Archive for November, 2015

Why Evanston is Awesome

Friday, November 20th, 2015

This weekend we will be hitting the streets in Evanston! With three different open houses for our team in this beautiful community there is sure to be something to fit every lifestyle. Check out a Condo, starter home and a move up home for your growing family. But we wanted to take a minute to talk about why Evanston?

Evanston is a newer community in Calgary’s North West, located just off Stoney Trail. What makes it unique is the open space concept of the community and the abundant green spaces. Located close to Nose Hill Park your family will have lots of room to roam. Because of the extensive pathway system and open concept of the community there is a real small town feel to the community. Evanston was designed to bring people together, in the hopes that neighbors will become friends. The community association is working hard right now to build a skating rink for the community and every year they host a Christmas light competition.

With plenty of shopping, a nearby farmer’s market, and lots of open space Evanston promises to be a great fit for almost every family and we have just the houses for you.

Swing by our recently listed Condominium at 108-300 Evanscreek Co NW (MLS # C4036850). This two storey townhouse is perfect for small families and those looking to downsize, with open concept main level, 2 large bedrooms and a den it’s a beautiful way to enter the real estate market

Next we have a starter home, at 103 Evansborough CR NW(MLS # C4039834). This home is a two story home with a double detached garage. A two tiered deck is perfect for entertaining, and the main floor is open concept and large enough for you to move the party inside if the weather turns chilly. Three bedrooms upstairs and an unfinished basement gives you endless possibilities.

Lastly we are showcasing a beautiful move up home at 1079 Evanston Drive (MLS # C4038772). This home has all the upgrades and luxury you could ask for, with 3 bedrooms 2.5 bathrooms granite counters and 18 foot ceilings it really delivers that wow factor. The master bedroom has an attached 5 piece ensuite with built in storage, granite counters and his and her sinks. The back yard even backs onto green space for a little extra privacy.

Stop by and see our team this Sunday and let us show you why Evanston is one of the hottest communities in the Calgary market right now. For a full list of open house times and details please click here.

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Closed

Keep Your Home Safe – Without Breaking the Bank

Friday, November 13th, 2015

Keeping your home SafeYou want to keep your home safe from thieves, but you don’t want to spend a fortune doing so because, frankly, you don’t have a fortune worth stealing. Technology has significantly brought down the cost of home security systems and home surveillance cameras, many of which you can install yourself. But there are also many low-tech solutions that cost little or nothing that will keep your home safer from intruders.
Use your deadbolt lock. The basic lock on your doorknob isn’t really very good, Holloway says. Many knob locks can be defeated by simply grabbing the knob with, at most, a pipe wrench or with, at the least, two hands and twisting hard. The internal locking mechanism shears and the door can be opened, and this can all happen in a matter of seconds. This is an old burglar trick. Deadbolts are harder to defeat, and a cheap deadbolt is as good as an expensive one. The lock isn’t going to break, but it’s the doorjamb and the wood around the door that’s going to break.
Secure sliding glass doors. Many older doors are easy to open from the outside. Use a broom handle lying on its side on the track to prevent the door from being opened and deter intruders.
Make sure your home is well-lighted outside. Motion detector lights are inexpensive and an easy way to illuminate anyone who approaches the house. The reason for that is because the front door is commonly the most visible part of the house, and if there’s anything would-be burglars don’t want, it’s to be visible.
Make it look as if you’re home. Lights, radio and TVs on timers create the illusion that someone is home when you’re gone on vacation. Get a neighbor to pick up mail and newspapers when you’re away.

Posted in Articles, Blog, Home Buyers | Comments Closed

October Market Snapshot

Tuesday, November 3rd, 2015

Despite all the doom and gloom in the media the Calgary Real Estate Market has not crashed and in certain sectors is actually fairing quite well considering the circumstances.

Stay ahead of the curve by following our Monthly Market Snapshot of the Calgary Real Estate Market. This shows what’s really happening! The market is driven by supply and demand so here we show the inventory (supply) and sales (demand) and the effect on the price of Calgary Real Estate.  A simple way to keep up to date and ahead of most!

Below are the details along with a few comments, all numbers were taken from the Calgary Real Estate Boards Stats package for Realtors.

Calgary Listing Inventory

In October our inventory declined for detached homes and increased in the attached homes and apartments sectors.

 Inventory  Sept  2015 Oct  2015 Change
Detached 3012 2922 -90
Attached 1232 1290 +58
Apartment 1282 1366 +84
Total City of Calgary 5526 5578 +52

Calgary Sales:

Sales for attached homes increased slightly this month while detached homes and apartment sales decreased.   The largest decrease is in the apartment sector.  Looking at the total sales we are down by only 27 sales from last month.  We are down substantially from 2014  (2014 was a huge year) and are down from the long term average.

In my opinion seasonal adjustments are a small part of this and it is a bigger reflection of a weakened economy and uncertainty.

Sales Sept  2015 Oct  2015 Change % Change
Detached 906 872 -34 -3.75%
Attached 283 312 +29 +3.2%
Apartment 259 237 -22 -8.5%
Total City of Calgary 1448 1421 -27 -1.9

Calgary Real Estate Sales Prices:  

Prices for all categories decreased this month.  The overall price decrease from September was  .66%. Looking at today’s absorption rate I predict that detached and attached homes will continue with small decreases while the apartment sector will show higher decreases.  Why you might ask am I predicting a decrease for detached homes while we are still in a balanced market – my answer is simply the consumer confidence level out there.

  Sales Prices Sept  2015

Benchmark Price 

Oct  2015

Benchmark Price

 Change
Detached 517,200 513,800 -3,400
Attached 357,000 354,100 -2,900
Apartment 290,600 288,300 -2,300
Total City of Calgary 456,100 453,100 -3,000

Sales Prices “Year to Date”   

Year to date prices –  The numbers here speak for themselves. As you can see the largest decrease is in the apartment sector. Overall I am surprised at how well Real Estate has held up so far with all the uncertainty.

Sales Prices Dec 31, 2014   Benchmark Price  Oct  2015

Benchmark Price

 Change

$

% Change
Detached 510,900 513,800 +2,900 +.57%
Attached 357,000 354,100 -3,000 -.84%
Apartment 300,300 288,300 -12,000 -4.0%
Total City of Calgary 459,000 453,100 -5,900 -1.28%

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

Buyer’s Market >4.0 Drives prices down
Balanced Market Between 2.8 to 4.0 Prices typically remain stable
Seller’s Market <2.8 Drives prices up

*** Absorption Rate:   

In October all categories increased with apartment condos taking the biggest jump. This will have an impact on prices in the coming months.

Absorption Rate   Sept  2015 Oct  2015 Change
Detached 3.32 3.35 +.03
Attached 4.35 4.13 -.22
Apartment 4.95 5.76 +.81
Total City of Calgary 3.82 3.93 +.11

Posted in Articles, Blog, CMHC, Education | Comments Closed