The Padster Guide
Plain-language writing on what your rent actually buys in Edmonton.
Are You Ready to Buy a Home in Edmonton? A Renter's Checklist
A practical readiness check for Edmonton renters: the savings, credit, income stability and full monthly cost to have in place before you start shopping.
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How Much Home Can You Afford in Edmonton Based on Your Rent?
Turn your Edmonton rent into a realistic home price: what to subtract for ownership costs, how lenders calculate your maximum, and what each budget reaches.
How to Save for a Down Payment in Canada Using an FHSA, RRSP and Other Programs
How much you need, and which account to fill first: the FHSA and Home Buyers' Plan compared, plus the Alberta closing costs most national guides get wrong.
How to Get Pre-Approved for a Mortgage in Edmonton — and What Not to Do Next
What pre-approval involves, what documents to bring, and the common moves between approval and possession that can quietly undo it.
Condo, Townhouse, Duplex or Detached: Which First Home Is Right?
Comparing Edmonton's property types on total monthly cost, fees, maintenance and resale — with current median payments from the live listing feed.
How to Search for a Home in Edmonton Without Wasting Six Months
Turning a budget into a shortlist: why every filter shrinks the pool faster than expected, how many homes to view, and what photographs never show.
How to Make an Offer on a House in Edmonton
Price, deposit, conditions and dates — what each part of an Alberta purchase contract does, which conditions protect you, and what to confirm before signing.
Offer Accepted: What Happens Between Here and Possession Day
Removing conditions, the lender's final checks, your lawyer's role, and the closing costs to have ready — including why Alberta's are lower than most of Canada's.
25 vs. 30-Year Amortization: Which Should You Take?
A longer amortization lowers the payment and raises total interest. Who can actually get 30 years, why it changes what you qualify for, and the strategy most first-time buyers miss.
Aluminum Wiring in Edmonton Homes: Insurable, Fixable, or Walk Away?
Aluminum branch-circuit wiring turns up in Edmonton homes built from the mid 1960s to the late 1970s. Why the connections matter more than the wire, what an electrician checks, and how insurers actually treat it.
Asbestos and Vermiculite in Older Edmonton Homes
Where asbestos turns up in pre-1990 Edmonton homes, why vermiculite attic insulation should be treated as suspect until tested, and why this usually changes your renovation plan rather than whether to buy.
Property Assessment Versus What Your Home Is Actually Worth
Why the City's assessed value and your home's market value disagree, when each one is useful, and the deadline for challenging the one you can change.
Buying an Edmonton Home With a Basement Suite
Legal versus non-conforming secondary suites, how lenders treat the rental income, and the questions to settle before you rely on a tenant to afford the house.
Can You Buy a Home in Edmonton With Bad Credit? Here's the Honest Answer
What a below-minimum credit score actually rules out in Canada, what alternative lenders really cost, and the five actions that move a score fastest before you apply.
What to Check When Buying an Older Edmonton Home
Aluminum wiring, poly-B plumbing, asbestos-era materials and the other era-specific questions worth asking — and why insurance is the practical constraint.
Buying at 25 vs. Buying at 35 in Edmonton: Does It Matter?
The real trade-offs between buying earlier and later in Edmonton, what lenders actually assess instead of age, and the five readiness checks that decide the outcome.
Buying in Central Edmonton: What Your Money Reaches
What homes cost in Central Edmonton right now: median payment, housing mix, price per square foot and the busiest communities, from the live listing feed.
Buying in Northeast Edmonton: What Your Money Reaches
What homes cost in Northeast Edmonton right now: median payment, housing mix, price per square foot and the busiest communities, from the live listing feed.
Buying in Northwest Edmonton: What Your Money Reaches
What homes cost in Northwest Edmonton right now: median payment, housing mix, price per square foot and the busiest communities, from the live listing feed.
Buying in Southeast Edmonton: What Your Money Reaches
What homes cost in Southeast Edmonton right now: median payment, housing mix, price per square foot and the busiest communities, from the live listing feed.
Buying in Southwest Edmonton: What Your Money Reaches
What homes cost in Southwest Edmonton right now: median payment, housing mix, price per square foot and the busiest communities, from the live listing feed.
Buying in West Edmonton: What Your Money Reaches
What homes cost in West Edmonton right now: median payment, housing mix, price per square foot and the busiest communities, from the live listing feed.
Buying With a Roommate or Partner: Splitting a Mortgage vs. Splitting Rent
What changes financially and legally when two people buy together in Alberta: combined qualifying, joint liability, joint tenancy versus tenants in common, and the exit plan to agree first.
Closing Costs in Alberta: The Complete List
Every cost between accepted offer and possession day in Alberta — registration fees calculated exactly, plus legal fees, inspection, adjustments and insurance.
Co-Signer vs. Guarantor on a Mortgage: What's the Difference?
What separates a mortgage co-signer from a guarantor in Canada, what each one is liable for, the Alberta title and tax consequences, and how to remove them later.
