Just south of the Calgary city limits on Highway 2, Okotoks is a bustling community full of amenities and surrounded by breathtaking southern Alberta scenery.

As of the May 2012 Municipal Census, Okotoks' population was 24,962, an increase of 4.1 per cent compared to 2011. In August, the community saw 67 sales for an average price of $387,755. As of the second quarter of this year, year-to-date sales totaled 326 units, a 4.5 per cent increase compared to the same time in 2012.

Spurred by strong employment and an influx of new Calgarians, the city's upper-end real estate market continued to lead the nation in nearly every category this year.

According to a report from Sotheby's International Realty Canada, Calgary's continuing economic prosperity has heightened demand for top-tier real estate, even in the wake of the floods that struck the city this summer.

Home sales in Canada increased 2.8 per cent between July and August of this year.

The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) reported the number of local markets where sales improved on a month-over-month basis ran roughly even with those where activity edged lower in August, with increases in major urban centres tipping the balance.

Celebrating 30 years this year, the Calgary Home + Design Show continues to inspire and educate visitors on anything and everything to do with the home.

"We add new exhibitors every year and we recently added a cooking stage. The basics of the show are the same, but we're always trying to offer something new and exciting," said Jill Kivett, show manager.

A pair of Calgary newlyweds became the 250th family to move into a home thanks to Attainable Homes Calgary Corporation (AHCC). Jun Sung Kim and his wife Julia moved into a two-bedroom apartment at Skyview Ranch in the city's northeast.

The two had been looking for a home months before their wedding. Jun said he was devastated by the cost of housing in Calgary and felt renting was the couple's only option before turning to AHCC.