EDMONTON PEOPLE...i need your help with realestate!
 

i know this is offtopic but i need your input. Bryce and i are looking at purchasing a condo near 109 AVE and 161 ST. Has anybody heard good/bad news in this area? I believe it's Mayfield area. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE let me know because I wouldnt want to park my baby outside if it's scary ...let alone dying in bed cause some physho ass killa came and stabbed me with a blunt butter knife. :thumbs do

*laffs* SPAGETTI NOODLE TO THE RESCUE! thanks richard great idea! we're checking it out tonite *stomach does a turn* man buying a place is more nerve racking that i thought!:nod:

Hi Danielle

Congrats on your new home. Don't know if you can swing it but you should look at getting a home inspection done before you sign. This way, the seller can fix stuff or reduce the price for any major things.

As for that area, it probably does not matter where you live, okay I take that back, maybe 95th street down town would be kinda rough. What I mean to say is that if someone wants to come in they are going to do so.

I totally agree with Chris on the home inspection. It will probably cost you between 200-250 (I think this is about what we paid). You don't have to have it done before you make an offer, just make that a condition of the sale.

A home inspection will at the very least help you determine if you are going into a place that is going to need work. It isn't an insurance policy. The inspector has no legal responsibility. Just make sure that you are there when the inspection is being done.

My wife and I bought a condo almost 2 years ago, I learned a LOT. Get a good real estate agent and a good lawyer (I can give you refrences)...make sure both have condo experience, because it isn't the same as buying a house. There are several things you could get saddled with if you aren't paying attention. Being that paranoid sort I am I took a course about buying and living in a condo before we started looking. Opened my eyes to a lot of things you wouldn't think of. Your real estate agent (if he/she is any good) should get a lot of the information you need, and the lawyer should fill the gaps...but be educated.

Just after we bought our condo new laws came into effect about windows and door. Before it was up to the condo board (corporation) to decide if the board or the owners were responsible for window replacement. NOW it is by law (there are SOME exceptions) that the condo corporation be responsible for windows and doors. What does this mean? Most 20-30 year old condos are going to need these replaced. There is a good chance that the condo board will have a special assesment in place (probably from $2000-$5000) that the owners will have to pay. So beware of this. The seller (or his agent) is under no obligation to tell you if there is an assesment due. And when you transfer the title of the property into your name you will be responsible for this as well as any other fees that are due (condo fees that haven't been paid).

Get a copy of the condo corps. bylaws that you are interested in and READ READ READ. These bylaws are binding. If they say no pets, that means no pets. Understand what you are buying into. You can also make this a condition of the offer. Another condition we put in (our agent suggested this) was offer condition to parents approval. That way you can back out of the deal very easily if you want to.

If you guys have any questions let me know, I just bought one of these and did a shit load of home work, I'm also a board member now and was on our window replacement committee.

Condos are great, they just aren't for everyone.

**whew**

Jay

PS-to your original question check this document out. It is statistics by neighborhood in Edmonton. http://www.police.edmonton.ab.ca/Pag...dcrime2001.pdf

It can make a difference which part of the city you live in. Example:
Keheewin:
Population = 3130
B&E Residential = 7
Theft = 69
Vehicle Theft = 7

Take a similar population in Delwood (where ever that is)
Population = 3505
B&E Residential = 48
Theft = 73
Vehicle Theft = 24


Theft includes things like shop lifting and posession of stolen goods.

Take a look at the document and make your own conclusions.