Plenty of reasons to head for The Hills
But it turned out there was more to Edmonton and Alberta than just the retail therapy.
Both found that they liked what the province had to offer.
“To be honest, we really loved living in Alberta,” said Rao. “It was our first time coming to the west; seeing the mountains.”
Amid some back and forth between Edmonton and Montreal — Rao had a year of university to finish, and his internship landed him a full-time job pending completion of his degree — the couple returned last summer and decided it was time to house hunt.
“We kind of looked everywhere,” said Rao. “One thing Séverine really wanted was a new build, a brand new place she can call hers.”
That new build almost landed them in Chappelle Gardens in the southwest but things didn't work out. But by chance they found something similar in The Hills at the end of last August, and by mid-November they took possession of Cantiro Homes' Tailored 18, a 1,450-square-foot townhome with three bedrooms and 2½ bathrooms.
The townhome's features include three floors of living space above ground, oversized windows on every level for natural light, an expansive second-level balcony with metal railings and a double car rear-attached garage. The townhomes are fully landscaped and have no condo fees.
Lee-Fun and Rao were drawn in by the size of the townhome as others they saw came in around 1,100 to 1,200 sq. ft. But that wasn't the only drawing card. In no particular order, they liked the double-car garage as others were single-car garages or had two tandem spots, there's a flex room on the main floor, which they've turned in a guest bedroom, and that these townhomes were not nestled together with other townhome buildings all around them. They also like The Hills' close proximity to the Anthony Henday.
“Everything here is perfect for us, it's just what we were looking for,” said Lee-Fun. “It almost feels like a single-family home,” added Rao.
LAST CHANCE
It was named Edmonton's best community in both 2022 and 2023, and The Hills is up for the award again for 2024 from the Canadian Homes Builders' Association Edmonton Region's Awards of Excellence in Housing.
Its Sustainability Plaza — the community's main park, which includes an ice ribbon, playground and salvaged-material warming huts — won the Royal Town Planning Institute International Award for Planning Excellence.
If you're interested in buying new at The Hills this could be your last chance. The community is now selling its final phase, said Etta Fung, Cantiro's area sales manager.
The townhomes, like the one bought by Lee-Fun and Rao, are quite popular, said Fung, noting they start at $380,000, including GST.
“The Hills is really reaching that 90 per cent completed mark,” said Fung, adding that Cantiro Homes only has a small number of homes left, though other builders would have a bit more inventory.