If you were to choose a theme for real estate in the Calgary area in 2012, perhaps it would be the "year of the pleasant surprise".

Heading into 2012, CREB® predicted an 11 per cent increase in sales, citing the persistent record low interest rates that have greeted Canada homebuyers since 2009 as a key contributor to the increase. Instead, the Calgary area experienced a 23 per cent increase in year-over-year sales in October and is headed for equally positive numbers by the end of the year.

"Today's youth are growing up in an era of complexity and uncertainty. Changes have delayed, or even destroyed, the landmarks that once signaled a transition from one phase of life to another."
-vitalsignscanada.ca

The dream is to own a home. You work really hard to graduate college or to learn a trade and then you save up enough for a down payment on your first home, sounds simple enough. However, buying a home gets tricky. If you live in Calgary it's a challenging task, becoming more challenging in the last five years or so.