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 Calgary Sun
GREEN CARTS ROLLING OUT TO SINGLE-FAMILY HOMES
The green carts are being rolled out across the city of Calgary this spring and summer, another effort to keep garbage out of the city's landfills.
"The start of cart delivery is another major milestone for the green cart program," says green cart implementation leader Philippa Wagner.
"More than half of what's in the garbage now can be composted instead, and we know that residents are eager to start using their green carts and seeing what a difference it can make."
The first carts have arrived at single-family homes in some southwest neighbourhoods and, over the next four months, carts will be delivered in the northwest, northeast and the southeast.
Approximately 20,000 carts will be delivered each week to all single-family homes. It will take approximately 17 weeks to deliver more than 320,000 carts across the city. Crews will be delivering carts seven days a week and residents will receive their cart at the front of their home one to seven weeks before the start of collection in their quadrant.
You do not need to be home to receive the cart, however, if you will be away on vacation, you are encouraged to speak with a neighbour to arrange bringing the carts up onto your property.
Refer to the delivery schedule at calgary.ca/greencart for an estimate of when carts will arrive in your neighbourhood.
The green carts, which are the same size as the blue and black carts, will be used for all food and yard waste.
The program goes beyond backyard composting since the green cart accepts many more things including meat, bones, plate scrapings, tree branches and pet waste, says Wagner.
Any extra yard waste that doesn't fit inside the green cart can be put in paper yard waste bags and they will be collected along with the green carts on collection day.
Everything you need to start participating in the program can be found inside the cart when it arrives:
- A kitchen pail for collecting food scraps.
- Samples of compostable bags for lining the kitchen pail.
- Samples of paper yard waste bags for extra yard waste that doesn't fit inside the cart.
- Detailed instructions on how to participate in the program along with a collection schedule that outlines new collection days for green, blue and black carts.
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The Calgary Herald
 ALBERTA 150: The judge, the dinosaur expert and the painter
In honour of Canada's sesquicentennial, the Calgary Herald, Calgary Sun, Edmonton Journal and Edmonton Sun are profiling 150 Albertans who helped shape our province and Canada.
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Travel Alberta
 There are some great places to go in Alberta.
Check out the Travel Alberta website for some great ideas of places to go and things to do.
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 CREB NOW
CALGARY'S PUBLIC LAKE
Sikome Aquatic Facility buoyed by upgrades
While Alberta is landlocked, and most of Calgary's manmade lakes are private, Calgarians still like to spend a warm, summer day at the beach every now and then. Thankfully, there's still one public body of water within the city where people can go for a swim or throw down a towel to catch some rays.
Nestled in Fish Creek Provincial Park, the Sikome Aquatic Facility has been one of Calgary's most popular summer attractions since it opened in 1978.
The facility consists of an open-air swimming lake surrounded by a beach, lawn, children's playground and change rooms. It currently draws an estimated 200,000 visitors over its three-month season and up to 15,000 per day on weekends. While those are impressive numbers, Sikome's location in southeast Calgary is in one of the fastest growing sections of the city amd means traffic should continue to rise.
In part to accommodate the growing crowds, the facility recently underwent some upgrades.
"The enhancements include new sand, upgraded change rooms and a beach vendor hut where visitors can purchase needed items such as sunscreen, bug spray and wet wipes," said Kimberly Van Nieuvenhuyse, public affairs officer with Alberta Environment and Parks.
"In addition, extra aquatic safety staff and gate staff were hired to improve visitor safety. The additional staff also allows us to offer swimming lessons this year, which is a unique opportunity for Calgarians to take lessons in a lake environment."
In 2016, a nominal user fee was implemented at Sikome. Fees are reinvested back into the Sikome Aquatic Facility to ensure its continued operation and upkeep.
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Below are some great links to some useful mortgage calculators.
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July 29-30,2017 | Eau Claire
The latest census shows that 1 in 10 Calgary residents owns at least 1 dog, and they will all be at Sleep Rovers Pet-A-Palooza this summer! With events including Running Of The Bulls (French and English bulldog races) Wiener dog races, a puppy stampede and dock diving in the middle of the city this is one event you don't want to miss. Did we mention its FREE and pet friendly!?
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HOUZZ
By: Yanic Simard
8 Home Decor Tricks to Brighten a Dark Room
If you're looking to brighten up a room that feels more like a cave (or even just a little on the dim side), try this mix of beginner tips and advanced ideas for bringing in more light and maximizing what you already have.
