There’s plenty you can change about a house to make it a home, but you can’t say the same for the neighbourhood you choose. Before you make a major Edmonton real estate purchase, you’ll want to find the right neighbourhood for your lifestyle, current and future needs, as well as your personal priorities. What’s more important to you: quiet, family-friendly streets or a short commute to work? And what steps can you take to make sure you’re picking the right community for your needs now and also for the future?
Edmonton real estate offers many fantastic neighbourhoods to call home. Here are five tips from an experienced Realtor® in Edmonton to help you pick the right community for your family today and tomorrow.
Identify your deal-breakers
First things first, create a list of criteria for the perfect neighbourhood. It might include things like:
- Good schools
- Close to work
- Access to parks, trails, paved paths
- Proximity to public transit
- Walkable amenities such as grocery stores, restaurants, and entertainment
- Low crime rate
- Quiet
- Family-friendly
- Long-term investment value
Once you have a complete list, select the top three criteria that are your deal breakers. These are the must-haves that must be checked off before you’ll even consider looking at a listing in any given neighbourhood. It doesn’t matter how great the house is or how amazing the price is — if you’re looking at homes in Windermere, but you work in Fort Saskatchewan and a short commute is one of your top priorities, well that’s just not going to work. Instead, you might want to look at homes for sale in McConachie.
Continue to evaluate your criteria so that you rank community features from most important to least important. You might not find a neighbourhood that checks every single box, but you’ll have a much better idea what you’re willing to compromise on and what you can’t live without.
Investigate Edmonton real estate online
There are some great online resources available to help you with your Edmonton real estate search. You can see how different communities measure up in terms of safety, schools, and recreation from the comfort of your computer screen.
Here are a few sites to check out with helpful information you can use when searching real estate in Edmonton:
- yegishome.ca This site is owned and managed by the REALTORS® Association of Edmonton. Its community search function allows you to filter Edmonton neighbourhoods based on community scores across different criteria, such as family, safety services, recreation, and lifestyle. And community profiles include photos, a brief description, average listing price, average household income, and walkability and transit scores. Curious how Parkview stacks up against Lynnwood? Check it out and see for yourself!
- Crime Mapping. The Edmonton Police Service has a Neighbourhood Crime Mapping Website where you can select a neighbourhood and a date range, and it will show you where and when recent crimes occurred in the community.
- Top Schools. The Fraser Institute ranks all local elementary schools and high schools.
Do some groundwork
Once you have a few top contenders, take some time to really explore each community. Put a checklist together beforehand so you have notes to compare afterwards. Here’s a few things to look for:
- Do homeowners maintain their homes and yards?
- How well does the neighbourhood connect with amenities by car? By foot?
- Are there walking paths or trails?
- Is there a convenience store within walking distance?
- When you walk around, what do you hear? Can you hear freeway noise?
- Where are the main bus routes?
- Are there lots of quiet cul-de-sacs?
Check out community forums and survey current residents
Plenty of Edmonton neighbourhoods have community leagues or community Facebook groups that can connect you with current residents to ask them about their experiences living there. It’s always good to get a few testimonials from people before making a decision. And choosing a neighbourhood to move into is one of the biggest decisions you’ll make. Don’t rush it!
Consult a Realtor® who specializes in Edmonton real estate
Your Realtor® is like a matchmaker. A good one will help you find the best house in the best neighbourhood based on your specific needs and budget.
A Realtor® with years of experience helping people buy and sell real estate in Edmonton has seen it all! Local expertise and a solid understanding of market trends, and good ol’ customer service makes them a great resource to help with your home search from the very beginning. A good Realtor® will ask the right questions so that their advice is personalized with your priorities in mind. Don’t hesitate to ask us anything about Edmonton real estate! We’re here for you at all stages of the process, from community search to purchase.
With over 15 years of Edmonton real estate experience, Wally has helped many homeowners find the best Edmonton neighbourhood at every stage of their lives.
Have questions about a community? Connect with Wally or give him a call/text at 780.238.7384
Ready to start your search? Check out real estate listings in Edmonton now!