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Stories Tagged - YYCRE
News
March 30, 2016 | Kathleen Renne
The next big thing
Where will Calgary's newest hot spot emerge?
People are always on the lookout for the next big thing, and that search extends to the world of real estate.
When it comes to reading the proverbial crystal ball as to which community will emerge as Calgary's next inner-city hot spot, the author of the blog The Everyday Tourist, Richard White, suggests one look north.
"The northwest inner-city communities are becoming much more urban and desirable," says White, explaining the growth of these communities has coincided with the relatively recent expansion of facilities like the Alberta Children's Hospital, the Foothills Medical Centre, SAIT and the University of Calgary campus.
People are always on the lookout for the next big thing, and that search extends to the world of real estate.
When it comes to reading the proverbial crystal ball as to which community will emerge as Calgary's next inner-city hot spot, the author of the blog The Everyday Tourist, Richard White, suggests one look north.
"The northwest inner-city communities are becoming much more urban and desirable," says White, explaining the growth of these communities has coincided with the relatively recent expansion of facilities like the Alberta Children's Hospital, the Foothills Medical Centre, SAIT and the University of Calgary campus.
News
March 28, 2016 | Paula Trotter
Island living
Foothills Home Lottery to give away $2.4-million home in Mahogany
Imagine living on a secluded island without ever needing to leave Calgary.
This will soon be the reality for one lucky homeowner.
This year's Foothills Hospital Home Lottery grand prize is a 5,890-square-foot custom-built estate home located in the southeast gated community of Mahogany Island valued at $2.4 million.
Imagine living on a secluded island without ever needing to leave Calgary.
This will soon be the reality for one lucky homeowner.
This year's Foothills Hospital Home Lottery grand prize is a 5,890-square-foot custom-built estate home located in the southeast gated community of Mahogany Island valued at $2.4 million.
News
March 24, 2016 | CREBNow
5 things you need to know about curb appeal
What you should consider before listing your home
A smart seller knows that there is work to be done before listing a property. When you're up against a buyer's market, diligence is required in order to gain a competitive advantage. Curb appeal will translate value to potential buyers when they view your property.
Here are five things to consider before taking your property to market:
1. Take a look from the buyer's perspective
Give the house and yard (all things within the scope of property) an honest aesthetic assessment. Within the first few moments of viewing a property, a buyer has formed either a negative or positive biased.
A smart seller knows that there is work to be done before listing a property. When you're up against a buyer's market, diligence is required in order to gain a competitive advantage. Curb appeal will translate value to potential buyers when they view your property.
Here are five things to consider before taking your property to market:
1. Take a look from the buyer's perspective
Give the house and yard (all things within the scope of property) an honest aesthetic assessment. Within the first few moments of viewing a property, a buyer has formed either a negative or positive biased.
News
March 24, 2016 | CREBNow
City to hold property tax sale
Properties in arrears up for grabs
The City of Calgary is hoping the prospect of having their home offered up to the highest bidder is enough to encourage a few Calgarians to catch up on their taxes.
Each year properties with more than three years outstanding tax arrears are offered for sale by the City of Calgary. Owners are notified a year in advance of the sale in hopes the owners will make an effort to catch up on any outstanding balance.
Currently, the list of properties stands at four pages, with properties deleted from the list as the outstanding taxes are paid.
The City of Calgary is hoping the prospect of having their home offered up to the highest bidder is enough to encourage a few Calgarians to catch up on their taxes.
Each year properties with more than three years outstanding tax arrears are offered for sale by the City of Calgary. Owners are notified a year in advance of the sale in hopes the owners will make an effort to catch up on any outstanding balance.
Currently, the list of properties stands at four pages, with properties deleted from the list as the outstanding taxes are paid.
News
March 24, 2016 | Donna Balzer
What is your garden style?
Not everything is timeless when it comes to outdoor design
Do you have a high-end ultra-modern home with striking features that looks like it came out of a recent copy of Architectural Digest?
What about your yard? Does it look like it came from a Home and Garden magazine circa 1985?
This jarring contrast of cottage-style garden with modern home seems hard to understand until you think of the process. Homeowners do not design homes – builders and architects do. Yet homeowners are the ones often design their own gardens.
News
March 24, 2016 | Cody Stuart
Signs of spring
Warm weather brings indications of spring market to city
Following the second warmest February on record, the warm, sunny snow-free conditions emblematic of a spring housing market are already on display in our city. And while Calgary's housing market hasn't yet fully emerged from the doldrums, there are at least some signs of life.
With double-digit declines being the norm in 2015 for year-over-year sales, including several months of declines in excess of 25 per cent, the first two months of 2016 have seen the decline lessen.
Since October 2015, when year-over-year sales in the city fell by 33.2 per cent according to CREB®, Calgary's housing market has seen those declines lessen to 28.7 per cent in November, 18.1 per cent in December, 12.6 percent in January 2016 with February seeing the first single-digit decline in the city since December of 2014.
