Found 59 blog entries tagged as Calgary.

VR in Real Estate

By Simon Rose

Virtual reality or VR is a kind of technology that’s been around for a while now. With VR, a person can view a three-dimensional image or perhaps an entire environment and even interact with it. VR is able to create and resemble how things will or do look in the real world. Alternately, VR can create a completely different fantasy landscape or an alien planet for one to explore. It’s been predicted for quite a while now that virtual reality would be the next major technological development. Historically, its been widely utilized in things like video games and the entertainment industry. Today, VR is being used notably in the real estate business. The ongoing pandemic and restrictions on people meeting in close…

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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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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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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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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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Use It or Lose It – How are you shopping this season?

By Simon Rose

Ever since large chain stores began to appear decades ago, there’s always been talk of how these locations harm and eventually destroy small local businesses. We first saw this with the launch of department stores. Then came the advent of large grocery stores or supermarkets. People used to have to visit the butcher, the bakery, the greengrocer, and other individual stores that sold specific goods, but then things changed. Suddenly, people could buy most items all in one place, and all at the same time.

At first, the big grocery stores only sold food and a selection of things for the home, such as cleaning supplies or personal care products, but in recent decades they’ve…

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Interior Design in the 21st Century – 2021 Challenges and What You Need to Know

By Monique Shaw


2021 has had its challenges for many obvious reasons due to the global pandemic,
but for those of us in the interior design world, those challenges have hit our
industry hard in several different ways. The pandemic has created a flurry of home
selling, home buying, home building, but for those of us not moving who are
redecorating, there have been significant obstacles along our way.
2021 saw the rise of three key factors that are affecting homeowners, builders,
designers and furniture retailers alike.

These are my recommendations on how to improve these situations:


1. There has been a significant spike in the price of lumber, affecting…

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