For residents of Calgary's lake communities, having such a special amenity available during the COVID-19 pandemic has been a blessing. Now, those communities are looking ahead to, hopefully, even better times this summer as the province reopens and restrictions are lifted.

Calgary is a city brimming with natural beauty and vital ecological corridors. Here, prairie grasslands and verdant river valleys are interspersed with ancient stands of aspen trees – some almost 4,000 years old – and 600-year-old forests of Douglas fir.

Despite urbanization and climate change, these forests have thrived and grown. These days, one can also find a selection of non-native tree species, planted by early settlers, current residents, developers and the City, all of which contribute to Calgary's urban forest.

Anyone who has walked into a hardware store lately is aware of the current price of lumber, a situation that is creating issues for the homebuilding and renovation industries in Calgary and across the country.

Located just minutes from the Calgary International Airport, the established community of Saddle Ridge, and its community-within-a-community extension Savanna, are attracting homebuyers in droves, thanks to the area's strong sense of community and affordable home prices.

Cochrane's largest infrastructure project to date, the much-anticipated Jack Tennant Memorial Bridge, recently had its grand opening, which was marked by a low-key, physically distanced celebration and plenty of fireworks.

Calgary's new-home construction market has been challenged this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Year-to-date, up until the end of August, there were 5,400 total housing starts in the Calgary census metropolitan region compared with 6,400 for the same period in 2019.

Homebuilders across the city have adopted new health and safety protocols for potential homebuyers when they are searching for a home. They've also upped their game when it comes to their digital presence.

By early 2022, the first of Alpine Park's eventual 10,000 residents will be moving into a mixed-use community at the heart of a new type of Calgary suburb.

While budgets, like rules, are often made to be broken, there are some additional costs associated with the purchase of a new home that buyers should keep in mind to avoid breaking the bank.

Hiring a REALTOR^® when purchasing a resale home seems like a no brainer, but many new-build homebuyers don't take advantage of this valuable resource.