The Canadian Home Builders' Association (CHBA) recognized CHBA – Calgary Region with a community service award for their efforts during the 2013 flood.

The award is meant to recognize outstanding contributions made by local and provincial home builders' associations to the betterment of the way of life for the people in their community.

Now that the sun has returned and the snow is starting to melt, thoughts may be turning to summer flooding.

The City recently held a press conference in order to outline flood mitigation measures being taken for Calgary from here on out since the 1-in-100 year flood that devastated the area last summer.

Slithering serpents can be very helpful in the garden

My neighbour George, now in his late 80s, told me he had to tear down his old greenhouse because it was full of snakes.

His wife Barbara was very afraid of the small serpents. The only place I have seen an overabundance of garter snakes in Calgary is in a rock garden in Edgemont. The rocks, seemingly alive with slithering serpents, were a little unsettling.

Chestermere and Langdon provide open spaces, affordability and more

Sitting just on Calgary's eastern border, it's easy to understand the appeal offered by
Chestermere and the surrounding area.

With the cost of owning a home in Calgary on the rise, the town provides homebuyers with an affordable option within a 10-minute drive of Alberta's largest city.

Communities surrounding Calgary see double-digit sales growth in the first quarter of the year

Getting more for less can mean a lot to a first time homebuyer.

When it came to the purchase of their first home, engaged couple Kristie Bogle and Erin Dorscht set their sights on Bogle's hometown of Airdrie.

"I just kept seeing all these signs, crazy cheap new developments throughout [Airdrie] and I came home one day and was like 'Look how cheap this is compared to what we're paying in Calgary'," said Dorscht.

In their Spring Market Trends Report, RE/MAX found Calgary's harsh winter didn't keep people from entering the home market.

"Calgary experienced a red-hot seller's market in the first two months of the year with listings 30 per cent lower than where they would be in a balanced market," said the report.

The Town of Cochrane announced April 14 it has signed a service agreement with the City of Calgary for fire response.

In the case of such an agreement, each municipality maintains jurisdiction within their borders and identifies the circumstances under which they'll ask for assistance from neighbouring municipalities.

For the third consecutive quarter, sales growth in all communities surrounding Calgary was in the double digits. In addition to lifestyle preferences, demand in surrounding areas has improved due to the relative price advantage over Calgary and less supply constraints in many of the surrounding markets.

During the first quarter of the year, 44 per cent of new listings in surrounding areas were priced below $400,000. Within the city of Calgary, 23 per cent of single family homes were under this price point.