A newer community located on Edmonton’s southern edge, Summerside is a fast growing residential neighbourhood quickly filling with young, growing families who prefer living in the quiet of Edmonton’s outer suburbs. Housing here is primarily newly developed singled family detached style homes, and there is also a small selection of walkup condominium and townhouse properties as well. Many of the homes reflect the character of coastal living, and the community was named after a city on Prince Edward Island in honour of its nautical character. There are homes in Summerside available at every price range from small condominiums to sweeping estate properties.

Featuring the 13 hectare, 28 foot deep Lake Summerside and plenty of surrounding greenspace, the community of Summerside mixes lakefront living with all the urban amenities you might want. Home to Edmonton’s only swimmable man-made lake, Summerside exudes charm and its seaside-inspired character is evident as you walk along the streets. Beach activities dominate the summer of most Summerset residents, including sailing, swimming and beach volleyball, while skating and ice fishing are popular during the winter months.

Just minutes away from South Edmonton Common shopping, Summerside is located near major arterial roads including Calgary Trail/Gateway Boulevard, the nearly completed Anthony Henday ringroad, and Ellerslie Road. Other nearby shopping areas include South Pointe, Millwoods Towne Centre, Southpark Centre, and Southgate Mall.

Nearby Schools: Ellerslie Campus (Primary, Elementary and Junior High), W.P. Wagner High School, Harry Ainlay High School, J. Percy Page High School, Mother Teresa Catholic Elementary, Louis St. Laurent Catholic School (Junior High and High School).

Visit our Summerside Real Estate Stats & News page to see current market information for this community and browse nearby amenities, or start searching Summerside Homes for Sale in Edmonton.

Recently this article on the Yahoo Finance website feed caught our team’s attention, which talks about the current state of the Canada real estate market and provides five tips for new home buyers and current homeowners.

We’ve been lucky up here in Canada to avoid the major real estate crash the United States has experienced, and Alberta in particular has been fortunate in its speedy recovery. We agree that prices are likely to plateau a little this year, with modest growth in most areas.

We think there’s some great advice in this article, with a few caveats we wanted to add:

1. Buy Now, If You’re Ready

Interest rates are at an all time low around the country right now: both short and long term rates. First time home buyers who have been waffling back and forth about whether to buy or not, right now is an excellent time to break into the Edmonton real estate market, especially if you’ve been squirrelling away a solid down payment. Regardless of whatever predictions say, the most important factors that should determine when you’re ready to buy are 1) do you have the appropriate resources to buy; and B) is it a reasonable time to buy a home. If answers to both questions is “yes”, then you should seriously consider taking advantage of the record low interest rates.

2. Take Your Time

Prospective Edmonton home buyers shouldn’t feel too pressured to buy right away, so make sure you work with an Edmonton Realtor who encourages you to take your time and visit many properties before making any offers or signing any contracts. Five years ago, real estate was being snapped up so quickly people were making hasty decisions, and when it comes to long term investments like property, hasty decisions can be a recipe for disaster.

3. Take Advantage of Lower Rates

It’s not just first time Edmonton home buyers that can take advantage of low interest rates. If your mortgage is up for renewal, consider refinancing under the lower rates and cash in on huge long term savings. This is a great time for homeowners looking to move up in the Edmonton market, and it never hurts to make an appointment with a mortgage broker to see if there’s a real opportunity for savings for you in 2012.

4. Renovate Rather Than Move

Sometimes “now” is just not the best time for you to move. We like to suggest caution with pricy renovations and remodelling projects however, since there are just as many ways to affect the resale value of your home negatively as well as positively. Our advice? Consult an Edmonton Realtor before you start any major renovations if you’re interested in how they might affect your resale price. We can help you understand which kinds of improvements the market values, and which might actually make selling your home more complicated.

5. Think About How Much House You Really Need

Being realistic about the size of home you need – and the size of mortgage you take on – can have a huge impact on your future. Don’t discount smaller homes and condominiums when you’re shopping for homes: as investments, they have just as much value as larger houses. Edmonton’s downtown area is seeing a lot of growth, and more and more condominiums are being built to meet the growing demand of people interested in downsizing their lifestyle.

This February we celebrate the 100th birthday of the amalgamation of the cities of Edmonton and Strathcona, a merger that was pivotal in Edmonton’s history and helped propel our great city into becoming a prosperous hub and the Provincial capital.

