Do your homework to ensure your fixer-upper home purchase is a success

Turn on your TV and there are shows aplenty with always-eager renovation crews turning a run-down house into something out of a show-home showcase.

Browse the Internet and you can find real estate websites devoted to fixer-upper properties that just need a little "TLC" to become your dream home.

There's even an offering from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. (CMHC) and Genworth Canada called Purchase Plus Improvements, allowing you to finance some future renovations into the cost of purchasing a home.

But buying a fixer upper is not for everyone, and requires due diligence just like any other real estate purchase, starting with a home inspection.

No longer "throwing away" money on rent, local yoga and fitness instructor purchased a condo in historic Inglewood

Spring is all about new beginnings and for yoga and fitness instructor, Lana McGillivray, the adage couldn't be more true.

This hip and vibrant 34-year-old recently took possession of her new one-bedroom condo at i.D. Inglewood, and started a new job as manager of a new fitness studio in the East Village.

Home buyers from different generations share a connection due to oversupply in the apartment sector

It's the kind of thing that plays out in movies. A connection develops between the younger and older generations — think Matt Damon and Robin Williams in Good Will Hunting.

And while that fictional relationship was initially fraught with tension, the bond they developed benefitted both parties. It's a storyline not unlike the scene playing out right here in the local real estate market.

With a dizzying array of styles and patterns, laminate flooring has become the popular choice

Laminate flooring has come a long way since the early days of shiny-looking fake oak and maple products.

Today there are patterns and designs so realistic "you would never know whether it's real wood or not," said L.J. Boehm, account manager with Dannburg Floor Coverings, and a second-generation flooring expert in the family-owned and operated business.

Lined with charming, independent businesses and loads of historic treasures, small towns are trying to revitalize their main streets

Kelly Warrack describes the movement of businesses out of Strathmore's downtown core to the edge of town as "a fairly typical story for towns like us."

Warrack, who grew up on a farm near Strathmore, says Strathmore's Second Avenue (Main Street) was always the focal point of the town in decades past. "Main Street was the place to go," recalled Warrack, citing the presence of the feed mill, banks, the hardware store, the local Co-op and the King Edward Hotel as among the street's popular destinations. In recent times, however, Warrack says businesses have moved from downtown and have opened along the highway.

Owners and experts explore the ins and outs of operating a vacation rental property

The Gierke family has seen just about everything while renting out their Sylvan Lake vacation home over the past 20 years.

They've housed families, business people and youthful tenants who turned their 840 square foot cottage into a party house.

Avid gardeners should consider elevation, climate and soil before buying a new home

As many Albertans know, we can get some really nasty hail storms. Years ago, when we lived in Airdrie, my kids got pelted by golf-ball-sized hail walking back from school. They survived, but my garden wasn't as lucky; the hail had stripped leaves off trees and pummeled my native orchids into the dirt. After nine years in Airdrie, it was the final straw. We listed the house and moved back to Calgary.

Thankfully, garden enthusiasts can now look up factors that impact their garden, such as elevation, before buying a house. Other factors that affect a garden, like soil and microclimate, can be changed, but elevation is fixed. If you are a gardener looking to buy or sell in a satellite community, here are some gardening tips to consider:

New retail development to take shape near airport

A major regional shopping centre is being planned just north of Calgary's airport, in a burgeoning district.

ONE Properties has plans to develop StoneGate Common as the retail portion of the overall StoneGate Landing project and turn it into a "signature" retail development that will serve northeast Calgary and the greater Calgary region from its location at 128th Avenue N.E. and Barlow Crescent.

StoneGate Landing, directly north of the airport, will include a 10-million-square-foot industrial park, a 2.5-million-square-foot suburban office development, hotels and auto dealerships on about 800 acres.

How to make moving easier on your four-legged family members

For Erika Lagyjanszki, a 25-year-old wedding photographer, moving out of her basement apartment was a stressful ordeal for both her and her pets.

Finding a new rental that would allow her two dogs – Bailey, a four-year-old husky border collie cross, and Diesel, a two-year-old shepherd husky cross – while trying to time the logistics of the move added to her exasperation.

And, while Lagyjanszki had moved before and knew what to expect, she wasn't prepared for the affect the experience had on her pets.

Sunset Homes embraces the next era of digital design with tech-savvy integration

It's like living with the Jetsons," said Scott Silva, as he characterizes the ever-growing trend in high-tech homes.

"The next level of automation in one's home is about intuition and integration based on lifestyle . . . your home will know what your life looks like," said Silva, director of business development for Sunset Homes.