Calgary Real Estate Blog

Apple’s marketing slogan, “There’s an app for that,” gets more true by the week – these small programs for mobile devices are becoming increasingly powerful and popular. You can find a series of apps for basically any industry you can imagine, and real estate is no exception. Here’s a list of five of the best apps for Canadian buyers and sellers.

1. Realtor.ca

This app puts the power of the MLS system in the palm of your hand, allowing you to search listings across Canada by a variety of criteria. An added value, compared to the desktop version, is the GPS functionality that can tell you about listings near your current location, making your Sunday house shopping drive a whole lot more efficient.

2. Magic Plan

Create a floorplan of a home simply by taking a series of pictures and letting the app do its magic. Great for making decorating and furnishing decisions, or just to get a sense of a property from a new perspective.

3. Canadian Mortgage

Calculate your mortgage payments, land transfer fees, CMHC premiums, and more, helping you get a grasp on how much home you can really inform. This app even includes sliders to take into account roommate income, bi-weekly vs. monthly payments, and first-time homebuyer rebates.

4. Ready Set Home

Designed especially for first-time homebuyers, from Canada’s national housing agency, CMHC. Helps determine affordability and tracks details during the homebuying process.

5. Starbucks

What would a day of house shopping be without coffee? The Starbucks app tracks your purchases (you can pay right from your phone if you load a gift card into the app), and lets you hit purchasing goals that earn perks like free refills.

It’s a (bidding) war zone out there right now. There are nearly twenty percent fewer homes on the market than there were a year ago, yet sales are up just over three percent; well-priced, attractively located homes are being snatched up as quickly as hours after hitting MLS, according to the Herald. While this doesn’t mean people should be overpricing their homes, it does mean that sales for above-asking price are possible for savvy sellers.

Before you list, make sure you discuss with your Realtor (hey, I’m available!) which features of your home are the most appealing, and maybe put a little money into enhancing those areas as applicable. Then, when your home hits the market, your Realtor can ensure the right people are coming to take a look.

For buyers, there’s never been a more important time than now to ensure you have all your proverbial ducks in a row before diving into the market. For the love of Pete, get pre-qualified on your mortgage before doing anything else. Discuss with your spouse and any other stakeholders what the absolute must-haves of your next home are, and decide what you might be willing to sacrifice to obtain those features. Research the neighbourhoods at the top of your list to find out what kind of home you can expect to find there in your price range. Then, when the time comes to go shopping, bear in mind that you may need to move quickly to get an offer in before another buyer.

While it’s not a market for the timid, the right Realtor can reassure and guide you throughout the process so that you can find the right home, at the right price, for you and your family without too many sleepless nights.

I talk a lot about the detached home market in Calgary, and how remarkably well its doing, but our city’s condo market is also on fire right now. The Herald reported recently that new condo sales are near the records set in 2005 – when prices were significantly lower – as people look to live closer to the action of our downtown core.

Condos have a lot of great benefits for the right homebuyer. First, you get the financial advantages of owning a home with a lot of the mitigated responsibilities (for things like shoveling snow, replacing the roof, and so on) that go along with renting. Second, singles may feel a greater sense of security living in a highrise condo building, surrounded by helpful neighbours and with a monitored entrance, rather than in a big suburban home. Third, a major element of the condo lifestyle is living with less stuff: you just plain don’t have the room to store a pile of collectables, and so you learn to live with less.

It’s not for everyone, of course, and it does have risks: a poorly managed condo board can leave maintenance undone, for example, leading to major repairs paid for out of residents’ pockets. For those who do their research and know what they’re getting into, though, condos hold a lot of value and appeal. If you think you might like getting into the condo market, give me a call or visit my web page to view those I currently have listed.

The New Year is off to a great start in the real estate market, with the Calgary Real Estate Board predicting strong growth in both prices and the number of newly-built homes. While that’s a familiar-sounding tune these days, we’re coming off a year that saw more than 12 percent growth in the number of sales made with prices rising by six percent; to see sales increase by what’s predicted to be a little under four percent from last year is a really impressive sign of a healthy, robust market.

