Getting married? Calgary Wedding Fair/Bridal Fair 2011 is a must attend!

January 5th, 2011

Gord Piper and Associates will have an exhibitor booth at the 2011 Calgary Wedding Fair.  If you”re attending please drop by booth #14 and say hi.  Enter to win Air Miles and more.

 

Calgary Show Information

Calgary”s largest and longest running Bridal Fair® !

 The Wedding Fair is the most popular bridal show in Alberta.

 Sunday, January 23, 2011
BMO Centre – Stampede Park
Exhibition Hall open from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Fashion Shows at 11:00 a.m., 2:00 p.m. & 4:00 p.m.

Attending Calgary Bridal Fair/Wedding Fair will help ease some of the pressure of planning a beautiful wedding by allowing you to compare, taste, touch and see what Calgary and areas top wedding specialists have to offer – all in one convenient location.  Calgary Bridal Fair/Wedding Fair brings you the latest trends and gives you the opportunity of connecting with the service providers you need to create your special day. You will also experience a professionally choreographed fashion show displaying the latest  wedding fashions.  Bring your girlfriends, mom, and even your fiancé and enjoy the day.  Each bride will receive a complimentary copy of Calgary Bridal Guide and will have the opportunity of purchasing the latest copy of Weddingbells Magazine for the discounted rate of $2.00.

 Tips for Attending a Bridal Show

 Register online and save 2.00 per ticket!  If you don”t register online, make sure you register when you arrive at the show.  Registering will enter you into all the prize drawings and you will receive  a complimentary copy of Calgary Bridal Guide.

  1. Create a temporary email address to be used while you are planning your wedding.  This way you can delete it when you no longer are interested in receiving special offers or hearing from the vendors.
  2. Bring adhesive address labels.  This will save you a lot of time when you enter for prizes at each booth. Most exhibitors will want to know your wedding date so make sure to add this information to your label along with your email address.
  3. Allow yourself three hours  to visit the exhibits and watch the exciting fashion show.
  4. Ask lots of questions, that”s what the exhibitors are there for!
  5. Bring your cheque book or credit card in case you decide to book services or hold dates with a deposit. Be sure to check on refund policies before giving any money, and read the contract carefully before signing.
  6. Collect any information you are interested in – take it home to look over again when you have some quiet time.
  7. If you cannot attend, send someone in your place to register you for prizes and collect information on services you need.
  8. It is nice if your fiancé attends with you and he will enjoy the “Groom’s Room”.  Each year many guys attend, so he won”t be the only one there!
  9. Wear comfortable shoes and have a great time!

Relax and have fun – this is your wedding.

Hope to see you there!

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Blog, Uncategorized | Comments Closed

2010 December: Calgary Real Estate Board’s Monthly Stats

January 4th, 2011

Gord Piper and Associates welcome”s you to 2011 and what a great year it is going to be.  

 For you information we are providing a snapshot of key information taken from the Calgary Real Estate Boards Monthly Stats package which came out last night.  To get a good understanding of the market we think there are three numbers that are critical – Inventory – Sales – Prices.  Yes, the old theory of supply and demand !  If there are any other numbers that you would like to see posted monthly just let us know.  Here are the results for december 2010 with a few comments.  If you would like a full copy of the board”s stats please contact us and we will be happy to give.

Attached please find a copy of the stats package from the Calgary Real Estate Board for the month of December 2010.  Below you will find a summary of some key areas with a few short comments.

Calgary Listing Inventory:  As noted below we had a substantial decrease in our inventory this month. In December not many homes get listed around Christmas time coupled with many listing expiring.  I truly believe this is very short-term as many of the listings that have expired will go back on the market between now and spring so watch for this number to go up again

Inventory November   December Change
Single Family Home 3869 2712 <1157>
Condo’s 1882 1429 <453>
Total 5751 4141 <1610>

 Calgary Sales:  Sales for the month of December are very typical of the season where there is less real estate activity in December due to people being involved with so many other activities.   

Sales November December Change
Single Family Home 891 734 <157>
Condo’s 310 320 10
Total 1201 1054 <147>

 Calgary Real Estate Sales Prices :   For this summary,  I will focus only on the Median Sales Price as the average can be skewed by Realtors selling more of less million dollar homes and should be a better reflection of the market. Noted below single family homes took a slight decrease this month while condos showed a bit of a recovery.

