I work from home in GTA Ontario, earn in USD, but it leaves very little in my pocket with the rents / insurance / costs here in Ontario. For young, single, or immigrant folks, many of us can't even think about ever owning a house. This has made me reconsider where I am in life. And my options right now is go to Alberta, and actually be able to see a future / afford a house / bare minimums in life; or move back to India, get a luxury condo for only about ~150k (parents just bought one), and live like a king, albeit less organization, fewer facilities & infrastructure. I'm an introvert, work from home, and enjoy being at home, so it really doesn't matter where I am. Live is too short for me to slave away the way I am right now. After 11 years being in Toronto, I feel like the premiums you're paying for the city life is catering to extroverts (those who want the night life, events, city) and those working in Toronto, if neither apply to you, you're paying those premiums for nothing, and should probably consider Alberta.
Oh wow. What a story! If you’re ever out our way, we’d love to help you find the perfect place here or even just connect! Thank you for watching and commenting!
In 2005 I lost my job in Calgary and I went to Toronto for 6 months. I loved the city but even then I was unable to find a place for my big family, compared to what I already had in Calgary. Obviously I returned to Calgary. Toronto is amazing, but there are so many sacrifices involved that at the end of the day, is not worthy. Calgary is beautiful, and the mountains are spectacular but if we loose the affordability, then it won't be more attractive than Toronto or Vancouver.
We hear what you’re saying. However if you have a home in Calgary, it will be increasing with the market and there’s a long way to go until we reach the 70-80% affordability indexes that they have according to the RBC Affordability index.
I visited Toronto this week after 6 long years. My favorite bar now has a homeless hotel next to it. It seems like Toronto cares more about the homeless than people that actually pay the taxes (not saying homeless people should not be helped but there needs to be priorities). I am currently living in sunless vancouver where the city is handing out free heroin. These two are the catalysts for me moving to Calgary. One of the things that attract me to Calgary is the simple life of the people there. They work hard and raise a family with no BS exactly the people I want as my neighbors. Can wait to move here in the fall!
Welcome to Calgary!!! If you ever want to chat more or if there’s any way we can help grab a time to ☎️ here 👉 calendly.com/chamberlain-real-estate-group/15-min-call
My wife and I moved to Calgary in January. Best decision we ever made. Albeit we did live her once before, we knew the lay of the land, and neighbourhoods etc. The house we bought in the neighbourhood we got it in, would equal $1m or more in Toronto
We moved to Calgary from Toronto for the same reasons in 2021 plus we wanted to live in a smaller city where communities are very close and people value each other, now we have a house in NW and our parents love this city. For me, even if Toronto houses gets cheaper, I would probably stay in Calgary. It's really good city for a family.
Comparing Calgary and Toronto is weird to me, One city is your typical north american car centric city design and one city is urbanite friendly. The walkability and access to streetcars/Subway/Metro make Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver worth living in, In Toronto I live car free which saves tons of money. I lived in Calgary for 2 months and it was very hard to live without driving, the public transit is terrible and seems to be for lower class in Calgary, The core is not dense enough for livability, most people commute to the centre from suburbs. In cities like Toronto for example everyone lives in the core and the core is HUGE (Old Toronto) which creates infinite blocks of density (Grocery stores, public spaces, pubs, shops, entertainment, cafes, markets, convenient stores, and so on) In Calgary the only areas that feel like a fraction of that would be 17th ave, 8th ave, and Kensington which you could walk through in like 20 mins no exaggeration. In Toronto people live east to west on Lawrence, Eglinton, St Clair, Dupont, Bloor Danforth, College Dundas, Queen, King and so on, with many areas having pre zoning laws, so you get so many amenities and all connected to subway stations and streetcar stations, this is way beyond anything Calgary can keep up with. Lots of people think Toronto is the CN Tower and Dundas square but I am talking about the beautiful livable neighbourhoods like, St Clair west, Little Italy, Greektown, The beaches, Queen West, Midtown, UpTown, High Park, Korea Town, Korea Town North, Liberty Village, Little Portugal, Roncesvalles, Cabbage Town, Riverdale, Mount pleasant and way more! Same goes with Montreal, it doesn't matter what street you are on you can live without a car because everything is walking distance to you with great amenities and metro stations. In Calgary roads are wide and sidewalks are mainly empty, The city feels cold for urbanites and more like a city built for truck drivers. So it just doesn't make sense to compare Toronto with Calgary when each are designed so differently, I would compare Calgary with cities like Mississauga, Hamilton, or Ottawa, Those cities are built very car centric, similar to Calgary and when comparing to those cities, Calgary looks more appealing. Calgary only wins in housing prices when compared to Toronto.
