Whether building a patio or deck, new materials are expanding creative possibilities

Summer is coming and Calgarians are once again preparing to soak up as much good weather and outdoor living as possible. There's no better place to enjoy a warm summer day than on your very own deck or patio. So, if you're thinking about building or enhancing, it's a good time to consider your options.

Peter Van Seggelen, owner of The Landscape Artist Inc., says a patio or deck should be viewed as part of an overall landscaping plan, which can include benches, pathways, or features like an outdoor fireplace.

The housing market is set for a favourable spring as detached prices stabilize and city-wide inventory trends downward

Ask economists about the highs and lows of the housing market and they'll say it won't last –there's a natural equilibrium that will eventually push things back into balanced territory.

It's a theory that was certainly tested over recent years, but as time will attest, its best to trust economists in these matters.

As spring gets underway amid a strengthening regional economy, the housing market pendulum is slowly swinging back toward the middle.

Calgary's housing market showing signs of stability, but the road to a full recovery will take time.

If Calgary's housing market was a hospital patient, it would have been in intensive care for the last year. Today, though, the patient is showing signs of serious recovery.

First quarter data for 2017 from the CREB®, released earlier this month, reveals the market could be entering a period of stability in which supply and demand are essentially balancing out in the detached sector of the market.

"When we talk about recovery, we have to differentiate the marketplace conditions because there are two segments facing different prospects," said Ann-Marie Lurie, chief economist with CREB®.

Newest townhome designs focus on livability

Mattamy Homes' latest project has the presidential stamp of approval.

More than that, the design of the two townhome style Manor series show homes in The Gates at Hillcrest in Airdrie, including the 1,698 square foot Aspen and 1,525 square foot Birch – have his hand prints all over them.

After an absence of 10 years, Don Barrineau, president of Mattamy Homes' Calgary division, decided it was time to get involved in home design again. What he found early on was that his vision of what the homes should focus on hasn't changed.

Local families and remediation experts share common sentiments about the value of radon testing

When Darcy and Audrey Undseth bought their southwest walkout bungalow in 2009, they were just learning of the dangers of radon gas.

Audrey, a doctor, had seen articles in medical journals on hazardous radon levels in basements.

The pair's son, Brennan, slept in a basement bedroom, and the Undseths wondered if they should test for radon – an invisible, tasteless, odourless radioactive gas that naturally occurs when uranium in the ground breaks down.

With a long list of ecological and economic benefits, green roofs are picking up in popularity

Imagine looking down on an urban centre from above and seeing nothing but verdant green. Stark rooftops are now overgrown with grasses, shrubs and trees. Here and there, sunlight glints off small ponds. The outlines of streets and roads are just visible through the greenery.

This may sound like a vision of a post-apocalyptic future in which nature is reclaiming abandoned cities. But in fact, it's a modern technology that proponents of green roofing would love to see become a widespread reality. The sooner the better.

CREB^® has received the Canadian Commercial Network (CCN) Merit Award, presented by the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) at their 2017 AGM on March 27. 

Jodi Monaghan finds joy in personalizing her new home

Three years ago, Jodi Monaghan was on the precipice of change. She'd been living in Lethbridge for close to 30 years, her children were grown and she'd recently sold her dental practice. Monaghan wanted a fresh start in a bigger city with the right market conditions for opening a new clinic.

A new relationship had her traveling back and forth between Calgary and Lethbridge, and the more time she spent in Calgary, the more she realized that she loved the city. So she began searching for an older home in an established neighbourhood. She wanted a home she could renovate and make her own. In October, 2014 she found and purchased a 50-year-old, four-level split bungalow in the community of Lakeview.