Real Estate Blog - September, 2016

Renegotiating Your Lease

Many leases on suites across the city end this month, prompting listings to rise for rental units. This is a great time for this to be happening because Calgary is currently in a buyer’s market. This means that buyers (or renters, in this case) can be more selective since there is a lot on the market but not a lot of demand.

In this buyer’s market, renters have the upper hand. If you are renting and your lease ends soon, it is time to take a look at your lease and evaluate if you are happy with it remaining unchanged for another length of time. For those of you unhappy with the current agreement, now is your time to negotiate.

The first thing to consider before attempting a negotiation is that even though the market favours renters right now, there…

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Home Staging: Entryway

When people are staging their homes one commonly overlooked area is the entryway. It is just for shoes and coats, right? Wrong! Your entryway sets the tone for the entire interior of your home. Do not let it go neglected. Here are some home staging tips to help you get your entryway ready for your next showing:

First things first, de-clutter. Entryways are a common place for old shoes, winter jackets, gym bags, sports equipment, pet toys and more to build up. Start your staging by going through everything in the entryway and deciding whether it is essential to have there or not. Create three piles of things: keep, pack, donate.

Invest in some organization tools. Purchase new coat hangers, a shoe rack, little crates for scarves and mittens, etc. Also…

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Places To Check Out in Bowness

Here at Team Ken Richter we love working in the City of Calgary. One community that is especially close to our heart is Bowness. Few neighborhoods have as much resilience, passion, history and community spirit as Bowness. We are so excited about what is going on in the community of Bowness, so for today’s blog we are going to share some of these things with you.

The Re-Opening of Marty’s Corner Store: Back in 2013 the Calgary flooding drowned Marty’s Corner store, which had been a Bowness staple for almost 70 years. The corner store “[offered] residents a community gathering place where children spent their allowance on sweets, parents purchased bread, milk and other groceries, and seniors gathered for morning coffee” (The Calgary Herald). Newly…

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The Psychology Of Smells

A quick drive through any neighbourhood reveals that there is lots on the market right now. If you are one of those people with a sign on your lawn hoping to sell your home, we are here to help you. Although it can be difficult to sell a home in this market, there are lots of little things you can do to give your property an advantage.

One of the things that is most neglected when people stage their homes and prepare to show it to potential buyers is how the home smells. People get so used to the smell of their homes that it never occurs to them to amp it up in preparation for the viewing. But, did you know there is a psychology to smells? That’s right: smells can trigger emotions, memories and leave a lasting impression.

Do you want your home to…

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The Perfect Planner

School is officially in session which means there are a whirlwind of things to keep track of: assignments, extra curriculars, due dates, etc.. Trying to squeeze things in, prevent over-booking and make sure you remember a date before it’s too late can cause a lot of anxiety. Whether you are a student or a parent, keeping track off all these important dates and times can be extremely overwhelming.

The best way you can combat this anxiety is by being prepared and organized. This can seem like a large, daunting task, but we promise you it will be worth it. Here are some clever ways you can organize based on your needs:

1). For The Single Busy Body: Start a bullet journal. Bullet Journals are the latest fad in personal organization for one great reason:…

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August 2016 Statstics

Every month the Calgary Real Estate Board (CREB®) publishes a monthly housing summary. These summaries go over what happened in the real estate market, how trends shifted, what to expect moving forward, benchmark prices, information behind changes in the market, etc.. This is a fantastic resource that we highly recommend! The most successful kind of buyers and sellers are the kind of buyers and sellers that are informed.

Most recently CREB® divided their report into two parts: the Calgary statistics and the Calgary region statistics. In our monthly summaries of the CREB® report, we focus specifically on the Calgary statistics. However, if you are interested in knowing about Calgary and its neighbouring areas, check out the full Calgary region…

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