How to make your home appear larger

May 22nd, 2013

When selling your home or condo in Calgary you want to show off the space your have. Most of us accumulate stuff and our living spaces get full. Make any room bigger by simply taking things out of the room,however finding storage space in the home can be challenging.

These days, we all just seem to have more stuff!

Fortunately, you don’t necessarily need to rent a storage locker or add a new room to your home to fit everything. One of the things I do annually is look around and if I have not used the item in the last year then I ask myself “Do I really still need this?”

There are many innovative ways to increase the capacity of the storage space you’re already using. For example, there are storage bins you can buy that are designed to fit neatly under a bed. Some have wheels, making the bins easy to pull out and access.

You’ve probably seen closet organizers at your local home improvement centre. These can easily double the storage capacity of a closet, while making the space look neater and more organized.

Finally, there are storage units available that are camouflaged as something else, such as an ottoman.

Visit your local Home Depot. There are many more innovative storage solutions available for your home.

If all else fails, renting a storage pod can be an excellent investment when selling your home.

Posted in Blog, Home Staging | Comments Closed

How to Discourage Buyers from Buying Your Home

May 16th, 2013

Selling a home in Calgary is very competitive. If you’re listing your home

for sale, then of course you’ll want to make the best impression possible

for potential home buyers. But, just to have a little fun, say you don’t want

to sell your property. What could you do to discourage those who view

your home?

Well, you could have your pets in the home during showings. That will

certainly make it uncomfortable for some buyers – especially those

with pet allergies.

You could also leave personal items around, such as family pictures

and trophies. That will make it more difficult for a buyer to imagine

himself and his family living there. It might even make him feel a bit

like an intruder!

Clutter in bedrooms, closets and other areas of the home will make

those spaces feel less spacious than they really are, as well as make

visitors feel uncomfortable.

If you really want to turn off a buyer, then put off doing any minor

repairs. A dripping tap, torn carpet, flickering lights, dent in the wall,

or other maintenance issues are certain to gain a buyer’s attention.

If all that doesn’t shoo away a buyer from your home, then stick

around during a viewing and follow him and his family from room to

room telling them everything you can about your home. That will

certainly make him feel uneasy.

Of course, we’re just having a bit of fun here. When you put your

home on the market, you want to sell it!

It’s easy to avoid all the pitfalls described above and ensure potential

buyers appreciate the full value of your home.

So when you’re preparing for showings, think of ways you can make

your property appear its best, and make the buyer feel welcomed and

comfortable viewing it.

Tags: Before you sell, Calgary, Home staging, sell my home calgary
Posted in Blog, Home Staging | Comments Closed

April’s Calgary Real Estate Market Snapshot

April 30th, 2013

Want to know what is really happening in Calgary’s Real Estate Market. Bottom line Real Estate is all about supply and demand so that is our focus here. Below you will find a summary of some key Factors with a few short comments. In summary the Calgary housing market is very strong. Sales are strong and our inventory is on the low side making it a Seller’s market. All numbers below are taken from the Calgary Real Estate Boards Stats Package for Realtors.

Calgary Listing Inventory: Inventory levels for all categories increased throughout April. Seeing our inventory increase is very normal at this time of year as many people wait until spring to list their homes. This trend of increasing inventory should continue for the next few months.

Inventory	March 2013	April 2013	Change
Single Family Home	2727	2977	+250
Condo Townhouse	484	518	+34
Condo Apartment	796	871	+75
Total	4007	4366	+359

Calgary Sales:

Sales increased in all categories this month. What is important here is that our sales increased at a higher rate than our inventory putting us into an even stronger sellers market than last month. What I am seeing is that good single family homes in the lower price ranges are harder to find and therefore we are seeing more buyers moving into the townhouse market, the condominium market and surrounding towns.

Sales	March 2013	April 2013	Change	% Change
Single Family Home	1480	1611	+131	+8.8%
Condo Townhouse	283	341	+58	+20.4%
Condo Apartment	347	429	+82	+23.6%
Total	2110	2381	+271	+12.84

Calgary Real Estate Sales Prices: Please note that we are now using the Benchmark price for this comparison.

In April the benchmark price increased slightly for all categories. This is simply a reflection demand outpacing supply and may continue until the inventory starts to increase faster than sales.

