Archive for February, 2013

Calgary Home and Garden Show 2013

Wednesday, February 27th, 2013

If you are looking for ideas on how to refresh your current home or your simply visiting the Calgary Home and Garden Show (Thurs Feb 28 thru Sunday March 3) be sure to visit us at our booth for a chance to win an IPad 4.  

Our dedicated team will be there to answer all your real estate questions and share some great insight and information on the Calgary Big variety of slots from the most reputable online casino software providers are waiting for you to spend some time playing their hits. Real Estate market. 

 
 Friday is family day so bring the kids by our booth to enjoy balloon animals and glitter tattoos from 1:00pm to 7:00pm.  We look forward to seeing you at our booth at Hall E booth 1646 – four rows up from the main stage. 
 
CIR Realty
 

Public consultation on Condominium Property Act – get involved

Sunday, February 17th, 2013

The Government of Alberta  (Service Alberta) is taking steps to strengthen condominium legislation to address the current needs of condominium corporations, unit owners, and developers; and raise standards in Alberta”s condominium industry.   The Alberta Government is currently consulting with industry stakeholders and the public on changes to the Condominium Property Act. 

If you are a Condominium Owner, developer or involved in the industry I urge you to complete the survey and make your opinion count.  Below is an article from the Service Alberta Website with the links to participate.

Let”s Talk Condos: A Message From The Minister

The Government of Alberta is taking steps to strengthen condominium legislation to address the current needs of condominium corporations, unit owners, and developers; and raise standards in Alberta”s condominium industry.

I encourage you to participate in our consultation and have your say on the future of condominium legislation in Alberta.

The deadline for responding to the consultation paper is April 2, 2013. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

The Honourable Manmeet S. Bhullar
Minister of Service Alberta

 

Consultation Overview

The consultation paper covers a range of condominium issues and outlines legislative proposals and options aimed at resolving these issues.  Your opinions will help us measure support for the choices being considered and assist the ministry in developing recommendations for legislative changes.  

The following key topics are included in the paper:

  • Consumer protection for buyers;
  • Insurance requirements for the corporation and unit owners;
  • Repairs to unit property following damages;
  • Access to corporation records;
  • Dispute resolution;
  • Board governance; and
  • Knowledge, competencies and standards of practice for condominium managers.

Background

Since the Act was last amended in 2000, the condominium industry has steadily grown and evolved, as more and more home-buyers choose to live and invest in condominiums. Growth in the number, variety and complexity of condominium developments, in conjunction with new industry trends and issues prompted Service Alberta to open the Condominium Property Act (the Act) and Regulation for review.

A committee of condominium owners, developers, lawyers, condominium managers, real estate representatives and other stakeholders was struck to assist the ministry with For loan calculators, the annual percentage rate (APR), is the cost of free-credits-report.com over the term of the loan expressed as an annual rate. the review.

The committee concluded that the Act is generally working well; however, members identified a number of issues for examination, in addition to identifying parts of the Act that should be made clearer and easier to understand.  Letters, phone calls and emails from stakeholders indicate a need to strike a better balance between the rights and responsibilities of developers, boards and unit owners and to consider new rules aimed at improving the day-to-day operation of condominium corporations.

Condominium construction and warranty

Municipal Affairs”  increases the maximum fines for violations of the Safety Codes Act, extends the limitation period for prosecution of offences under the Act, and makes home warranties mandatory for new homes to improve construction quality and strengthen consumer protection.

Quick Facts

  • There are nearly 8,000 condominium corporations in Alberta, representing hundreds of thousands of residents.
  • Nearly 20 per cent of homes sold in the province through the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) in the last year were condominiums.
  • Nearly one in every three homes sold in Edmonton and Calgary through MLS in the last year were condominiums.

Links:

Please note: If you are unable to access the consultation paper online, a paper copy can be mailed to you by phoning 1-877-427-4088 toll-free in Alberta.

Calgary’s January 2013 Real Estate Market Snapshot

Sunday, February 3rd, 2013

In an effort to keep you informed about what is really happening in the Calgary Real Estate Market you will find a summary of some key areas with a few short comments.  In summary the Calgary housing market is starting off 2013 on a positive note.   All numbers below are from the Calgary Real Estate Board’s Monthly Stats package for Realtors.

Calgary Listing Inventory:  Inventory levels for all categories increased throughout January.  Seeing our inventory increase is very normal at this time of year as many people wait until the New Year instead of listing over the holidays.  This trend of increasing inventory should continue for the next few months.        

Inventory 

December  2012    

January 2013   

Change

Single Family Home

1859

2075

+216

Condo    Townhouse  

310

369

+41

Condo    Apartment 

553

640

+87

Total

2722

3084

+362

 

Calgary Sales:  Sales increased in all categories this month with except apartment condos.  This is a very normal trend as people were focused on Christmas in December and put off their home buying until the New Year.  The key here is that although sales increased 13.6% the number of listings on the market also increased by 13.3%  leaving us in roughly the same market position.          

Sales

Dec   2012

Jan 2013  

Change

% Change

Single   Family Home

745

879

+134

+18.0%

Condo  Townhouse    

119

147

+28

+23.5%

Condo   Apartment

219

204

-15

-6.9%

Total

1083

1230

+147

+13.6

 

Calgary Real Estate Sales Prices:  Please note that we are now using the Benchmark price for this comparison.  As the chart below demonstrates the benchmark price increased slightly for single family homes and apartment condos and decreased slightly for townhouses.    

 

Sales Prices

Dec  2012

Benchmark Price

Jan 2013

 Benchmark Price  

Change

Single   Family Homes

434,800

436,900

+2,100

Condo   Townhouse  

284,100

283,400

(700)

Condo  Apartment    

248,700

251,300

+2,600

 Absorption Rate (Months of Inventory)   (the inventory divided by the number of sales in the last month). What does this mean you might ask?

Below 3.0 indicates a Seller’s Market

Between 3.0 to 4.0 indicates a Balanced Market

Above 4.0 indicates a Buyer’s Market.

Absorption Rate  

Dec 2012

Jan 2013  

Change

Single   Family Homes

2.50

2.36

(.14)

Condo   Townhouse  

2.61

2.51

(.1)

Condo  Apartment    

2.53

3.14

+.61

Total   Calgary

2.51

2.51

=

 

As you can see above we are in a Seller’s market for all categories except apartment condos. Please note that these numbers do change on a community basis and more so for towns.  If you would like to find stats on your community please contact me.  If you are thinking of Selling the first half of the year might be best as I expect our inventory to substantially increase by mid-year.

If you have any questions about this summary or any Real Estate questions please feel free to contact us.  

If you know anyone else who might enjoy seeing our monthly summary please pass it on.  

Gord