On Oct. 17 cannabis will become legal across Canada. However, the reality of legalization for many Calgarians who rent or own in multi-family buildings or condominiums might be completely different from that of a single-family homeowner.

For Mariah Wilson, Calgary's Kensington neighbourhood was a special place when she was growing up. So it's no surprise the 22-year-old university student – who is currently completing her urban planning degree – was one of the first to buy into Minto Communities' the Annex project.

For some, having too many options can be overwhelming. But for homebuyers who revel in choice and opportunities for customization, the pre-construction condo might be the ideal fit.

The Annex
Developer: Minto Communities
Community: Sunnyside
Price: One- and two-bedroom condos starting from $249,990 plus GST
Sales/Presentation Centre: 306 10 Street N.W.
Website: https://www.minto.com/calgary/new-condos/Annex/main.html
Description: The Annex offers exceptional urban living in the heart of one of Calgary's best neighbourhoods. Whether meeting a friend for coffee, grabbing a meal at one of Kensington's 28 restaurants, shopping for the latest style trends or checking off your to-do list with ease, everything you need is within steps of your front door.

"Tela" is Italian for "fabric," and that word provided the inspiration for the tela condominium development in the heart of Calgary's trendy Mission neighbourhood.

A Calgary condo purchase income guide (for detached homes, click here)

Many would-be homebuyers find the home of their dreams, only to wonder, "can I afford it?" Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp., as well as many major banks, recommend spending no more than 30 per cent of income on housing, including mortgage (principal and interest), property taxes, insurance and utilities. To help, we did the math for a typical apartment-style condo in each region of the city.

How Calgarians are putting living, working and play areas first

Given Calgary's traffic, the only way to cover the critical elements – live, work and play – in three different parts of the city each day is to cut out the fourth one: sleep.

Fortunately, a new philosophy in home development lets you have it all without sacrificing the shut-eye.
"When you can live, work and play in the same area of the city, it creates a stronger sense of community," said Elton Ma, director of commercial development for Brookfield Residential in Calgary.

Builders and the City work together to rein in urban sprawl

It used to be that mentioning the word "density" would get some Calgarians riled up over plans for a new community they felt had too many homes per hectare, or a condominium project with too many units.
But faced with the alternative of urban sprawl, increasing density is now an established policy for residential development.

In 2009, city council approved a new Municipal Development Plan (MDP) and Calgary Transportation Plan (CTP) that address density in both new communities and established areas.

You asked, we answered

The people have spoken! We asked you for your most pressing real estate questions, then threw them to our expert panel of experienced REALTORS®: John Hripko (Royal LePage Benchmark), Laura O'Connell (RE/MAX House of Real Estate), Sam Crick (RE/MAX Realty Professionals) and David P. Brown (The Real Estate Company Ltd.).