yet still has all of the amenities you expect in a larger city like a shopping mall, grocery stores, recreation center, plusna large selection of programs for sports, hobbies, and education. It was a surprise to me that there are a variety of schools providing opportunities like K-12 French Immersion, Catholic Education, Theatre, trades hours for jobs like mechanics and welders, competitive athletics, and the list goes on. I don’t remember all of these opportunities when I was in the school system even if they were available. I hope this helps others take advantage of what's available. For sports outside of schools Airdrie has almost every sport you can think of available locally (listed further down). A lot of these are for youth, yes, but let’s touch on adults. What is there for Adults? Or the entire Family? A lot! I will share all the details in the last section of this post so please read though until the end.

SMALL TOWN FEEL
There are some really interesting things about Airdrie that most people may not know and I believe gives it that small town welcoming feeling.
1. There are about 2900 Airdrie based businesses and I would like to mention Airdrie’s small business environment is lively. It seems as though every street has some sort of small and local business on it whether that’s a clothing store like The Store Upstairs which is above a local pharmacy as well, restaurant like Paros on Main (Greek), or a Dog Daycare like Airdrie Puppy Pals. There is a large variety of community driven businesses to explore.
2. Airdrie has a low population density of about 830 people per square km. Calgary has about 1620 people per square km.
3. Low crime rate. Maclean’s ranks communities in Canada from highest to lowest crime rate. Airdrie is ranked 197/237 municipalities which puts it in the top 20% for lowest crime. https://www.macleans.ca/canadas-most-dangerous-places-2020/
4. Downtown Airdrie - the city counsel set out goals to revitalize the downtown area and make it more inviting for the community (see rendering below of potential plans) Although these changes are expected to vary and may take up to 20-30 years, bit by bit we hope to see a beautiful city center like the render shine through!
5. When I got into Real Estate as an agent my initial plan was to reach out to as many people I knew as possible. That number was around 400 people with the majority being folks from Airdrie that I met over the years. To find out the mso many were still around or planning to move back was comforting that the city still offered that feeling of knowing someone every time you go to the grocery store, or the gym, or for dinner, or at the golf course.

(Propsed Downtown Airdrie)

EDUCATION
There are many schools in Airdrie and too many to go through individually so what I have done is provided the list below to show them all. There are 2 not on the list due to being a part of CCSD (Calgary Catholic School District). Our Lady Queen of Peace (Catholic K-8) and St. Martin de Porres High School (Catholic 9-12). The rest of the schools are as follows:

• FI – French Immersion
• Christian – Christian programs offered
• EN – I have no idea what this means so if someone does please help me!

Many of the high schools have unique opportunities such as theatre at Bert Church, all offer programs to earn hours towards trades certificates, religious studies in St. Martin de Porres, football in Bert Church and George Macdougall (unsure about WH Croxford). Having the diverse education opportunity for our children is high on most families wish list and it’s one of the reasons I like Airdrie so much.

FOR OUR YOUTH - SPORTS
On the topic of families, sports are also an important factor when looking for a community to settle in. I’m a big advocate for sports and athletics. There are so many sports available locally and some of them are extremely affordable. Lets start with the sports available for youth. I have listed many below with the first 3 being the sports I love and still participate in on a weekly basis.

1. Hockey
2. Golf
3. Rock Climbing (not in Airdrie but there are gyms within 20 minutes of the city)
4. Ringette
5. Soccer
6. Track & Field
7. Lacrosse (This is my brothers sport, he went to the U.S. on a scholarship. He still plays and coaches in the community now)
8. Gymnastics
9. Dance
10. Football
11. Basketball
12. Baseball
13. Softball
14. Volleyball
15. Swimming
16. Racquet Sports

I’m sure there are many more but this should give you a great idea of how our kids can hopefully decide to get involved in at least one of these. I have posted a couple links to these youth sports below:
Baseball - http://www.airdrielittleleague.ca/
Basketball - http://airdriebasketball.ca/
Hockey - https://www.airdriehockey.com/

Lacrosse - http://www.rockyviewlacrosse.com/

Soccer - https://www.airdriesoccer.com/
Softball - https://airdriegirlssoftball.com/

FOR OUR YOUTH - CLUBS AND CAMPS

Not everyone just loves sports but that's alright because there are a number of clubs, camps, and activities offered within the city for youth to explore their interests like:

Glitch gaming lounge

Genesis Place Day Camps

Airdrie Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, and Vents

Airdrie Junior Theatre

WHAT ABOUT ADULTS?

