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News
March 31, 2016 | Joel Schlesinger
Little house on the alley
Laneway homes could soon turn Calgary's back alleys into thriving mini-communities
Paul and Jill Robert have big plans for the little home they're building on their back lane.
Only the dwelling isn't for them. The Roberts already live in the wartime house in the northwest neighbourhood of West Hillhurst on the same lot where Paul, a professor at the Alberta College of Art and Design, grew up.
Instead, the diminutive back-lane house is for Jill's parents who are selling their home in Edmonton and moving to Calgary to be closer to family.
Paul and Jill Robert have big plans for the little home they're building on their back lane.
Only the dwelling isn't for them. The Roberts already live in the wartime house in the northwest neighbourhood of West Hillhurst on the same lot where Paul, a professor at the Alberta College of Art and Design, grew up.
Instead, the diminutive back-lane house is for Jill's parents who are selling their home in Edmonton and moving to Calgary to be closer to family.
News
March 30, 2016 | Kathleen Renne
The next big thing
Where will Calgary's newest hot spot emerge?
People are always on the lookout for the next big thing, and that search extends to the world of real estate.
When it comes to reading the proverbial crystal ball as to which community will emerge as Calgary's next inner-city hot spot, the author of the blog The Everyday Tourist, Richard White, suggests one look north.
"The northwest inner-city communities are becoming much more urban and desirable," says White, explaining the growth of these communities has coincided with the relatively recent expansion of facilities like the Alberta Children's Hospital, the Foothills Medical Centre, SAIT and the University of Calgary campus.
People are always on the lookout for the next big thing, and that search extends to the world of real estate.
When it comes to reading the proverbial crystal ball as to which community will emerge as Calgary's next inner-city hot spot, the author of the blog The Everyday Tourist, Richard White, suggests one look north.
"The northwest inner-city communities are becoming much more urban and desirable," says White, explaining the growth of these communities has coincided with the relatively recent expansion of facilities like the Alberta Children's Hospital, the Foothills Medical Centre, SAIT and the University of Calgary campus.
News
March 29, 2016 | Tyler Difley
It takes two
Dual-master homes occupy important niche in Calgary market
Dual-master homes aren't a new phenomenon in the Calgary market, but they have long been popular among a growing cross-section of homebuyers whose needs cannot be met by a standard three-bedroom layout.
According to Wendy Jabusch, president of the Canadian Home Builders' Association-Calgary region, Calgary homebuilders have been building dual-master suites for roughly a decade, primarily in smaller home offerings.
"They would typically be in the small single-family homes, townhomes and that kind of thing," Jabusch said. "Certainly, in the apartment product, we've seen dual-master bedrooms for many years."
Dual-master homes aren't a new phenomenon in the Calgary market, but they have long been popular among a growing cross-section of homebuyers whose needs cannot be met by a standard three-bedroom layout.
According to Wendy Jabusch, president of the Canadian Home Builders' Association-Calgary region, Calgary homebuilders have been building dual-master suites for roughly a decade, primarily in smaller home offerings.
"They would typically be in the small single-family homes, townhomes and that kind of thing," Jabusch said. "Certainly, in the apartment product, we've seen dual-master bedrooms for many years."
News
March 28, 2016 | Paula Trotter
Island living
Foothills Home Lottery to give away $2.4-million home in Mahogany
Imagine living on a secluded island without ever needing to leave Calgary.
This will soon be the reality for one lucky homeowner.
This year's Foothills Hospital Home Lottery grand prize is a 5,890-square-foot custom-built estate home located in the southeast gated community of Mahogany Island valued at $2.4 million.
Imagine living on a secluded island without ever needing to leave Calgary.
This will soon be the reality for one lucky homeowner.
This year's Foothills Hospital Home Lottery grand prize is a 5,890-square-foot custom-built estate home located in the southeast gated community of Mahogany Island valued at $2.4 million.
News
March 24, 2016 | CREBNow
5 things you need to know about curb appeal
What you should consider before listing your home
A smart seller knows that there is work to be done before listing a property. When you're up against a buyer's market, diligence is required in order to gain a competitive advantage. Curb appeal will translate value to potential buyers when they view your property.
Here are five things to consider before taking your property to market:
1. Take a look from the buyer's perspective
Give the house and yard (all things within the scope of property) an honest aesthetic assessment. Within the first few moments of viewing a property, a buyer has formed either a negative or positive biased.
