What they love the most about it is that “it’s ours!” says Pedro. “I love that we own it.” That’s no surprise since the two have spent the last couple of years in a bit of a whirlwind, renting and moving, and unable to put down any roots or even keep any furniture.

Aside from the ownership factor, Pedro also enjoys the “ample space of the living room,” while Joanne loves the kitchen and that there’s no wasted space in the home.

“I also like that we have two bedrooms,” she says. “And that it’s bright with the big windows. After living in London, we decided we didn’t want anything closed in and dreary.”

And dreary it’s not. The home has an open floor plan making it seem much larger than its 800 square feet, and its décor is modern and welcoming. “We found a great TV stand at Pier One that we really liked so we chose our colours around that,” explains Pedro.

“We didn’t really have a particular style in mind when we were choosing things,” says Joanne. “We just picked things that we liked.” The result is a clean look, with some darker pieces juxtaposed against light-coloured walls. The effect is calm and soothing — just what this couple needed after two transitional years.

While the two have been accustomed to bustling communities such as the likes of West Kensington in London and downtown Chicago, they are happy to have settled in a more suburban area of Calgary. “We love McKenzie Towne. It’s a great neighbourhood that’s friendly, well designed and it has everything we need,” affirms Joanne. She had actually lived in McKenzie Towne with her mom prior to moving to England and is glad to have her mom nearby. The couple enjoys that things are more laidback and quiet here. They can take walks through the community and often walk to places for dinner or just to have a drink.

It did take the two a bit of searching before they settled on their condo, which features tile flooring, granite countertops, maple cabinets, underground parking, and a roomy balcony with a mountain view. It came equipped with all the kitchen appliances and a washer and dryer, plus the added bonus of window coverings. The couple, who shares their home with their three budgies, moved in just this past May after picking out all the finishings for their place and waiting only a couple of months for everything to be completed.

It was a perfect scenario because they wanted to buy a new condo, but didn’t want to get into another rental situation while it was being built. With their condo, the building was already complete, so they were able to select and personalize their unit to their liking, but they didn’t have to wait months to take possession or deal with the many details that come with the entire building process. Their four-floor, 92-unit building houses a beautiful lobby area that makes you feel as though you’ve entered a very posh hotel, and there is also a gazebo and pond outside for all owners to enjoy.

When they first started their home-hunt, Joanne and Pedro did consider looking at houses. However, they realized that affordability was an issue, plus a condo better suited their current lifestyle. “Besides, condos are all I know,” adds Pedro, who grew up in Portugal, and is now adjusting to life in Canada. “It’s convenient; everything is taken care of. A house would just be more space that we don’t need right now. Plus, it’d be more hassle with more expenses like higher property tax. This is the best for us right now.”

Joanne agrees. “It would be nice to have our own backyard, but at the same time, it’s nice not to have to do any yard work. We really like it here.”

Ultimately, they are just relieved that they’ve found a place that they love that they can finally call home, and start investing in things like furniture and appliances that they know they’ll now be able to keep. Joanne sums things up about the condo in the words of Kip from Napoleon Dynamite: “So I guess you could say, it’s pretty sweet.”