With interest rates now predicted to remain low for the foreseeable future (as opposed to the ‘there’re going up next month!’ prognostications we’ve been hearing for the last few years), this is an good time to build your ideal property or find a great resale home to move up into. A couple weeks ago I posted about some things you can do around your home to get it in saleable condition; I recommend having another read of that, and make a game plan if you want to enter the market in the spring. A few touch-ups can really affect your bottom line, which in turn will help you get that new home you want.

Want a personal, no-obligation evaluation of what we could sell your home for today, and what you could do to sell it for more? Contact me!

There’s something special about the couple of weeks immediately following New Year’s Day: the Christmas season is over, company has returned from whence they came, and your home is starting to look like it did last fall. Opportunity and renewal is in the air; anything is possible. As you tidy up the decorations you might find a few bits of maintenance that need doing, or improvements that can be made. Rather than overwhelming, though, this list is inspiring, because it’s a new year, baby!

The trick, then, is to capitalize on this newfound optimism and actually accomplish something. If you’re thinking about putting your home on the market this year – and judging by early indicators, this’ll be a great time to do so – make your New Year’s resolution to get your property market ready.

First and foremost, start decluttering your home. Haven’t used something in more than a year? Donate, sell, or toss it. Clear off the flat surfaces like desks and countertops, and resolve to keep them clear. Those who are really ambitious can use the ‘clean sweep’ method, taking absolutely everything out of a room, then only putting back those things that truly belong in that space; the rest has got to go.

Decluttering doesn’t have to mean getting rid of things, though: packing rarely-used but still useful things in preparation for your move will both improve the roominess of your home and save you some time later.

Next, really put some effort into identifying all the areas where your home could use some maintenance, and make a plan for how and when you’ll get it all done. Then start looking at inexpensive improvements you could make to freshen up the place: maybe get all the supplies you need to paint your main floor, and the next time a chinook hits crack open the windows and get to it.

Now’s also a useful time to do some research, both of the types of neighbourhoods in which you might like to live, and on Realtors in your area who might be a good fit for you. January’s not generally the busiest month for Realtors, so call a few up to go for coffee in an informal interview (I’m available). The right agent can make your selling – and buying – experience a lot easier.

So those are a few tips to get you started. And because I’m still in the giving mood, how would you like 2-for-1 tickets to the Calgary Home and Garden Show, taking place at the end of next month? Just click here, and make sure to use the promo code NEWYEAR.

Just prior to the civic election, an article appeared in the Calgary Sun, furnished by the Canadian Home Builders Association – Calgary Region (CHBA-CR), raising the old arguments of a lack of serviced land in the city. The article ominously predicts the city will run out of serviced land by 2018, and bedroom communities such as Airdrie will be the only hope for those looking to purchase new homes.

However, a joint statement released last March by both Mayor Nenshi’s office and the very same CHBA-CR responsible for the Sun article detailed how Calgary currently had 22 square kilometres of serviced land available for new developments – enough for six new Auburn Bay-sized communities – with another 28 square kilometres planned for approval by the end of 2014. That remains as true today as it did seven months ago.

So, now that the election’s over, lets all just calm down and enjoy the fantastic shape our city’s in, the high quality of life Calgarians enjoy, and the wide diversity of new and longstanding communities in which we can raise our families.

Interesting article in the Calgary Herald recently posits that the now-moving-ahead southwest portion of the ring road could dramatically increase property values in nearby neighbourhoods. Especially encouraging, from a homeowner’s standpoint, is the fact that much of the land being discussed is already developed, meaning it’s owners themselves – not developers – who’ll see the profit.

It all comes down to accessibility. Commuting in Calgary’s not bad at all compared to other major markets, and thoroughfares like the ring road just make getting to work from the burbs that much easier. Anytime you can combine efficient access to services and workplaces with the quiet suburban lifestyle available near our city’s limits, you’re going to see values increase.

Of course, it’ll be years before the ring road is finished. I’ll be interested to see how many people build and buy in areas that will eventually be near the completed freeway in a short term pain, long term gain strategy.

