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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By Rebecca Wissink

When society and culture shift, often slowly but sometimes rapidly when reacting to a global pandemic, these changes impact every area of life, including housing. Almost two years into the COVID-19 pandemic the real estate and housing market has undergone radical changes. Prices soared in some markets, people moved to places that traditionally see little growth in population, and a new trend emerged - Baby Boomers choosing to age-in-place. Rather than downsizing into a condo or moving into a group living situation, Baby Boomers are refusing to give up their larger homes. However, this is actually a continuation and variation of a pre-pandemic trend that was already being documented back in 2018. Pre-pandemic, millennials who could…

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By Rebecca Wissink

If you consume any amount of media you likely saw a lot of headlines about rising interest rates and the spring housing market recently. That’s because on January 26, 2022 the Bank of Canada (BoC) was announcing an interest rate decision. Most of these headlines were doom and gloom scenarios that have now disappeared given the BoC held its lending rate at 0.25%. The next scheduled date for the bank to announce a change is March 2, 2022. You can except headlines to ramp up again in the week or so prior to this announcement.

Why would the BoC change its overnight or “policy interest rate?” To meet the institution’s policy requirements to maintain inflation around 2%. In a nutshell, in response to the economic shocks of the COVID-19…

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By Rebecca Wissink

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 overtake British Columbia for top spot. And 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, which was 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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URBAN ATHLETE – Where Members are Friends, not Numbers

By Carla Grundison

Urban Athlete is a locally-owned, one-of-a-kind fitness studio in Kensington. The goal is to help people ‘reach their fitness goals in a welcoming, community focused and supportive environment’ says Kohl Kehler, of the gym he co-owns with Karly Renman. Having previously owned contracting and painting businesses together, the two have found that Urban Athlete aligns well with their lifelong passion for fitness. Although smaller in square footage than some gyms, don’t be deceived by its size. It packs in enough high-end equipment, stellar fitness classes, as well as talented trainers and instructors – yet somehow maintains an atmosphere that never feels overcrowded. Kohl…

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AI - A Blessing or a Curse?

By Simon Rose

Artificial intelligence or AI is often discussed these days in the media, and even during the pandemic humans continue to make technological advances. Science fiction, whether on screen or in print, often features powerful computers. Some of the stories from decades ago were set in eras that at the time were far into the future, but these are now much closer to when we’re currently living.

Technological advances aren’t always for the best, or at least can sometimes be a double-edged sword. This can happen even if the original inventors weren’t thinking ahead, wondering if their invention might one day be used for something that wasn’t good. Think of the pioneers of aviation, who most likely weren’t…

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