Sales Prices November  Median Price December  Median Price Change
Single Family Homes $399,900 $389,000 <$10,900
Condo’s $253,300 $258,500 $5,200

 2011 Prediction

Gord’s  unofficial forecast:  As of late our phones have rung more than at any other time this year and the calls have been from buyers who have sat on the fence and are now ready to make a move.  I believe we are going to start to see increases in sales numbers for the first quarter seeing things settle down a little after that.  I forecast that our inventory will start to increase and we may see high levels once spring hits.   Therefore this certainly seems to be a good time to buy.  If you’re thinking of selling I think the opportunities are going to be the best in the first 3 months of the year before all the spring listings hit the market.

In other news we want to share that this year we will be having a booth at the Calgary Wedding Fair otherwise known as the Bridal show with some great draws.  If you find yourself at the wedding fair please stop by and say hi.

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

Gord Piper and Brent Wilcox

Century 21, The Professionals Ltd.

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in Real Estate Board's Statistics | Comments Closed

Novenmber 2010 Calgary Real Estate Statistics!

December 1st, 2010

Another month is over giving us the pleasure to provide the following information – a summary of key numbers  from  the Calgary Real Estate Boards November statistics Package.  For Community Stats please click here!

Calgary Listing Inventory:  As noted below the inventory continues to decrease.   View Calgary Listings here!

Inventory  October November Change
Single Family Home 4528 3869 Decrease of 659
Condo’s 2042 1882 Decrease of 160
Total 6570 5751 Decrease of 819

 

Calgary Sales:  Sales are very similar to October’s sales but are again down from last year’s sales.   This trend is very normal for this time of year as many people do not want to make a move in the middle of winter.  

Sales October November Change
Single Family Home 958 888 Decrease  of 70
Condo’s 310 310 =
Total 1309 1198 Decrease of 70

 

Calgary Real Estate Sales Prices :   For this summary,  I will focus only on the Median Sales Price as the average can be skewed by Realtors selling more of less million dollar homes and is a better reflection of the market.   Interesting that the median price went up this month.  Speculating again – when buyers realize that the prices may be heading back up some buyers who have held off may jump in and buy now.

Sales Prices October Median Price November Median Price Change
Single Family Homes $387,900 $399,900  Increase of $12,000
Condo’s $255,000 $253,300 Decrease of  $1700

 

Summary:  November’s numbers look very close to October’s and although we are down from last year there continue to be indications that things may start to pick up again.  The median price of a single family home increased by $12,000 this month.

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

Thinking about a move in 2011 – now is the time to start preparing so that you get top dollar for your home!  We would be happy to arrange a pre home sale consultation.

Interested in more info about specific  communities in Calgary visit our friends at calgaryarea.com

Gord Piper and Brent Wilcox

Century 21, The Professionals Ltd.

www.gordpiper.com

403-861-2256

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Real Estate Board's Statistics | Comments Closed

CMHC’s Calgary Housing Market Outlook

November 16th, 2010

We are pleased to announce that the Fall 2010 edition of CMHC’s Calgary Housing Market Outlook is now available. 

CMHC stands for Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation and every quarter they publish a new report.  CMHC is a government organization and therefore the content should not contain any bias.  This report gives you information on the following areas:

  • New Home Market
  • Resale Market – MLS Listings Information
  • Rental Market
  • Economic Overview
  • Mortgage Rate Overview
  • Forecast Summary

To view the full report click CMHC Housing Market Outlook.

While we report the monthly stats from the Calgary Real Estate Board every month on our website we think this is just another source of good information. Have a read and let us know what you think.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Closed

Demand for Northwest Condo Project is hot!

November 9th, 2010

University City held it’s open house on October 27, 2010 and when I looked at their website they are indicating that both Phase 1 and Phase 2 are now sold – 216 units in each of the two 18 Story buildings for a total of 432  units sold in a matter of days.  What is the project all about you ask?

University City is a condominium project by Knightsbridge in the Brentwood Village Shopping Centre in Northwest Calgary.  It is located close to the university and minutes to the C Train station.

Phase 1 and Phase 2 are designed to give housing affordability and they are marketing towards the young professional.  The largest unit is less than 800 square feet and they are designed to be an effective use of space.   

Phase 3 of the project is designed to be senior’s housing

Phase 4 of the project has not been decided on upon at this stage.

