By Rebecca Wissink

From coast to coast, real estate records were smashed across the nation in 2021. Some markets saw insane price increases of 25-30%. For example, the Greater Montreal area gained 27.45%, Ottawa gained 23.3%, and Vancouver gained 18.62% (year-over-year benchmark prices from 2020 to 2021). Calgary and the surrounding communities of Airdrie and Cochrane did not see these astronomical surges. So, how did Calgary's real estate market fare in 2021? Calgary was late to the party, but in late 2021 when most markets settled down a bit, Calgary was just catching fire.  

Calgary’s market broke records of its own last year, and the area rings in 2022 with some of the tightest conditions observed in over a decade. The number of homes sold,…

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By Rebecca Wissink

The word suburb, suburban, and suburbia are all short for a “sub urban” area, meaning they are contrasted to the inner-city. Suburbia is the result of an economic explosion that occurred in North American post-WWII, along with the resulting social changes that followed. In America, returning veterans were able to get housing loans with low interest rates and small down payments for standardized homes being built en-masse outside of the city. Suburbia was partly enabled by Henry Ford’s cheap automobile, automation and cheaper goods, and by public transit, railways, and highways that allowed people to commute into the city from these new housing developments. These new areas of housing were necessary due to the baby boom that occurred…

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Calgary’s Resale Housing Market: The Overview

By Mario Toneguzzi

It won’t be another record year in 2022 for Calgary’s resale housing market but MLS activity is expected to remain stronger than levels experienced in recent years.\

Ann-Marie Lurie, the Calgary Real Estate Board’s Chief Economist, is forecasting overall prices in the residential market to increase by 4.46 per cent in 2022 compared to last year’s hike of 8.25 per cent with overall sales dipping to 25,598 from the record high of 27,686 in 2021.

In her annual forecast report, Lurie says the residential real estate market in the Calgary region is being supported by strong economic fundamentals.

Citing the Conference Board of Canada, Lurie says Alberta can expect annual GDP…

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By Rebecca Wissink

There is an age-old saying that applies to investments: buy low, sell high. And there is no doubt that housing has become an investment in the minds of many. Calgary, the third largest city in Canada behind Toronto and Montreal, is the cheapest of the large metropolitan areas for housing, as seen in Table 1 below. Does this alone make it primed for investors to start snapping up real estate? Not necessarily. This article explores some of the factors that might be influencing folks to invest in Calgary real estate. But first, let me address your shock that Vancouver is not bigger than Calgary, as I assure you this is not a typo. The city of Vancouver is actually quite small at 631,486 people. It is the Metro Vancouver area that is…

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By Rebecca Wissink

Luxury or luxurious – to be of great comfort, richness, or extravagance - might be the most overused words in advertising, describing everything from bedding to garages and skincare. It’s no secret why the words are pervasive in advertising – they evoke feelings we desire. But if you google luxury what you see are lavish homes and properties. As the largest asset one will ever own, and the place where we spend most of our time outside of work, our homes reflect our style and desire for luxury. Yet, if beauty is in the eye of the beholder, we must understand that luxury is similarly unique to the person and their needs and desires. For those that seek luxury, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Luxury might be a glass penthouse in…

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How Old is Old?

By Simon Rose

Just exactly how old is old these days? Improvements in medical care and deeper knowledge of fitness and nutrition have increased life expectancy. Today many people are living into their eighties and beyond, whereas thirty or forty years ago this was much less common. As the population has aged, this has led to a rethink in how companies engage in marketing and promotion to older potential customers.

The fast pace of technological developments over recent decades has been a big factor in this. It almost seems that in the past, companies simply assumed that old people wouldn’t be able to use computer technology or the Internet. Perhaps they would not even be interested in it at all. In addition, since this is an…

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NFT – Bubble or Opportunity?

By James Clarke-Lister

NFT’s, or ‘non-fungible tokens,’ are revolutionizing the concept of ownership and transferability of nearly every conceivable item, whether it digital or physical.

Most of you have likely heard the term ‘NFT’ going around – many of you wondering, what exactly is it? Is it a type of JPEG or digital art? One way to think about an NFT is as a unique identification code, similar to that of a serial number. Unlike serial numbers stored in a database under a corporate entity, an NFT and all its data are stored on what’s called the blockchain. Understanding the blockchain can be complicated; however, at a surface level, we can think of blockchain technology as quite literally, a chain of Internet…

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A 2022 REIN FORECAST

By Danielle Rourke

It’s described as ‘the great Canadian (Real Estate) migration,’ a prediction that came to life in April of 2020, the beginning of our continually evolving and ever changing pandemic. Why and how does migration continue to rapidly sweep across Canada and impact real estate? My recent interview with REIN CEO Patrick Francey reveals this and more, including forecasts predicted for 2022 within the real estate landscapes of Canada.

Firstly, despite the crisis of the pandemic, Patrick believes opportunity still thrives. The continual seeming melt down of the world over these past 2 years, has in turn created a major shift in people’s overall view of the world.

People generally have a greater…

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Real Estate Forecasts and Loving Your Job

By Danielle Rourke

Ann-Marie Lurie loves her job. I mean she really truly loves her job. It’s one of those phrases so many of us strive to truly feel. With 11 years of working as chief economist for CREB under her belt, Ann-Marie is no stranger to forecasting real estate. And she adores every minute of it. Many of you may know her as a popular CREB forecast speaker, this year recent presentation being no different. I had the pleasure of speaking with Ann-Marie, a born and raised Calgarian, uncovering a little more about her, and about what she sees in our future for 2022.

While studying at U of C, Ann-Marie originally planned on becoming an accountant. With the encouragement of several professors, she…

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