c/edmonton-real-estate

14

the_beth•1h ago

Warning: our furnace died at -25C and we almost had pipes burst

Woke up last Thursday to a freezing house. Thermostat said 8 degrees. Old Lennox unit finally gave out after 22 years. Had to call an emergency HVAC guy at 2am who charged $450 just to show up. Ended up replacing the whole thing for $4800. Not the way I wanted to spend my house fund. Anyone else deal with a surprise furnace replacement in the middle of winter?

14

henry_moore55•18h ago

Small win today, that agent fee advice was dead wrong

A buddy in the business told me to always offer buyer agents 2.5% or you'd never get showings. I tested that theory on a duplex near Kingsway last month, dropped it to 2%. Got 4 showings in the first weekend, two offers. One guy even waived the inspection. So much for that old rule.

1

bettyk53•19h ago

Just realized I was pricing my house wrong for 2 years because of the basement

I was watching a video from a local agent about how finished basements don't add value dollar for dollar like main floor space does. I had mine listed at $50k over what similar homes without finished basements were going for. No wonder I got lowball offers every time. Anyone else figure this out the hard way?

4

nina_clark•20h ago

Walked a buyer through a South Edmonton duplex vs a single-family detached and the numbers were eye-opening

I showed a couple two properties last week in Ellerslie - a 2021 duplex for $375k and a 1980s bungalow with updates for $415k. The condo fees on the duplex plus the lack of yard actually made the older house the better deal after we ran 5-year costs. Anybody else finding that new builds aren't always cheaper long-term?

1

ericp67•1d ago

Pro tip: check your sump pump before a big storm hits

My basement flooded last Tuesday after that heavy rain because the sump pump failed and I didn't catch it. Anyone else had a sudden pump die on them without warning?

32

claire64•1d ago

Offers 20k over asking but still losing bids in Edmonton

Been looking in the Rutherford area for 3 months now and lost out on 4 houses already. Just had an offer rejected on a 4 bed on Rutherford Rd where we went 22k over list price and still got beat by someone who waived all conditions. Is anyone else in this price range ($450k-$500k) seeing offers going that crazy, or am I just unlucky with the houses I pick?

27

taraw16•2d ago

Back in 2005 I picked a fixer-upper over a brand new build

Went with a 1950s bungalow in Garneau instead of a new duplex in the burbs. Spent $15k on knob and tube replacement first year. But I love the hardwood floors and original tile. Anyone else take the old route and regret it or not?

13

ericp67•5d ago

The moment I figured out I was overpricing my duplex in Oliver

I had my duplex listed at $450k for 3 months with zero bites until a buddy who sells downtown showed me comparables from that exact block - I was 40 grand above market the whole time. Anyone else ever miss obvious pricing clues because you were too attached to your own place?

30

brookep62•7d ago

Serious question, has anyone else noticed the lack of parking near that new infill development on 118 Ave?

I walked by the site on Saturday and counted maybe 6 parking spots for 20 new units. How are families supposed to manage with that little space?

7

roberts.jordan•8d ago

That condo fee disclosure trick saved me at a showing yesterday

I was checking out a 2-bedroom near Whyte Ave and the seller's agent tried to brush past the reserve fund study (you know, the boring part). I asked to see it anyway and found out they've been underfunding it by about $40k for the last 3 years. Has anyone else had a listing agent get weird when you dig into the financials?

21

wren826•8d ago

My neighbor's house sat empty for 6 months before selling... the before and after was wild

There's a house down the block from me in Old Strathcona that was listed for almost half a year. Looked totally fine from the curb but just sat there. Then last month a new agent put up a sign and it sold in 10 days. I finally asked the buyer what happened and he said the old agent had it priced $60k too high and was using terrible photos. Makes me wonder how many other homes are just sitting because of bad marketing.

23

patriciam22•11d ago

Just realized zoning bylaws in Edmonton can kill a deal before you even make an offer

Was looking at a duplex in Oliver last week and the realtor casually mentioned the lot was zoned RF1 instead of RF3. Turns out that means you can't do any kind of secondary suite without a huge variance fight. Wish I knew that 3 showings ago. Has anyone else run into a surprise zoning issue after thinking a place was perfect?

8

the_mary•12d ago

My open house disaster last Saturday in Glenora

I held an open house in Glenora last weekend and it was a total washout. We had 12 groups show up in the first hour which sounds great, but 8 of them were just nosy neighbors who had no intention of buying. One lady actually asked me if she could use the bathroom because she was walking her dog nearby. I spent the whole time answering questions about the neighborhood instead of talking about the actual house. Has anyone else dealt with this kind of crowd at an open house?

23

ryan_clark40•12d ago

Hit 50 showings on a single listing in Edmonton and nobody called me crazy

Everyone in my office said I was wasting my time pricing a duplex in Mill Woods at 10k over what the comps suggested. After 50 showings and 3 open houses, I got an offer 15k over asking last week. The buyers said they just needed time to find the right one, not a lower price. Has anyone else seen a listing take forever to sell but still beat the market?

