High River housing market strong 2 years after flood

It's not quite the mass exodus some were expecting after the 2013 flood devastated the town of HighRiver.

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Realtor Jim Ross says the housing market has bounced backconsiderably. Sales are still 20 per centbelowpre-flood levels, but housing prices have actually jumped a little higher.

"The market here has been great.In fact,listings are selling quickly, prices have been stable.The inventory is a little bithigher than it was this time last year, but that's the same case with the whole area,"saidRoss.

Jim andBrendaHargreavesare among those who are choosing to ignore the critics and go with their hearts.The couple fromLacombesay they always get the same reactionwhen they tell someone they are moving to High River.

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"They think we're cooked," saidBrenda. "They raise their eyebrows, they look at us like, 'Oh, OK."

Jimwon't even tell people anymore thatthe home sits right on the Highwood River.

But it hasn't been aquick and easy decision for the couple.Theystarted their search back in 2012 as they were nearing retirement. Theywanted tomove closer to their fourgrandchildrenin Calgary, andHigh River fits the bill.

'It's a great little town'

"It has a lot of charm, and small community, it has a hospital, its close enough to Calgary without being in Calgary.... The trees and the river, the peopleit's a great little town," saidBrenda.

"And it has a golf course, which is important to both of us," saidJim.

The two first made an offer on a home in High Riverin the fall of 2012. It fell though, which Jimsays was fortuitous.

"It was in an areawhere, whenwe talked about flooding, they said, 'Oh, no. It never floods there. Guess what? They got sixor sevenfeet of water. It was in an area south of the Hamptons," said Jim.

Househunting was then put on hold for a whilewhile the couple spent thewinter down south. They picked uptheir search again in the spring of 2013, and another offer soon followed.Thistime it went through. It wasless than twoweeks before the flood.

"Andthen, oh my. We were sick. We were sick for the people, sick for ourselvesbecause we were intoa deal to buy a house in a flooded area, and we just couldn'timagine enduring that," said Brenda.

But they say they got lucky once again.The sellers couldn't return the home to thecondition in which it was viewed, so the deal collapsed.

In the meantime, Jimwent to volunteer with the cleanup inHigh River. It was then he realized the tenacity of the people who lived there.

"I felt like, incrediblethe grit.The onecouple that Ihad helped, it was their second go at the flood and they still didn't seem phased by it," said Jim.

Flood zone check

After the flood they decided to expandtheir searchoutside of High River, butnothing seemed suitable.

Finally,this past spring, their realtor sent them photos of another High Riverhome. Itbacked onto the Highwood River.

"I said, 'Jim, we can notsit on the river.We have got to be out of our minds to go and have a house on the river,'" saidBrenda.

But they decided to take a look at the home in the community of Vista Mirage and theydiscoveredithad only received a little flood-related damage. The sewer backed up into the basement, and alittle water entered the garage. Still,before they signed the dealthey made sure itwasn'tin the flood zone andthey couldget insurance for it.

"We've decided we're going to give it a whirl and what's the worst thing that can happen? We will have to move again, but that's unlikely," saidBrenda.

Jimsays all of the flood protection measures that have been put into placeare giving him a lot of confidence in their decision to buy.

"Is it enough? We think so. We are pretty confident, " said Jim. "We're very, very bullish on the town, and its reconstruction, and its got a fresh feel,"