Appreciate the content here and thoughtful response. I believe what makes the video as well as your comments great is that they are both right. Many people are living in Toronto or GTA and aren’t finding it working for their lifestyle so are now comparing the two cities to each other… but in reality, you are also correct that they are so different, which they are. Calgary isn’t for everyone and their lifestyle, but neither is Toronto. Don’t get me wrong, the times I, Jared here, have spent in Toronto have been amazing and I love it. But I could never call it home and make a move there.
I agree the videos have been crazy helpful…I’ve already reached out to you and you’ve sent a link to get things started with Chamberlain group…we’re coming in July to explore
Moved to Airdrie from Toronto two months ago. Paid less than half for a house here than what I would have for the similar one in GTA. Clarity and commitment are what you need. Bought a house totally online, never visited until the possession day. Love it here.
Nice video. We bought a single family detached home last year in Cambridge Ontario (1.5 hours from Toronto). It’s amazing to see that what you can get in Calgary at fraction of price one pays in GTA. Now we are really considering moving to Calgary. Just waiting for a good time to sell and move. Please let me know if there is a way I can learn more about the neighborhoods of Calgary. Also, what are the good neighborhoods that are in north west overlooking the mountains ??
Just don't expect job security. Got laid off working at ATCO Electric after 15 years. $18,000 paid for union dues for nothing. All it got me was paid off student loans I needed to get the job. And not even half way through a mortgage. $95,000 paid in interest to the bank so far. Now I live paycheck to paycheck.
I am literally in the same place as these two folks! Just listed my house for sale in Toronto and probably coming over in April, do you know where the best place to search for month to month rentals would be? Thanks!
Hello. We will have a video coming out shortly about this actually but if you google calgary rentals you will be able to find some of the top sites for listings. If you want to discuss areas or options in purchasing please reach out. We’d be glad to help. Grab a time to ☎️ here 👉 calendly.com/chamberlain-real-estate-group/15-min-call
I moved to Airdrie in 2022, came back for work in October. Now I’m moving back to Airdrie in March 2023. I realized coming back for work purpose wasn’t worth it.
@@ChamberlainGroup I meant to say, moving back to Toronto wasn’t worth it because of traffic. I lived in Airdrie since March 2022 to October 2022. I came back to Toronto for workk thinking lets make a move for better work but I realized living better is more important than work. I lived in GTA more or less 12 years.
It's definitely nice to have most of your daily needs within 10 minutes drive in a smallish town such as Airdrie 😊😊😊 not to mention a more reasonable price for the houses 😅
I have a question... What are the mosquitoes like in the summer time there? I grew up in Manitoba and they were horrendous! Now I'm in British Columbia and we enjoy for the most part mosquito free summers.
What company should you go with when moving shipping your car that’s reliable and safe? There a lot of scamming companies out there? Im moving from Toronto to Calgary in a couple months.
Thanks for the comment. Did you work with our team to buy here in Calgary? We are just finishing up a report for our clients that has some of that info in it.
Pretty much the same story here. But we even purchased our 1st home online when we were in Toronto! It's so wild to buy a home online without even being there for a second!
@@ChamberlainGroup silly question/scenario..been through Calgary a number times, would like to buy, but unsure of where…would be better to live/rent there for a few months prior to buying….any ideas, or thoughts?
@@lhenry1693 if you send an email to us at info@chamberlaingroup.ca we can sort out a time to discuss this more. However, visiting the city and spending time driving around and seeing homes as well as talking to us to help put a strategy together is key. And yes renting for a couple of months can be a good idea too prior to buying.
Great conversation but I really cannot relate to this couple. Curious if there's any experience with a Canadian family, with two or three children, that made the big move out West.
Hello… we have helped families like this so if you are wanting to discuss it further grab a time to ☎️ here 👉 calendly.com/chamberlain-real-estate-group/15-min-call
Understandable. You’re right, we didn’t have kids when we made the move out west, but we did do so with the intent of starting a family (we have a 3 week old girl now!) But I agree, making a move with existing children would be way different to our move.
Hello there, does Calgary has the capacity to handle the new movers? Is the government aware? I see lots of people coming to Calgary from every angle. My family is one of them.
They mentioned in the video about banks requiring you to have employment in Calgary. Do you know of any lenders that will approve a mortgage based on income from another province?
