CALGARY’S BEST-KEPT BACK TO THE BOOKS SECRETS A11 Schools near top of list for homebuyers
RESALE READY Prepping your garden for selling your home
BACK TO SCHOOL A7
DONNA BALZER A15
ERNIE GARDY 403-651-3093
WWW.ERNIEGARDY.COM
SEE AD ON A3 HOUSE OF REAL ESTATE
FREE aug 29 to sept 4 2014 issue 04-34 editorial 403-781-1324 advertising 403-263-4940 crebnow@creb.ca
real estate news from industry experts
NEW FOUNDATIONS:
CALLING CALGARY HOME KELSEY HIPKIN, Reporter/Photographer
Two families share their stories of moving from China KELSEY HIPKIN
reporter/photographer
L
ike many first-time homebuyers, Calgarian Helen Yao had three must-have items on her checklist: location, location and location. Yet new to Canada and the real estate process, she didn’t know where to start.
“I looked at some homes and some builders, but I had no idea at first. I only wanted to buy a house,” said Yao, who grew up north of Beijing and later moving to Montreal. “My friends recommend Calgary was a good city because of the oil and the gas, a lot of job opportunities,” she said. “So I followed my friends here.” At the time, Yao, her husband and young daughter were renting a base-
ment suite in the northwest community of Varisty. “It was near the [University of Calgary], a good school area. Even though we lived in the basement, everything was OK,” she said. Recognizing she would eventually need more space, Yao and her husband started to look at buying a place of their own. The requirements were simple: it had to be in the city’s south or northwest, close to a good school and have easy access to amenities. Upon advice from her daughter’s tutor, Yao and her husband obtained a real estate agent and decided to build a house in Nolan Hill, located northwest
SINGLE FAMILY
1553
1769
1736
1699 1197
1230
1336
1517
1575
1638
1209
772
JUL12 AUG12 SEP12 OCT12 NOV12 DEC12 JAN13 FEB13 MAR13 APR13 MAY13 JUN13 JUL13 AUG13 SEP13 OCT13 NOV13 DEC13 JAN14 FEB14 MAR14 APR14 MAY14 JUN14 JUL14
745
879
974
1006
1174
1132
1354
1386
1480
1609
1611
1766
2027
MLS® NUMBER OF UNITS SOLD* JUL ‘12 – JUL ‘14
*All statistics based on monthly data compiled by CREB® via MLS® activity.
CIMARRON ESTATES - OKOTOKS
BRAESIDE GEM
Stunning Former Show Home - $949,900
Steps To Park & School - $449,900
Approx 3000 sq.ft., of luxury living space!! Priced well below replacement cost. A MUST TO VIEW! MLS®C3615050
Nicely upgraded & maintained family home. South yard, oversized double garage. GREAT VALUE! MLS®C3626960
of Shaganappi Trail and Stoney Trail. “The REALTOR® helped me choose the colour, the interior design – everything,” said Yao. “I recommend to my friends, the Chinese people, even if you’re building a new house, a REALTOR® is important.” Yao’s story is a familiar one. According to a 2011 National Household Survey, 1.2 million foreign-born people immigrated to Canada, making up 17.2 per cent of the foreign-born population and 3.5 per cent of the country’s total population. The good news is new Canadians are not alone when looking to purchase their first home in the country.
ALBERTA HOUSING MARKET TO LEAD CANADA IN 2015: RBC CREB® STAFF
A
lberta’s hot resale housing market is expected to cool off in 2015, yet still pace the nation, according to a new report by RBC Economics. Resale activity in the province is expected to rise slightly to 71,000 units, a 0.7 per cent increase over a projected 70,500 units in 2014, according to RBC’s Home Resale and Price Forecast.
INDUSTRY A3
Anni Yin moved to Calgary from Nanjing, China in 2007.
In addition to REALTORS®, Immigrant Services Calgary provides newcomer support in the form of information, orientation and referrals. Services are provided in 70 different languages and allow people to have one on one interaction in learning about their new community.
NEW FOUNDATIONS A3
CONTENTS NEWS BRIEFS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A3 DOORS OPEN YYC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A6 WinSport Ice House
WEEKLY FEED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A6 EVENT LISTING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A6 POP THE QUESTION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A9 Cal Wenzel
COMMERCIAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A9 DID YOU KNOW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A9 MORTGAGE RATES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A10 MAP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B1 OPEN HOUSES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B19 @crebnow
/crebnow
crebnow.com
info@thehomehunters.com www . thehomehunters . com sutton group canwest
Call Steve, Grant or Randy if you are considering buying or selling a home, or if you have any questions about the current real estate market!
403-460-2211