Some projects lend themselves to a DIY approach, but others, like open heart surgery and selling your house, are better left to the pros.

Dear Santa,

My oh my, it certainly has been an interesting and challenging year, with the COVID-19 pandemic impacting almost every part of our lives.

As real estate technology continues to rapidly evolve, Pillar 9 was created to maximize the value of housing data for REALTORS^® and real estate consumers.

One of the key factors impacting the Calgary resale housing market in the last year or so has been affordability.

With economic uncertainty top of mind due to the collapse in oil prices and the COVID-19 crisis, prospective homebuyers are increasingly looking for more affordable options when making a purchase.

That will likely lead to more demand in the condominium apartment market in the future.

Dear Santa,

It's me again. You know, that real estate geek who wants to know everything there is to know about the industry.

Diversity and volume of home options offer something for homebuyers of every stage

There is no such thing as a "typical" home in the $500,000 to $750,000 price range in Calgary's market today.

"It is more than a starter home, but no mansion," said Ray Riley, a REALTOR® with RE/MAX First. "It could even be a teardown in a desirable (inner-city) neighbourhood, or a luxury apartment downtown. It just depends on what the buyer is looking for, and where."

Ontario transplants Andrew Palmer and Vicki Bernier built their dream home in Okotoks' MountainView

Andrew Palmer and Vicki Bernier had been tossing around the idea of relocating to the Calgary area to be closer to family and to carve out a better lifestyle for their family. With two teens – Kaelyn, 15, and Jake, 13 – and two dogs, finding the right home in the right neighbourhood was a key factor in the couple's decision-making process. They found the perfect match with Excel Homes in the Okotoks community of MountainView.

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.

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.

Thinking long-term puts Calgary's housing market in perspective

Real estate is a numbers game, and looking at those numbers over an extended period truly does shine a light on the performance of a market over the long-term.

From that perspective, home prices in Calgary have been very impressive.