Even though it is chock-full of cutting-edge design and brimming with bells and whistles, that's not what's drawing buyers towards Westman Village, a new neighbourhood within the award-winning community of Mahogany. Instead, it's the lifestyle, including convenience, walkability, access to Calgary's largest man-made lake, and loads of downtown-style amenities.

"What really sets the development apart are the amenities and the self-contained structure of Westman Village," said Jay Westman, chairman and CEO of Jayman Built, the developer and builder behind the project. "The only thing that we don't have is a gas station."

More than 750 new single-family homes in Alberta will be powered by solar this year, as Jayman Built makes the green technology a standard feature in a first-of-its-kind offering by any Canadian builder.

CREB®Now connected with some of Calgary's housing industry experts and leaders for their opinions on 2018. Here's what they had to say. . .

Westman Centre for Real Estate Studies is developing tomorrow's real estate professionals

While interest accruing on a mortgage balance is rarely a welcome sight, the growing interest in the Westman Centre for Real Estate Studies at the University of Calgary is a different story.

Part of the Haskayne School of Business, the Westman Centre was founded in 2012 with $7.6 million in funding from the real estate industry, which included a $5 million endowment from Jay Westman. Its mission is to be a catalyst for the development of real estate professionals and a leading centre of excellence for real estate studies through its teaching, research and community engagement activities.

"Industry saw a need for a program where graduates would have a firm grasp of the real estate sector and the career opportunities it could offer," said Jessica Abt, the centre's director.

We've all heard that Rome wasn't built in a day. Neither was Calgary, which continues to undergo an urban renaissance. Over the next five days, CREB®Now will present a series where it has sat down with five influencers who have helped develop the city as we know it today.

'Sink or swim' for housing titan

At the age of 17, Jay Westman was thrown by dad, Al, into the housing industry's version of 'sink or swim.'

The self-described "average" student had no "big idea" about what he wanted to do after high school: "I think my parents would have liked me to be a lawyer or a doctor but school was not my strong suit," said the chairman and CEO of Calgary-based Jayman Built, one of the largest homebuilders in Alberta.

So Al Westman — through his own housing company — plunged Jay into project management, and life in a motorhome on a multi-family site in Lethbridge.

"I learned a lot of life lessons. I made a lot of mistakes and cost my dad some money. But I paid him back later," he said.

The University of Calgary's Haskayne School of Business has announced a monetary donation that will allow them to create the Westman Centre for Real Estate Studies.

Jay Westman, Chairman and CEO of Jayman MasterBUILT made a $5 million commitment which will be used to advance real estate studies at the University of Calgary.