While many Canadians associate condo living with young professionals and retirees who are downsizing, the truth is condo living can suit many lifestyles. Apartment style condos offer security for parents with kids returning from school, easy access to the best parks, and excellent walkability. Condo owners with pets, meanwhile, can enjoy living in an area best suited for their needs. Condo developments are often close to nearby dog parks, common green spaces, and in some cases, they have dedicated pet areas to make life easier.
So, before you rule out buying a new apartment condo, here are some great benefits you may want to consider.
Controlled Building Access
One of the biggest benefits for parents in apartment style condo developments is security. Condos offer an extra level of protection with controlled building access including security personnel, gated areas and/or fob entry. This means you can rest easy knowing the kids will come home from school and get in safely.
Common Green Space
Apartment condos offer plenty of common green space and parks for residents to enjoy, allowing your kids and pets to interact outside safely. There’s no need to pack everyone up in the car and drive to the nearest park when there is one just outside your door!
On-Site Amenities
This style of condo can help you maintain an active lifestyle without leaving home. Do you find it hard to fit exercise into your busy schedule? A state-of-the-art fitness center in your building can give you the push you need. What about a pool for the kids to enjoy without a trip to the nearest rec centre? Or a picnic area and barbecue grills for the entire family to enjoy during the summer? Most condo developments offer an impressive selection of amenities your entire family will actually use. This can save you time and money in the long run.
Sense of Community
Condos offer an immediate and genuine sense of community. Condo owners live in the same building and have more social interaction throughout the day. Kids in the building can easily and safely meet up to play outside on the common grounds or visit with each other right outside your door. Adults can make friends while enjoying the community barbecue or walking dogs in the afternoon. This sense of community is an often overlooked benefit of buying an apartment style condo and is a major advantage – especially if you’re new to the area or worry about your kids making friends.
Maintenance-Free Lifestyle
While buying an apartment condo means paying condo fees, this fixed monthly expense allows you to enjoy maintenance-free living. You’ll be able to focus on the things that really matter. Condo fees are also a predictable expense compared to those of a single family home. They cover everything from insurance, exterior repairs, and maintaining amenities to snow removal and landscaping. You enjoy the benefits of beautifully landscaped common grounds and valuable amenities without worrying about setting aside money for roof repairs and the other unexpected costs of owning a house.
Great Walkability
Condo developments put an emphasis on walkability in great Edmonton neighbourhoods, which means your kids can walk to and from school safely. Condos are also generally close to parks and existing amenities like rec centres, movie theatres, shopping, dining and transit so you’ll never have to venture far to get what you need.
It’s time to transform the way you view condo living. Condos offer many of the same benefits of owning a home plus several more, including maintenance-free living, access to amenities, security, and walkability to amenities, parks, and schools in the area. Kids and adults alike can appreciate building amenities and security while pet owners can enjoy easy access to common green areas and parks to keep fit and healthy. Rather than assuming you need a single-family home or townhome to fit your lifestyle, consider how condo living can complement your lifestyle.
Photo Credit: mom child dog, two kids biking