Sales Prices	March 2013 Benchmark Price	April, 2013 Benchmark Price	Change
Single Family Homes	446,500	452,900	+$6,400
Condo Townhouse	286,800	288,900	+$2,100
Condo Apartment	257,700	261,300	+$3,600

Sales Prices “Year to Date”

Once again we saw increases in all categories.

Sales Prices	Dec 31 2012 Benchmark Price	April 2013 Benchmark Price	Change	% Change
Single Family Homes	434,800	452,900	+18,100	+4.2%
Condo Townhouse	284,100	288,900	+4,800	+1.7%
Condo Apartment	248,700	261,300	+12,600	+5.1%

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
Balanced Market	Between 2.8 to 4.0
Seller’s Market	<2.8

Absorption Rate	March 2013	April 2013	Change
Single Family Homes	1.84	1.85	+.01
Condo Townhouse	1.71	1.52	– .19
Condo Apartment	2.29	2.03	– .26
Total Calgary	1.90	1.83	– .07

Yes, we are in a Sellers Market

As you can see above we are in a Seller’s market for all categories and it is getting stronger in favour of sellers. 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 just let me know.

If you have any questions about this summary, the attached stats package or any Real Estate questions please feel free to contact us.

If you know anyone else who might enjoy seeing our monthly summary please feel free to share.

Gord, Eric & Brent

Tags: Business/Finance, Calgary, Calgary Home Prices, calgary real estate, calgary real estate prices, Calgary Real Estate Stats, Condominium, Inventory, Real Estate Absorption Rate
Posted in Blog, Real Estate Board's Statistics | Comments Closed

1340 Lake Michigan Crescent SE Calgary

April 4th, 2013

We are pleased to present 1340 Lake Michigan Crescent SE. Totally renovated 2 story home in Lake Bonavista Downs.

Check out the video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Vmc95XH7lw

We are going to do an open house Saturday April 6 from 2 to 5

Stop by and say hi!

Gord

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Closed

Calgary’s March Real Estate Market Snapshot

April 1st, 2013

Below is a short summary of what is really happening in the Calgary Real Estate Market. It cuts through all the extra and provides key information on supply and demand which is what drives prices. For each area I have also included a few comments. All numbers are taken from the Calgary Real Estate Boards Stats package for Realtors. In summary the Calgary housing market is starting off 2013 with very strong sales and our inventory is on the low side putting us in a Seller’s market.

Calgary Listing Inventory: Inventory levels for all categories increased throughout March. Seeing our inventory increase is very normal at this time of year as many people wait until spring to list their homes. This trend of increasing inventory should continue for the next few months.

Inventory	February 2013	March 2013	Change
Single Family Home	2408	2727	+13.2%
Condo Townhouse	427	484	+13.3%
Condo Apartment	704	796	+13.1%
Total	3539	4007	+13.2%

Calgary Sales:

Sales increased in all categories this month. The trend seems that buyers are coming to the market a little earlier every year. I am also finding that good single family homes in the lower price ranges are harder to find and therefore we are seeing more buyers moving into the condominium market.

Sales	Feb 2013	March 2013	Change	% Change
Single Family Home	1209	1480	+271	+22.4%
Condo Townhouse	223	283	+60	+25.6%
Condo Apartment	279	347	+60	+24.4%
Total	1711	2110	+399	+23.3%

Calgary Real Estate Sales Prices: Please note that we are now using the Benchmark price for this comparison.

In March the benchmark price increased slightly for all categories. This is simply a reflection of demand outpacing supply and may continue until the inventory starts to increase faster than sales.

Sales Prices	Feb 2013 Benchmark Price	March, 2013 Benchmark Price	Change
Single Family Homes	442,500	446,500	+4,000
Condo Townhouse	283,000	286,800	+3,800
Condo Apartment	252,900	257,700	+4,800

Sales Prices “Year to Date”

Once again we saw increases in all categories.

Sales Prices	Dec 31 2012 Benchmark Price	March 2013 Benchmark Price	Change	% Change
Single Family Homes	434,800	446,500	+11,700	+2.7%
Condo Townhouse	284,100	286,800	+2,700	+.95%
Condo Apartment	248,700	257,700	+9,000	+3.62%

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 2.8 to 4.0 indicates a Balanced Market

Above 4.0 indicates a Buyer’s Market.

Absorption Rate	Feb 2013	March 2013	Change
Single Family Homes	1.99	1.84	-.15
Condo Townhouse	1.91	1.71	-.2
Condo Apartment	2.52	2.29	-.23
Total Calgary	2.07	1.90	-.17

= “ Seller’s Market”

If you have any questions about this summary, the attached stats package or any Real Estate questions please feel free to contact us.