Thanks for watching and commenting. It truly depends on your situation. They could. If you'd like to get connected to a mortgage broker that can help sort this out just email info@chamberlaingroup.ca
You can definitely get approved for a mortgage even if you are employed in another province. They only require you to get a letter from your employer stating that you living in Calgary will not affect the terms of your employment. So basically as long as your employer is okay with you relocating to Calgary, the banks are good with it. Hope this helps!
i am eyeing Alberta for a long time now and currently living in Windsor. I will be starting a new job the coming monday for an Edmonton based tech company(remote). Absolutely thinking of moving now! How is Airdrie compared to Calgary or Edmonton? Is it cheaper and can one commute to either of those cities if one is supposed to be in the office 1-2 days/week? thanks
Great question. Airdrie to Edmonton would still be about 2.5 hours one way. So it could work. Airdrie has been more affordable but the prices there lately have some homes selling at par with Calgary. But, once your in Airdrie, everything you need is there and no need to go to Calgary to get what you need. So if that’s what you’re looking for, it could be a great option.
if something is cheap....then there is reason you save 10y over there...your mid toronto(very nice forest hill) house up 1 year.. if you move ontario to alberta....then you will experience "culture shock" that is sad realty...
No doctor over here … but … weather changes can bring in headaches for some who live here. Not sure how bad yours are or what brings them on so really hard to say.
Hello i wanna ask a question, I'm at my last year of study (12 th grade) can I continue my last year in calgary? And sencond is it easy to find jobs for immigrants (I'm from ukraine) and what is the minimum wage?.
@@ChamberlainGroup 😂😂😂 I like it, we have a lot of exploring to do…we’re pretty keen on Cochrane after the sale of our house here in Brampton (GTA) we should have about 600k to spend and we’re looking to stay under that so we can live the rest of our lives Mortgage free at 41 and 36 years old…But y’all gave me your contact I will message soon, we’re coming in July
In the same boat as this couple.. Can relate to them.. all relevant question, as if you read my mind.. great video, probably one of the best u posted..will it be possible to reach out this couple to understand more
That is good to know cause people told me a lot about racism in Calgary and I’m an immigrant so that is a dealbreaker for me specially because of my kids. Thnks it is too good to know it is not true.
@@stephanyvaldes5254 Calgary is definitely not racist. Their current mayor is an Indian woman so that says a lot! The people who say Calgary is racist is usually pretty intolerant themselves. Living in Vancouver now, I find people are rude and stuck up. They don't talk about race but if you disagree with their progressive ideologies, you will be cast aside or cancelled. I'm a racial minority in Canada and I am trying to move to Calgary by the fall. In fact I got a job interview lined up this week. If all goes well, I will be in the land of maximum sunshine and friendly people soon!
We moved from Toronto to Calgary and now Edmonton. It always shocks us how affordable things are in both of these cities. We are so grateful having so much more disposable income now available that we can actually enjoy life. In Toronto we found we were spending everything on just a house. I will never go back to Toronto
Ya actually i went to calgary 2 weeks ago to see things for myself...i ended up buying a 10 years old detached 3000 sf for 700k in SE cranston area. Calgary looked busier than mississauga actually nice wide highways and houses worth that money. In mississauga its like you are buying old broken chips at a casino. Definitely calgary is gonna boom big time this year
@@bbfloors1903 hi, how is the ROI I am considering that as well. If I can't buy in Toronto, why not buy at Calgary. Does the numbers add up? Do you get anything after paying your estate managers, mortgage etc.
When we speak to people/friends living in other provinces, 8 out 10 have the same point that Calgary/Edmonton are still oil dependent economies. However on youtube you pick any video…everyone speaks about all the stuff but nobody speaks about impact of oil and gas. Probably thats the reason as vaneet said most people are reluctant to make decision to move to calgary.
Many people who don't live here are miss informed with what it's actually like. The stories we've heard of what they thought Calgary was going to be like were crazy. Everything from it's a ghost town from the oil boom to there aren't any people and it's a big flat agricultural sprawl. Both are FAR from the truth!
I agree. The guy saying Forest Hill older homes are 30 years old? No. Try close to 100 years old. Large homes, beautiful back yards, and quite central. The comparison would be Mount Royal in Calgary.
New subscriber and I loved the conversation. Also in Toronto and prices here are way too high. We are expecting a baby early June & looking forward to move as well.
After living in Toronto for 12 years ... me and my girlfriend decided to move to chestemere... we bought a home and will be moving there in about 4 months
If "Calgary is a driving city", and I don't drive, is it a bad idea to move to Calgary? Toronto is stupidly expensive, but the transit system is decent.