A smart seller knows that there is work to be done before listing a property. When you're up against a buyer's market, diligence is required in order to gain a competitive advantage. Curb appeal will translate value to potential buyers when they view your property.
Here are five things to consider before taking your property to market:
1. Take a look from the buyer's perspective
Give the house and yard (all things within the scope of property) an honest aesthetic assessment. Within the first few moments of viewing a property, a buyer has formed either a negative or positive biased.
News
March 24, 2016 | CREBNow
City to hold property tax sale
Properties in arrears up for grabs
The City of Calgary is hoping the prospect of having their home offered up to the highest bidder is enough to encourage a few Calgarians to catch up on their taxes.
Each year properties with more than three years outstanding tax arrears are offered for sale by the City of Calgary. Owners are notified a year in advance of the sale in hopes the owners will make an effort to catch up on any outstanding balance.
Currently, the list of properties stands at four pages, with properties deleted from the list as the outstanding taxes are paid.
The City of Calgary is hoping the prospect of having their home offered up to the highest bidder is enough to encourage a few Calgarians to catch up on their taxes.
Each year properties with more than three years outstanding tax arrears are offered for sale by the City of Calgary. Owners are notified a year in advance of the sale in hopes the owners will make an effort to catch up on any outstanding balance.
Currently, the list of properties stands at four pages, with properties deleted from the list as the outstanding taxes are paid.
News
March 24, 2016 | Donna Balzer
What is your garden style?
Not everything is timeless when it comes to outdoor design
Do you have a high-end ultra-modern home with striking features that looks like it came out of a recent copy of Architectural Digest?
What about your yard? Does it look like it came from a Home and Garden magazine circa 1985?
This jarring contrast of cottage-style garden with modern home seems hard to understand until you think of the process. Homeowners do not design homes – builders and architects do. Yet homeowners are the ones often design their own gardens.
News
March 24, 2016 | CREBNow
Alberta new home construction slows in January
New homes construction in Calgary fell by 19.3 per cent in January
According to Statistics Canada, investment in new housing construction declined overall in Alberta by 19.3 per cent in January 2016 over last year.
Spending in the province decreased in all dwelling types except apartment and apartment-condominium buildings, which rose 22.5 per cent to $195 million.
With spending falling from $849.5 million to $685.4 million, Alberta's drop was the largest decline nationwide, with Saskatchewan's 30 per cent decline amounting to a cut of just $30 million.
According to Statistics Canada, investment in new housing construction declined overall in Alberta by 19.3 per cent in January 2016 over last year.
Spending in the province decreased in all dwelling types except apartment and apartment-condominium buildings, which rose 22.5 per cent to $195 million.
With spending falling from $849.5 million to $685.4 million, Alberta's drop was the largest decline nationwide, with Saskatchewan's 30 per cent decline amounting to a cut of just $30 million.
News
March 24, 2016 | Cody Stuart
Signs of spring
Warm weather brings indications of spring market to city
Following the second warmest February on record, the warm, sunny snow-free conditions emblematic of a spring housing market are already on display in our city. And while Calgary's housing market hasn't yet fully emerged from the doldrums, there are at least some signs of life.
With double-digit declines being the norm in 2015 for year-over-year sales, including several months of declines in excess of 25 per cent, the first two months of 2016 have seen the decline lessen.
Since October 2015, when year-over-year sales in the city fell by 33.2 per cent according to CREB®, Calgary's housing market has seen those declines lessen to 28.7 per cent in November, 18.1 per cent in December, 12.6 percent in January 2016 with February seeing the first single-digit decline in the city since December of 2014.
Following the second warmest February on record, the warm, sunny snow-free conditions emblematic of a spring housing market are already on display in our city. And while Calgary's housing market hasn't yet fully emerged from the doldrums, there are at least some signs of life.
With double-digit declines being the norm in 2015 for year-over-year sales, including several months of declines in excess of 25 per cent, the first two months of 2016 have seen the decline lessen.
Since October 2015, when year-over-year sales in the city fell by 33.2 per cent according to CREB®, Calgary's housing market has seen those declines lessen to 28.7 per cent in November, 18.1 per cent in December, 12.6 percent in January 2016 with February seeing the first single-digit decline in the city since December of 2014.
