Starting this week, CREB®Now will be sitting down and talking with local homebuyers to understand why they bought, where they bought it and what advice they might have to others.

Jill Stephenson-Long and Chris Long fell in love with the mountain lifestyle 15 years ago when they moved to Canmore to begin their lives together and further their respective careers. The active, health-conscious and design-focused couple – she is a nurse and he is a chiropractor – have three young children: nine-year-old twins, a boy and girl, and a five-year-old son.

With the goal of eventually building their mountain-themed dream home over the years, the couple, purchased investment real estate and rental properties in Canmore to finance their down payment while they lived in a leased home, raising their young family.

Local designers offer advice on how to create personal spaces

One could describe Calgary-based interior designer Amanda Hamilton as trend averse.

"Focusing on trends is a sure way to date your home," she said, pointing to dwellings from the 1980s that show their vintage via their yellow-oak interiors and brass details. "We don't follow trends. Trends are interesting for people who are into fast design."

Hamilton added current economic conditions can also further influence trends' relevance.

What you should know about the year ahead for Calgary's housing market

CREB® has released its annual economic outlook and regional housing forecast. But what does it all mean? CREB®Now takes readers through the numbers.

18,335
After posting successive sales declines in 2014 (25,552), 2015 (18,839) and 2016 (17,809), CREB® is forecasting MLS® activity in Calgary to rebound slightly in 2017. Citywide sales are expected to total 18,335 units, a three per cent gain over 2016, but 12 per cent below long-term averages. By category, detached sales are predicted to hit 11,550 in 2016, while attached and apartment sales will reach 4,002 and 2,783, respectively.

Report notes mortgage lending rule changes could spell trouble for city's housing market

Recent changes by the federal government to mortgage lending rules will likely serve as headwinds for the city's recovering real estate market in the coming year, said CREB® in its 2017 Economic Outlook and Regional Housing Forecast.

Since 2008, the federal government has been tightening mortgage lending rules.

After a tough year for the 'other half' of Calgary's real estate market, the city's apartment/attached segments are expected to see gradual turnaround in 2017

Lower prices and added choices created buyers' conditions in Calgary's attached and apartment sectors in 2016. But a slow recovery is expected in 2017, bringing both sectors into better balance, says CREB®'s 2017 Economic Outlook & Regional Housing Market Forecast.

The degree to which they'll the "other half" will get there will differ, however. While the attached sector is set to post positive overall numbers, apartment sales and prices will be moderated by persistently high inventory levels.

More Canadian homes are abandoning conventional TV services

If you're the New Year's resolution-making type — and more than half of us are, statistically speaking — it's likely that better financial decision-making is one of your goals for 2017.

You're not alone; spending less money was one of the top three resolutions in a survey done earlier this month by the Statistic Brain Research Institute in the U.S.

So it follows that you'd be interested in saving anywhere from around $50 to $100-plus a month by making a simple change that would have virtually no impact on your quality of life, right?

Real estate officials expect conditions to support turnaround in downtrodden commercial market

Calgary's commercial real estate market is showing signs it is finally moving on from tough economic conditions that sent vacancy rates soaring and rents plummeting over the past two years, say officials.

''There is a sense in the market that the worst is behind us and that conditions will gradually improve," said Joe Binfet, managing director/broker of Colliers International in Calgary.

Real estate veteran to take reins of member organization

The New Year will welcome a new president for CREB® and its 5,200-plus members as local real estate veteran David P. Brown takes the reins during what's expected to be a year of transition for the industry.

CREB®Now caught up with Brown to talk about everything from his financial background to what advice he has for prospective homebuyers.

Housing experts predict Calgary's rental market to see another year of high vacancies, low rents

Calgary's rental housing market this year will not change much from 2016 as historically high vacancy rates will continue to usher in incentives and lower rents, say experts.

"We expect the vacancy rate to remain close to 2016 levels" said Richard Cho, Calgary-based principal market analyst for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. (CMHC).

Surrounding housing market to follow Calgary's lead in 2017 after challenging conditions in 2016

Slow stabilization in Calgary's housing market in 2017 is expected to create similar momentum for satellite communities such as Okotoks, Cochrane, Airdrie and Chestermere, say local officials on the heels of CREB® releasing its 2017 Economic Outlook & Regional Housing Market Forecast.

According to the report, Chestermere in Rocky View region experienced a widening gap between sales and new listings during 2016, putting downward pressure on benchmark prices – notably detached homes, which dropped 2.5 per cent from 2015 to $490,808.