New Homes for Sale in Calgary

New construction in Calgary

New homes for sale in Calgary range from homes under construction in growing communities on the city’s edges, to finished show homes and spec homes, to infill homes on lots in established areas. Systems and finishes are fresh when you buy new, but life in a brand-new community is not the same as moving into an established one. These are the things Kelly helps buyers check.

Where new homes are built

The City of Calgary plans new communities around its perimeter, so most new construction is in developing areas on the north, northeast, southeast, south and west edges. For an overview, see our new communities page; to compare amenities and commutes, use our area pages for north Calgary, southeast Calgary, south Calgary and surrounding areas like Cochrane and Airdrie. Infill homes appear in older inner-city neighbourhoods, where one lot may be redeveloped into a new detached home, a semi-detached pair or a row of townhomes.

What gets built

• Detached homes form much of any new community, from homes with an attached front garage to homes with a rear lane and detached garage.
• Townhomes and semi-detached homes tend to sit near main roads, community entrances and future shops or transit routes.
• Apartment-style condos are added to new areas over time, often close to a commercial centre, and appear in infill projects nearer downtown.

To see which suits the way you live, compare condos, detached homes and townhomes.

Services usually arrive later

Homes generally come first in a new community, with services following. The City says it times new community infrastructure and services to development. Avenue Calgary reported that homes can fill in years before schools, transit and recreation services arrive, and that bigger City facilities like recreation centres, libraries and regional parks often open many years after a community breaks ground. Developers generally build the local parks, pathways and roads, and land is reserved for future school sites and green space. Before buying, find out where the closest bus route, school, grocery store and recreation centre are now — not only what the community plan shows.

Schools in a new community

The Calgary Board of Education (CBE) and the Calgary Catholic School District (CSSD) are Calgary’s two public school boards, and each designates students to a school by home address and program. Where a new community has no school of its own, students are designated to schools elsewhere, sometimes some distance away. The CBE explains that yellow bus service starts only after streets are safe, clear and maintained by the City. Until that happens, bus stops may be in a nearby community, and Calgary Transit begins serving a new area once it meets the City’s infrastructure guidelines. New schools opening can change designations, so confirm the current one for the exact address. Our schools page has more.

Getting to work

Because bus service follows the build-out of a community’s streets, early residents usually drive or use a park-and-ride. Before choosing a lot, check how far you are from a Red or Blue Line CTrain station or a MAX bus rapid transit stop, and try your commute at rush hour.

Before you sign with a builder

The builder usually writes its own purchase agreement. Get a lawyer to review it before it goes firm, and ask:

• which items are standard and which count as upgrades
• how the possession date can shift, and what happens if it does
• how the walkthrough works and how deficiencies are recorded and fixed
• who is responsible for landscaping, fencing and the driveway
• whether there is a homeowners association for the area, and what it maintains
• what is planned for nearby empty lots, such as shops, schools or more homes

For a house, ask if a Real Property Report will be supplied; the Alberta Land Surveyors’ Association explains that an RPR shows where the house, garage, fences and decks sit relative to the property lines. If you would prefer not to wait for a build, a recently built home in an established part of a new community could suit you. Read our move-in ready homes page, and ask Kelly for current new homes for sale in Calgary.

Want to compare areas? Browse all 219 Calgary communities, or read about choosing a Calgary realtor.