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Calgary Real Estate

News and general information about Calgary Real Estate and Calgary Real Estate market conditions.

There are currently 70 blog entries related to this category.

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Mortgage Terms Explained

Thursday, July 22nd, 2010 at 8:05pm. 125 Views, 0 Comments.

Closed, open, fixed, variable? Do these terms sound Greek to you? Don’t worry you are not alone.  There are a lot of options available to you when you are thinking about a mortgage and part of my job as a mortgage planner is educating clients on everything that their mortgage has to offer. Here is a list of basic mortgage terms to help you better understand your current mortgage or the mortgage you will be getting in the future.
 
1.    Term - The number of months or years you will pay a specified rate. Terms generally range from 6 months to 10 years.

2.    Amortization - The number of years it will take to pay back the loan based on a set of fixed payments. Each payment consists of both principal and interest.

3.    Open Mortgage – This type of mortgage can…

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Calgary Home Buyers - How to Protect Yourself Now From Increased Interest Rates In The Future

Tuesday, May 25th, 2010 at 3:15pm. 264 Views, 1 Comments.


No one has a crystal ball, but we do know that rates are on the rise. By how much and when is anyone’s guess, but these increases may have a significant impact on homeowners if they are not prepared. The affordable 5 year fixed mortgage that you have now, might turn into a slightly less affordable mortgage at renewal time.

Here are a few tips for people on how they might protect themselves now from increased rates in the future.


1.    Don’t Max your self out –
If you are buying a new home you might feel tempted to borrow as much as you can. When you have all your money in the game you have less options.  If interest rates rise that home could become very unaffordable when it comes time to renew.

2.    Use the extended amortization and pre-payment to your…

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Retractable Awnings Protect and Extend Summer Fun.

Sunday, May 2nd, 2010 at 6:15pm. 265 Views, 0 Comments.

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Everyone wants to enjoy the beautiful weather that summer brings. But the warm sun and damaging rays sometimes force us to retreat inside, where we crank the costly air conditioning to stay cool.

Creating an outdoor room is a great way to expand your home's living space without the cost of an addition. Retractable Awnings expand homes by turning decks and patios into added living space, combining the comfort of the indoors with the enjoyment of the outdoors.

In the hot summer days, an awning provides a simple solution that shields out these harmful rays while keeping you cool. It also helps homeowners conserve energy and therefore save money because awnings block the sun from entering the home through windows. Not only do your cooling costs go…

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Calgary Real Estate: Renting vs. Buying, Which option is better for you?

Sunday, May 2nd, 2010 at 6:14pm. 290 Views, 0 Comments.

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Buying a house can be the most rewarding purchase you ever make. However depending on your current circumstance this may not be your best option.  To help make an educated decision, try to answer the following questions first:

1. Do you really want to own your home?
Some would argue that this is the first question you should ask yourself. Home ownership, like everything else, is a matter of choice. Only you can decide whether or not home ownership is important to you. If it is then you may want to re-assess how you spend your money every month.

2.  How often do you expect to move in the future?
If you expect to be moving a lot (every couple of years or more) then you probably shouldn't buy your own home. Every time you buy or sell a home you incur…

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Today's most desirable home features

Sunday, May 2nd, 2010 at 6:11pm. 235 Views, 0 Comments.

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Housing trends and styles are changing constantly. Today, more than ever, buyers have a strong sense of what they want in a home.
 
Today’s desirable home features depend greatly of the type of buyer.  Buyers can be divided into two main groups. The first group are first-time buyers which is pretty self-explanatory. The second group are the move up buyers, which are looking to move into a home that addresses the shortcomings of their existing home. They aren't necessarily second-time buyers but they are often people that have out grown their current home. Buyer age is also a main factor in deciding the desired home features.

This article will focus on what is hot in the housing market today. Whether you are planning on renovating, selling, or you…

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Spring Home Maintenance Checklist

Sunday, May 2nd, 2010 at 6:10pm. 88 Views, 0 Comments.

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Keeping your home in top shape requires year-round care. While each season brings different tasks and challenges for homeowners, spring is an especially important time – it’s when to assess winter wear and prepare for summer.

Many big home repairs start out small but, left unattended, become more costly problems. By taking care of little issues now, you can save yourself a lot of money and stress in the long run. Keeping a list of what needs to be done, and when, can help you to avoid and prevent the most common household problems.

Many of the necessary tasks are probably easy enough for you to take care of yourself. However, if you don’t feel comfortable or don’t have the proper equipment, consider hiring a…

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Alberta Approves Construction of 5 New Calgary Schools

Friday, April 23rd, 2010 at 10:51am. 177 Views, 0 Comments.

The Alberta government announced on April 22, 2010 that they have awarded the construction jobs of the 5 schools that are to be built in Calgary.

The Calgary Board of Education gets the following schools built:

  • Coventry Hills Middle School (5-9) Capacity 900
  • Taradale Middle School (5-9) Capacity 900
  • Panorama Middle School (5-9) Capacity 900
  • Tuscany Middle School (5-9) Capacity 900

The Calgary Catholic Board gets one school in Copperfield which will have grades K to 9 also with a capacity of 900.

These schools are expected to open in 2012 and are built under a private-public partnership and these schools are badly needed in their communities.

 

Justin Havre

CIR Realty

 

 

 

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Bank of Canada upgrades forecasts; opens door to June rate hike by removing conditional commitment

Tuesday, April 20th, 2010 at 10:00am. 132 Views, 0 Comments.

 

Here is an update I just received from my RBC Mortgage professional and I thought I would share it with you guys.

"The Bank of Canada left the overnight rate at 0.25% this morning and opened the door to rate increase at the June meeting by removing its conditional commitment to keep the policy rate at its current level, "until the end of the second quarter of 2010." The Bank stated that with, "recent improvements in the economic outlook, the need for such extraordinary policy is now passing, and it is appropriate to begin to lessen the degree of monetary stimulus. The extent and timing will depend on the outlook for economic activity and inflation, and will be consistent with achieving the 2% inflation target." The change in the Bank's statement…

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Urban Condos in Downtown Calgary

Wednesday, April 14th, 2010 at 5:05pm. 319 Views, 0 Comments.

Living in downtown urban centers is commonplace in many North American cities. Cities like New York, San Francisco, Toronto, and Vancouver are frequently celebrated as having some of the most densely populated downtown urban centers in the world complete with the fast-paced urban lifestyles to match. As a matter of fact, did you know that parts of Vancouver’s downtown core remain the third most densely populated areas of North America behind New York and San Francisco? Until now Calgarians have not had a very extensive list of options when it comes to urban living. However with the construction of the new Waterfront Calgary condo development near the city’s China Town, this is about to change. The Waterfront Calgary is the newest and finest option for…

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Market Watch – April 2010 Residential Resale Market Maintains Momentum

Wednesday, April 14th, 2010 at 8:56am. 209 Views, 0 Comments.

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The spring market kicked off early and strong this year, possibly boosted by the unseasonably warm weather and absence of snow in March. Inventory is still lower than at this time in 2009, but has begun to increase slightly in recent months.

“The strong rebound in the existing home market was one of the initial drivers of economic recovery,” said Toronto Real Estate Board President Tom Lebour. “While we don’t expect to see the same rates growth moving forward, GTA households will remain confident in ownership housing as a quality long-term investment, especially as economic recovery expands across all industries.”

Most major banks raised their fixed mortgage rates in late March and the Bank of Canada has warned that interest rates will rise again after…

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