Rockies Rentals

I once new a girl that had a super-spacious apartment in downtown Banff.  It was this great character building with huge vaulted ceilings and massive windows.  If my memory serves, I believe it even had a clawfoot tub.  I loved her apartment — it was gorgeous!  She paid a total of $500 per month.  I always thought it was the best deal in town, and then I learned that there are quite a few of these great deals around, you’ve just got to know where to look.

Due to the housing shortage in Banff/Canmore, it is quite common for people to take the very first place available for fear that they may be sleeping on the streets if they don’t act quickly. Before you rush into signing a lease, take some time to reflect on how to find the great places in town.

• Prioritize: What do you want? What do you need? What can you not live without? Would you prefer lower rent or private space? Do have have to be near your workplace, or can you walk/ride/bus it to work?
• Review your expections: If you are hoping to find a spacious apartment overlooking the river, with no lease, $600/month, utilities included, that allows pets, and is fully furnished — well, you need to get used to disappointment. Review the Cost of Living for the Bow Valley and set your expectations accordingly.
• Get the word out: Tell everyone you know that you need a place to live — tell your friends, bring it up at the watercooler, tell the guy who is pumping your gas. It’s a small town — the first good lesson to learn is how beneficial word of mouth marketing can be.
• Let Karma prevail: There are landlords that don’t care about money and just want someone responsible to take care of their investment. In return, they rent out some amazing properties for next to nothing. There is no secret to getting in on this sweet deal — be responsible. Have a good credit rating; do well at your job; be a good person; give back to your community; treat others’ property as though it were you own; and, most of all, be a good tenant.

Did using these tips help you find the perfect apartment?

Let us know! We’d love to hear from you!

Good places are hard to find, but they do exist.  The question is: How do you find them?

When it comes to finding suitable living arrangements in the Bow Valley, the landlords have the upper hand. When vacancy is low, demand (and thus prices) are high. It’s a simple case of supply and demand.

How do I find a place to live?

• Local Newspaper: There are 3 local newspapers distributed in the Bow Valley (Rocky Mountain Outlook, Banff Crag & Canyon, Canmore Leader). We suggest you make sure to pick one up as soon as it hits newstands and start calling. Even waiting until the end of the day will result in disappointment.
• Consider putting your own ad in the paper so people can find you.
• Try kijiji.ca in the ‘Housing’ section.
• Check the bulletin board at the library, grocery stores, and coffee shops (and consider putting up your own poster).
• Of course, search the Rockies Rentals Listings (but we presume you were smart enough to figure that one out already, so we left it until last).  If you create your own listings at Rockies Rentals, there is a nice ‘Print Page’ feature that will make it really easy to create posters to display all over town.

Did using these tips help you find the perfect apartment?

Let us know! We’d love to hear from you!