If success in buying or selling a home is all about location, location, location, success as a REALTOR^® comes down to commitment, commitment, commitment. It's a career that demands a lot, but it also offers a great deal in return.

Enticing discount mortgage rates have helped put Calgary's detached home market in rare form.

The soft summer breeze rustles through the tall stands of mature Aspen trees and prairie grasses in the lush valley on the northwest edge of the city. Here nature sits untouched, a picture perfect backdrop for the homes that grace the ridge above. Nearby, the voices of happy children ring out, as they ride their bikes in the cul-de-sacs connecting the homes. And anchoring it all is a beautiful 18-hole golf course. This is Valley Ridge, home to almost 6,000 residents. Most live in single-family homes (93 per cent) and the area is almost entirely owner-occupied, leading to a connected community with a vibrant and engaged feel.

When it came time to purchase his first home, finding a neighbourhood with a pulse was at the top of the list for 31-year-old entrepreneur Tyrell Dasilva. Dasilva, who owns several businesses, leads a busy life and wanted to find a home in a walkable community with access to great music venues and quaint mom-and-pop stores. He found it at i.D. Inglewood, a 19-unit, four-storey condominium project located on Ninth Avenue S.E.

With gains in every price range, residential sales activity in February totalled 1,836 units. This reflects the best February since 2014.

Historically low interest rates are helping boost the residential real estate market in Calgary and across the country, with the trend expected to continue throughout 2021.

CREB^®'s annual Forecast real estate event returns on Jan. 26, 2021 with an all-new virtual format. So, grab your ticket, put on your headset, and get ready to immerse yourself in a one-of-a-kind real estate experience.

With many people trading in their downtown commute for a home office due to the COVID-19 pandemic, proximity to the city centre has been less of a priority for house hunters this year.

In fact, a new emphasis on creating comfortable, productive workspaces within the home and the reduced importance of living anywhere near the office have increased buyer interest in areas just outside Calgary's city limits – where prices are lower and space is plentiful.

With strong gains in the detached sector, October sales in the city reached 1,764 units. This is a 23 per cent increase over last year and well above longer-term averages.

The gain in citywide residential sales outpaced the growth in new listings, supporting tighter market conditions and improving prices.

Today marks the end of REALTORS^® Care Week, an annual event that provides the Realtor community with an opportunity to raise awareness of housing and shelter-related issues and causes. The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the importance of the home as a place of safety and refuge. However, thousands of Canadians are homeless or at risk of losing their home, a situation that has only been made worse by the coronavirus, making this year's event especially significant.