7

taylor_flores•14d ago

Just realized I was overpricing my duplex for 8 months straight

I had this 2-bedroom duplex in Mill Woods listed at $389k and couldn't figure out why nobody was biting. Kept dropping the price by $5k every few weeks but still no offers. My realtor kept saying the market was slow but turns out she was just being nice. Last month a buyer's agent flat out told me my place was competing with newer builds in Summerside for the same price. That's when it hit me - I was pricing based on what I wanted to get, not what the actual comps said. Checked recent sales within 2 blocks and saw similar units going for $355k max. Dropped it to $349k last Tuesday and had 3 showings in 2 days. Anyone else have a moment where your realtor just went along with your bad pricing instead of being straight with you?

7

valsullivan•15d ago

Showed a house in Strathcona yesterday and the buyer's kid said something I'll never forget

I was showing a 3-bedroom bungalow near 104 Street and this maybe 8-year-old kid walks into the living room and goes 'this house feels like a hug.' His mom laughed but honestly she put in an offer an hour later. Has anyone else had a client's kid totally sell them on a place without meaning to?

10

cameron_owens49•15d ago

Wasted $800 on a home inspection that missed everything

Bought a house in Mill Woods last spring and the inspector said the roof was fine. Six months later I find out there's three layers of shingles underneath and water damage in the attic. Has anyone else dealt with inspectors who just rush through it?

29

ericschmidt•17d ago

Paid $500 for a pre-inspection on a house that fell through

Hired a guy last month to do a pre-offer inspection on a bungalow near Whyte Ave, cost me $500 out of pocket. The sellers accepted another offer before I even got the report back. Anyone else thrown cash at inspections that went nowhere?

1

beth_hart68•1mo ago

That conversation with the inspector about foundation cracks changed my whole approach

I was talking to a home inspector in Mill Woods last week and he said 90% of the hairline cracks he sees are just settlement, not structural issues. Has anyone else found themselves overthinking these things after buying their first place?

2

evan_stone•1mo ago

Just realized the old water heater in my fixer-upper was costing me $40 extra a month

I bought a 1950s bungalow near Whyte Ave last spring and finally got around to checking the utility bills. The water heater was from 1998 and I figured it was fine since it still worked. After 6 months of high gas bills I had a plumber look at it and he said the insulation was basically shot. Replaced it with a new energy star model last week and my first bill dropped by $40. Has anyone else seen big savings from swapping out old appliances in their Edmonton home?

1

taylor82•1mo ago

Guy at the open house insisted the neighborhood was 'up and coming' for 15 years

I went to check out a listing in the north end near Clareview last weekend, nothing fancy just a 3 bed bungalow. There was this older dude chatting up potential buyers, straight up said the area was 'starting to turn around' and would be prime real estate in 5 years. I've been hearing that exact same line about that pocket of Edmonton since I moved here in 2018. He was pointing at a new convenience store like it was proof of a boom, meanwhile the school down the street has been on the closure watchlist for 2 years. Felt like he was reading from a rehearsed script instead of being real about the traffic or the bus routes that barely run. Has anyone else run into agents who hype up a neighborhood that's been on the edge of 'gentrifying' for a decade?

34

aaron_ellis42•1mo ago

Warning: That south-facing window upstairs turned my office into a greenhouse by 2 PM this August

I moved into a condo on Whyte Avenue in June and didn't think twice about the big west-facing windows until my electric bill hit $340 last month from running the AC nonstop - has anyone here tried those reflective window films from Home Depot or are they just a waste of $50?

15

eva_ward88•1mo ago

Got burned by a missing disclosure on a duplex in Sherwood Park

I was looking at a duplex off Baseline Road last week and the seller's realtor didn't mention the basement had a history of flooding until I asked about a weird stain. Turns out there were two insurance claims in the last five years that never showed up on the standard disclosure form. Has anyone else run into hidden issues like this when buying in Edmonton?

17

xenarobinson•1mo ago

The time a home inspector told me my light fixtures were 'screaming bad energy'

During a showing in Fort Saskatchewan last spring, an older home inspector pulled me aside and said my recessed lighting installs were 'screaming bad energy' because the trim rings weren't flush. I was so annoyed at first, but then I realized he was right about the gaps probably causing drafts and bugs. Since that day, I always double-check the trim rings sit perfectly flush before listing a place. It's a small thing, but it made my photos look way cleaner and buyers actually comment on it now. Has anyone else gotten oddly specific feedback that stuck with you?

18

abby_henderson•1mo ago

Overheard a realtor mention 'the good old days' of Edmonton listings

I was grabbing coffee at that place on Whyte Ave near 104th Street and heard an agent telling a client how houses used to sit for weeks with multiple showings back in 2018. Made me think about how fast things move now, stuff is gone in a weekend if it's priced right. Anyone else notice the vibe change around here since the pandemic?