Calgary and area's resale housing market is expected to continue to grow in the latter half of 2012, but at a slower pace than the first seven months of the year CREB® said in its mid-year update.

In an update of its forecast, CREB® said Calgary's resale housing market is expected to continue to grow but at a slower pace in the latter half of 2012.

Calgary, along with Toronto and Oshawa, was a "top contributor" to a 0.2 per cent increase in Canada's New Housing Price Index (NHPI) for June.

According to Statistics Canada, "improving market conditions" along with increased material and labour costs were the main reasons for the rise.

From energy efficient light bulbs to Net Zero neighbourhoods to cleaning supplies, ecological friendly products are making their mark with homeowners.

As far as eco-friendly homeowners go, CREB® HomeSmarts — an extension of the Go Green project — familiarizes REALTORS® with energy standards as well as allowing them to use green features as part of property searches for potential homeowners.

Some neglected lots around the city could be getting a bit of a facelift thanks to a little reorganization at The City of Calgary.

Vacant land or underutilized spaces in Calgary have the potential to be transformed into vibrant places – which the City is dubbing "Pop up Places" – that add to community vitality such as parks, plazas, markets and art exhibits.

According to a report by Laurentian Bank Securities economic growth within Alberta and Saskatchewan is expected to outpace Canada's other provinces and territories.

The Provincial Monitor stated the two Prairie Provinces will be the driving force behind the national average while the central and eastern provinces will report a weaker performance than the national average.