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Huffington Post
Jackie Kennedy's Childhood Home Is Sheer Perfection, Of Course
The stunning property could set a real estate record when it sells.
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Will an open house sell my home?
We are asked this question a lot and the answer is - it might, if we catch the right person at the right time!
Open houses are one of the many things we do to promote listings, in addition to great photography, compelling descriptions, videos, interactive floor plans, social media, print advertising, marketing through our website and more. We work with our clients to determine which tools in our marketing toolbox are best suited to their circumstances and their home. Often this includes open houses.
How do we set the stage for best results?
When we host open houses we plan for them to stand out and attract as much attention as possible.
Well before an open house, we create awareness and interest in a variety of ways:
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Advertising on MLS, Realtor.ca, Homes & Land and our website
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Advertising on Social Media - Twitter, Facebook, Instagram
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Crafting and sharing promotional videos online
Our clients get involved by preparing their home to appeal to the widest range of buyers. We want to make sure their home looks as close as possible to show home condition - clutter free and sparkling clean. Once we have buyers in the home, we have the opportunity to wow them, and everything sellers do to prepare has impact.
Calgary is an active city, with many people out and about in all seasons. We want to attract these potential buyers and show them all that the home has to offer. We do this by setting up lots of signage, including a huge open house flag in front of the home. Once inside, our realtors are great hosts, connecting with the potential buyers to determine what they are looking for, while pointing out the unique features of the home. Each guest receives
a professionally designed features booklet, filled with beautiful colour photos and information specific to the home.
Some clients don't want to do an open house and that is okay too. In this case, we offer a Virtual Open House or a Virtual 3D Tour. All tours are showcased on our website and I encourage you to watch some by clicking the links below.
Our Virtual Open House Tours are posted on MLS, our website, Realtor.ca and YouTube. Take a look at our Virtual Open Houses here:
Our Virtual 3D Tours let the viewer navigate through the home to the areas of greatest interest. Check out this exciting new technology here:
Our marketing toolbox has something to appeal to everyone - the key is getting maximum exposure and generating the interest of qualified buyers.
The Calgary market is strengthening, making it more balanced and a very good time to buy or sell. We look forward to showing you what we can do to sell your home. Call us anytime!
Best regards,
Kelly and Team
Kelly McKelvie
403-247-9988
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JUNE SPELLS A GRADUAL RECOVERY
Stable prices in detached sector signal balanced conditions despite increased inventory Jun.
2017 City of Calgary, July 4, 2017 - Calgary's housing market in June saw a modest improvement in sales along with an increase in new listings.
However, demand gains have not kept pace with the amount of new listings coming onto the market. This caused inventory levels to increase to 6,659 units, which is 11 per cent higher than last year's levels.
Despite the recent shift in inventory this month, second quarter activity continues to demonstrate improved supply-demand balance and price stability. City wide benchmark prices totaled $441,500 in June. This is a 0.5 per cent gain over last month and nearly one per cent higher than last year.
"The supply gain this month will be monitored. However, on a quarterly basis, inventory levels remain comparable to last year, sales have improved and there have been modest price gains. All of this remains consistent with expectations of a gradual recovery," said CREB® chief economist Ann-Marie Lurie.
Year-to-date residential sales in Calgary totaled 10,322 units, which is 12 per cent above last year's levels. New listings increased by three per cent over the same time period.
Overall, both the sales-to-new listings ratio and months of supply have trended down this year.
This signals more stable pricing in the housing market this year. "While there were many buyers waiting for lower prices to step into the housing market, there were also many sellers waiting until prices stabilized before listing their home," said CREB® president David P. Brown.
"Some of this recent growth in listings will help provide more choice, particularly in the detached market where market conditions had significantly tightened over the past few months.
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Detached inventories and sales totaled 3,224 and 1,385 units, for a month of supply of 2.3 in June. Despite the recent rise in supply, over the first half of this year inventories have averaged 16 per cent below last year's levels while sales are 13 per cent higher, keeping this segment in more balanced conditions.
While activity is also improving in the attached segment of the market, resale activity in the ownership of apartment-style product continues to face challenges with weak sales relative to listings and rising months of supply.
As of June, the unadjusted benchmark price for an apartment style product totaled $265,800. This is nearly four per cent below last year's levels and 11 per cent below recent highs.