If you know anyone else who might enjoy seeing our monthly summary please feel free to pass this on.

Gord, Eric & Brent

Tags: Calgary Condos, calgary real estate, calgary real estate prices, Calgary Real Estate Stats, Condominium, Housing, Northwest Calgary Real Estate Prices
Posted in Blog, Real Estate Board's Statistics | Comments Closed

Calgary’s February Real Estate Market Snapshot

March 4th, 2013

Here is a summary of some key areas with a few short comments. In summary the Calgary housing market is starting off 2013 with very strong sales and our inventory is on the low side making it a Seller’s market. All numbers are taken from the Calgary Real Estate Boards stats package for Realtors.

Calgary Listing Inventory: Inventory levels for all categories increased throughout February. Seeing our inventory increase is very normal at this time of year as many people wait until spring to list their homes. This trend of increasing inventory should continue for the next few months.

Inventory	January 2013	February 2013	Change
Single Family Home	2075	2408	+333
Condo Townhouse	369	427	+58
Condo Apartment	640	704	+64
Total	3084	3539	+455

Calgary Sales:

Sales increased in all categories this month. Although the increase seems extremely high it is comparable to what happened last year. The trend seems that buyers are coming to the market a little earlier every year. It also seems to me that as good single family homes in the lower price ranges are harder to find we are seeing more buyers moving into the condominium market.

Sales	Jan 2013	Feb 2013	Change	% Change
Single Family Home	879	1209	+330	38%
Condo Townhouse	147	223	+76	52%
Condo Apartment	204	279	+75	37%
Total	1230	1711	+481	39%

Calgary Real Estate Sales Prices: Please note that we are now using the Benchmark price for this comparison.

In February the benchmark price increased slightly for single family homes and apartment condos and decreased slightly for townhouses.

Sales Prices	Jan 2013 Benchmark Price	Feb 28, 2013 Benchmark Price	Change
Single Family Homes	436,900	442,500	+1%
Condo Townhouse	283,400	283,000	–
Condo Apartment	251,300	252,900	+1%

Sales Prices “Year to Date” Same as above for this month

Once again we saw increases in Single Family homes and Apartment Condos and a slight decrease in Townhouses.

Sales Prices	Dec 31 2012 Benchmark Price	Feb 2013 Benchmark Price	Change	% Change
Single Family Homes	434,800	442500	+7,700	+2%
Condo Townhouse	284,100	283,000	(1,100)	–
Condo Apartment	248,700	252,900	+4,200	+2%

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	Jan 2013	Feb 2013	Change
Single Family Homes	2.36	1.99	-.37
Condo Townhouse	2.51	1.91	-.60
Condo Apartment	3.14	2.52	-.72
Total Calgary	2.51	2.07	-.44

If you have any questions about this summary, the attached stats package or any Real Estate questions please feel free to contact us.

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

Gord, Eric & Brent

Posted in Blog, calgary realtor, Real Estate Board's Statistics | Comments Closed

Calgary Home and Garden Show 2013

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

Posted in Blog, Welcome | Comments Closed

Public consultation on Condominium Property Act – get involved

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.

Calgary’s January 2013 Real Estate Market Snapshot

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

Tags: Calgary, Calgary Real Estate Board, calgary real estate prices, Calgary Real Estate Stats, Condominium, Northwest Calgary Real Estate Prices, Single-family detached home, Townhouse
Posted in Blog, Real Estate Board's Statistics | Comments Closed

110 Somerset Close SW

January 25th, 2013

Just listed a great family home in Somerset. This home backs onto a pathway that leads to Somerset school and parks. To view click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuV16qMvV78

Posted in Blog, Listings | Comments Closed

The Gord Piper & Associates Real Estate Blog

How to make your home appear larger

How to Discourage Buyers from Buying Your Home

April’s Calgary Real Estate Market Snapshot

1340 Lake Michigan Crescent SE Calgary

Calgary’s March Real Estate Market Snapshot

Calgary’s February Real Estate Market Snapshot

Calgary Home and Garden Show 2013

Public consultation on Condominium Property Act – get involved

Let”s Talk Condos: A Message From The Minister

Consultation Overview

Background

Quick Facts

Links:

Calgary’s January 2013 Real Estate Market Snapshot

110 Somerset Close SW

Pages

Archives

Categories

Meta