Phase 5 is designed to be Empty –Nester Housing geared towards current residents of the Brentwood Community who may be tired of the work required to keep up a single family home but want to stay in the area.

When at the open house I spoke to a few local residents who are concerned about the traffic problems a project like this might cause.  It is my understanding that the development permit will not be applied for until after Phase 1 is 50% sold so hopefully Brentwood residents will have their opportunity to express their concerns.  If you have any questions or comments about this project, about Northwest Condos or about the Calgary Real Estate market in general feel free to contact me at Gord Piper.
Gord Piper
Century 21, The Professionals                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Closed

Calgary Real Estate Stat’s October 2010

October 31st, 2010

Welcome to our new Blog! 

Within our blog it is our intention to share news and information related to Real Estate in Calgary.   Today we have for you a summary of some important stat’s taken from the Calgary Real Estate Boards October 2010 monthly Stats package.   These key areas give you a good snapshot of the Calgary real estate market.

Calgary Listing Inventory:  Inventory showed a decrease again this month.  We have seen steady inventory decreases since June when we peaked at 9080 listings within Calgary.

Inventory  Sept  October Change
Single Family Home 4880 4528 – 352
Condo’s 2204 2042 – 162
Total 7084 6570 – 514

 

Calgary Sales:  Sales are very similar to September Sales but are again down from last year’s sales.  

Sales September October Change
Single Family Home 958 999 + 41
Condo’s 366 310 – 56
Total 1324 1309 – 15

Calgary Real Estate Sales Prices :   For this summary,  I will focus only on the Median Sales Price as the average can be skewed by Realtors selling more of less million dollar homes and should be a better reflection of the market.  As you can see below single family homes dropped by $2100.00 and Condo’s dropped by $10,000 – It is important to note that in August Condo prices increased by $5,000 so this is partly just a bounce back.

Sales Prices Sept Median Price October Median Price Change
Single Family Homes $390,000 $387,900  $2,100.
Condo’s $265,000 $255,000  $10,000

Personally we have noticed that in the last couple of weeks the activity has increased and the sales in the last week of this month  showed that with sales of 354 listings compared to the previous week with sales of 275 listings. 

If you have any questions about this summary,  or have any suggestions to other information you would like to see here please Contact us. 

Gord Piper and Brent Wilcox are Realtors with Century 21, The Professionals which is conveniently located within the Northland Village Professional Centre in Northwest Calgary.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Real Estate Board's Statistics | Comments Closed

Yes, I Want To Know What My Calgary Property Is Worth!

October 26th, 2010

The Real Estate market is constantly changing, making it difficult to always assess the current value. As a trained Calgary Real Estate professional, I have the right knowledge and tools to determine your home”s value. What is your property worth in today”s market in your area? Let me help!

Century 21 CalgaryBy utilizing a “Right Price Analysis”, we will be able to access what your property is valued at today.

During the FREE Home Evaluation, your Calgary Real Estate professional can recommend on:

  • Tax issues
  • How bank appraisals work
  • Current Financing Options
  • About building inspections
  • How to sell your home Taking a traffic driving test course can also earn you a discount on your car insurance premiums. for maximum dollar
  • Financing questions – Should you refinance or get a new mortgage
  • Tips and tricks that will help you save thousands buying a home
  • Low cost repairs that could instantly increase the value of your home
  • Additional fees to keep in mind when selling

To receive more information about my listing services, call Gord or email today.

Posted in Property Values | Comments Closed

Are you planning to move to Calgary

October 26th, 2010

Relocating to a new area is an exciting and significant move. Different from your typical real estate transaction, there are many additional factors to consider. As an experienced Calgary real estate professional, I have addressed these factors for many families moving to the Calgary area and I am ready to make your move a comfortable one too.

Calgary RealtorI would be honoured to provide my expertise and knowledge to you when it comes to the Calgary real estate market and relocation process in general. My goal is to help you be as prepared as possible prior to moving here.

To start the home buying process, please fill out the form on my website. Once received, I will be in contact with you shortly. In the meantime, you may want to consider signing up for a personal account via my website at gordpiper.com. By signing up, you can access up-to-date information on all active listings in the Calgary area.

You will soon be on your way to finding your dream home in the Calgary area!

Contact Gord Piper today.

Tags: , ,
Posted in calgary realtor | Comments Closed

Newer Entries »