For adults, there are many public sports to be played in Airdrie as well like hockey, soccer, slo-pitch/baseball, ringette, volleyball, curling and basketball. There are also mixed sport leagues were some couples and friends can play together without being gender restricted. I had a great time playing in the ARHL hockey league below which is very well managed and has multiple skill level based divisions. Also, I am an avid golfer at the local Woodside golf Course. I have linked a few of the sites below for you but there are many more and a good google search or community Q&A on Facebook pages, reddit, etc. could help you find more sports and information.

Golf - https://woodsidegc.com/
Hockey - http://arhlhockey.com/
Soccer - https://www.airdriesoccer.com/adult-pro-info/
Volleyball - https://www.volleyballalberta.ca/node/708

Do you like breweries? Airdrie has 4 and they are all great so I’ve heard. Unfortunately, I have a medical condition that prevents me from consuming gluten and dairy. It’s called EOE (Eosinophilic Esophagitis) so I cannot drink beer anymore. You’ll have to try them out without my review. The 4 breweries are Fitzsimmons Brewing Company, Balzac Craft Brewing Company, Atlas Brewing (new to me), & 948 Brewing Company.

FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY

Being close proximity to Calgary as well you can adventure into the city and enjoy what it has to offer while returning home at the end of the night. That’s what makes satellite communities so great. Families have such great opportunity to create traditions and enjoy growing together. I have listed below great family events and activities within Airdrie that I take part in myself as often as possible.

1. Jan 1st - New Years Eve fireworks - At East Lake on Airdrie's eastern side, a great setting for the annual new year fireworks.
2. July 1st - Canada Day Parade & Fireworks - Main street downtown becomes a lively place waiting for the parade and usually has some great pancake breakfasts, fundraisers and eventually candy for teh kids as teh parade rolls through.
3. July 1st & 2nd - Airdrie Pro Rodeo - Just a few minutes west of Airdrie are the rodeo grounds. Live music at night and a great rodeo during the day, don't miss it!
4. Sep 10th - Airdrie Fest - Community based event where businesses and citizens enjoy everything Airdrie. Part of main street is closed down and many families come out to enjoy the festivities
5. Dec/Jan - Festival of Lights - Nose Creek Park in town holds the Festival Of Lights for Christmas where there is lots to do. Walk around the lights, hang out by a fire, drink hot chocolate and bring your furry friend. I take my dog and she loves it (minus the train that drives the kids around, it's apparently quite scary).

Airdrie will always be considered my home at some capactiy and I hope others can share the same enthusiasm as I do for the city. The Calgary area actually. I love it here and I plan to shed light on more communities throughout Calgary. It's where I plan to call home for a long time and grow my business helping people enjoy the area as much as I do. Thanks for reading and if you would like to get in touch, or have any comments, please feel free to reach out.

"Why do golfers take an extra pair of socks when they go golfing?" "In case they get a hole in one!"

Matt Halladay

403-700-3182

halladayrealestate@gmail.com

My name is Matt Halladay and I am a local real estate agent in the Calgary area. Calgary has been in a strong seller’s market during 2021. 2022 poises to continue this trend in the Calgary area (known as Census 6 which includes Airdrie, Cochrane, Okotoks, High River, Chestermere, etc.). As a real estate agent, I was able to watch real estate prices over the course of 2021 increase by an average of around 10%. The 2021 statistics show how a number of factors like the pandemic, low interest rates, and economic recovery have grown the value of our real estate. Similar trends may continue in the 2022 markets and the industry outlook is very positive. This past year was one of the strongest years in the real estate industry and has developed an opportunity for individuals and families to create more equity and consider upgrading into a new home, finance new opportunities, and pay down their debts faster.

WHAT HAPPENED IN 2021?

The past year was a wild ride for the real estate industry. I am focusing on the Calgary area where I hold my business. We have seen one of the busiest years on record. In total, home prices were up 10.5% there has been 33,323 home sales in the Census 6 region by the end of November. For reference there were only a little over   20,000 sales in each of the previous three years with static pricing. This is the largest annual number of properties sold in the Census 6 area, and it doesn't include December sales.

WHAT CATALYSTS DID WE SEE?

When the market reacts like this, it's always in accordance with certain key catalysts. Some of those which I thought most influential are displayed in the sections below:

Interest rates

As many of us are aware, interest rates in Canada are historically at extreme lows with the potential for variable rates below 1% (which is mind blowing) and 5 year fixed rates in to sub 2% range.

Recovering Economy

Canadian jobs had reached pre-pandemic levels in 2021, along with recovering oil prices. Oil and Gas was amidst a recovery just before the pandemic hit, which delayed rising oil prices, but in 2021 we saw prices upwards of $85/barrel. Although Calgary is diversifying, this still contributes to a large portion on the local economy.

