Calgary communities
Buying in East Calgary & International Avenue
Calgary’s most affordable established housing — and its best food, on 17th Avenue SE.
Older detached homes and bungalows from the 1950s–70s, plus a substantial stock of older apartment and townhouse condominium.
- Budget-conscious buyers
- First-time buyers
- Investors
- Renovators
Forest Lawn, Dover, Albert Park, Erin Woods, Applewood, Marlborough and Penbrooke make up east Calgary, and this is where the city’s most affordable established detached housing is. International Avenue along 17th Avenue SE has, genuinely, the best and most varied food in Calgary.
For a first-time buyer priced out of the inner city, or an investor looking at rental yield, the numbers here work in a way they do not elsewhere in Calgary.
What you trade for the price is housing stock age, and that shows up in the financing more than people expect.
Financing a home in East Calgary & International Avenue
Older homes carry insurance risk that becomes mortgage risk. Knob-and-tube and aluminum wiring, original galvanised or poly-B plumbing, oil tanks and aging roofs can all lead an insurer to decline or demand remediation — and since lenders require bindable insurance at funding, an uninsurable house is an unfundable one. Get an insurance quote during your condition period, not after. In older condo buildings, check the reserve fund study and any special assessment history for the same reason.
Ask me about East Calgary & International AvenueQuestions about East Calgary & International Avenue
What kind of homes are in East Calgary & International Avenue?
Older detached homes and bungalows from the 1950s–70s, plus a substantial stock of older apartment and townhouse condominium.
Who does East Calgary & International Avenue suit?
East Calgary & International Avenue tends to suit budget-conscious buyers, first-time buyers, investors, renovators. Calgary’s most affordable established housing — and its best food, on 17th Avenue SE.
Is there anything unusual about getting a mortgage in East Calgary & International Avenue?
Older homes carry insurance risk that becomes mortgage risk. Knob-and-tube and aluminum wiring, original galvanised or poly-B plumbing, oil tanks and aging roofs can all lead an insurer to decline or demand remediation — and since lenders require bindable insurance at funding, an uninsurable house is an unfundable one. Get an insurance quote during your condition period, not after. In older condo buildings, check the reserve fund study and any special assessment history for the same reason.