Not at all. Many people live inner city and can use transit, Uber and other ways to get around. If you ever want to chat more grab a time to ☎️ here 👉 calendly.com/chamberlain-real-estate-group/15-min-call we can help sort out and show you some areas that could work for you.
I know this video is on moving to Calgary but I wonder if you have any thoughts on Edmonton or advice? I'm thinking about a move to either Calgary or Edmonton but just trying to weigh the pros and cons of each. I have a friend in Edmonton, which would definitely be a plus but wondering if you could refer to any resources or unbiased sources that would help in this decision making.
Hi Annie, this is a great question. As I’ve never helped anyone buy a home in Edmonton and I’m born and raised in Calgary, I’ll always say Calgary is amazing. If you wanted to have a chat about it just let us know. We could guide you to some amazing agents in Edmonton that you can chat with too. Just DM us on socials or email me at info@chamberlaingroup.ca. -Jared
@@ChamberlainGroup Great, thank you! I actually reached out to my friend who lives there and she referred me to her agent for Edmonton. Totally didn't think of that! 🤦♀But I'll be in touch if I need help in Calgary. Thanks!
Forest Hill is MUCH older than 20-30 years. Lol . Also looking at listings is great but I found that checking the address through Google Earth gave me a chance to drive down the street , check out the routes and the neighbourhoods too and actually see the house that wasn't just a posted " perfect" sales picture.
You’re right, I really didn’t realize how old Forest Hill was lol. 100% you should do everything you can to get a feel for the place, including driving around virtually. Even better if you can make a short trip to the city and physically drive around.
Incase you want to look: www.google.com/search?q=ny+style+pizza+calgary&rlz=1CDGOYI_enCA677US677&oq=ny+style+&aqs=chrome.2.69i57j0i131i433i512j0i512j46i512j0i512l2.7460j0j4&hl=en-US&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8
I wonder if the couple was working for one of the major 5 banks. As I work in IT as well, my manager/colleagues/office is actually located in new york and I work in Toronto with only online contact with my direct team. I have a hard time convincing them that Calgary would be a life-changing move for my family and me.
+Macxspeed I have spoken to multiple people in exactly your situation who work at the banks and it’s 100% virtual. Show them this live video we did on Facebook: facebook.com/ChamberlainGroup/videos/806029553683577/ it shows how unaffordable GTA is.
I work for one of the big 5 banks in Toronto, though in Finance, not IT. I basically told them I’m moving to Calgary because I just bought a house there, and my manager was ok with it. Given this job market, they don’t want to lose any employee just due to relocation. It’s hard to hire right now, and if they do hire someone new, they would need to pay a lot more.
I moved to Calgary from Toronto, I love my life here. My commute is 15 mins. It's 1hour30 mins form any direction to beautiful nature. I love how friendly everyone is, and how much money I save on gas ;)
Same story here, I work in tech and wanted to move to Calgary, and I don't know anyone, RU-vid and google helped a lot. in the end, I booked a flight and went to Calgary for the first time back in September 2021.I rented a car for a week, went over all different parts of the city, and had a sense of the new developments and older homes close to the downtown area, and went to Airdrie as well. I bought a house in the south end of the city and looking to move next summer. There is a stigma in Ontario that Calgary as a city is trash, very cold, and has no jobs to the point that some people even said that Calgary is not a bicycle-friendly city which is complete nonsense. This stigma happened after the oil prices went down and there was massive unemployment in Alberta, and lots of people went to Ontario for work. The real state market doesn't want you to move to another place; they want you to stick around and take 1.5 million mortgages for 30 + homes. I think moving works for you if you are single or have small family, once you establish a family would be much harder with schools and everything else.
Same stigma here in Vancouver too! When I say I want to move to Calgary to raise the family, their reaction is either if I scored a half million dollar job or something happend to my family lol
I'm from Morocco and planing to move to canada, calgary to be more specific Any suggestions about a neighborhood to rent as a start for a new cummer ? Like a place affordable with a' easy commute to the core
Very very nice and clear information in this video as I’ll be moving from Toronto to Calgary towards the end of the year. Please can you share the information of the train service that you used to ship your car? Thanks 😊
@Home Dream Home proof is in the word of mouth. Honestly. From what I’ve heard from the perception of what Calgary is, meaning an old dirty ghost town, it’s nothing like that. 😂
Absolutely not. Last year i was golfing from April - Nov. Our winters can have cold snaps in January and February, and this year late December but they only last 2 weeks max. Right now its 4 degrees out and sunny. Its gorgeous. Perfect for winter sports out in the mountains.