READ THE ARTICLE
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CREB
HOUSING MARKET FACTS
- Improving market conditions supported modest price growth in the detached sector. As of June, unadjusted benchmark prices totaled $509,400. This is 0.5 per cent above last month and 1.7 per cent above figures recorded last year, but 2.5 per cent below previous highs.
- Detached sales growth has been the strongest in the city centre, west, south and east areas of the city. However, sales activities in most city districts have remained below longer term averages.
- Detached prices have generally edged up this year in most districts. However, prices have moved up to pre-recession levels only in the west end district based on the benchmark price.
- Improvements were also noted in the attached segment of the market. Both semi and rowstyle product have seen sales activity trend up and inventory levels trend down.
- Price adjustments in the attached market continue to vary by product type. Year-to-date average benchmark prices for row-style properties remain nearly six per cent lower than last year's levels. Meanwhile semidetached product has shown notable gains of nearly five per cent over last year's levels.
- The apartment segment of the market continues to face challenges. Year-to-date sales activity has increased by nearly nine per cent. However, inventories continue to rise with an average of seven per cent over last year's levels. With months-of-supply of over 6.5 months, there may be further downward pressure on prices.
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The Edmonton Journal
RECREATION PROPERTY PRICES NEAR ALBERTA'S BIG CITIES ON THE UPSWING: HOUSING REPORT
Alberta's recreational property values - particularly those near Edmonton and Calgary - are on the rise, a new market report says.
Recreational properties near the two cities have begun to see their markets turn a corner, with slight year-over-year price increases so far in 2017, shows the 2017 Royal LePage Canadian Recreational Housing Report.
Average regional prices in Alberta include:
* Pigeon Lake: $450,000 for lakefront property; $315,000 for woodland cabin, not waterfront; $236,000 resort/condo
* Wabamun Lake and Lac St. Anne: $516,000 for lakefront property; $242,400 for woodland cabin, not waterfront
* Sylvan Lake: $1 million for lakefront property
* Pine Lake: $600,000 for lakefront property
* Canmore: $2.75 million for riverside property; $790,000 for resort/condo property
"Sales activity in Pigeon Lake is starting to pick up, driven by the improving Alberta economy and buyers purchasing properties for retirement in what is one of the province's more affordable recreational markets," Barbara Howey, with Royal LePage Parkland Agencies, said in a release.
Most buyers in Alberta are willing to drive up to two hours away from their primary residence to find their ideal recreational property, with four hours being the maximum, the report found.
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The Calgary Sun
By: Myke Thomas
ALBERTA ECONOMY TAKING UPWARD TURN OUT OF RECESSION
The market crash in 2008 and subsequent recovery in Alberta was V-shaped: A quick dive followed by a quick upturn compared to the rest of Canada.
The current economic woes are U-shaped: It's taken more than two years to hit what most people believe is the bottom and we've stayed down longer.
Through a series of reports, ATB Financial's Economics and Research Team shows it feels the end has been reached.
In a house prices report, the ATB team says, "Signs of an economic recovery are popping up in Alberta's economy, one such indicator is house prices in our province's main cities.
"In Calgary, the average price for a detached house grew (to $580,770 in May) up nearly four per cent from May of last year according to the Calgary Real Estate Board.
"In Edmonton, the latest stats from the Edmonton Real Estate Board show that compared to May of last year, detached home prices have increased by a quarter of a per cent (to an average of) $440,907."
The most important takeaway, according to the team, is it looks like Albertans are showing a growing confidence in the economy.
Another indicator of the recession slowing down is interprovincial migration, a good reflection of the economic dynamics of the country, says the ATB team.
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Evaluation Request Thinking of Buying Client Testimonials
Click on the images above to go to valuable links on our website.
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The Calgary Sun
By: Myke Thomas
CANADIANS MANAGING MORTGAGES
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) has released the results of its annual mortgage consumer survey, providing an in-depth look at how Canadians manage all aspects of their mortgages.
CMHC conducted the survey online of 3,002 mortgage consumers who identified themselves as prime household decision-makers who had undertaken a mortgage transaction in the past 12 months.
Of those, 65 percent had undergone a mortgage renewal, 15 per cent had refinanced their mortgage and 20 per cent had purchased a home with mortgage financing (11 per cent first-time buyers and 9 per cent repeat buyers).
The survey is the largest and most comprehensive survey of its kind in Canada - here are some of its highlights:
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The Home Buying Process
- Sixty-four per cent of first-time buyers indicated they were renting before purchasing, and 34 per cent lived with family.
