All REALTORS® are real estate agents. But did you know that not all licensed or registered real estate brokers and salespeople are REALTORS®?

Although many people use the two terms as if they're synonymous, REALTOR® and real estate agent are not interchangeable.

A poll released by BMO Bank of Montreal shows 67 per cent of respondents consider buying property near a post-secondary campus to be a good investment.

Nearly one in 10 Canadians have purchased a property near a college or university because they intend to rent it to students or have their children there during their studies. BMO suggests the willingness to invest in those properties capitalize on post-secondary enrollment that's increased three per cent annually in the last decade.

While they may trail their metropolitan neighbor in stature, Calgary's surrounding communities are no slouch when it comes to sales. Buoyed by affordability, Airdrie, Cochrane and Okotoks all recorded double-digit sales growth in the third quarter and represent nearly half of the sales activity surrounding Calgary.

"We chose Airdrie over Calgary because our money went a lot further when buying a house as far as size and yard," said Jody Paterson, who recently purchased a single-family home in Airdrie with her fiance after living in an apartment in Calgary.

It is already – at least according to its mayor – the biggest town in Alberta, but the stage has been set for the town of Okotoks to grow even larger.

Following much debate and growing pressure, Okotoks town council voted 5-2 in favour of eliminating the town's population cap of 30,000.

Are we there yet? It seems so far away, but realistically the 2013 Forecast Conference & Tradeshow is just around the corner and planning is well underway.

This year, the format has changed slightly with all sessions being held in the main room. We did this to alleviate some of the shuffling around but mostly so you don't miss a speaker because of session time conflicts.