Condo Fees in Edmonton: What They Cover and What's Reasonable
What an Edmonton condo fee actually buys, why a low fee is often the expensive option, and the documents that tell you whether a building is putting enough away.
What Credit Score Do You Actually Need to Buy a Home in Alberta?
The minimum credit score CMHC requires for insured financing in Canada, what each score band actually gets you, and the five factors that move a Canadian credit score before you apply.
Deposit vs. Down Payment: What Edmonton Buyers Mix Up
The deposit comes days after an accepted offer; the down payment comes at closing. How much is normal in Edmonton, where the money is held, and the timing trap that catches first-time buyers.
Buying Near the LRT in Edmonton
What transit-adjacent listings actually cost in Edmonton, why the lower median is a housing-mix effect rather than a discount, and how to test whether the access is real.
What Edmonton Actually Has for Sale
The Edmonton market by bedroom count — why three-bedroom homes dominate, why one-bedroom listings are the scarcest, and what that means for your search.
Edmonton Property Taxes Explained
How an Edmonton assessment becomes a tax bill, why a rising assessment does not always mean a rising bill, and how to budget for it as a first-time owner.
FHSA or the Home Buyers' Plan: Which Should You Use First?
Two federal first-home programs that work together rather than competing — what each does, why the FHSA usually comes first, and the deadlines that catch savers out.
Your First Month of Bills as an Edmonton Homeowner
Who bills you for what in Edmonton, the default energy rates you land on by doing nothing, and the costs that arrive annually with no warning.
First-Time Home Buyer Programs in Canada: What's Actually Still Available in 2026
The federal accounts and credits first-time buyers in Canada can still use, how the FHSA and Home Buyers' Plan stack, and why Alberta has no first-time buyer rebate.
Fixed vs. Variable Mortgage Rate: Which Should a First-Time Buyer Pick?
How fixed and variable mortgage rates actually differ in Canada, why adjustable-payment and fixed-payment variables are not the same product, and what should decide it for a first-time buyer.
Foundation Cracks and Grading in Edmonton: What Actually Matters
Edmonton’s clay soil moves every year, so most foundation cracks are cosmetic. Which patterns deserve a structural opinion, the upstairs signs buyers miss, and why drainage causes more problems than the foundation itself.
Using Gifted Funds for Your Down Payment: The Rules Lenders Actually Check
What lenders require to accept a gifted down payment in Canada, why the gift letter and fund tracing matter, the tax position for the donor, and gift versus loan versus co-ownership.
GST on a New Build in Edmonton, and the Rebate You Might Get Back
New construction attracts GST in Alberta; resale generally does not. How the New Housing Rebate works, why the thresholds miss a lot of Edmonton new builds, and what to confirm with a builder before signing.
What a Landlord Doesn't Tell You: Hidden Costs of Renting in Edmonton
The utility, deposit, parking, insurance and renewal costs that never appear on an Edmonton rental listing — and what Alberta law actually limits about rent increases.
How Debt Changes What You Can Buy in Edmonton
GDS and TDS explained without the jargon: why a car payment costs you more house than the same amount in savings gains you, how each kind of debt is counted, and what not to do after pre-approval.
How to Choose an Edmonton Neighbourhood
Schools, parks, transit and tree canopy — the public data behind a decision most people make on a Saturday drive, and how to visit properly.
How Much Do You Need to Make to Qualify for a $400K Mortgage?
The income range needed for a $400,000 mortgage in Canada, the two debt service ratios that decide it, and why identical salaries qualify for very different amounts.
What Income Do You Need to Buy a Home in Edmonton?
Working backwards from lender ratios to the household income each Edmonton price band requires — qualified at the stress-test rate, with the costs most calculators omit.
Is It Cheaper to Rent or Buy in Edmonton Right Now?
How Edmonton's price-to-rent ratio compares with the rest of Canada, what owning adds on top of the mortgage payment, and what has to be true before buying beats renting for you.
Is That Basement Suite Legal? How to Check Before You Offer
The permits an Edmonton secondary suite needs, the City's public registry of the ones that have them, and exactly what to ask when an address is not on it.
Joint Mortgage Applications: Buying With a Sibling, Parent or Friend
How a joint mortgage application is assessed in Canada, joint tenancy versus tenants in common in Alberta, what a co-ownership agreement must cover, and the tax issue when only one owner lives there.
Lot Sizes Across Edmonton
How much land Edmonton homes actually sit on, why the newest and priciest communities have the smallest lots, and what a lot gives you beyond the number.
Mortgage Broker vs. Your Bank: Who Actually Gets You the Better Rate?
What a mortgage broker does differently from your bank, how brokers are paid in Alberta, why shopping does not hurt your credit score, and what to compare besides the rate.
The Mortgage Stress Test, Explained With Real Edmonton Numbers
How the federal mortgage stress test sets your qualifying rate, what it does to your maximum mortgage, why it exists, and the five things that actually raise your approved amount.
The Most Affordable Edmonton Neighbourhoods for First-Time Buyers
Where Edmonton's lowest median monthly payments actually are, ranked from the live listing feed and limited to communities with enough listings to mean something.
