Downsizing baby boomers have different needs than previous generations

What's the difference between the baby boomer generation of empty nesters and retirees, and previous generations?

According to Calvin Buss, president of Buss Marketing and a boomer himself, today's empty nesters, if they retire at all, want to "do things" instead of retiring "to die."

And that new view of aging has also changed their approach to downsizing, says Buss, who has marketed and sold large condo projects in Calgary for almost three decades.

Allan Klassen wears a few different hats these days. He has his husband-and-father hat, of course. Then there's one as senior vice-president of housing for Brookfield Residential and another as chair of BILD Calgary.

The fourth hat he wears is as chair of the Gordie Howe Centre for Alzheimer's Research and Education Society (GH CARES). And like everything else he's involved in, Klassen brings a strong level of passion to this undertaking.

The highlight for this non-profit that provides assistance to the 45,000 Albertans who suffer from Alzheimer's or dementia is the pro-am hockey tournament held annually in Calgary in April.

Determining the best RV storage solution for you and your family

Having a recreational vehicle (RV) is a great way to enjoy a weekend retreat with family and friends, but storing an RV during the offseason can be a challenge for owners.

"The number one thing is you need to look at the bylaws of the community you live in," said Chris Swift, sales manager at Woody's RV World in Calgary, adding the rules pertaining to parking and storing RVs vary by city.

Most strictly limit or prohibit storing a vehicle on a city street, but there are exceptions. For example, Swift says, in Airdrie you can park an RV on your driveway provided it does not extend past the property line.

Downsizing can be the right move in a variety of situations

Cindy Beaudet owns and operates Destinations Seniors Downsizing, a Calgary company helping seniors "declutter, downsize and decide what stays and what goes."

"I tell them the first thing to do is to call their kids and tell them to get their stuff out of the basement," said Beaudet.

Most of Beaudet's clients have been in their homes for more than 40 years.

"It's so overwhelming for them. They've been in a house for 40 or 50 years, and now they're moving to 587 square feet of space," she said.

How much is your home worth? 

It’s a simple question with a complex answer, but one thing’s for sure, if you want to find the current value of your home, you can’t rely on your property tax assessments alone! 

First-time Home Buyers' Plan offers a path to ownership

A house can be a great investment, but saving enough for a down payment can be difficult. The Home Buyers' Plan (HBP), offered by the Government of Canada, is a program that aids the purchase of a first home by allowing part of a registered retirement savings plan (RRSP) to be withdrawn as a tax-free down payment in cash.

"This is about the only program that is available now through the federal government," said David P. Brown, president of CREB®.

The importance of a Real Property Report when buying a house

While many documents come into play when purchasing your home, one of the most important is the Real Property Report (RPR).

A real property report is a requirement during a standard real estate transaction and, in Calgary, Alberta Land Surveyors' Association (ALSA) members complete those reports.

"A Real Property Report is a legal document that shows the boundaries of the property in question and the improvements relative to those boundaries. When I say improvements, that includes of course the house, but also the deck, shed, garage and fence that may be on the property," said Brian Munday, executive director of Alberta Land Surveyors' Association (ALSA).

Staying one step ahead of the consumer technology bubble

"Everything you see here today will be totally obsolete in four years."

Those words of wisdom came from Bill Gates, spoken to Alberta-based technology commentator Steve Makris just before Gates stepped down as CEO of Microsoft.

"Count on everything changing every few years," said Makris, whose reviews and analysis of consumer technology can be found in Postmedia newspapers, on Global TV and at techuntangled.ca.

"The cycle of technology, even smart technology, arriving to consumers and disappearing altogether is getting shorter."

How a massive flood couldn't stop Brian Beck's vision of a Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired inner-city home

Twelve years ago, Brian Beck, wife Lynne Rennie and two-and-a-half-year-old daughter Kate, jumped into their newly acquired airstream trailer and hit the road for three months.

With no real itinerary, only the desire to travel south in advance of winter, the family stopped at the Frank Lloyd Wright (FLW) Fallingwater house, built in the 1930s over a waterfall in southwest Pennsylvania.

That stop led the Calgary corporate lawyer – now president of Cococo Chocolatiers with Chocolaterie Bernard Callebaut stores across Canada – to nine other FLW sites during those travels.

This began a journey transforming the couple's original 1,340-square-foot, 1950s Bridgeland bungalow into an homage to the brilliant Wright, who designed more than 1,000 structures over a 70-year span.

Making the transition from renting to buying is a lot about finding the right location with inventory that fits your budget

As a single female with a career in the arts, Jamie Dunsdon wasn't sure she could even qualify for a mortgage to enter the property-purchasing arena.

"I was afraid the only thing I could afford was something terrible," said Dunsdon, who is the artistic director with Verb Theatre.

After nine years of renting in Calgary, Dunsdon says she had enough of renting at high prices and hopped in the market last summer. As with all folks who are looking to purchase a property, location and budget were a major part of her decision.