Calgary Real Estate for Sale

Calgary Property Taxes

Residents of the City of Calgary are expected to pay property taxes on all residences that they own. Property taxes can usually be found on each active Zoocasa listing, or can be looked up here. As of 2017, the estimated property tax residents can expect to pay is 0.40% on municipal tax and 0.25% on provincial taxes. This adds up to a total tax rate of 0.65% for 2017 year.

Calgary Land Transfer Tax

As of January 2018, Albert and Calgary do not have any land transfer taxes, but it does charge a mortgage registration fee and a title registration fee, which are common among other major cities in Canada.

The Title registration fee includes a base fee of $50 + additional $1 charge for every $5,000 of the fair market value of the property.

The Calgary Real Estate Board

The Calgary Real Estate Board (CREB) was founded in 1929 and has over 5,200 licensed real estate brokers across the Calgary region. CREB is primarily focused on the city of Calgary.

Calgary City Guide

Situated on the foothills of Canada’s Rocky Mountains where the Bow and Elbow rivers meet, Calgary packs not only natural beauty, but nightlife, and cool eateries, too. It is the major urban centre in Alberta and the first city in Canada to host the Winter Olympic Games. Calgary also elected North American’s first Muslim mayor and is host to “The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth”- the Calgary Stampede! Home to over 1.3 million in the metropolitan area, Calgary is 4th largest city by population in Canada. It is no surprise then that Calgary has been ranked 5th most livable city in the world by the Economist Intelligence Unit from 2009 to 2015. Unlike Canada’s other two major cities, Vancouver and Toronto, housing supply is quite abundant in Calgary, boasting greater affordability.

Living in Calgary

Demographics

Calgary has one of the youngest populations in Canada, with the 37.4 the average age among its 1,392,609 residents. According to the 2017 Canadian Census, Calgary has a diverse population from various ethnic backgrounds, with immigrants making up 29.4% of Calgary’s population, and 33.7% are visible minorities. Over 240 ethnic origins with Chinese origins being dominant in the visible minorities category.

Schools

The Calgary Board of Education governs 226 schools across the city with 114,500 students and 13,000 staff. It is the largest school board in Alberta and over twice the size of any other school boards in the province.

Parks

Calgary is a nature enthusiast’s paradise, with well over a hundred public parks within the city limits. Some of the city’s most popular green spaces include Fish Creek Provincial Park, Edworthy Park, Nose Hill Park, and Princes Island Park. Fish Creek Provincial Park is Canada’s largest urban park that stretches for 19km. Prince’s Island Park is a unique island on the Bow River in the heart of the city.

Landmarks

Similar to Toronto’s CN tower, the Calgary tower is the city’s landmark. Standing at 190.8M, the Calgary tower is an observation tower that was completed in summer of 1968. It is currently the second tallest free-standing structure in Canada, just behind the CN tower at 553.3M tall. Besides just being an observation tower, there is also a 360-degree restaurant that boast specular views of Calgary’s city centre. The gas-fed fire on top its spire still holds the record for the highest Olympic flame, and still burns to mark historic occasions and sporting events in the city.

Retail & Dining

The most popular retail centre in Calgary is Cadillac Fairview Chinook Centre. Here you can find major retail brands and department stores that can be found in any other shopping centres across Canada. If indoor shopping isn’t for you, locals also opt to visit Stephen Avenue, a pedestrian street at the heart of city’s core, as well as 17th Avenue SW, the main stretch for downtown dining and entertainment.

Sports

The Calgary Flames is Calgary’s professional NHL team that plays in the Scotiabank Saddledome. The team was founded in 1980 and previously belonged to Atlanta. The Calgary Flames have won one Stanley Cup and have been to the conference finals three times.

The Stampeders is Calgary’s professional CFL football team. Their home field is currently McMahon Stadium, and they have won 7 Grey Cups since inception in 1945. There are currently no Canadian teams that compete in the NFL.

Calgary Airbnb Regulations

There are currently no regulations in place for short-term rental platforms like Airbnb in the city of Calgary. As of December of 2017, there have been reports that city council members are looking to introduce regulations to the short-term rental market in Calgary, following in the footsteps of both Vancouver and Toronto.

Calgary Infrastructure

Public Transportation

The main transit system is serviced by Calgary Transit, which operates buses and a light rail system called the CTrain

The CTrain is the light rail transit system of Calgary and operates two major routes: the Red line and Blue Line. The Red Line runs from the far southern to the far northwestern suburbs of the city and the Blue Line runs from the northeastern to the western suburbs. The CTrain operates from 5:00AM until 12:30AM on weekdays and weekends.

The remaining areas that are not serviced by the CTrain are serviced by buses which run from 5:30AM to 12:30AM. A one-way fare on the Calgary Transit system is $3.15 for adults and $2.10 for children. A monthly pass can be purchased for $99 a month for adults and $60 for children. As of 2017, the CTrain is one of the busiest light rail transit systems in North America, with 306,900 weekday riders. Over 45% of workers in downtown Calgary take the CTrain to work every day.

Airports

Calgary is serviced by Calgary International Airport (YYC) which is located 17KM northeast of the downtown core. As of 2016, it is the 4th busiest airport in the country, catering to over 15 million travellers. There are non-stop flights daily to cities in Central America, Europe, Asia, and Canada. YYC is the hub for two major Canadian airlines, Air Canada and WestJet

Taxi/Uber/Lyft

The biggest taxi company that operates in Calgary is Associated Cabs. Their white cabs can be seen roaming the streets of the downtown core. Taxis can be difficult to hail on the streets so it is best to book in advance or visit a train station or hotel where they are usually parked waiting for passengers.

Uber launched in the city of Calgary in 2015 but was quickly closed down. This didn’t last long as the service was rebooted in July of 2016. Currently, Calgary offers three services: UberX, UberXL, and UberSelect. It has quickly become a preferred choice of transportation as it is cost effective and easy to use.

Highways

Calgary has an extensive network of streets and highways. The largest of these is the north-south running Deerfoot Trail. A majority of highways in Calgary are named Trails. Another notable “Trail” is the MacLeod Trail that begins in Calgary’s downtown and runs south into Highway 2A. The Trans-Canada Highway is the main route that connects Calgary with the rest of Canada. It is the longest national highway in the world and stretches 7604KM from St. John’s to Victoria.

Hospitals

There are currently 11 hospitals in the City of Calgary. Some notable hospitals include Alberta Children’s Hospital, East Calgary Health Centre, Foothills Medical Centre, Peter Lougheed Centre, Rockyview General Hospital and Tom Baker Cancer Centre.