CREB® Charitable Foundation recognized by Calgary Women's Emergency Shelter

The CREB® Charitable Foundation was recognized for its philanthropic dedication to ending family violence at the Calgary Women's Emergency Shelter's (CWES) Tulip Awards on Nov. 8.

During the event, which was held at Fort Calgary, the foundation took home the Telling our Story Award. This award is bestowed to an organization that has donated money to the agency and communicated its mandate to the foundation's membership.

Jeff and Jessica Huynh found their forever home in Calgary's eastern neighbour

When it came to finding their forever home, sussing out a family friendly community that offered a healthy, outdoor lifestyle, and was close to family and amenities, was top of mind for Jeff and Jessica Huynh. The Huynhs had been living in Coventry Hills in Calgary's northwest. They enjoyed the neighbourhood, but with two young children, the couple wanted to be closer to family who live in Calgary's northeast areas of Pineridge, Coral Springs and Marlborough.

Chestermere maintains its charm amidst rapid growth and development

When Toni Lynne Cousineau and her husband, Larry, moved to Calgary in 1996, they weren't familiar with the city. Even though they initially lived in Applewood Park, on the city's eastern edge, they did not know about Chestermere. "We didn't even know it existed," said.

It was through her employment with a local builder that Cousineau first discovered Chestermere, when she ended up working in a show home there. It was a case of love at first sight.

Ontario transplants Andrew Palmer and Vicki Bernier built their dream home in Okotoks' MountainView

Andrew Palmer and Vicki Bernier had been tossing around the idea of relocating to the Calgary area to be closer to family and to carve out a better lifestyle for their family. With two teens – Kaelyn, 15, and Jake, 13 – and two dogs, finding the right home in the right neighbourhood was a key factor in the couple's decision-making process. They found the perfect match with Excel Homes in the Okotoks community of MountainView.

A closer look at the numbers behind Calgary's apartment-style housing market

Statistics Canada recently released an interesting piece of information regarding Calgary's residential real estate market that went relatively unnoticed.

According to the government agency, the share of households in the Calgary census metropolitan area living in condominiums was 21.8 per cent in 2016. That represented the second highest percentage in the country, behind only Vancouver at 30.6 per cent, and was much higher than the national average of 13.3 per cent.

Flood mitigation efforts continue in the wake of 2013 disaster, but much still needs to be done

Apart from the cool uniforms, boy scouts are known for their motto: be prepared. In the wake of the 2013 flood, Calgary and the province are taking a page from the Boy Scout handbook and hoping to write a happy ending for homeowners.

"In preparing for future risks, we recognize that flooding is a complicated problem," said Frank Frigo, senior planning engineer with water resources for the City of Calgary and the City's leader of watershed analysis.

Foreclosed properties can be a bargain for savvy investors that do their homework

CREB® president David P. Brown offers a phrase of caution for those interested in purchasing a foreclosed property: "It's not for everybody. You get a home as is, where is."

One of the primary risks Brown identifies when it comes to purchasing a foreclosed property is that a buyer doesn't receive the same guarantees (e.g., that all the appliances are in working order) as with a regular sale.

Coat drive fulfills local REALTOR®'s passion for community involvement

For Calgary REALTOR® Mathew Morley, the desire to help provide the necessities of life goes beyond his day job helping people buy and sell houses.

Taking the holiday spirit to heart, Morley is the founder and organizer of Coats for Calgary. Now in its seventh year, the annual drive collects jackets for Calgarians in need of warmth during the winter months.

REALTORS® are refining their roles and elevating their business through education

How do we keep REALTORS® in the know and current? CREB®'s mandatory training program was developed in 2014 to help achieve the strategic goal of enhancing professional conduct in local real estate. The program aims to raise the proficiency, competency and courtesy levels of Realtors, thereby elevating professionalism in the local industry.