- Wanting to buy their first home (37 per cent) and feeling financially ready (31 per cent) were the most important reasons first-time buyers gave for purchasing a home in the past year. Low interest rates were the most important reason noted by repeat buyers at 33 per cent.
- Fifty-three per cent of buyers were aware of the latest mortgage qualification changes and 19 per cent noted that it impacted their purchase decision. For example, 11 per cent of buyers said they increased their down payment, 6 per cent purchased a smaller home, 5 per cent purchased in a different location and 3 per cent delayed their purchase.
- Buyers interact with a wide variety of people and are most likely to consult a real estate agent (72 per cent), or look to a family member or mortgage lender for advice (both at 57 per cent). Forty-one per cent reported interacting with a mortgage broker. Of all interactions, real estate agents were noted as most valuable.
- About four-in-ten buyers received a recommendation to use a specific lender (38 per cent), and 35 per cent a recommendati to use a specific broker. These recommendations are most likely to come from a real estate agent or family member.
- Seventy-one per cent of first-time buyers accessed savings for their downpayment, while 18 per cent received a gift from a family member.
- Fifty-five per cent of buyers received advice on the amount of downpayment to put down. Among those, 24 per cent received advice to put down less, and 69 per cent received advice to put down more for a variety of reasons, such as minimizing overall interest paid and avoiding mortgage loan insurance.
- Overall, 40 per cent of buyers mentioned having concerns during the home-buying process (compared to 43 per cent in 2016). Among this group, the uncertainty came mostly from unforeseen costs, noted by 57 per cent of buyers, followed by the fear of paying too much for their home and living with post home-buying costs (both at 51 per cent).
- Thirty-two per cent of all buyers incurred unexpected expenses during the home-buying process, of which immediate repairs were the most common unexpected costs identified.
- Thirty per cent of buyers reported making repairs or improvements costing over $5,000 since purchasing their current home, and 58 per cent noted they are likely to make repairs or improvements over $5,000 in the next 5 years.
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The team at the McKelvie Group is comprised of a group of professionals who provide you with the support, follow-through and assistance you deserve when it comes to your important investment.
Each team member is exceptionally trained and an expert in his/her respective field. You can expect exceptional professionalism when working with the McKelvie Group.
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$63-Million Mansion For Sale In Vancouver Signals Confidence Is Returning
The home has some of the best views in the city.
After a shaky year, it looks like confidence is creeping back into Vancouver's housing market.
For signs of that confidence, look no further than Belmont Estate, a five-bedroom, 22,000 sq.-ft. property on the city's west side that's listed for a record $63 million.
It's owned by a prominent couple Joseph and Rosalie Segal, who made their money in department stores Fields and Zeller's and then real estate development. The three-storey, five-bedroom, 12-bathroom house sits on 1.28 acres and offers some of the best views in a city full of great views.
Among the features in this custom-built palace of decadence are:
- An elevator
- Dining room that seats 80
- A more "intimate" dining room that seats 20
- Floor-to-ceiling murals
- Eight-car garage
- Indoor pool and sauna.
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 11 STUNNING CITIES WHERE LIVING ABROAD IS CHEAP
Enter these 11 incredible destinations that make living your international dreams easier on the wallet. They're among the last-place finishers in the annual
"Cost of Living" rankings from global consulting firm Mercer. And in this case,
finishing last is a good thing, as it means a city is considered an affordable place to live and work.
Mercer surveyed more than 375 cities, 209 of which are included in the
final rankings, on their relative costs for more than 200 goods and services, including
housing, transportation, food and entertainment, spokeswoman Miriam Siscovick told HuffPost. New York City is used as a base, and the ranking compares all currencies against the U.S. dollar. The ranking is intended mostly for business managers assessing the cost of sending their employees on projects abroad, but turns out it also
makes a great personal guidebook if you're looking for an affordable new city to call home.
Whether for just a few months,
a year or
the rest of your life, these cities make excellently affordable places to call home. Check 'em out!
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Huffington Post
Your bedroom should be a safe haven where you can unwind and de-stress after a long day. But when your shelves are piled high with clutter, your bed is covered in dirty laundry and your furniture doesn't match, your bedroom can quickly become one of the least relaxing spaces in your home. So how can you reset this room?
Our friends at
Amara have created a foolproof guide to creating a stress-free environment in your bedroom. Whether it's changing the
wall color, adding some accessories or simply
making your bed in the morning, there's plenty you can do to turn your bedroom into a sanctuary.
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Sincerely,
