CREB® past president Jim Ross labels digital revolution in 1996 as a game-changer

It was the cusp of the modern-day tech revolution, and Jim Ross had the best seat in the house.

"The Internet was quite new, and we were just coming to grips with the best way to head down that road," said the CREB® past president, who guided the local real estate industry in 1996 through increasing demand for digital alternatives. "At that time, we had no idea what the impact of the Internet would be, how universal it would become.

Smallest year-over-year decline since 2014

Residential resale housing activity declines in the province eased last month, falling by 3.8 per cent to 4,611 units, according to the Alberta Real Estate Association.

The provincial organization noted September represented the smallest year-over-year decline since December 2014.

Meanwhile, the average MLS® residential price in Alberta rose 3.9 per cent from September 2015 to $396,646.

Apartment sector prompts optimism for buyers

After living in southwest communities of Midnapore and Evergreen for 27 years, transitioning to an apartment in Mission was an easy decision for Michelle Norman.

"Condo living was a very easy adjustment," she said. "I like the idea of being surrounded by a good mix of young and older residents as well as not having to worry about such things as yard work and snow removal."

Developers creating public art 'for the people that belongs to the people'

It's Sunday morning and soft skiffs of white snow blanket the still green grass, while golden and red leaves cling tightly to drooping branches laden with the heaviness of an early fall storm.

As the sun streams through a parting overcast sky, melting the show of winter that has arrived all too soon, the landscape becomes an artistic vista – one of twinkling light and impressionistic colour as St. Patrick's Island awakens to the day.

If your yard is a bar, mushrooms are the patrons and the wait staff

The phone call came during my regular CBC radio phone-in show.

The caller had heard Dr. Scholl's foot powder was a fungicide. She knew lawn mushrooms were a type of fungus, so she wondered if she could kill her lawn mushrooms with foot powder – active ingredient Tolfanate, a synthetic thiocarbamate.

"No, definitely not," I exclaimed.

Homebuilders, developers cite international interest in region

Over the past four months, one-third of the 11 sales at the luxury Creekstone condo project in Canmore's Spring Creek development have been to foreign buyers.

And while there have been no purchasers from China — yet — developer Frank Kernick said it is "just a matter of time" before they come.

Housing officials say foreign investment shift too early to tell; still unwavering on city's potential

Calgary could be the new Vancouver. At least that's what has some real estate observers maintaining more than two months after the B.C. government imposed a 15 per cent land transfer tax on real estate purchases by foreign buyers in the province's most populated city.

Aimed at dampening foreign investment—mostly from mainland China, which has been suspected of pushing up demand and prices in markets such as Vancouver where the benchmark price for a home is close to $1 million – the tax appears to be working.

Homebuilding officials warn proposed governmental power shift could impact homebuyers in a big way

Before Calgarians step into a voting booth to elect a new city council a year from now, there could be a whole new ball game of city governance over everything from land assessments to affordable housing and even new taxing powers.

New city charters originally proposed in 2014, and only recently made available for public feedback, are intended to give new powers and responsibilities to Alberta's two largest municipalities. They may affect Calgarians on everything from residential speed limits and fines, environmental protection, integration of land-use and transportation strategies and investment to civic administrative efficiencies that stretch from council roles to establishment of bylaw tribunals.

And there will almost certainly be changes that impact the homebuilding industry, and ultimately homebuyers.

Talking everything from what makes a great community to the favourite room in her house

What defines a great place? A mix of housing? A popular neighbourhood haunt? Walking and biking paths?

CREB® recently sat down with Eleanor Mohammed, president of the Alberta Professional Planners Institute and a director for the Canadian Institute of Planners, which organizes the annual Great Places competition. Here's what she had to say:

CREB®Now: Tell us a bit more about the Great Places competition?

Over-reliance on gizmos could be younger generation's ultimate downfall

It's one of those "aha" moments: Speaking to a roomful of baby boomers, bestselling author Jason Dorsey asks the audience to finish the sentence: "Generation Y is tech-...."

"Savvy!" shouts most of the crowd.

Nope, not true, says Dorsey, an expert on Gen Y, or the Millennial generation — people who became adults in the 21st century.