One of the more durable features in Calgary, because it is a property of the lot and cannot be added later. It also brings problems a flat lot never has.
A walkout needs a slope. No amount of money turns a flat lot into one, which is why walkout lots are limited from the day a community is planned and why buyers who want one compare walkouts against walkouts rather than against the house next door.
What it does practically is turn the lower level into a floor of the house. Full-height glass and a door to the yard mean the space gets used like a main floor rather than a basement, a bungalow reads much larger than its footprint, and a legal suite — where zoning and permits allow one — is far easier to rent and rents to a wider group of tenants. All of that widens the pool.
A walkout is only worth what it looks at. Onto a ravine or a pond, it is the best feature on the house. Onto a neighbour's fence, it is a bright basement.
Builders charge a lot premium for walkout lots and resale sellers price them in, so this is not free value you discover later. The benefit is durability: it is one of the few features that is still there in twenty years when the kitchen has been redone twice, and it holds the interest of buyers even when the market has gone quiet.
Current inventory is on the Calgary walkout homes search, and whether a finished basement is worth it covers the development side.