How to control almost everything in your home with your phone

Want to have the coolest home on the block? Then fill it with all the latest smart home devices.

"A lot of people are familiar with smart home, and they have bits and pieces of it, but are looking at expanding," said Steven Toews, general manager of Best Buy's Deerfoot Meadows location.

According to Toews, smart lighting is the top-selling smart home category.

Security solutions for the modern home

Home is where you expect to feel safe, and for some people, that means adding a home security system.
Years ago, homeowners had two choices: have a system professionally installed, or make do with simple devices, such as timers to turn lights on and off, and clunky, wired security cameras.

But thanks to today's technology, there are numerous devices that a do-it-yourselfer can install, while the option of leaving things up to the pros is also still available.

Jackie and Michael Bernard stayed put in their first house as the community around them blossomed

When self-professed inner-city people Jackie and Michael Bernard purchased their 1,100-square-foot bungalow as a starter home in 1992, they thought they would stay for a few years, build some equity and then move to a larger home closer to the core. At the time, their home in the Lynnwood Ridge district of Ogden was "really far away" from the action and bustle of the downtown, but over the years, shopping destinations and several other amenities have popped up within minutes of this secret gem of a neighbourhood. As a result, the couple decided to stay put, making their starter home their forever home.

Charles Cochrane is CEO of Cochrane Developments Corp. (CDC), most recently behind the Meadows Mile Professional Centre overlooking Deerfoot Meadows.

Cochrane took some time to chat with CREB®Now about the state of Calgary's economy, hot spots for commercial developers and what he thinks is the city's best kept secret.

CN: What's new with CDC - Calgary?

CC: CDC is developing two lots on the Meadows Mile development. First, CDC is developing the Meadows Mile Professional Centre on Lot One.