Geoff Snider and Micaela Mailath found the perfect mix of size and location in South Calgary townhome

Geoff Snider and Micaela Mailath are "downtown people" who appreciate living in an area with a cosmopolitan vibe – close to restaurants, pubs and grocery stores. But they also love nature and what Calgary has to offer when it comes to sports. In fact, Snider is a former professional lacrosse player, who currently plays on Team Canada. He is also an entrepreneur with two businesses. Both he and Micaela, who is in sales, work from home, so when their 600-square-foot Eau Claire condo started to feel a little cramped, they began looking for a larger space. They found the perfect mix of size and location in South Calgary, where they purchased a townhome by inner-city homebuilder RNDSQR.

Jennifer and Mike Elliott created their perfect home alongside nature in Woodbine

When Jennifer and Mike Elliott moved to Calgary from Regina with their two young children 20 years ago, they had several must-haves on their home wish list. Namely, the home had to be in an area that was child-friendly, and close to schools, parks and mature trees. They purchased a four-bedroom home in Woodbine with an old-world front porch, just minutes from Fish Creek Park. Now that their kids are grown, they have renovated their home top to bottom, including a new kitchen, bathrooms, flooring, lighting and furniture. The final stage was completed last year – a brand new art studio and gallery for Mike, who has shifted his career focus from the oil and gas industry to art.

Smarter Growth Initiative aims to educate public about homebuilding and development industry

Guy Huntingford knows the value of providing people with useful and interesting information.

After all, the CEO of BILD Calgary Region was once in the newspaper business, as a publisher at both the Calgary Herald and the Calgary Sun.

That background gave him the spark needed to put together the Smarter Growth Initiative, a BILD-affiliated entity whose tagline is "fostering conversation about urban development," nearly four years ago.

New developments in surrounding areas limited price growth in 2017

When it comes to Calgary's housing market, there's a lot of activity on the outskirts and in surrounding areas.

"We have a number of new communities and areas with many new developments offering competing products for the resale market," said CREB® chief economist Ann-Marie Lurie.

Renovations on a $5,000 budget

At first glance, doing meaningful home renovations for $5,000 is akin to those travel guides for "Europe on $10 a day": easier said than done. Yet, like the backpacker who squeezes every penny from their budget to travel the globe, affordable renovations are not out of reach if you spend your nickels and dimes wisely.

According to Bob Weir, vice-president of operations with Calgary's Reborn Renovations, making improvements with $5,000 certainly narrows your options, but it can be done.

Security solutions for the modern home

Home is where you expect to feel safe, and for some people, that means adding a home security system.
Years ago, homeowners had two choices: have a system professionally installed, or make do with simple devices, such as timers to turn lights on and off, and clunky, wired security cameras.

But thanks to today's technology, there are numerous devices that a do-it-yourselfer can install, while the option of leaving things up to the pros is also still available.

How does your home rate?

Most energy-conscious Canadians wouldn't buy a new appliance without checking its EnerGuide label to see how it rates. EnerGuide labels for homes are starting to catch on with energy-efficient new-home builders. But did you know you can get an EnerGuide assessment for your existing home?

December sales activity rises again, but so does supply

Sales activity for all product types improved in December and pushed monthly sales to long-term averages for the second month in a row.

However, new listings also rose, keeping inventory elevated compared to typical levels for December. With more supply remaining compared to sales, benchmark prices edged down for the fifth consecutive month.

Inner-city lovers build new in an old community 

Gerald Proctor and Katrina Tashlikowich are inner-city people. Gerald was born and raised in Calgary and Katrina grew up in Vancouver, but work has taken them across the country. When they moved to Calgary from Regina five years ago, they drew a circle around the core and began their home search.

CREB®Now connected with some of Calgary's housing industry experts and leaders for their opinions on 2018. Here's what they had to say. . .