Calgary has experienced a great year for global achievements; being considered one of the worlds best places to live, one of the best cities to raise a family in and Canada’s top producing real estate market both residential and commercial. Adding to the list of recent accolades, Calgary has just been voted the world’s cleanest city!

Some of the factors that led to Calgary being named the world’s cleanest city are water drinkability, waste removal, air pollution, traffic control and sewage system quality. Being “Green” might not be one of the first words you think of when you are talking about a city that is one of the hubs for Canada’s oil and gas industry. However, the city has made great improvements over the last few years in terms of sanitation, eco-initiatives, and overall environmental friendly solutions.

 Ranking behind Calgary on the list for the worlds cleanest cities are:

1. Calgary, Alberta
2. Adelaide, Australia
3. Honolulu, Hawaii
4. Minneapolis, USA
5. Kobe, Japan
6. Copenhagen, Denmark
7. Wellington, New Zealand
8. Helsinki, Finland
9. Oslo, Norway
10. Freiburg, Germany

Here are two of the bigger environmental initiatives that have occurred in Calgary:

Too Good Too Waste Plan

This initiative is focused on reducing waste and properly managing waste in Alberta. For more information visit Too Good Too Waste Plan

Green Calgary

The Green Calgary initiative is a non-profit urban environmental organization that’s mandate is to educate and encourage Calgarians to use environmental products and services to create healthier homes and communities. For more information visit Green Calgary

Contact us for more details.

HOME SWEET HOME! This beautifully renovated open plan 2 bedroom, 2 bath condo is located in the beautiful established community of Braeside! Features of this home include a stainless steel fridge, dishwasher, hood fan and stove with glass top, a large white kitchen, wood flooring, newer hot water tank, newer furnace, in-suite washer and dryer, 2 large storage spaces and an en suite bath. The sunny south facing condo has a small front yard/patio that is waiting for your loving touch.  There is lots of green space in the complex. You will be walking distance to shopping, restaurants, transit, schools, parks and the playground.  There are both assigned and visitor parking. Condo fees are only $164/month and include water and sewer.  This is a well managed complex. Come take a look.  This is a great starter property as well as a great rental. Pets are allowed.

Here are 2 main reasons why you should consider having a garage if you currently do not have one.

Potential Return on Investment

If you are just concerned about parking your car, having a parking spot will be sufficient for having somewhere to leave your car. But if at some point in your future you are considering selling your home and hoping for a return on your home, a garage is a near must. Living in a suburban location it is almost a given that you should have a garage. There are many prospective buyers that won’t even consider your home if it does not have an attached or detached garage. The days of a garage being considered an additional feature are long gone. For many buyers it is a required feature. The silver living for anyone who doesn’t have a garage is that in terms of return on investment it is a fairly inexpensive renovation. The standard cost to build a basic garage in Calgary can cost you somewhere in the range of $10,000 – $15,000 depending on if you do some of the work yourself or contract the entire project out. Adding a garage to your home can typically increase your property value by double of that, depending on the type and condition of the garage.

Location

Whether you live in a urban location or not, having a garage will always be an addition that can earn you money. In locations like inner-city Calgary where parking is a premium, having a garage can make you even bigger profits. It gives the prospective buyers a covered parking spot, an opportunity for extra storage space, and for those interested even a workshop. Even if you are looking to rent your property, this will increase the demand of your home and increase the amount you can expect to charge.

To summarize, having  a garage will always increase the value of your home. Even if you aren’t currently looking to sell, it’s a great investment for the future.

For more housing tips, Calgary market stats and much more, please follow our Home Sweet Home Team Blog.

If you are interested in knowing the market value of your home, please Contact Us today for a Free Market Evaluation of your Calgary Home. We are a top producing team of Calgary Real Estate Agents that can help you with any of your Calgary Real Estate buying or selling needs.

Our sellers are very motivated to sell so please Contact Us today if you would like to schedule a private viewing for any of these 3 homes. These homes are located in the Calgary communities of the Hamptons, Scenic Acres and Applewood.

If you would like more details on any of these properties please visit our Feature Listings page.

HOME SWEET HOME! It’s time to move inner city!  This fully finished 4 bedroom, 4 bath home is walking distance to down town and trendy 17th and 33rd Avenues! Upgrades include maple hardwood and tile flooring on both upper levels, high end stainless steel appliances, granite counters, gas fireplace with slate finishings, french doors and 9′knock down ceilings on all levels.  The main level has a open plan kitchen, dining room and living room as well as a front office and 2 piece bath.  Upstairs there are 3 large bedrooms with walk in closets, 2 full baths and a laundry room. The basement has a 4th bedroom/weight room (no carpet), a very large family room and lots of storage.  The private yard is fully fenced with a cozy deck, landscaping and a HOT TUB.  There is also a double detached garage. Please call today for a private viewing. Seller is offering the buyer a $500 gift certificate to Chinook Center as a house warming gift.

It’s a sellers’ market for resale condos in the city — the first time since the crazy days of 2007, says the Calgary Real Estate Board.

Resale condo apartments and townhomes are following the trend set by detached single-family resale homes, says the board.

Higher sales demand, coupled with lower listings, pushed the total resale market into sellers’ territory.

