Art Vandelay Posted May 29, 2009 Report Share Posted May 29, 2009 I’ve read that many students rent apartments within walking distance to the hospital/school. 1) Does this obvious convenience factor justify what seems like fairly expensive monthly rent? 2) I was thinking of buying a condo in the downtown area close to an LRT stop. Would commuting via LRT or car during the pre-clinical and/or clerkship years be too much of a burden/hassle? (Is it better to just rent an apartment within walking distance to the hospital?) 3) Can current students please comment on their experiences with renting/buying/commuting and what you would recommend to an incoming OOP student (who is unfamiliar with the area)? 4) I have also read that securing a U of A parking pass is difficult. What are these difficulties (waitlist, finding parking, etc.)? Are there private parking lots near the hospital/school? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jochi1543 Posted May 30, 2009 Report Share Posted May 30, 2009 I can't help you with most of your Qs, but I just got the ball rolling on the process of buying. I don't know what price range you're looking for, but if you want walking distance from U of A hospital, you are likely looking at $300K for a 2-bedroom. I'm looking for <$200K, and it's pretty much all driving distance (maybe walking if good weather). The "bad" area of Edmonton is the NorthEast, in case you're wondering. The Royal Alex area is pretty ghetto. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Icebox Posted May 30, 2009 Report Share Posted May 30, 2009 I live in a house with 2 fellow students and we're about 5 minutes walking (~3 minutes running) from the Katz building. We scored the luckiest deal, but the convenience beats everything: - If you live downtown near the LRT station, the commute's fine. You'll get to school in ~10-15 minutes and the LRT is right across the street. However, with where I live, I can roll out of bed at 7:55am and be in class at 8am. And if I have a break where some people have PBL (ex. 10am-12pm), I can go home and eat/nap/whatever I want to do in no time. I've been spoiled by the convenience as I do this a lot, even for 1 hour breaks between class (I go home so I can toast my sandwiches). - Not sure about parking passes... most people I've seen that drive to school park their car in Education (across from Katz) or at Varsity (behind the big yellow building, the Butterdome... 5 minutes walking distance from class). I managed to get the convenience factor here as well, in that our house has a garage so I leave my car there without having to pay for a parking pass. If you can find a similar arrangement (close to school with secure covered parking), I'd highly recommend it. - I can't speak much on Clinical Years yet, but my first rotation is at the Royal Alex which I'll have to drive to. A car is essentially mandatory for clerkship and your rotations can be anywhere. So I guess at this point it really doesn't matter as much where you live, unless you end up getting placed at University Hospital for most of your rotations. I haven't heard of this happening though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jochi1543 Posted May 30, 2009 Report Share Posted May 30, 2009 - I can't speak much on Clinical Years yet, but my first rotation is at the Royal Alex which I'll have to drive to. A car is essentially mandatory for clerkship and your rotations can be anywhere. So I guess at this point it really doesn't matter as much where you live, unless you end up getting placed at University Hospital for most of your rotations. I haven't heard of this happening though. Do most rotations for U of A students take place at Royal Alex and U of A, or do they tend to be pretty evenly split among the 4 main hospitals? Just wondering if there's any benefit in living a block from, say, the Miz, as opposed to 30 blocks from U of A. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lactic Folly Posted May 30, 2009 Report Share Posted May 30, 2009 Students are randomly assigned to any of the hospitals where the rotation is offered (4 main hospitals, can include other sites such as NE for peds clinic/emerg shifts, Alberta Hospital for psych, for example).. some rotations might allow you to trade sites with other students, but in any case there was a lot of driving as everyone congregates at one site for teaching sessions during the week. Living closer to the university would make your life easier for the first two years, whereas living close to the Mis would make your life easier for those (perhaps) 2 rotations you have there.. depends how much of a daily commute you are willing to put up with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Art Vandelay Posted June 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 1, 2009 Thanks for the input! I am now leaning towards renting (at least for the 1st year) a place within walking distance to the school. Would any of you recommend any of the following buildings (please provide pros and cons if possible): Windsor Park Plaza, Windsor Park Lofts, Newton Place (University res), Garneau Towers, Concord Tower, Sir John Franklin, The David Thompson, Terrace Tower. Thanks for your help. Also, please feel free to provide any other advice you think may help incoming students with