Market conditions and low dollar could entice foreign buyers to Calgary

While those in the real-estate industry agree that Calgary is not yet a top destination for international buyers, others feel optimistic that foreign buyers will want to call Calgary home.

"There is a steadily growing minority who are very interested in Calgary," said Charles Pittar, CEO of Juwai, China's largest international-property website.

"Because Calgary is a relatively small city, even if it wins just a tiny share of the buyers that have been going to other parts of North America, it would reap huge benefits."

The emphasis is on the "if."

With new home starts down, inventories are stabilizing

New home construction in the Calgary region continues to be negatively affected by a struggling economy that has slowed down the pace of activity in the past two years – and more of the same is expected this year.

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp's Richard Cho, principal market analyst for Calgary, says the pace of activity was starting to stabilize in the single-detached market as 2016 progressed.

''But on the multi-family side we saw inventory levels steadily rising throughout the year and they're pretty elevated levels for Calgary and they've had an impact on the number of new projects breaking ground last year,'' said Cho.

Beyond beautification, trees provide a bevy of benefits for urban dwellers

Even before the turn of the century, early civic leaders envisioned Calgary as an urban oasis, with broad tree-lined streets connecting numerous parks. In 1894, the City of Calgary started planting trees along major boulevards in the city, beginning the effort to create an urban forest that continues today.

But aside from beautification, what's the point of an urban forest?

Rocky View's proposed gravel pit policy has local homeowners crying foul

Gravel hardly seems like a subject to stir controversy, but a proposed policy plan for gravel pits in Rocky View County has done just that.

Since the draft of Rocky View County's Aggregate Resource Plan was announced last year, it has raised the ire of residents in areas close to existing and possible future gravel operations.

Local company eyes future shipping container developments in Calgary

They travel across the ocean from Asia all the way to Canada and, until recently, these steel shipping containers were considered surplus.

If a local company gets its way, however, these re-purposed shipping containers could provide part of the solution to affordable and special needs housing demands in Calgary.

"We are currently looking at a couple of different projects in Calgary," said Rhys Kane, director of business development for Ladacor Advanced Modular Systems. "They would be multi-family apartments and seniors' independent-living projects of six- to eight-storeys."

Excess supply keeps housing prices low in Calgary's apartment sector

It's a seasoned phrase that harkens back to childhood memories of excess, but it's hard to argue with the idea that too much of anything isn't good for us.

The sentiment certainly holds true when considering the buffet of housing options in Calgary's apartment sector. As most product types have started the slow churn toward more balanced conditions, apartment product is struggling to digest a smorgasbord of inventory.

"Overall conditions appear to be improving, but the market is still behaving a little differently on the apartment side," said CREB® chief economist Ann-Marie Lurie. "Inventories are still rising as the growth in sales is not enough to compensate for further gains in new listings."

Nominate a deserving people's REALTOR® today

Honest. Dedicated. Personable.

While those adjectives may describe the perfect best friend, they also outline the character traits of the People's REALTOR® – a prestigious award that recognizes real estate professionals whose client-first mentality shatters expectations.

Part of CREB®'s annual ROAR Awards, candidates for the People's REALTOR® Award are nominated by the public for being the best of the best in the eyes of their clients.

How to welcome spring when you live on an acreage

John Paulsen has lived on his five-and-a-quarter acres in Springbank for more than two decades.

"It was always my dream to live on an acreage."

And he made that dream come true when he designed and built his home in Springbank, after living in Calgary's Silver Springs community.

Walk21 Conference to explore the city's walkable future

Experts hope an upcoming international conference will boost efforts to make Calgary more walkable.

Hosted by the University of Calgary, the Walk21 International Conference on Walking and Livable Communities will see 600 local, national and international experts gather to discuss what they're doing in their own communities, and how it could be applied to Calgary.

"(Calgary) is not the city that comes to mind when you say walking," said John Brown, a professor and associate dean with the faculty of environmental design at the university and co-chair of the committee bringing Walk21 to Calgary.

Every time you turn around, a new tech gadget hits the market.

Understandably, it's hard to keep up. So, here's a look at four of the coolest gadgets on the market right now, from an elegantly simple power-saving plug, to a funky retro telephone with high-tech innards. Every product featured in this story is available in Canada, either online, or at retail stores.