Come on in

Aug 25, 2017Aug 23, 2017 Mario Toneguzzi Leave a comment

Open houses are still an important tool in the REALTOR®’s arsenal

Open houses remain a valid and valuable way to sell properties, even in this day and age of virtual reality.
While the technological tools available today to give maximum exposure to a listing have made it easier for potential homebuyers to window shop from anywhere, the physical presence of an open house still can’t be replaced.

CREB® president David P. Brown says opinions about open houses are often divided. Some REALTORS® love them, while others can’t stand them.

“But how we do it has changed a fair bit I believe,” said Brown. “Social media has got to be the biggest thing. Before, if we were going to have an open house we might hand deliver a few flyers or something around the neighbourhood – put up some signs and that was it.

“Now, we post it all over.”

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Compare and contrast

Aug 4, 2017Aug 11, 2017 Tyler Difley Leave a comment

How Calgary’s housing market stacks up against other major centres

When it comes to the housing market and the availability of affordable options, people often lose sight of the big picture. Instead of obsessing over the minute details of the market in any one particular city, it can be helpful to take a step back and examine things in a broader context to provide points of comparison. This dose of perspective helps one to remember that while $400,000 might seem like a lot to ask for a detached home in one city, in another major metropolitan area, people might be hard pressed to find a home for less than twice that amount. (more…)

Beyond the MLS® System

Apr 28, 2017Apr 27, 2017 Gerald Vander Pyl Leave a comment

Selling a home can be a complicated process and if you’ve never worked with a real estate expert before, you may wonder about benefits of doing so. Andrew Peck, president of the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) shares his thoughts on five benefits a REALTOR® provides to home sellers. Their number one goal is to make real estate transactions as simple and easy as possible for their clients.

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55 Years of Calgary Real Estate: 1988 CREB® President Jerry Roberts

Nov 28, 2016Dec 21, 2016 Cailynn Klingbeil 2 Comments

1988 CREB® president Jerry Roberts recalls Winter Olympics arriving at the right time for Calgarians

Like many Calgarians, the first thing Jerry Roberts remembers about 1988 was the Winter Olympics.

The international sporting event transformed Calgary, as 1,423 athletes from 57 nations competed in 46 events over 16 days in February 1988.

But perhaps more importantly, it put Calgary, then a city of 675,000 and the first Canadian city to host a Winter Olympic Games, on the world map, said Roberts, who was president of CREB® that year.

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Stress test

Oct 22, 2016Oct 26, 2016 Marty Hope Leave a comment

Experts say new mortgage rules might take some buyers out of the game

Getting into your “ideal” home might be more difficult following the introduction of new federal regulations pertaining to insured mortgages.

Under new regulations introduced this week, all mortgages must be “stress-tested” at the posted rate instead of negotiated rates that have recently been around 2.5 per cent.

Previously, only mortgages with a term less than five years, as well as any variable-rate mortgages, had to qualify at the benchmark rate.

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