Surrounded by the heart of downtown Calgary to the west, parks and pathways to the east, and Stampede Park to the south is the tower of glass and striking geometric angles that is Verve.

If the idea of living on an acreage appeals to you, but you don't think you can afford the price of admission, don't despair. There are some areas around Calgary where affordable acreages can still be found.

While Calgary's Downtown West End has not seen much updating in the last three decades, plans for revitalization are underway.

Alberta vacation communities for Calgarians

During the summer months, it's always nice to be able to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city for a little R and R – whether for a few weeks or only a weekend – which is why the idea of owning a vacation property is so appealing to many Calgarians. Thankfully, there are no shortage of options here in the province for vacationers of all stripes.

Here are 10 popular vacation communities within three hours of Calgary:

Airdrie resident and REALTOR® Matt Carre was always a big-city guy. He was born in Montreal and grew up in Toronto, with a few years spent in major U.S. centres. In 2004, he moved to Calgary.

But in 2006, he left the big city and moved to Airdrie with his wife and fellow Realtor Michelle, who was born and raised in the charming, community-centric city of just over 68,000 people. It didn't take long for him to change his allegiances.

If you're a renter in Calgary thinking of testing the waters of homeownership, it might be time to take the plunge.

With lower prices and lots of choices, the current real estate market in Calgary has some people thinking now is the time to invest in a rental property.

While the common refrain that renting amounts to nothing more than "paying your landlord's mortgage" is a bit misguided, it does raise an interesting question: what kind of house can you afford with what you're currently paying in rent?

When it comes to deciding whether to rent or buy a home, discussions of pros and cons tend to centre around the financial considerations. However, the rent or buy dilemma is about far more than just money. Another important consideration is lifestyle – which option will allow you to live the life you want? That's a difficult question to answer, but we're here to help.

As spring starts to arrive in Calgary, homeowners might be looking ahead to the warmer months and the possibilities for home improvement or building something new on their property.

Many of the most popular projects involve fences, whether building new or breathing life into an old one. However, fence building can be fraught with frustrations: Who is responsible for fence construction between two properties? What are the costs? What should it be made of?