One of the major advantages of buying a new, as opposed to previously owned, home has long been the warranty coverage.  To some buyers’ chagrin, however – especially those buying homes in the mid-2000s, when labour shortages occasionally led to substandard subcontractor work – the warranty coverage maxed out at a mere 12 months. Issues that didn’t show themselves within that one year window became the homeowner’s responsibility. The vast majority of homes in Calgary are, and have been, built to high standards that lead to extremely happy homeowners. For the unlucky few, however, the short warranty has been problematic.

New home buyers can rejoice, then, as the new year will bring with it the Alberta New Home Buyer Protection Act, a piece of legislation aimed at raising the standard of construction in our fine province, making builders increasingly accountable for the products that they sell. Details are available here, but the highlights include a minimum of ten years’ coverage on major structural components, and five years of building envelope protection (with the mandatory option for homeowners to be able to purchase additional coverage).

Now, labour and materials still fall under one year’s worth of coverage, but in certain cases that coverage extends to two years, so there’s progress even on this front.

Is this Act the ideal level of protection for all new home buyers? No, of course not. It would be nice to see labour and materials be covered for longer periods of time. It’s certainly a step in the right direction, though.

With the civic election just weeks away, city planning is a hot topic of conversation in the media thanks to a rather scandalous video taped surreptitiously at a home builders’ meeting earlier this year, with city aldermen called out for being friendly or unfriendly to developers’ interests, and the not always amenable relationship between our mayor and the Home Builders’ Association.

That’s led to some pretty serious propaganda surrounding Calgary’s housing market, including a website launched mid-September by Common Sense Calgary that warned of city planners making Calgary unaffordable for our children, citing the high price of property in Vancouver as an example of what we can look forward to.

Don’t be fooled; we’re not Vancouver. There is already a great deal of land within Calgary city limits set for new neighbourhoods to be constructed, neighbourhoods that will offer starter homes at relatively affordable prices. According to the Royal Bank Affordability Index, which measures how much of an average family’s income would be taken up by housing costs, Calgary is one of the most affordable major cities in which to own a home in Canada. Our affordability index is 33.6 percent. The national average is 48.4, and Vancouver’s is a whopping 85.8. And these are 2013 numbers, as we’re in the midst of a seller’s market.

Why are homes so expensive in Vancouver? Well, the obvious answer is it’s a coastal city, so land is at a premium. Add to that, the commute for people who work in Vancouver but live in the neighbouring communities – Burnaby, Langley, and so on – is hellish, so a small house in the city is still extremely appealing. Compare that to Calgary, a city built on the prairie with so much land we have the country’s largest green space (Nose Hill Park) in our city limits. Suburban life here doesn’t mean commutes of three hours each way; someone can live in Tuscany and still get to work downtown in under 45 minutes during rush hour. Plenty of residents of Airdrie, Cochrane, and even Didsbury happily commute daily, with travel times a fraction of those for commuters to Vancouver.

So, no matter what you think of Calgary’s city planning, or whether you approve or disapprove of the way the mayor’s office relates to home builders, don’t be swayed by the fear tactics employed by a special interest group looking to influence the upcoming election. Do your own research, and judge on facts, not hyperbole.

I’m often writing/bragging about how well the real estate market is doing locally, and with good reason: it’s on fire like we haven’t seen in eight years. But it’s encouraging to hear some good news coming in from around the country, especially major markets like Vancouver and Toronto.

The Conference Board of Canada predicted today that the condo market is unlikely to plummet, even in Toronto where there has recently been concern about an abundance of new multi-family dwellings being built. While things may cool a bit, especially if interest rates rise, the Conference Board concluded that banks were doing a good job of keeping construction from getting out of control by virtue of construction loans being contingent on pre-sale thresholds, and growing populations in metropolitan areas will continue to be on the lookout for condos.

And the Canadian Real Estate Association is talking about Vancouver’s market growing nearly ten percent year-over-year for July, while Toronto’s up almost thirteen percent.

So, while we’re leading the charge thanks to generous incomes and a growing population, ours isn’t the only city with busy Realtors. I love good news.