AFFORDABILITY NOT RARE HERE
Montrose, a master-planned community in High River, has plenty to offer for families
With Cody Edwards’ skills as a carpenter, buying and putting the work into improving an older home only made sense.
Cody and his wife Jocelyn’s previous home was a repossession purchased from the bank, which Cody renovated. With their daughter Emery, who is now 16 months old, they decided it was time for something with more space than their 1,300-square-foot bungalow, and considered a similar approach to buying their next home.
But the couple soon found they could afford a home that didn’t need Cody’s handiwork to get it to where they wanted it. The couple, who were raised in High River, saw what was offered in Montrose.
In the High River community, master-planned by Dream Development and a former winner of the Community of the Year-Calgary Region award, front-drive single-family homes are available through Homes by Dream from the $360,000s, including the lot and GST.
The couple purchased theirs, a four-bedroom home with a front attached, double-car garage, measuring 1,900 square feet.
Montrose’s single-family builder group also includes Ishaan Homes, Lifestyle Homes, and DS Homes. Stepper is selling townhomes from $270,000s and cottages from $230,000s, as well.
“It was kind of a no-brainer,” says Jocelyn, noting it made sense to buy a home for not much more than what it would have cost to buy an older home to re-do, while saving Cody the time it would take to do a renovation.
“It was really affordable to have a brand new home, and (it was) something he didn’t have to work on while we have a small child,” she adds.
Beyond that, the value was a rare find. In comparison, the benchmark resale price on single-family homes in Calgary last month was $497,000, says the Calgary Real Estate Board. This figure is a combined reflection of homes that have an attached garage, detached garage, and no garage.
“What I think is interesting about Montrose is it fulfils the need of someone wanting to own a large home — the Canadian dream home — front-drive, double-car garage, a nice, big yard, mountain views, backing on to water, amazing parks ... for an affordable price,” says Ryan Armstrong, vice-president of housing in Western Canada at Dream Unlimited.
The result has been successful. And along with drawing people from other parts of High River, Montrose has seen people from Calgary, Okotoks and Cochrane head south as well.
The drive from Calgary to High River offers “scenery that’s pretty special,” Armstrong says.
Then there’s the emergence of the burgeoning mixed-used district of Seton, which has been compared to the downtown of southeast Calgary and presents an employment hub that puts a high volume of jobs even closer to High River.
For the Edwards, leaving town, where they both have jobs, was never part of the conversation. Cody owns a carpentry business and Jocelyn works for the Town of High River.
“I couldn’t imagine if our situation was in the city what we would be looking at,” says Jocelyn, of the affordability. “I think it would be a lot more difficult to do in the city.”
This extends to the home’s specifications that Jocelyn says the couple was impressed to see as standard rather than an upgrade, such as their quartz kitchen counters.
“I love the finishes in our house,” Jocelyn says. “Everything is very modern. (In) our old house everything was wood, oak, an older style of home. So this was very fresh and modern.”
Four bedrooms was a nice touch, too, says Jocelyn, highlighting the potential for a boost in resale value.
“The master bedroom is my favourite because the closet is huge. And the ensuite, it’s got two sinks with a massive soaker tub and a standup shower.”
The main level is an open-concept design, which Jocelyn says will come in handy. She cites the example of cooking in the kitchen and still having eyes on and staying connected to Emery, as she plays in the adjacent great room.
Montrose, accessed from Fifth Street in High River, has a lot of younger families, says Jocelyn.
“You’re always hearing kids playing in their backyards, or they’re out on the streets, which is a really nice vibe,” she adds.
The Edwards family has two dogs and have found Montrose to be “very dog-friendly,” Jocelyn says, also noting the community’s appealing pathways and green space. It has amenities, too, with a Co-op grocery store, Canadian Tire, Mark’s Work Warehouse, restaurants, such as Mr. Mike’s, and a gym all a quick walk away.
“It’s not just our residents who are seeing High River as a positive place to be,” Armstrong says. “It’s major Canadian corporations, as well.”
High River holds a special place in Jocelyn’s heart. After graduating from high school, she left town to go to university, travelled and returned in 2013, which was the year parts of southern Alberta, including Calgary and High River, were hit by severe floods. “Since then I really felt the strongest sense of community that I have felt my whole life. After experiencing that and seeing the community thrive, I knew that I didn’t want to leave,” she says.