c/edmonton-real-estate

Looking back at how we used to find houses in Edmonton before the internet took over

I remember back in the late 90s, my wife and I would get the Edmonton Journal on Saturday and spend the whole morning circling listings in the real estate section with a red pen. We'd drive around for hours on Sunday, trying to find those houses just from the address and a tiny black and white photo. We missed so many good places because the paper only showed a fraction of what was out there. The big change hit around 2005 when Realtor.ca really got going and we could finally see pictures of every room online from our computer. It saved us weeks of driving all over Mill Woods and Clareview looking at duds. Now my kids are looking at 3D tours on their phones before they even think about leaving the house. Does anyone else miss the feel of those newspaper pages, or was it just a huge pain?

2 comments

emmafisher•1d ago

Shoutout to the older couple at the open house in Glenora

I was checking out a place on 102 Ave last weekend, convinced a full gut job was the only way to go. A couple who'd lived there for forty years told me they raised three kids in that 'outdated' layout and loved it. They said the neighborhood and the big yard mattered way more than an open concept. It made me realize I've been too focused on trendy renos instead of what actually makes a house a home. Anyone else find themselves rethinking what's important in a property?

2 comments

james661•2d ago

I just saw a house in Oliver sell for $50k over asking

It was a 2-bedroom walk-up listed at $325k. I've been watching that area for a year and that kind of jump is new to me. Are we seeing a real shift in the central core market?

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claireg81•3d ago

Can we talk about the city's permit office for basement suites?

I submitted plans for a legal basement suite in my Bonnie Doon bungalow last March, and the approval just came through last week, a full 14 months later. The hold-up was a back-and-forth over window egress sizes that took three separate review cycles to get right. Has anyone else had a specific city requirement stall their project for over a year?

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michael_bell•3d ago

Student Works vs Millcreekpainters?

Prepping a rental property in south Edmonton for sale. I got a cheap quote from Student Works and a slightly higher one from Millcreekpainters. Is the quality difference worth the extra money for a house I'm just going to sell anyway?

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