Recently the Edmonton Examiner newspaper had a great article about the merger of the two cities back in 1912. You can read the entire article on the Edmonton Examiner website.

Forging a New City

100 years ago the cities of Strathcona and Edmonton amalgamated.

The early 1900′s marked a time of great optimism for the two bustling cities of Edmonton and Strathcona. Both were experiencing tremendous growth, but for two cities separated only by the North Saskatchewan river it was only a matter of time before the two became one.

On February 1, 1912, Strathcona and Edmonton merged together forming a newly forged community known as the “The Greater Edmonton”.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the merger that saw Edmonton grow from a city that had a population of 8,000 in 1904, to a city with a combined population of 75,000-80,000 by 1913.

However, before the merger the two cities were in a state of competition. A railway, which ran all the way north to the river but without crossing the river, was hoped to be the catalyst that would propel Strathcona as the main hub.

“They expected Edmonton would just kind of waste away and Strathcona would become the big centre,” says Tim Marriott, board member of the Edmonton Heritage Council and president of the Edmonton and District Historical Society. “But Edmonton had been there a long time and instead of withering, Edmonton started to grow.”

Read the rest of the article on the history of Edmonton and Strathcona’s merger at the Edmonton Examiner.

If you’re thinking of moving or have recently relocated your family to a new community in Edmonton, one of the most important things to consider is which schools your growing children are going to attend. This is particularly so when it comes to choosing a high school, which is an exciting and important decision for both parents and kids.

Different high schools offer different kinds of programs that will appeal to different students. Some have Advanced Placement courses for kids who excel in academics and are interested in fast-tracking their first year of University. Others have robust sports programs for teens with basketball, football, or volleyball talent, while still others are known for their excellent arts and theatre programs.

The best way to find the right fit in a high school is to visit an open house.

Here are the open house dates for some of the major high schools in Edmonton. To see a full listing of high school open houses near you, visit the Edmonton Public Schools Open House website.

Eastglen High School

General Open House: March 7, 2012 – 6:30pm to 8:30pm
Advanced Placement Open House: February 23, 2012 – 6:30pm to 8:30pm

Edmonton Christian High

General Open House: March 5, 2012 – 6:30pm to 8:30pm

Harry Ainlay

General Open House: March 8, 2012 – 6:00pm to 8:00pm
French Immersion Program Open House: February 6, 2012 – 6:15pm to 7:15pm
International Baccalaureate Open House: February 6, 2012 – 7:30pm to 8:30pm

J. Percy Page

General Open House: March 13, 2012 – 6:30pm to 8:30pm
Advanced Placement Open House: February 07, 2012 – 6:30pm to 8:00pm

Jasper Place

General Open House: March 8, 2012 – 5:30pm to 8:00pm
Advanced Placement Open House: February 8, 2012 – 6:30pm to 8:30pm

L.Y. Cairns

General Open House: March 8, 2012 – 6:00pm to 8:00pm

Lillian Osborne

General Open House: February 23, 2012 – 7:00pm to 9:00pm

M.E. LaZerte

General Open House: March 8, 2012 – 6:00pm to 8:00pm
International Baccalaureate Open House: February 16, 2012 – 7:00pm to 8:30pm

McNally

General Open House: March 14, 2012 – 6:00pm to 8:30pm
International Baccalaureate Open House: February 13, 2012 – 7:00pm to 8:30pm

Millwoods Christian School

General Open House: March 15, 2012 – 6:30pm to 8:00pm

Queen Elizabeth

General Open House: March 15, 2012 – 6:00pm to 8:00pm
Advanced Placement Open House: February 15, 2012 – 6:30pm to 8:00pm

Ross Sheppard

General Open House: March 7, 2012 – 6:00pm to 9:00pm
International Baccalaureate Open House: February 7, 2012 – 7:00pm

Strathcona

General Open House: March 6, 2012 – 7:00pm to 9:00pm
Advanced Placement Open House: February 9, 2012 – 7:00pm to 9:00pm

Victoria School of the Arts

General Open House: February 28, 2012 – 6:00pm to 8:00pm

Vimy Ridge Academy

General Open House: Februray 29, 2012 – 7:00pm to 9:00pm

W.P. Wagner

General Open House: March 15, 2012 – 7:00pm to 9:00pm
Advanced Placement Open House: February 21, 2012 – 7:00pm