Crebnow mar 20,2015

Page 1

SETTING THE STAGE

SOLVING SCALE

Downsizing Feature

Tips and tricks for making your house inviting for potential buyers, or transforming it into the home of your dreams. A6

Plant pests proven as pesky DONNA BALZER A12

A8 – A9 FREE mar 20 to mar 26 2015 issue 05-10 editorial 403-781-1324 advertising 403-263-4940 crebnow@creb.ca

real estate news from industry experts

A PATH FOR GROWTH Calgary takes steps to addressing housing and infrastructure challenges

KELSEY HIPKIN

reporter/photographer

A

new development in the northwest community of Varsity will provide affordable housing for Calgarians looking for a home of their own. Attainable Homes Calgary Corp. (AHCC) and Lexington Development Management h av e joined forces to create the 26-unit project, made up of both attainable and marketpriced units on the corner of Shaganappi Trail and Varsity Drive N.W. “It’s a great spot. It’s near the university. It’s near shopping centres. It’s a great location,” said Ward 1 Coun. Ward Sutherland. “It’s very rare that we WARD actually get to have these types of land even available, so the community’s been very supportive. They voted on it, they support the project and so do I.” AHCC is a non-profit group wholly owned by the City of Calgary that provides entry-level homes for residents caught in the affordability gap through below market prices and $2,000 down payments. Once people decide to sell their attainable home, a portion of the appreciation is shared with AHCC to be reinvested in the program. “When [attainable home owners] move out of their current situation, that frees up a rental for someone else

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as well. And when someone moves into that market rental, that frees up subsidized rental for someone else,” said AHCC chairman David Laycock. “When that subsidized rental gets freed up, guess what? Someone who is in emergency housing will be able to then move into subsidized housing. So all we’re trying to do is provide a little bit of a gateway where there’s a bit of a log jam for deficiency in the market to be able to help move things along.” The necessity for attainable and affordable housing for Calgarians highlights some of the strain caused by the city ’s steady growth. While expected to slow this year, in-migration numbers hit record highs in Calgary in both 2013 and 2014. SUTHERLAND As a result, the WARD 1 COUNCILLOR city’s vacancy rate hovered around one per cent for most of the year before improving slightly to 1.4 per cent – both among the country’s lowest in 2014.

IT’S VERY RARE THAT WE ACTUALLY GET TO HAVE THESE TYPES OF LAND EVEN AVAILABLE, SO THE COMMUNITY’S BEEN VERY SUPPORTIVE. THEY VOTED ON IT, THEY SUPPORT THE PROJECT AND SO DO I.”

HOUSING A3

AHCC Chairman David Laycock, Sean Farnum of Farnum Construction Management, Ward 1 Coun. Ward Sutherland and Kevin Nyhoff of Nyhoff Architecture at the groundbreaking of a Varsity community development.

NATIONAL HOME CONTENTS SALES EDGE UP NEWS BRIEFS FIVE THINGS IN JANUARY

MLS® TOTAL SALES* FEB ‘13 – FEB ‘15

2145

CREB® STAFF

N 1217

FEB13 MAR13 APR13 MAY13 JUN13 JUL13 AUG13 SEP13 OCT13 NOV13 DEC13 JAN14 FEB14 MAR14 APR14 MAY14 JUN14 JUL14 AUG14 SEP14 OCT14 NOV14 DEC14 JAN15 FEB15

880

1082

1172

1439

1779

2146

2263

2328

2664

2539

2481 1724

1706

Downsizing tips

1850

1948

1918

2190

2305

2535 2265

2106

2374

2945

CITY OF CALGARY

KELSEY HIPKIN, Reporter/Photographer

*All statistics based on monthly data compiled by CREB® via MLS® activity. Includes detached, attached and apartment.

POPULAR MIDNAPORE LAKE

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ational home sales activity edged up slightly month-over-month in February 2015, according to the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA). The jump was led by Greater Vancouver, the Okanagan region and Greater Toronto where gains offset declines elsewhere, as more than half of all local markets having posted weaker sales in February compared to January.

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EVENT LISTING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A6 WEEKLY FEED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A6 MORTGAGE RATES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A10 INDUSTRY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A11 Accessibility for All

COMMERCIAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A12 POP THE QUESTION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A13 Jeff James

MAP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B1 OPEN HOUSES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B19

MARKET A3

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