# 1301 281 Cougar Ridge Dr SW

Bungalow-style main floor townhouse. Wide-open and functional floorplan. Two bedrooms, two full bathrooms. The bedrooms are on opposite sides on the unit, and the master has an ensuite. Granite counters, stainless steel appliances, hardwood floors, 9″ ceilings and neutral decor. The attached garage has private access directly from the unit. Located on the quiet back side of the complex on the greenway near a green space and extra street parking. The full basement awaits your development ideas or storage items.

To view full listing details, more photos, virtual tour and floor plan visit my webpage.

Acadia is a southeast community that a little over 10,000 people call home. The 53 year-old neighbourhood – voted Calgary’s second-best (after Arbour Lake) by Avenue magazine in 2013 – is served by a long list of schools, businesses, and recreational facilities, including the community hall and curling rink. With quick access to the Bow River, walkers and cyclists have plenty of opportunities to get out and about, while the close proximity to Macleod Trail and Heritage Drive means commutes are pretty straightforward.

Avenue Magazine cited the nine schools, rec centre (including a pool), and multiple nearby services as reasons for this to be the city’s second-best place in which to live.

Acadia is a growing community, with its population going up nearly one percent year-over-year, and a little over half the homes are owner-occupied.

To see homes available in Acadia, do a Quick Search.

To get a complete market report on Acadia, or any other neighbourhood you are interested in, use our quick and easy market report request.

4108 Marbank Dr NE

Need lots of space? This home offers a total of 5 bedrooms and 2 full baths in almost 1400 Sq.Ft of developed space; and a large double-car garage. Updated kitchen, fresh flooring, and recently painted through-out. Within walking distance of the C-Train and the new Walmart Supercenter. Quick possession is available.

To view more photos, full listing details and the floorplan visit my webpage.

1518 18 Av Nw

What a great price for a solid home in a great area! Just minutes from all that Capitol Hill has to offer, including shopping, groceries, golf, SAIT, multiple restaurants, Confederation Park, and much more. Just close enough to the C-Train without being too close, and a very short commute to downtown via transit, bike, or car. Super-clean 2 story detached home in perfectly livable condition, with a double garage to boot. Yes, the price is correct. Awesome front living-room with bay windows to let the sun shine in. Large rear family room with a brick fireplace and a French door that leads to a large new deck and an easy-to-maintain yard that also boasts a brick patio. This family-friendly floor-plan is great for entertaining. Upstairs, there is a big master with 4-piece ensuite with dual sinks. Also up: laundry, two more bedrooms and a 5-piece main bath with dual sinks and a tub & commode lock-off; great for room-mates or kids. The unspoiled basement awaits your storage items or development ideas.

To view more photos, full listing details and the floorplan visit my webpage.

It should come as no surprise to readers of this space that 2013 is on track to set a sales record, with well over $9 billion in sales being transacted; to date, the city has seen nearly $7 billion in real estate changing hands. Resale prices are up, and people are still buying, thanks to some very solid employment numbers (we’re one of the country’s only bright points on that front), relative affordability (especially in the condo market), forced moves due to the flood, and just the general appeal of our city to people from all over. Calgary’s a place where you can get a good job and raise a family without too much fear of the bottom falling out of your lifestyle.

So, of course, there’s gotta be the end times coming, and naysayers point to a slowdown in the purchase of land for new properties to show that they’re almost here. Call me optimistic, but I just don’t buy that as proof that we’re in a bubble about to burst. Developers have bought up huge swaths of land recently to keep up with the demand in our hot seller’s market, but they still recognize that the country’s fragile economy will likely lead to some ebbs and flows. So the houses get built, they sell, then new rounds of purchasing can begin. While suggestions that land purchases have dropped more than 50 percent in Calgary year-over-year may sound alarming, the other way to look at that is there was a lot of land bought up last year that’s becoming homes sold this year.

Real estate markets cycle, they don’t generally boom and bust without outside factors manipulating them (as was the case in the US some years ago). So, as I seem to say often around here, take the alarmist news with a healthy dose of skepticism.

What an awesome inner-city home. This one has it all. Perfect for both a growing family, or those without kids alike. Over 2400 sq.ft. of developed space will do well to give everybody some space, and is also great for entertaining. Deluxe kitchen with a gas stove and granite counters. Main level has hardwood and two fireplaces. The landing half-way up the stairs could be a perfect place for a small desk or reading chair. The large master bedroom boasts a luxurious 5-piece ensuite complete with skylight, and a closet with custom built-ins and a window for natural light. The two other bedrooms share a dual-sink jack-and-jill bathroom with two separate areas. The laundry is on the upper floor as well. The lower level is finished as a family/rec room with built-in theater speakers, and dimmable theater lights. There is also ample space for storage as well.

To view more photos, floorplan and full listing details visit my webpage.