regards to housing, student life, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rpuff Posted June 1, 2009 Report Share Posted June 1, 2009 I just went apartment hunting last week and secured a large 2B in Windsor Park Plaza, but here's what I know so far: Windsor Park: 2 huge buildings, apartments are clean with new appliances, decent sized rooms. The pros are obviously the 30 second walk to school, close to Safeway, Whyte, and Sobeys, and the pool/workout facilities/movie theatre etc. downstairs. Also very safe. Apparently popular with a lot of med students. They're knocking up to $100 off rent on certain units right now. Cons: kinda pricey. Plaza is the big tower, lofts are the level above the beginning of Whyte. Lofts are more expensive. Parking available Newton: You will not get in if you apply now, it's a first come first serve system through U of A Residence so you needed to apply early. Apartments are in various stages of renovated so some are old some are nicer. Reasonable rent, can't get any closer to the hospital. They look for 3-4th year undergrads and grad students, a more mature crowd. Garneau Towers: Not recommended, I heard it's really overpriced for not the greatest quality. Also, their parking is not safe my roommate's brother lived there for a couple years and had his car A. broken into and B. stolen then smashed into a wall Concord: Awesome. My cousin lives there and it's quite a nice building, very reasonable rent and well renovated. Location is a plus. Has a workout room downstairs I believe. Parking available Is Sir John Franklin the one above Hudsons? If so...it'll be noisy. Other advice... I've lived on U of A campus for 3 years (two in Lister Residence, one in a house near Sask Drive/University Ave) and the convenince of being less than 10 minutes away from class is a definite plus. If you aren't planning on getting a car in first year (which you won't need), definitely consider how far away you are from the grocery store. Walking 20 minutes in freezing cold Edmonton weather is not fun. The nearest Superstore is on Gateway, or you can take the train to Claireview if you feel like cheaper groceries. The great thing about living on campus is you never really need to leave the immediate area. Whyte Ave is full of restaurants and pubs to hang out at. I'm from the stereotypical pristine suburbs of Calgary and when I first moved up I thought I'd hate Edmonton, but it really grows on you. The extra price for convenience and location is worth it to me. Campus is probably the nicest part of central Edmonton since it's smack dab in the middle of the River Valley, and there are tons of parks around if you like to run/bike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ncparker Posted June 2, 2009 Report Share Posted June 2, 2009 Or you could rent a room in my house for less $$$ and be a short lrt ride from the U - have free parking and I'm sure we could bring you grocery shopping when we go and your also only blocks from southgate. PM if interested Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Version 2 Posted June 2, 2009 Report Share Posted June 2, 2009 Any preferences after having done 1+ years of school? Is it worth the extra cash to get your own apartment or is a bedroom with roommates the better option? Seems the apartments are about double the price, and lack cable/internet/etc (heat/water/power IS included). However, I hear living with roommates can be either no big deal or hell depending. Either way I'm gonna have to actually make a trip there to check it out in person I guess. I'm guessing sooner is better than later with this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jochi1543 Posted June 2, 2009 Report Share Posted June 2, 2009 With 1 roommate, it shouldn't be too bad, but I draw the line at 1. I'm extremely territorial when it comes to the fridge. And when you have 2 or more roommates, you can pretty much guarantee that someone will always be home. I don't know about you, but I HAVE to have some alone time every day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Version 2 Posted June 2, 2009 Report Share Posted June 2, 2009 There's a couple interesting deals on 2-bedroom apartments and such, but I don't want to take over the lease if it means I have to look for a roommate I don't mind having one, but having to look for one doesn't seem appealing. I'm sorta torn, since I would love to be right across the street from the hospital, but on the other hand it's almost double the price. Plus some of them have to be leased for a full year, which is rough since I'd probably go home in the summers. Maybe I could find someone to take it over during the summer.