He had lived at home rent free until moving to an apartment off 58th Avenue SW, where his rent was $700 per month making his monthly housing expenses close to $1000 after adding in the utilities.  An opportunity arose, allowing him to cut some expenses: he moved into a house with a friend in Edgemont at $500 per month, which “included everything”, says Matt.  But he grew tired of paying rent.  “It was like taking the money and burning it.  There was no return.  I didn’t like paying someone else’s mortgage.”  He started looking at condos.

Having lived in Calgary his entire life, he was very definite about where he did not want to live.  Inner city was out of the picture, having grown up in the Eau Claire area.  He wavered between the south end of the city and the North West quadrant, with Panorama Hills finally winning out over Chaparral and Garrison Woods.

Matt had a few criteria in mind when he was out looking for a home.  The must-have feature was an in-suite laundry.  Matt explains:  “from living with your parents and having everything at your fingertips to moving out on your own and having to pay for what you took for granted like laundry…..I swore I would never ever go through that again.  Any place I looked at, I took into consideration in-suite laundry.”  He now has a stackable washer and dryer within quick and easy access of anywhere in his condo, allowing him to conveniently do his laundry.

The second feature Matt needed was storage space.  Playing goalie on a recreational hockey team involves wearing large pieces of equipment.  When he saw the storage unit in the underground parkade, he knew he had the right place.  “It’s awesome!” declares Matt.  He also stores moving boxes, his snowboard and depending on the season, one set of car tires within the storage unit, located in front of his one parking stall.

What immediately caught his attention when he first walked into the condo unit was the kitchen and its black appliances contrasting with the light maple cabinets.  He loves the upgrades in the unit.  Had he purchased a brand new condo in a different complex, he would have had to have paid extra for the hardwood floor in the eating area and living room, the ceramic tile backsplash in the kitchen and the ceramic flooring in the foyer, kitchen and bathroom, plus the black appliances, including the microwave/hood fan combination.  He is very pleased he chose to buy a pre-owned unit, as all these features, considered upgrades in a brand new unit, were included in the price for this previously owned unit.  “Initially, I wanted a new unit, but then took a three month break from looking at property.”  When this main floor unit in Panamount Place came up for sale, he snapped it up and hasn’t regretted the decision.

Matt’s deck has a built in natural gas line for his barbeque, a housewarming gift from his father.  Another gift from his parents is the 50 inch screen television.  “It’s a good little TV,” Matt laughs. (A hand-me-down, he explains.)

Matt describes his condo as “a bachelor pad.  It needs a woman’s touch.”  The unit has a masculine feel with the black appliances and the black leather couch across from the large rear projection television.  Three funky metal and leather bar stools abut the breakfast bar. Matt’s large DVD collection in two shelving units on either side of the couch round out the living room.

The master bedroom is good sized with a walk through closet to the unit’s one bathroom. The white high gloss baseboards and crown moldings atop the closets and door frames give clean lines to the unit as well as add a sense of elegance.

Matt bought the almost 700 square foot unit in April 2005 at the price of $129,000 and “it’s already appreciated”.  Matt keeps a close eye on the real estate listings in and around his complex.  Another unit similar to his has recently been priced at $160,000.  With his mortgage and condo fees, Matt is below the $1000 a month rental property near Chinook Centre and is now building equity!

Matt maintains a “pretty quiet, simple lifestyle” with work, returning home and trying to cook (a skill he is attempting to master), then spending time with girlfriend, Holly, who helps Matt with the development of his culinary talents.  He plays sports a couple of times a week.  Snowboarding has taken a back seat to his preferred hockey these days.

He likes the idea that everything in the condo complex is taken care of.  He can leave for a week or two at a time and not have to worry about his home.  Hall noise is kept to a minimum.  Even the vehicular traffic seems to be minimal.  If he could make one suggestion to the Condo Board, it would be that the complex had dedicated recycling facilities.

The exterior of the attractive building involves a modern take on the Craftsman style of architecture with burgundy and tan siding, a rock base on each pillar, turrets on the corner units, with decks off each suite.  There are three floors, with “probably twenty units on each floor” says Matt, in each of the numerous buildings, plus there are additional townhouses in the Panamount Place development.

The one bedroom one bath condo has enough space for Matt. “I honestly would like a house, but for the time being, it’s perfect and meets all my needs as a twenty four year old.”  CL