Trading in the noisy, congested life of the city for peace and quiet in the country may be a dream for many, but sometimes the reality of rural life delivers surprises.
Buying a little piece of heaven is an expensive proposition.
Services like water and electricity quickly add up. Further, the demand for property is exceeding the supply and driving up prices, said Gary Selanders of Max Well Realty. He specializes in acreage sales and explained some of the enjoyment as well as pitfalls of country living at a Calgary acreage show March 20.
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Selanders handles country residential properties sales in the Alberta municipalities of Foothills, Rocky View and Mountain View. Less land is available in Wheatland county surrounding the Strathmore region east of the city.
“Counties and municipal districts are very reluctant to subdivide off acreages, and it makes them harder to come by,” he said.
Some areas are far pricier than others partly because of distance. Most people prefer a 30 minute commute to the city limits.
In the Bearspaw area northwest of Calgary, properties are selling for between $500,000 and $2 million. People want a view of the mountains and easy access to the city.
A bare acreage may be cheaper, but servicing that property can easily cost $20,000-$30,000. Natural gas line and electrical hookups, water wells and pumps, septic tanks and fields are pricey. The more telephone lines that are requested for one site, the higher the installation costs. Landscaping with trees is another cost and landowners are responsible for building and clearing their own lanes leading into the property.
“People don’t realize those things add up,” said Selanders.
“If you are lucky enough to find an acreage with all these services, the cost is included in the price,” he said.
When looking for property, he advises finding a realtor who is knowledgeable about acreages and is familiar with local land use bylaws and servicing costs.
Land is available in a wide variety of sizes and levels of service.
This year there are more quarter sections available. For example, 75 quarters are for sale in Mountain View county north of Calgary compared to last year when less than 15 were on the market.
Smaller patches of five to 10 acres are more popular but are more difficult to find. In areas closer to Calgary, these parcels are more expensive than 160 acres farther away.
People with deep pockets are buying the quarters and drive up the price beyond what a local farmer can afford.
For example, a 96 acre property in the Cremona area 110 kilometres from Calgary was listed at $750,000, while the asking price on an 8.9 acre lot near Didsbury 80 km from the city was $343,000. An acre at Water Valley 100 km away was offered at $234,000.
Selanders figures about half the people who buy rural property stay while the other half leaves for a variety of reasons including costs and the realization that country life was not what they expected.
