Coming home to Mother Nature's playground

With its close proximity to Calgary and stunning Rocky Mountain vistas, Redwood Meadows encompasses mountain living.

The area earned its name after a 1940 brush fire that destroyed most of the area. Elders of the T'suu Tina Nation noticed regrowth of trees in that area had a reddish colour to them and dubbed the area "Redwood Yard."

New pathway system further connecting Calgary to its western neighbour

Cochrane's close proximity to Calgary is about to feel a whole lot closer with construction expected to get underway on the first leg of the Calgary to Cochrane Trail this summer.

Phase one of the $7.5-million project will be a 2.2-kilometre stretch entitled Bearspaw Trail, which will join Haskayne Park in northwest Calgary to Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park.

Phase two will include the development of Bowbend Loop and Railway Crossing, which has an expected completion date of 2018, followed by phase three, Bridge to Cochrane, which is expected to be completed by 2020.

Five reasons to buy rentals in Calgary

Despite media headlines and continued sensationalism from economists both domestic and  foreign, Calgary continues to be one of the best places for real estate investment in Canada.

Here are five reasons why:

Vacancy rates remain low: According to the fall 2014 edition of the CMHC Housing Market Outlook for Calgary, vacancy rates remain low at 1.4 per cent and are not expected to exceed 1.8 per cent in either 2015 or 2016. Vacancy rates are deemed favourable for real estate investment when they are below five per cent.

Technology influencing all factions of real estate

In today's digital world, buying a home can become a strictly online affair – making proper marketing an all-important factor in distinguishing a home for sale from one that's sold.

In a survey by the National Association of Realtors (NAR), searching online is the first step an estimated 90 per cent of potential buyers' take to owning a new home.

In addition, the NAR Home Buyer and Seller Generational Trends report found more than half of Generation X (born between the early 1960s through the early 1980s) and the following Generation Y (born in the early 1980s to early 2000s) used a mobile device during their home search.

Levy renewal raises questions about community development

Calgary is familiar with new developments – so much so that the construction crane synonymous with the downtown skyline and beyond has affectionately been referred to as the city's official bird.

Yet, following a closed-door meeting earlier this year where city council agreed to freeze developers' special requests for more suburban land until a new levy agreement can be negotiated later this year, many are questioning how a new project goes from an idea to reality, and who is ultimately paying for it.

The City and suburban developers are currently in the final year of a five-year levy agreement. In 2010, the city increased its development levy to about $315,000 per hectare, doubling the number from the previous agreement.

The Government of Canada is giving financial support to the Canadian Home Builders' Association (CHBA) for their Get It In Writing! campaign.

The campaign raises awareness about the safety and financial risks the public face if they  participate in the underground economy by purchasing construction or home renovation services under the table. It provides consumers and home renovation contractors with tools and information to discourage and reduce participation in the underground economy.

Drop masks diverging local conditions in fourth quarter of 2014

Home price increases in Ontario were key to a slight decrease in housing affordability across Canada, said a report from RBC.

The bank said although owning a home at current market value in Canada was less affordable for the second straight quarter as of the end of 2014, affordability trends have stayed relatively flat since 2010.

Canada Olympic Park communities still hold memories of 1988 Winter Olympics

While the 1988 Winter Olympics are almost three decades in the books, the memories for some Calgarians are as fresh as ever.

Calgarian Duncan Anderson was 15 in 1988. As a "budding ski racer," he took a job as a film runner for Canadian Press during the games.

"Basically my job was to position myself with the photographers until the top racers had finished their runs," he said.