By CREB® CEO Alan Tennant (as told to Terence Leung)


I remember being 23 years old. The year was 1981. I was a Medicine Hat banker with my new wife, Rona, and a new job in Calgary, staring down a brand-new, three-bedroom, one-bathroom bungalow. Oh, and a mortgage to pay.

We had two cars (with no garage to put them in) and no way of knowing that four years later, mortgage rates would hit a whopping 18 per cent.

We asked the question many people do now when they contemplate their first home purchase: can we afford it?

You can always go downtown. At least that's what the song says.

Much has been written about the current woes of Calgary's Downtown Commercial Core. Office vacancies are approaching 30 per cent and many businesses and commuters are conspicuous in their absence from the area.

However, there are a significant number of Calgarians who have no intention of going anywhere, even after the workaday crowd goes home.

The substantial growth seen in Calgary's detached resale market this year has been driven by the mid-range segment, but big-ticket listings are also bouncing back.

Between Jan. 1 and the end of April, 350 detached homes priced at $1 million or higher have changed hands in Calgary, according to CREB^®. This represents a 289 per cent upswing from the 90 transactions that occurred over the same period a year ago.

May is national "Moving Month," which comes during a busy spring for the Calgary housing market, with record homes sales so far this year.

All those home sales mean lots of people on the move. Unfortunately, there are always epic tales circulating about bad moving experiences, including damaged or missing items, bloated costs and even home furnishings held hostage.

As the Calgary Flames' and Edmonton Oilers' game-day raffle results from last year's NHL playoff bubble demonstrate, Albertans love a good 50/50 draw.

Those 50/50 fans are in luck, because tickets are now available for the CREB^® REALTOR^® Community Foundation's 50/50 Cash Raffle, with all proceeds going to local non-profit organizations that provide housing and shelter solutions.

Whatever "new normal" is coming, the COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped many aspects of the real estate industry in Calgary and across Canada. From changes to the way homes are built, bought and sold, to shifts in buyer priorities and the economic forces at play, it's been a wild ride for REALTORS^®, builders, homebuyers and everyone in between.

Year of Construction: 1913

Address: 1732 13^th Ave. N.W.

Community: Hounsfield Heights/Briar Hill

Architectural Style: Arts and Crafts

The 1½-storey, Arts and Crafts-style Walter Hargrave Residence is unique for a couple of reason. Constructed in 1913, it is one of the oldest buildings in the northwest community of Hounsfield Heights/Briar Hill, a neighbourhood whose founding dates back to before the First World War.

If success in buying or selling a home is all about location, location, location, success as a REALTOR^® comes down to commitment, commitment, commitment. It's a career that demands a lot, but it also offers a great deal in return.

The future of energy-efficient housing in Calgary has been given a boost, with a major homebuilder now offering a net-zero option on all its models.

Jayman Built recently unveiled its Quantum Performance Ultra E-Home upgrade, which results in a home designed and constructed to produce as much energy as it consumes on an annual basis.

During a 152-game career with the Calgary Stampeders, Jon Cornish racked up some impressive accomplishments, including 7,401 rushing yards, a pair of Grey Cup rings, three Most Outstanding Canadian baubles in a row and a touchstone Most Outstanding Player nod.

He also reached "the house" – football jargon for the opposition's end zone – on 46 occasions, but he didn't own his own house until 2013.