Al Sow and his wife, Aissatou Thiam, shown in the kitchen of their new home, were looking to buy a house that could fit their growing family.Todd Korol/The Globe and Mail
In 2018, Al Sow and Aissatou Thiam moved into a two-bedroom rental apartment in Calgary’s Beltline neighbourhood, paying $975 a month. A year later, their son, Kadia, was born. At the time, they shopped around for a larger rental but came up empty-handed.
“We didn’t find anything that we liked,” Ms. Thiam says. The 36-year-old recalls seeing cramped bedrooms and living spaces in comparable rentals. So the couple stayed put.
Then, in 2022, their daughter, Fatou, was born and the family was reaching the limits of their two-bedroom abode. Continual rent increases frustrated the couple (rent had reached $1,375 in 2022), but they remained in their apartment.
The family made do by having their second bedroom do triple duty, shared by both of their children, with space carved out for Mr. Sow’s desk since he works remotely as an audit specialist. In mid-2024, the family got notice of a significant rent increase to $2,500 a month starting in mid-2025. “Every year, they were raising the rent,” says Mr. Sow, 42. “We felt that it’s time to move.”
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By this point, the couple had saved up enough for a decent down payment, which made them think they could afford to buy if they moved out of downtown Calgary. They wanted at least three bedrooms with a finished basement and a big backyard for the kids to play outside.
They also wanted to stay in northwest Calgary to remain on Kadia’s school bus route, moving no farther than a 20-minute drive from his school (Kadia was enrolled in one of Calgary’s few French schools – Ms. Thiam and Mr. Sow are Francophone, from Guinea, by way of Paris.)
As for their budget, Mr. Sow was comfortable spending around $700,000 while Ms. Thiam had a more conservative budget of $600,000. Their realtor, Melissa Shelest from the Justin Havre Real Estate Team, says it’s common that couples don’t always agree on all the parameters of their house search.
“My advice to couples in that situation is just to hear one another out,” she says. “There are pros and cons to both. Ideally, you can find a mix of both needs and wants in the right property.” The couple connected with Ms. Shelest earlier this year and began their house hunt shortly after.
Here were their top three options:
Renovated five-bedroom semi with basement unit in Bowness
Ms. Thiam and Mr. Sow liked that this semi-detached bungalow-style home, built in 1982, had recently been renovated and had a basement unit with a separate entrance. There were three bedrooms on the main floor and two more in the basement.
They figured the basement unit would come in handy when family came to visit, or they could rent it out for extra income. But the main-floor bedrooms felt small and cramped in the home’s 1,015-square-foot space. They did, however, like the neighbourhood, which was a 15-minute drive to downtown Calgary and less than 10 minutes to Kadia’s school. The home was listed for $618,000.
This bungalow-style home was recently renovated, with a basement unit that could bring in extra income or host visiting family.Todd Korol/The Globe and Mail
Split-level detached house in Hidden Valley
Ms. Thiam immediately liked the big tree in the front yard of this detached house, built in 1995. The backyard was spacious, with a deck and planters where she envisioned starting a vegetable garden.
The home was 1,260 square feet, with three bedrooms and two bathrooms on the main level, which were all a decent size. Mr. Sow liked that there was good access to the neighbourhood from two major roads. It was a 15-minute drive to downtown Calgary and 20 minutes to Kadia’s school. However, the home was near the airport under a flight route, which meant there would be noise from planes passing overhead. The home was listed for $679,900.
This home built in 1995 had a spacious backyard with plenty of room for a vegetable garden.Todd Korol/The Globe and Mail
Detached four-bedroom model home in Evanston
Built in 2021 as part of a new development in Evanston, along the northern edge of Calgary, this former model home has been rented as an Airbnb ever since. All of the home’s furniture could be purchased for an additional fee, which appealed to the couple.
“We could just bring our suitcases and move in,” Ms. Thiam says.
This home was in a neighbourhood still under development, a 25-minute drive to downtown Calgary.Todd Korol/The Globe and Mail
The property was a 25-minute drive to downtown Calgary but further from Kadia’s school, taking 30 to 45 minutes depending on traffic. The home was a spacious 1,750 square feet and there were four sizable bedrooms, but the basement wasn’t finished. Another negative was the fact that the neighbourhood was still under development, which meant tolerating construction noise and dust for at least a few years. A large back deck also ate into the home’s yard, leaving less grassy space for the kids to play. The home was listed for $679,777.
Their home: Split-level detached house in Hidden Valley
Mr. Sow and Ms. Thiam initially offered $650,000 for the Hidden Valley home, thinking they could get the price down since the property had already been on the market for a month. After some negotiation, they settled on a final price of $672,500.
“I was relieved that it was over,” says Mr. Sow. “House hunting is really hard. It takes up all your weekends and evenings. When you have two small kids, it’s not easy.”
Mr. Sow and Ms. Thiam chose the Hidden Valley home, settling on a final price of $672,500.Todd Korol/The Globe and Mail
The family moved into their new home in May. They’ve set up their bedrooms on the main floor while the basement has Mr. Sow’s office and a guest room, along with a play area and TV room.
“It’s like we’ve been there forever,” says Ms. Thiam. Catching the beginning of the growing season, she was able to plant some tomatoes, chili pepper, mint and cilantro in their garden this past summer.
While they’re still getting to know their neighbours, they like that there are plenty of families nearby. “You can see kids biking around you,” says Mr. Sow. “Everyone is very polite, and it’s very diverse as well, which is important.” The sound of planes hasn’t bothered them so far, as they learned that airport construction was causing a change in flight routes.
When he initially researched Hidden Valley on Reddit, Mr. Sow felt reassured that the neighbourhood was described as being a place where people move in and remain for the long run, which is how he feels about their family’s current move. “I think we will stay here as long as we can,” he says.
Ms. Thiam said it already feels like they’ve been in their new home forever.Todd Korol/The Globe and Mail
Did you recently buy a home? We want to hear your house hunting story
Did you recently buy a home? The Globe wants to hear about your house hunting journey. What were you looking for, what was your budget and what concessions did you make along the way? How many other listings did you look at, and why did you choose the home that you did? We’ll be profiling house hunters across the country in a new series.
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