A new Symons Valley Ranch Market rises from the ashes

A project is underway to redesign and rebuild the Symons Valley Ranch Market, after a devastating fire roared through the historic building and iconic grounds in late January of this year.

"The market had become a real gathering point for the community," said Ken Aylesworth, the market's managing partner.

Calgary homebuilders adapt in the face of adversity

There's no question that demand in the Calgary housing market eased following the collapse of oil prices in late 2014.

The impact of that global event sent shockwaves through the local economy, as thousands of people lost their jobs through two brutal years of recession in 2015 and 2016.

A slowing economy and job uncertainty always have an impact on the housing market, and the city saw a corresponding ease in home demand.

However, Calgary's homebuilders have been resilient and creative.

Commercial real estate investment represents unique set of challenges and rewards

Investing in commercial real estate could be considered the major league of real estate investment.
The skills required are greater, but so too are the potential rewards.

Greg Kwong, regional managing director for commercial real estate company CBRE in Alberta, says there is really no strict definition of commercial real estate – it can be a major office tower in downtown Calgary, a fourplex apartment building or anything in between.

CREB® Charitable Foundation recognized by Calgary Women's Emergency Shelter

The CREB® Charitable Foundation was recognized for its philanthropic dedication to ending family violence at the Calgary Women's Emergency Shelter's (CWES) Tulip Awards on Nov. 8.

During the event, which was held at Fort Calgary, the foundation took home the Telling our Story Award. This award is bestowed to an organization that has donated money to the agency and communicated its mandate to the foundation's membership.

A closer look at the numbers behind Calgary's apartment-style housing market

Statistics Canada recently released an interesting piece of information regarding Calgary's residential real estate market that went relatively unnoticed.

According to the government agency, the share of households in the Calgary census metropolitan area living in condominiums was 21.8 per cent in 2016. That represented the second highest percentage in the country, behind only Vancouver at 30.6 per cent, and was much higher than the national average of 13.3 per cent.

Flood mitigation efforts continue in the wake of 2013 disaster, but much still needs to be done

Apart from the cool uniforms, boy scouts are known for their motto: be prepared. In the wake of the 2013 flood, Calgary and the province are taking a page from the Boy Scout handbook and hoping to write a happy ending for homeowners.

"In preparing for future risks, we recognize that flooding is a complicated problem," said Frank Frigo, senior planning engineer with water resources for the City of Calgary and the City's leader of watershed analysis.

Foreclosed properties can be a bargain for savvy investors that do their homework

CREB® president David P. Brown offers a phrase of caution for those interested in purchasing a foreclosed property: "It's not for everybody. You get a home as is, where is."

One of the primary risks Brown identifies when it comes to purchasing a foreclosed property is that a buyer doesn't receive the same guarantees (e.g., that all the appliances are in working order) as with a regular sale.

Coat drive fulfills local REALTOR®'s passion for community involvement

For Calgary REALTOR® Mathew Morley, the desire to help provide the necessities of life goes beyond his day job helping people buy and sell houses.

Taking the holiday spirit to heart, Morley is the founder and organizer of Coats for Calgary. Now in its seventh year, the annual drive collects jackets for Calgarians in need of warmth during the winter months.

REALTORS® are refining their roles and elevating their business through education

How do we keep REALTORS® in the know and current? CREB®'s mandatory training program was developed in 2014 to help achieve the strategic goal of enhancing professional conduct in local real estate. The program aims to raise the proficiency, competency and courtesy levels of Realtors, thereby elevating professionalism in the local industry.

Valuable land in the city centre provides several avenues for profit generation

Sharon van de Burgt and her family will move into their new, two-storey, 1,800-plus-square-foot, inner-city duplex before Christmas.

They will have new next-door neighbours in 2018 – and earnings to help pay for their home – with the sale of the other 2,000-square-foot unit, now listed at $865,000.