New Build or Resale in Edmonton: Which Is the Better First Home?
What each construction era actually costs in Edmonton, why the oldest homes are not the cheapest, and the costs — GST, warranty, landscaping — that apply to only one option.
New to Canada? How Newcomers Qualify for a Mortgage in Edmonton
How newcomer mortgage programs work in Canada, what lenders accept instead of a Canadian credit score, and how permanent residency and work permits are treated differently.
Poly-B Plumbing in Edmonton Homes: What It Is and What to Ask
Poly-B was installed in Canadian homes from about 1978 to 1995. What it is, why insurers ask about it, how to tell whether it has been replaced, and what to do if the home you want still has it.
What Happens If Your Mortgage Pre-Approval Expires Before You Find a Home?
How long a mortgage pre-approval lasts in Canada, what actually happens when it expires, what renewing involves, and the three things that change your renewed amount.
Price Per Square Foot in Edmonton, and What It Doesn't Tell You
Why Edmonton's detached houses cost more per square foot than its condos, what the measure actually captures, and the narrow range where it is genuinely useful.
Radon in Edmonton Homes: Testing, Levels and What a Fix Involves
Health Canada’s radon guideline is 200 Bq/m³ and the Prairies test higher than average. Why you cannot infer radon from a listing, how long a real test takes, and why a high reading is a project rather than a catastrophe.
Reading the Alberta Purchase Contract
The standard Alberta form, section by section: what your deposit is doing, what a condition day means, and what 12 noon on completion day actually promises.
What a Real Estate Lawyer Does in Alberta, and What They Cost
Title review, Land Titles registration, mortgage funds, tax adjustments and the seller’s payout. What an Alberta conveyance actually involves, how to compare quotes properly, and when to choose a firm.
Real Property Report vs. Title Insurance in Alberta
An RPR shows where the buildings actually sit and whether they comply. Title insurance covers defined risks instead. Which one your Alberta contract requires, what the compliance stamp means, and why the date on an RPR matters.
Rent-to-Own in Alberta: How It Works and Why Almost Nobody Uses It
How an Alberta rent-to-own agreement is structured, why option fees and rent credits are usually forfeited, and the cheaper routes most buyers should try first.
The Break-Even Point: How Many Years of Renting Equal a Down Payment?
Why there is no single rent-versus-buy break-even year, how long it actually takes to save an Edmonton down payment, and the accounts that shorten the timeline.
Rent or Buy in Edmonton: At What Rent Does Buying Make Sense?
The monthly comparison done honestly — what ownership adds on top of a mortgage payment, why time horizon decides it, and what each payment level buys in Edmonton.
Renting at $1,800 a Month in Edmonton? Here's What You Could Own Instead
What $1,800 a month in Edmonton rent converts to as a home price, why the honest number is lower than the headline, and the down payment a home in that band actually needs.
Renting in Edmonton While You Save
Timing a lease against a possession date, the cash you need before the down payment, and the overlap month nobody budgets for.
Renting vs. Buying a Condo in Edmonton: The Fee Math Nobody Runs
Why condo fees belong in every rent-versus-buy comparison, how a low fee can cost more than a high one, and what to check before your conditions come off.
Should You Keep Renting While Rates Are High? What the Math Actually Says
What a higher mortgage rate does to your qualifying number, why a lower rate later often arrives with a higher price, and how a pre-approval rate hold makes the wait one-directional.
How to Research a Condo Building Before You Offer
Reserve fund study, minutes, budget and bylaws — what to read, in what order, and what each one tells you about the years ahead.
How to Get a Mortgage in Canada If You're Self-Employed
What lenders require from self-employed mortgage applicants in Canada, why business write-offs reduce your borrowing power, and how long you need to have been self-employed.
The Sewer Line Inspection Nobody Books
In Edmonton the homeowner owns the sewer line to the main, pre-1970 houses were laid in clay, and a standard home inspection does not look at it.
What $1,500 a Month Actually Buys in Edmonton
One budget across every Edmonton property type: the purchase price $1,500 a month supports, how much of each market it reaches, and what it leaves out.
What a Price Cut Actually Means When You See One
How often Edmonton listings reduce and by how much — and why a typical cut is a correction rather than a sign of a motivated seller.
What Happens to Your Rent Money If You Never Buy? A 10-Year Look
The actual mechanism behind 'rent is wasted money', how a mortgage payment splits between interest and equity over ten years, and the costs the slogan leaves out.
What Can Stop You Insuring an Edmonton Home
Electrical service size, older wiring and plumbing, wood stoves — why insurability is a financing problem in disguise, and what to ask before your conditions come off.
Renting Forever Is a Plan Too — Here's When It Actually Wins
The specific cases where renting is the financially sound decision in Edmonton: short time horizons, concentration risk, liquidity, and buying without a maintenance reserve.
Where Edmonton Is Actually Building
The Edmonton communities with the most development permits right now, what buying into a developing area is actually like, and what to check before you do.
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