Is there a glimmer of hope in Calgary's struggling downtown office market?

A new report by Avison Young suggests the market may be turning the corner following a brutal two years of ploughing through a recession.

The vacancy rate in the core was 23.9 per cent in the first quarter of the year, up from 17.6 per cent a year ago, but basically unchanged from year-end 2016.

"The first-quarter 2017 vacancy level actually represented positive news as the market took its first steps in halting its overall downward trend," said the commercial real estate company.

Todd Throndson, principal and managing director of Avison Young's Calgary office, says the downtown office market appears to have hit a pause in its rising vacancy.

Owning a home with an indoor or outdoor pool is a rarity in Calgary. If you dream of owning a backyard lagoon, here are some considerations before you dive in.

Imagine having your own private swimming pool – a place to entertain, exercise or just kick back and listen to the soothing sounds of moving water.

Lynn Lucyshyn, owner of Oasis Pools & Spas, says pools are a luxury few Calgarians enjoy. Her company installs as many as 12 pools in a good year, but as few as three in slower years.

According to CREB®, only 167 properties listing pools as a feature were sold in 2016. In that same year, the average sale price of a detached home with an indoor or outdoor pool was $974,388.

Launched in 2007, the Waterfront development has been ten years in the making with plenty more to come

The Waterfront development, an 11-building project, has become a landmark in downtown Calgary for Vancouver-based developer Anthem.

Elva Kim, vice-president of sales and marketing for Anthem, says five buildings have been completed now with close to 630 units just east of Eau Claire Market and along the Bow River.

"It's great. It's absolutely a landmark development for Anthem, both in terms of product, timing and location," said Kim.

By following three simple rules, you can keep your apartment plants happy and healthy

They say you should raise a plant before you raise a pet – it's a warm-up activity. At the very least, tropical plants are easier to take care of, and cheaper too.

Apartment-ready plants, typically in four inch (9 cm) pots, are available at most grocery stores. At that size they're not a big financial or emotional investment. Plus, tiny tropical varieties are just so cute. Before bringing home a baby houseplant, however, it's important to think of the light and space you have available in your apartment.

With a multitude of projects underway in Okotoks, Chestermere and south Calgary, Anthem United is set up for a busy year

The name may be new, but the passion for creating communities remains as ingrained as ever.

Just last month, United Communities completed the process of changing its name to Anthem United, which reflects its corporate relationship with the Vancouver-based developer, investment and management company, Anthem.

Founded some 83 years ago as United Management, this is only the second time the company has changed its name. In the 1990s, the rebrand to United Communities came about when the company's focus shifted to greenfield development, says Steve LePan, marketing director for Anthem United.

Selling a home can be a complicated process and if you've never worked with a real estate expert before, you may wonder about benefits of doing so. Andrew Peck, president of the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) shares his thoughts on five benefits a REALTOR® provides to home sellers. Their number one goal is to make real estate transactions as simple and easy as possible for their clients.

Finding a new home can be an emotionally-charged process. But as mentally consuming as it can be, it's often accompanied by feelings of optimism, excitement and even relief – especially when you've finalized your purchase.

Then reality sets in. You've got to move... everything.

You have to pack, discard, arrange and re-arrange belongings, abandon a familiar setting and establish yourself in a new community. It can be profoundly stressful and daunting.

Ventless heat-pump dryers dry clothes more efficiently at cooler temperatures

It may seem like the last place in your house you'd look for cutting-edge technology, but the laundry room is a pretty cool spot these days. No, seriously.

An exciting innovation that's reached our shores in recent years is the ventless heat-pump clothes dryer. They've been available since the 1990s in Europe, where the higher cost of electricity is a major incentive toward using less of it, but are just now developing a presence here.