“Calgary’s housing market continues to defy national softening trends as gains in the employment sector, migrant growth, rising wages and low interest rates are translating into growing demand for housing,” says chief economist Ann-Marie Lurie of CREB.

While conditions favour sellers for the first time since 2007, the economy is much different today, says Lurie.

“The economy is nowhere near as strong as it was in 2007,” she says. “There is still a lot of risk in our economy. During that time (in 2007), both natural gas and oil was going very strong, which is not the case today.

“Back then, we had far greater employment growth and net migration numbers were much stronger.”

Net migration refers to the inflow of people to Calgary minus the outflow.

Another difference affecting the city’s resale market is the availability of dwellings in the new home market, as well as in the communities surrounding Calgary.

“At the time, it was even difficult to get anything in the surrounding areas,” says Lurie about the market in 2007.

“Their inventories were also quite low, as well as options in the new home market. They were going crazy as well, building as fast as they could.

“Now, there are still options. The City of Calgary market is tight, but you can still go into the surrounding towns and buy property. There are options in the competing markets.”

Because there are currently more options in the market compared to 2007, Lurie predicts prices will continue to rise, but not at the rate that they did then.

Average prices for condo apartments rose to $291,345 in April, up 8.74 per cent from $267,931 during the same month in 2012.

While the benchmark price of condo apartments has risen, it is still about 12 per cent off the peak benchmark price of $297,000 in August 2007.

New listings for new condos went up slightly to 3.19 per cent in April to 614, rising from 595 in April 2012.

But the number of new listings from Jan. 1 to the end of April dropped 7.68 per cent, to 2,079 from 2,252 listings.

Sales are moving more quickly than last year for condo apartments. In April, apartments sold in an average of 41 days, 18.62 per cent faster than the average of 50 days for the same month last year.

Sales from January to the end of April were similarly faster, with apartments selling in an average of 44 days, which was 13.73 per cent faster than 51 days during April 2012.

Townhomes experienced a 27.24 per cent rise in sales in April compared to last year, to 341 sales from 268. The transactions were 26.64 per cent faster in April than the year before, with homes selling in an average of 36 days compared to 49.

The average price of resale townhomes in April rose 5.15 per cent to $337,119 from $320,607 in April 2012. The benchmark price also rose by 4.52 per cent during this time to $288,900, up from $276,400.

The average price for townhouses from Jan. 1 to the end of April rose 8.75 per cent to $339,814, up from $312,478 during the same period in 2012.

April’s benchmark price of $288,900 for townhomes was about 12 per cent off the peak benchmark price of $338,000 in 2007.

The price is that of a typical home based on a formula that uses various factors to ensure accurate comparisons.

The benchmark price for detached single-family homes set a new high of $452,900 last month, up from the previous high of $451,300 in July 2007.

The benchmark price for apartment condos rose 7.35 per cent to $261,300 in April, up from $243,400 during the same time period.

Benchmark prices for detached single-family homes have also surpassed the past high-water mark from 2007.

They reached $452,900 in April, up from $451,300 in July 2007.

DID YOU KNOW

Most resale condo townhomes sold in Calgary from Jan. 1 to the end of April were priced from $200,000 to $299,999. About 42 per cent of sales were in this range, down slightly from 44 per pent during the same time period the year before. The next sales category, from $300,000 to $399,999, accounted for about 27.5 per cent of sales from the first four months of this year. For resale condo apartment sales during this time, about 19 per cent were less than $200,000, with 46 per cent ranging from $200,000 to $299,999 and about 22 per cent from $300,000 to $399,999.

The Curb Appeal Contest offers Century 21 website users a chance to enter to win in a professional consult and landscaping blueprint from celebrity outdoor designer Carson Arthur! Carson Arthur will view your outdoor space, understand your needs, and create a personalized design so you can give your yard the wow” factor it deserves. This great prize is valued at an approximate retail value of $3000.

Many homeowners don’t realize how much the curb appeal effects the value of a home, as well as the perception of the home by prospective buyers. Increasing the curb appeal of your home can go a long way in maximizing the value of your home and minimizing the days it’s on market.

To enter the contest please Click Here

If you would like more advice on curb appeal or other homeowner tips please Contact Us today!

CENTURY 21 Canada Open House Weekend Blitz Contest Launches: WIN a Landscape Design Package!

Once again the luxury home market in Calgary is breaking records for the number of luxury homes sold in the Calgary resale MLS market.

According to a report by Mario Toneguzzi, a real estate journalist and specialist at Calgary Herald, there were 65 properties in the price range of over $1 million sold during the month of April, 2013. This is a 38 % spike over the exact same time period last year. The previous record for sales in the month of April was seen in 2012 with sales of 47 luxury homes.

This year’s luxury home sales is well on its way to passing the record set last year for 544 luxury home sales in 2012. The most notable luxury home sale was seen just last week with Calgary Flame’s past captain and local hero Jarome Iginla’s home selling for $3.995, full list price in just a day.

The April record is the 3rd highest number of luxury sales ever experienced in any month for Calgary, putting it behind 80 for May 2012 and 74 which happened this year in March.

If you are interested to see what the market value of your luxury home might be in this hot market please Contact Us today. We would be more than glad to provide you with a free market evaluation of your home.

If you are looking to upgrade and are looking for a Calgary luxury home, take a look at Calgary’s Properties For Sale