By Rebecca Wissink

One job of a Realtor® is to provide real-time and local advice to their clients, but this advice must be based on the market conditions at that moment, for that type of home, in that neighbourhood, of that city. While this may seem like common-sense, this can come as a shock to someone who has faithfully followed the media stories about the national housing market and expects the same results in their local market. There is no national real estate market, which should have been made very clear by the different trajectories the Calgary real estate market took over the last two years when compared to the housing markets of Atlantic Canada, cottage country in Ontario, or the Fraser Valley of BC. Each market is unique, with its own…

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People are Moving to Alberta

Recent data from the moving company U-Haul suggests more people moved into Alberta in 2021 than any other province. In fact, Alberta jumped from being the third most moved-to province in 2020 to overtaking British Columbia for top spot. The number one city in the province for U-Haul arrivals last year was Calgary! Calgary’s bedroom community of Airdrie was also a destination of choice, ranking 24th nationally, a drop from its 19th place the year prior. In 2021, the communities of Red Deer and Medicine Hat also received a significant influx of U-Haul trucks, ranking 8th and 15th respectively, which again is remarkable as neither city placed in the top 25 the year prior. These smaller locations that are experiencing an…

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By Rebecca Wissink

In markets with scarce inventory and a glut of buyers it is almost inevitable that at least some properties are going to attract multiple offers. The more appealing that home is to you, the more likely the chance it appeals to someone else as well. If you are a buyer in this situation, say in Calgary right now, you might feel overwhelmed by the speed at which decisions must be made, unsure of how to proceed to buy a home, and maybe even feel a bit defeated if you have already lost out on other homes. This article is meant to help you put your best offer forward by suggesting some tips for increasing your chances of successfully buying a home. 

The Seller:  

First, let’s quickly take stock of your “opponent” in this…

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By Rebecca Wissink

When shopping for a home you have a list of needs: a certain number of bedrooms and bathrooms, perhaps proximity to infrastructure like transit, hospitals, or good schools, and maybe you’ve considered the safety of the neighbourhood. If you’re a newcomer to this province or town, you might be especially concerned about the neighborhood you are house hunting in given you don’t know the city as well as a local. Which begs the question, why don’t real estate listings have crime scores or ratings? MLS listings can have walk-scores, which I’ve written about for Ross Pavl. And every MLS listing has a tab called “Statistics” that will show you demographic information about the neighbourhood, like the average age of the residents, average…

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