For anyone looking to buy an affordable condo in Calgary, now is the time, with a variety of both townhome- and apartment-style units available for $250,000 or less throughout much of the city.

Special assessments, condo fees, reserve funds – the finances involved with buying and maintaining a condo can be overwhelming.

Judy Feng, staff lawyer with the Centre for Public Legal Education Alberta (CPLEA), says inquiries about finances account for the largest portion of questions her organization receives. CPLEA developed the plain-language Condo Law for Albertans website to help Albertans demystify the legal intricacies of condo purchasing and ownership.

New communities are sprouting up in all four corners of the quaint mountain town of Cochrane to meet rising demand for a range of housing types and lifestyles.

Marda Loop – the popular business district that unites the inner-city neighbourhoods of Altadore and South Calgary – has become a go-to address for new condo development, including two recently launched projects that are now under construction.

The stacked-townhome-style Marlo and apartment-style Mantra are two of the newest developments banking on the charms of an area awash in walkable amenities, from restaurants, pubs and grocery stores to more than 100 upscale boutiques.

With housing affordability continuing to be a major concern these days, particularly due to the mortgage stress test, you would think that the lower-priced options in the condo segment would benefit. However, that has not been the case in the Calgary resale housing market, where sales numbers and prices continue to suffer.

The reason for this is simple – an oversupply of properties for sale.

Surrounded by the heart of downtown Calgary to the west, parks and pathways to the east, and Stampede Park to the south is the tower of glass and striking geometric angles that is Verve.

While Calgary's Downtown West End has not seen much updating in the last three decades, plans for revitalization are underway.

In two short months, Sodo Residences has 31 per cent of its luxury rental apartments occupied and 40 per cent of the 305 units already leased.