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jochi1543 Posted June 2, 2009 Report Share Posted June 2, 2009 I'm sorta torn, since I would love to be right across the street from the hospital, but on the other hand it's almost double the price. Plus some of them have to be leased for a full year, which is rough since I'd probably go home in the summers. Maybe I could find someone to take it over during the summer.... You probably could for some of the summer, there are always elective students and summer students...but I don't know how easy it would be to get someone you can trust with your belongings for 2 full summers. I personally have never subletted. While it's possible, I'd have to find some way to secure all the valuables and everything, unless, of course, you can find a trustworthy close friend to sublet, but how likely is that to happen. You could put all your crap in storage, but that's extra fees and a lot of work associated with moving and such. Oh, and oh my god, DON'T room with couples....never ends well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Icebox Posted June 2, 2009 Report Share Posted June 2, 2009 Any preferences after having done 1+ years of school? Is it worth the extra cash to get your own apartment or is a bedroom with roommates the better option? Seems the apartments are about double the price, and lack cable/internet/etc (heat/water/power IS included). However, I hear living with roommates can be either no big deal or hell depending. Either way I'm gonna have to actually make a trip there to check it out in person I guess. I'm guessing sooner is better than later with this. It's all personal preference - I knew my 2 roommates before starting med and I love our living situation. I couldn't live without roommates, if they're both gone for the weekend and I don't have any plans, I get lonely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Version 2 Posted June 3, 2009 Report Share Posted June 3, 2009 The only real requirement I have is that it's close (though the price has to be reasonable). I don't wanna even be messing with transit anymore. I lived an hour away from school for my entire undergrad (more for the first two years) and I'm sick of having to make elaborate plans for simple things and always having to watch transit schedules . It's just worth it to me to pay a little extra and be close as long as the accommodations are decent. Plus I never had time to volunteer since I coughed up 2 1/2 hours every day, and I think that almost cost me acceptance.... It's also easier to be more social when you're close Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tooty Posted June 3, 2009 Report Share Posted June 3, 2009 It's all personal preference - I knew my 2 roommates before starting med and I love our living situation. I couldn't live without roommates, if they're both gone for the weekend and I don't have any plans, I get lonely. go pick up some mad b1tches and drop the med student bomb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kandy4 Posted June 3, 2009 Report Share Posted June 3, 2009 For anyone who is paying utilities, how much does heat + power cost you in summer and winter months? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flamesfan Posted June 30, 2009 Report Share Posted June 30, 2009 BUMP can anyone speak to students buying? Is it common for students to own a place and if so, what is better 1bdrm or 2? I know this year I want to live alone after doing the 5 guys in a house thing but do people often go from 1 person to 2 or vice versa? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jochi1543 Posted June 30, 2009 Report Share Posted June 30, 2009 BUMP can anyone speak to students buying? Is it common for students to own a place and if so, what is better 1bdrm or 2? I know this year I want to live alone after doing the 5 guys in a house thing but do people often go from 1 person to 2 or vice versa? I just bought a place. I opted for a 2-bedroom - I think it's easier to resell, both to young couples and to people like us who might potentially want to rent a room out. It's quite a bit cheaper to own a 2-bedroom and rent 1 room out than own a 1-bedroom to yourself. Also, when you own the property, you are your renter's boss...sharing the living quarters with you, they are probably gonna try and avoid getting on your nerves excessively, because it's really not in their best interest to get on your bad side. So it's not quite the same as sharing a house with 5 people where your landlord is a stranger. Also, you can't compare having 4 roommates to having 1...I think more than 2 people is always overkill unless you're seriously broke and have no other options (the fridge/counters and the bathroom become a battlefield). And in 3rd and 4th year, you'll be there so little, you probably won't even care you've got a roommate. If you want to buy, you need to get on it NOW. Well, you SHOULD've gotten on it a month ago before the mortgage rates jumped 1%, but it's too late now. But yes, it takes a while. It'll probably take you a good 2 weeks to find a place you like and get approved for a mortgage (took me 3). Then you have to make sure your possession date is before school starts - if you are buying a condo, it's a concern because there might be a tenant in there currently, and they get 90 days notice. They might move out early on their own or you might end up having to pay them off to get them out of there. If you have any more specific questions, let me know here or via PM and I'd be happy to answer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tooty Posted June 30, 2009 Report Share Posted June 30, 2009 There is a good discussion on renting vs. owning property on the poker forum I frequent. It has some good info in there, even though it's mainly for the US. The OP is Canadian though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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