Mount Royal is one of Calgary’s most wealthy neighbourhoods, and as such is home to some of the most stunning real estate in the city; in the mid-2000s, one family that owned three adjacent lots was profiled in the Calgary Herald for its plans to construct one massive home in the style of the Chateau Lake Louise.  The economic downturn in 2008 put a hold on those plans, but it still gives an idea of the imagination (and resources) with which property is approached here.

Located in the southwest, Mount Royal was originally called “American Hill” due to the large proportion of US-immigrants who chose to reside there. Just under 3200 people currently call Mount Royal home, served by the public schools Earl Grey Elementary and Mount Royal Junior High. The community is split into Lower Mount Royal, which is mostly comprised of condominiums and townhomes, and Upper Mount Royal, which is almost entirely single family homes; median income in Upper Mount Royal is nearly four times that of Lower Mount Royal.

With its close proximity to downtown and the bustling strip of 17th Avenue SW, amenities are plentiful in Mount Royal, with a vast selection of restaurants to choose from and a complete compliment of cultural opportunities. Additionally, Elbow Drive provides easy access to Chinook Mall and other nearby attractions. Residents may also access the Glencoe Club, a private sports and recreation facility serving Mount Royal and Elbow Park, founded in 1931.

To see homes available in Mount Royal, do a Quick Search.

To get a complete market report on Mount Royal, or any other neighbourhood you are interested in, use our quick and easy market report request.

The impact to the city from last month’s flooding continues to make itself felt, aggravating an already serious shortage of rental spaces. As rental vacancy rates approach zero percent, properties that had secondary suites grandfathered in are now having to be rebuilt according to current zoning, meaning those suites are gone for good.

Alderman John Mar proposed a mass approval of secondary suites to ease the rental crunch, but that proposal was defeated (although, not by much); it is sure to be raised again in the lead up to this fall’s municipal election. The City, since 2009, has been offering homeowners in appropriately zoned areas grant money to create secondary suites, handing out $9 million in three years. Including illegal dwellings, there are well over 60,000 secondary suites in Calgary.

Some people love secondary suites: they’re a great way to generate income from a property, and provide quality accommodations for quiet students and working singles. Others cite traffic concerns and a loss of ‘community feeling’ when more renters enter a neighbourhood. How do you feel? Has the flood, and its fallout, made you more agreeable to having secondary suites permitted where you live?

The northwest community of Bowness has a pretty fascinating history, being one of a few Calgary neighbourhoods that was originally a town unto itself before becoming amalgamated into the city proper. Indeed, there is evidence of native peoples inhabiting the Bowness area more than 10,000 years ago, at the end of the last ice age.

In the early 1900s, after changing hands several times, Bowness was purchased by an English inventor who developed the land, put in a bridge, and arranged for transit service to Calgary in exchange for donating what is now known as Bowness park to the city. The community grew, slowly, until it became part of Calgary in the early 1960s.

Bowness is now a thriving and diverse community, home to more than 11,000 people with a median household income of just over $40,000. About a third of the residents live in condos or townhomes. Those who call Bowness home enjoy the many recreation opportunities available at the Bowness Community Hall and Sportsplex, which includes an ice rink, meeting rooms, and one of the largest halls in Calgary. Outdoors, there’s the aforementioned Bowness park and the Bowness Golf and Country Club.

The community is close to the mountains, but also adjacent to 16th Avenue for easy travel downtown, or connection to southern routes like Sarcee Trail. 

To see homes available in Bowness, do a Quick Search. 

To get a complete market report on Bowness, or any other neighbourhood you are interested in, use our quick and easy market report request.

The name Palliser is used in a few contexts in Alberta, thanks to the significance of explorer John Palliser’s efforts to map western Canada. One such namesake is Calgary’s nearly 50 year-old community of Palliser, in the city’s southwest.

There’s a focus on outdoor recreation opportunities in Palliser, located as it is along the edge of the Glenmore Reservoir and near the Weaselhead Flats: hiking, boating, and more are within easy reach of Palliser residents. Further, the Heritage Park historical village is in the same vicinity, with its renowned Sunday brunch (once frequented by Calgary Flames goalie Miikka Kiprusoff), rides for the kids, and ambience linked to our shared history. With Heritage Drive, Glenmore Drive. Crowchild Trail, and Macleod Drive all nearby, this community is an easy drive from nearly all Calgary has to offer.

Served by four elementary schools, five middle schools, and three high schools (including public, separate, and private options), Palliser has an abundance of options for the 400 or so school-age children in the neighbourhood. Its population has remained steady in recent years – growing only 0.3% from 2007-2011, compared with the city’s 7% growth overall – and so its a good place for people looking to put down roots and build relationships with neighbours.

To see homes available in Palliser, do a Quick Search.

To get a complete market report on Palliser, or any other neighbourhood you are interested in, use our quick and easy market report request.