Staging your home for a successful sale

While many people are likely reluctant to spend extra money on their home right before they sell, the act of staging a house for sale is important when it comes to drawing in potential buyers. Staging can make a home look far more desirable and appealing, which can often be the difference between no offers and a done deal.

Here are some of the best staging tips to ensure your home puts its best face forward for potential buyers:

The complicated relationship between millennials and the housing market

When Juliet Burgess, 29, bought her 110-year-old home in Inglewood for the above-list price of $350,000, she says she became the first among her circle of millennial friends to become a homeowner.

"I personally don't know anyone in my age group who owns property," said Burgess, who works in the not-for-profit sector. "We're super lucky to be able to afford to buy.

"I've been saving my whole life, since I was 14. Even with that, my partner's savings and our parents giving us a little bit, we could only put down the minimum for a down payment."

Making the transition from renting to buying is a lot about finding the right location with inventory that fits your budget

As a single female with a career in the arts, Jamie Dunsdon wasn't sure she could even qualify for a mortgage to enter the property-purchasing arena.

"I was afraid the only thing I could afford was something terrible," said Dunsdon, who is the artistic director with Verb Theatre.

After nine years of renting in Calgary, Dunsdon says she had enough of renting at high prices and hopped in the market last summer. As with all folks who are looking to purchase a property, location and budget were a major part of her decision.

Front verandas bring the elegance of the southern lifestyle to Calgary

Hughues Lefebvre and Rachel Malone enjoy the easy grace and relaxed living that southern architecture inspires.

Rachel grew up in Alabama, sipping lemonade in a rocking chair on the veranda of her family's southern home.

"That's my thing and it's hard to find here in Calgary," said Malone.

Real estate veteran to take reins of member organization

The New Year will welcome a new president for CREB® and its 5,200-plus members as local real estate veteran David P. Brown takes the reins during what's expected to be a year of transition for the industry.

CREB®Now caught up with Brown to talk about everything from his financial background to what advice he has for prospective homebuyers.

Housing officials expect new builds to post slight rebound in late 2017

"Turbulent." That's how the head of Calgary's homebuilders and developers group describes the new housing market in 2016.

And 2017?

"Recovery," said Allan Klassen, chair of the recently merged Canadian Home Builders' Association—Urban Development Institute Calgary (CHBA-UDI Calgary).

Luxury sales numbers rebound; experts point to demand's impact on pricing

Calgary's luxury resale housing market bucked the trend in 2016, posting modest improvements in sales volumes throughout the year and recovering somewhat from the significant decline experienced in 2015.

Yet industry observers urge caution at interpreting this past year's numbers at face value, saying a return to long-term averages is still far away.

New programs could see homeowners coming out ahead

If you've been paying attention, you're aware that, starting Jan. 1, we'll be paying $1.01 more per gigajoule for natural gas to heat our homes and a few extra cents a litre to fuel our cars.

It's the provincial carbon levy, and it's inevitable.

If you're like me, you want to know what the government is going to do with the revenue.

For starters, it's setting up an agency whose goal is to reduce our utility bills, decrease emissions and save energy in general.

New housing collective seeks group approach to affordability issues

Billed as the first of its kind in Alberta, Calgary's Community Housing Affordability Collective (CHAC) launched earlier this month as a collaborative engine for improving housing affordability in the city.

While a number of local organizations already exist to address barriers to shelter, CHAC is unique is its collaborative approach, said Kim O'Brien, executive director of Horizon Housing Society and co-chair of the CHAC steering community.