Calgary's urban parks offer nearby residents a slice of the great outdoors in the heart of the city

At the beginning of July last year, John and Ildi Arlette took their first-ever walk through Confederation Park.

By the end of that month, they had bought a home in Mount Pleasant sitting near the crescent-shaped green space that stretches across 162 hectares – including eight hectares of wetlands – in northwest Calgary.

"We were on a date night and someone had told me about Confederation Park," said John Arlette. "Ildi is from Ontario and I realized I hadn't shown her much of Calgary – I hadn't even been to the park myself."

After that visit, the Arlettes sold their home in Signal Hill, becoming both inner-city – and park-side living – devotees.

Downsizing baby boomers have different needs than previous generations

What's the difference between the baby boomer generation of empty nesters and retirees, and previous generations?

According to Calvin Buss, president of Buss Marketing and a boomer himself, today's empty nesters, if they retire at all, want to "do things" instead of retiring "to die."

And that new view of aging has also changed their approach to downsizing, says Buss, who has marketed and sold large condo projects in Calgary for almost three decades.

Downsizing can be the right move in a variety of situations

Cindy Beaudet owns and operates Destinations Seniors Downsizing, a Calgary company helping seniors "declutter, downsize and decide what stays and what goes."

"I tell them the first thing to do is to call their kids and tell them to get their stuff out of the basement," said Beaudet.

Most of Beaudet's clients have been in their homes for more than 40 years.

"It's so overwhelming for them. They've been in a house for 40 or 50 years, and now they're moving to 587 square feet of space," she said.

Many Albertans are looking close to home when it comes to buying a vacation property 

Calgary residents Nora and Norval Horner recall many summer vacations spent along Alberta's Gull Lake.

"Nora's family had a cottage on Gull Lake, and we used that cottage a lot while our kids were growing up. We'd come up the end of June and stay 'til Labour Day," recalled Norval.

They loved cottage life so much that when an opportunity arose to purchase 210 acres of land along the northeast corner of Gull Lake, the Horners bought it and started their own cottage development – Meridian Beach.

Sunset Homes embraces the next era of digital design with tech-savvy integration

It's like living with the Jetsons," said Scott Silva, as he characterizes the ever-growing trend in high-tech homes.

"The next level of automation in one's home is about intuition and integration based on lifestyle . . . your home will know what your life looks like," said Silva, director of business development for Sunset Homes.

As Calgary considers a bid for the 2026 Olympics, it will likely find no stronger booster than the city's real estate industry

The prospect of hosting another Olympics is undoubtedly creating a lot of a buzz in Calgary and the city has no bigger booster of the cause than its real estate industry.

The City officially announced last month that an exploratory committee (www.shouldcalgarybid.com) is investigating whether Calgary should bid to host the 2026 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games.

While there's no guarantee the City will actually go through with it, hosting the Winter Games for a second time could be a boon for Calgary's real estate market.

Interior design experts set to hit the Home + Garden stage in March

Tiffany Pratt loves colour.

An interior designer, stylist and host of HGTV Canada's Home to Win and Buy It, Fix It, Sell It, she's also a self-proclaimed "rainbow hunter" and "rainbow thrower." Even her vibrantly hued hair, which takes inspiration from the rainbow, attests to her passion for palettes.

It's no surprise, then, that colour will take centre stage when Pratt makes her debut at this year's Calgary Home + Garden Show.

Calgary's luxury market showing staying power, say experts

A high-end fitness centre and kitchen to cater private events; a concierge service or tranquility room; a car wash and, yes, even a pet wash.

These are among the amenities today's buyers can expect with the purchase of a luxury condo in Calgary, a sector real estate experts say is showing some staying power despite soft economic conditions.

Local designers offer advice on how to create personal spaces

One could describe Calgary-based interior designer Amanda Hamilton as trend averse.

"Focusing on trends is a sure way to date your home," she said, pointing to dwellings from the 1980s that show their vintage via their yellow-oak interiors and brass details. "We don't follow trends. Trends are interesting for people who are into fast design."

Hamilton added current economic conditions can also further influence trends' relevance.

Apartment sector prompts optimism for buyers

After living in southwest communities of Midnapore and Evergreen for 27 years, transitioning to an apartment in Mission was an easy decision for Michelle Norman.

"Condo living was a very easy adjustment," she said. "I like the idea of being surrounded by a good mix of young and older residents as well as not having to worry about such things as yard work and snow removal."