The above chart shows oil prices since around the start of the pandemic

Consumer Spending

With most of our common activities limited over the past couple years, it has been found that Canadians spent significantly less during the pandemic. This comes from areas like travel, bars, restaurants, family gatherings, and much more. For those fortunate to have reliable work through the pandemic, many grew their financial strength. The chart below shows how consumer spending has grown and was changed during the pandemic.

Increased Cost of Goods

We have seen a large increase in cost of materials over the course of the pandemic. Most of this coming from supply chain issues and inventory of materials. With many essential businesses forced to shut down early on, the backlog of everyday goods began. This meant new builds, renovations, add-ons, etc. all cost extra money, in turn assisting the value increase of all properties.

There are many other factors that play a part in the real estate rise of detached homes. The four I listed above are of the largest contributing factors to prices in our real estate market. The annual growth in Calgary is around 2.2% as compared to Canada’s national average of 1.1%. As a growing city we typically see real estate increase in value and with the above factors, they show continued strength in the Calgary area

2022 – WHAT THE DATA SHOWS

It is impossible to predict the future in any markets, real estate included. But we can take some key indicators and focus on what potential there may be in the upcoming year. A lot of what we saw in early 2021 is repeating.

Inventory

The definition of inventory is the number of listings divided by the number of sales, and this gives a general overview of the sales cycle of a property. Inventory is the lowest we have seen it since 2014. Currently, November inventory was 1.8months for the entire market. The last time inventory was this low was March 2014 when our city was in an economic boom. A balanced market will be around 3-4 months of inventory in Calgary. Detached home inventory are particularly low at 1.39months in November and represents the most desired property type over the last 12 months. The inventory continues to lower which puts upward pressure on prices and encourages more listings to hit the market.

Interest Rates

Interest rates will not stay this low forever. Interest rates will rise from low points in a recovering economy. Historically interest rates don't show much correlation with home prices but with rates projecting to stay low in 2022 as well, this can be inticing to buyers and draw demand before rates increase too much. On a $400,000 mortgage, increasing the interest by 1% will add $200/month in interest to the mortgage payments. Over a 5 year term that will add up to $12,000. 

Calgarians Have Gained Lots of Equity!

Housing prices in Calgary peaked in 2014, with an average price of $482,670. The average price in 2020 was $460,560. Housing prices from 2014-2020 saw a decrease of 4.6%.

In 2021 the average price is currently $502,592 which means the average Calgarian gained $40,000 in equity in 2021. This is large growth for many. I myself invest in properties and have lost equity over the past couple of years due to the markets. Finally, owners are seeing equity gains that allow them to upgrade, protect their finances, continue investing in real estate, etc. It has freed up opportunity for more real estate purchases.

New Build Lead Times and Costs are Rising

Lead times for new homes right now are anything from 18-24 months. For reference, my parents built when building timeframes were normal and they had a home ready in 10 months. There is still a global supply shortage (we all know about the way wood process were for a while), and this is majorly affecting new developments. When new builds are taking too long or become too expensive, it forces those looking to build to search for resale properties as well adding to the demand for current real estate.

There is Still Some Downward Pressure on Real Estate

Although a lot of reasons lead to rising home prices, there are always counter points to be made. High inflation can be a danger to the economy. With COVID it was inevitable that we are seeing high inflation. Inflation encompasses a lot of topics but the most important is cost of goods. With cost of goods increasing, the disposable income of the average citizen will drop, and wages have yet to see a relative increase. Historically wages and inflation don’t grow at the same pace, and that can have a ripple effect on the housing market creating downward pressure on prices. Unfortunately, COVID is also a negative factor. We may be close to the end but with shutdowns and lost jobs in our potential future, if this happens again it will slow the real estate industry dramatically as it did in 2020.

I am very optimistic we will see a strong economic recovery continue into 2022 and I can see the optimism when interacting with others in my community. There has been a growing light heartedness and it is wonderful to see.

CALGARY HAS A BRIGHT FUTURE

My strong belief is that Calgary has a great future and is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The location is second to none (aside from some winter days…) and it’s one of the most upbeat cities I have experienced. The city has been diversifying its economy, has a growing population, and a very strong job market. I love this city an hope I get to represent many of its citizens over the rest of my career.

Thank you for taking the time to read my post and I hope it helps your outlook over the next 12+months with regards to the Calgary area. Feel free to get in touch if you have any questions or concerns regarding the state of the housing market, value of your home, or just have some general inquiries.

Matthew Halladay

REALTOR® | Real Estate Professionals Inc.

Email: halladayrealestate@gmail.com

Cell: (403) 700-3182

#202, 5403 Crowchild Trail N.W

Calgary, Alberta T3B 4Z1