Following the second warmest February on record, the warm, sunny snow-free conditions emblematic of a spring housing market are already on display in our city. And while Calgary's housing market hasn't yet fully emerged from the doldrums, there are at least some signs of life.
With double-digit declines being the norm in 2015 for year-over-year sales, including several months of declines in excess of 25 per cent, the first two months of 2016 have seen the decline lessen.
Since October 2015, when year-over-year sales in the city fell by 33.2 per cent according to CREB®, Calgary's housing market has seen those declines lessen to 28.7 per cent in November, 18.1 per cent in December, 12.6 percent in January 2016 with February seeing the first single-digit decline in the city since December of 2014.
News
March 18, 2016 | Cody Stuart
Stadium Shopping Centre
Now the subject of a formal application for a development permit, the Stadium Shopping Centre redevelopment in northwest Calgary could be one step closer to reality. That hasn't stopped a group of concerned University Heights residents from expressing their concern that the massive project, as is, will create significant traffic flow concerns in the community. Spearheaded by four professors at the University of Calgary, the group recently issued a 15-page report catalogues a number of issues that are being supported by the University Heights Community Association. CREB®Now takes a look at some of those concerns.
News
March 18, 2016 | Mario Toneguzzi
The many faces of prices
A guide to distinguishing average, median and benchmark prices
Sellers and potential buyers in today's residential real estate market can be understandably excused if they are confused about what's happening with housing prices.
After all, for both, price changes in the market are supremely important. Plus, CREB® gathers price information that, to the untrained eye, can tell different stories.
For example, in February, CREB® reported the benchmark price in the city for all MLS® properties that were sold was $445,000, or down 3.45 per cent from February 2015. However, the average MLS® sale price increased by 2.72 per cent to $472,529 while the median price was unchanged at $420,000.
From top to bottom, that's a difference of close to $30,000.
So what should one look at if they are either selling a home in this tough market or hoping to buy one?
A good start would be by looking at what each price category entails, said CREB® chief economist Ann-Marie Lurie. For example, the median price looks at every sale that has occurred in the market, ranking them from lowest to highest. The median price is the midpoint of all the sales.
Lurie said the average sale price is adding up the total dollar sum of the purchases divided by the number of total sales.
Sellers and potential buyers in today's residential real estate market can be understandably excused if they are confused about what's happening with housing prices.
After all, for both, price changes in the market are supremely important. Plus, CREB® gathers price information that, to the untrained eye, can tell different stories.
For example, in February, CREB® reported the benchmark price in the city for all MLS® properties that were sold was $445,000, or down 3.45 per cent from February 2015. However, the average MLS® sale price increased by 2.72 per cent to $472,529 while the median price was unchanged at $420,000.
From top to bottom, that's a difference of close to $30,000.
"It's looking at values based on criteria such as square footage, total bedrooms and bathrooms, location, property type."
So what should one look at if they are either selling a home in this tough market or hoping to buy one?
A good start would be by looking at what each price category entails, said CREB® chief economist Ann-Marie Lurie. For example, the median price looks at every sale that has occurred in the market, ranking them from lowest to highest. The median price is the midpoint of all the sales.
Lurie said the average sale price is adding up the total dollar sum of the purchases divided by the number of total sales.
News
March 18, 2016 | Cody Stuart
'A livelier neighbourhood'
Highland Park reimagining could invigorate northwest community
The former Highland Golf Course in northwest Calgary could be host to a new kind of activity in the form of a major redevelopment.
Developer Maple Projects Inc. recently shared plans for its "reimagining" of the 21-hectare site – which would include up to 2,100 housing units as well as a commercial development along Centre Street N. – at an open house which drew, among others, members of the local community association, who believe the development could provide a boost to the area.
"Absolutely, it can be a huge benefit for the community,"
"Absolutely, it can be a huge benefit for the community," said Paul Engler, chair of the development committee for the Highland Park Community Association. "We are looking very much forward to it. We are working with the developer to come up with something that's awesome for them, for our future neighbours and for our existing neighbours."
The former Highland Golf Course in northwest Calgary could be host to a new kind of activity in the form of a major redevelopment.
Developer Maple Projects Inc. recently shared plans for its "reimagining" of the 21-hectare site – which would include up to 2,100 housing units as well as a commercial development along Centre Street N. – at an open house which drew, among others, members of the local community association, who believe the development could provide a boost to the area.
"Absolutely, it can be a huge benefit for the community,"
"Absolutely, it can be a huge benefit for the community," said Paul Engler, chair of the development committee for the Highland Park Community Association. "We are looking very much forward to it. We are working with the developer to come up with something that's awesome for them, for our future neighbours and for our existing neighbours."
