Real Estate Blog - Ken Richter

4 Reasons You Should Buy A Home At The End of The Year

Tis the season for... buying a new home?

Here is a hot insiders tip about the real estate market: buying a home right before the end of the year has major benefits. Here are three:

1). Tax Savings: Realtor.com puts it this way, “if you close by December 31, you can deduct mortgage interest, property taxes, points on your loan and interest costs. These deductions are significant, especially in the early years of your loan when you’re paying off a lot of interest.” What’s not to love?

2). Motivated Builders & Sellers: Sellers and builders will want to close a deal before the end of the end of the year. For sellers, this is so that they too can take advantage of tax breaks on their home. For builders, they will want to close on as many properties…

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JUST LISTED: 4917 20 Avenue Northwest, Calgary Alberta

Custom built by a small, high quality, craftsman builder. This intricate detailed open concept 2 story features a fully developed walk-out offering dramatic south valley escarpment views!! Tons of square footage of tastefully developed living space, 4 bedrooms & 3.5 baths. Main floor features a gorgeous contemporary kitchen complete with quartz counter tops, engineered hardwood floors, a gas fireplace, huge windows and large, sunny, south facing, rear deck. The upper level boasts 3 large bedrooms, enjoy the amazing south views from master bedroom complete with a walk-in closet & spa like 5 piece master ensuite and upstairs laundry! Natural sunlight floods in the fully developed walk-out, large wet bar in the family room, 4th bedroom & 4-pce bath!…

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December 2018 Events

'Tis the season for celebrating the holidays. December in Calgary, Alberta, Canada has many events in celebration of Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah and more. If you are wanting to explore all that Calgary has to offer, December is a great time to do it. Enjoy the outdoor craft markets, free skates, tasty treats and more!

December 1 - 23 A Christmas Carol
December 1 - January 5 Zoolights
December 2 Hanukkah
December 2 Beginning of Advent
December 6 Loft Speaker Series: Holiday Hospitality
December 6 - 9 Make It Calgary
December 7 Dave Kelly Live
December 7 - 16 Market Collective
December 8 Bowness Annual Holiday Dinner
December 9 Teddy Bear Toss
December 9 Holiday Fest 'n' Film
December 9 Northwestival
December 14 Bowness JellyBean Dance
December 14 - 16 She…

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JUST LISTED: 8902 48 Avenue Northwest, Calgary Alberta

This is a spectacular three bedroom, 1122 square foot, bungalow character home. It sits on a large mature treed lot backing onto beautiful Bowness Park! There are original maple floors through out the main floor, wide baseboards and an ornate claw tub, all of which are a only few of the numerous character features in this house! Upstairs features large windows accentuating the beautiful Bowness Park views. The lower level needs some TLC but is well worth the effort, and there is a large sized single attached garage. Fantastic location only half a block from the Bow River, bike paths, short commute downtown, close to UofC, Foothills & Children's Hospitals, easy access to COP and west to the mountains! Priced to sell!

View Listing || Explore…

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November 2018 Statistics

The Calgary Real Estate Board has released their latest market statistics for the City of Calgary! Here are the highlights:

• November sales in the city totaled 1,171 units, which is below long-term averages So far in 2018, there have been 15,349 units sold in Calgary. This is 20 per cent below long-term averages and a 14 per cent decline over last year.
• There was a seven per cent ease in new listings this November compared to last year, preventing more inventory gains. Currently, there are 6,501 units available in Calgary. This is good, but still 32 per cent higher than typical averages for November. 
• In November, the citywide benchmark price was $422,600. This is three per cent below averages and one per cent lower than last month's…

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The Value of A Secondary Suite

A great way to make money out of an investment property or a recreational property is to rent it out. The rental market is big in Calgary, because many people seek temporary residence here before buying. Calgary also has a massive student population, many of which need spaces to rent for the school year and summertime. This means that if you have a nice property, you can easily make money that will help you repay what you spent on the space.

Secondary suites will add tremendous value to your property should you sell one day, and are a fantastic way to help pay off your mortgage faster. There are many rules and regulations you need to be aware of if you want to rent out a legal suite, so make sure you do some research!

It is easy enough to find…

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Website Highlights

Explore our website! We have added some helpful features to make your search better. Here are some highlights:

Refine Search: On the search page there is a “Refine Search” option that allows you to select specific property details, such as amenities, number of bathrooms, property type and area. You can save and title your refined search to easily apply it to future searches. Every time you select one of your saved searches, your pre-selected search criteria will be applied to the listings.

Save Your Favorites: Did you know that you can save your favorite properties for quick viewing later? If you select the heart button when you're looking at a property, that property will be added to your Favorites folder. You can reach this folder by clicking…

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Why We Wear The Poppy

Remembrance Day is this weekend on November 11th. In honor of this significant day in Canadian history, here is the history behind the poppy: 

In 1915 Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, a Canadian soldier, wrote the poem "In Flanders Fields." He did so on the battlefront of Ypres, Belgium during the first world war after seeing his dear friend, Alexis Helmer, killed by a German bomb. The poem was a reflection on war, loss, perseverance and the poppies that grew atop the graves of the fallen. Many soldiers recalled the hope these blossoming poppies gave them, that even after death something beautiful could grow. 

In 1918 Moina Michael, inspired my McCrae's poem, vowed to always wear a red poppy in remembrance of those who served in the war. During a…

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October 2018 Statistics

The October Calgary Real Estate Statistics Summary is officially available!

Here are some key points from this months statistics report:

• Inventory levels in Calgary are up, sales in Calgary are down. This continues to put downward pressure on prices.
• Citywide benchmark prices for October totaled $426,300, which is the fifth consecutive month there prices have been in decline.
• Benchmark prices now sit at 2.9 per cent below year-over-year averages.
• In October there were 7,345 properties on the market.
• In October there were 1,322 sales across the City of Calgary.
• Months of supply is now 5.6, well above levels typical of this time of the year. 
• Lower price ranges are seen sales improvement
• High end price ranges have had…

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JUST LISTED: 7927 33 Avenue Northwest, Calgary Alberta

This home is going to sell fast, so act now! The price has even been adjusted by $20,000 to sell!

This property is in a fantastic location, sitting on almost 1/3 acre of a beautifully manicured, 300 foot deep, towering treed, south lot! This incredibly private location backs onto heavily treed environmental escarpment reserve forest right in your back yard.

Numerous recent upgrades include a brand new 2017 large mechanics dream 24x22 foot double garage with 15 foot vaulted ceilings to accommodate a car lift! The main level features new maple kitchen cabinets, stainless steel appliances and original hardwood floors throughout and the living room even features a cozy wood burning stove. Additional upgrades include newer windows and a newer 4…

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