Real Estate Blog - Ken Richter

Exterior Finishes

Here in Calgary we are lucky enough to experience all four seasons: spring, summer, autumn and winter. While others need not be concerned with weather patterns beyond one season’s limitations, Calgarians must be ready for anything. Evidence of this would be the snow that fell in some areas of Calgary earlier this week. In July.

While these differing seasons provide us with spectacular sights–Golden forests in the fall, fresh blankets of snow in the winter, blossoming flowers each spring and pink august skies–the weather each season brings can put a lot of strain on properties. Shifting ground, sun-bleached surfaces, hail damaged paneling: all results of the way our often unpredictable environment can damage our properties.

Exterior finishing already…

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Home Staging: Kitchen Edition

Kitchens are one of the most frequently used areas of the home, making it understandable that they often experience the most wear and tear. Kitchens are an area where dust and grime can build up quickly if left unattended, making them one area potential buyers will zero in on quickly to see what the level of cleanliness is in your home. When it comes to home staging, kitchens cannot go neglected.

Here are some easy ways to fix up your kitchen without having to completely remodel it. Doing this will be good for your wallet and good for your home, along with making it a much more aesthetically pleasing space for buyers.

1), Wipe down all surfaces and re-paint where needed. Using a simple mix of water and vinegar helps clean away dirt, stains and…

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June 2016 Statistics

The June statistics are in!

For those of you just joining us here at Team Ken Richter, welcome! Every month the Calgary Real Estate Board (CREB®) publishes a summary of what happened in the housing market during the previous month. This is a fantastic way for buyers, sellers, investors and renters to stay up to date on market conditions. By tracking trends you can make smarter real estate choices, and we are here to help.

So, what happened in June?

Home prices continued to slide downwards as a buyers market persisted. What is a buyer’s market, you ask? That is when there are high inventory levels with low prices. This kind of market gives buyers the advantage because they have more to choose from at a lower price.

The detached home sector was…

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Vacation Homes

The economy is slowly but surely beginning to recover. While some people have had to cut back on extra expenses, such as a home away from home for summer (and winter) vacations, others have been able to take advantage of the market conditions. With rent and housing prices dropping significantly to adjust to this high-inventory, low-purchase market, there are some great deals out there.

Whether you are looking to sign a long-term lease or buy, these beautiful areas of Canada are a great place to start looking for your dream vacation home. These destinations are full of things to do all year round, so choose today and secure a great getaway for this summer.

Whistler, British Columbia: If you’re looking for somewhere that serves as a year-rount tourist…

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Daycation Ideas

August long weekend is almost here and with it comes the opportunity for many people to get away from the city and go exploring. While not everyone has the time or the money to go on some elaborate vacation across the globe, one needn’t drive far to find beauty and new things.

Here are some daycation ideas for those wanting to explore Alberta this August long weekend:

Frank’s Slide: This is the perfect place for those of you who love history. Frank’s Slide is located north of Calgary and is a historic site marking the place where part of Turtle Mountain collapsed, burying a small town back in the early 1900’s. Not only is there a great visitor center full of old photos, artifacts and information, but you can walk through the massive rocks at the…

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Ice Cream in YYC

July is National Ice Cream month! Finally, a month where our ice cream habit has a good excuse. Surprisingly, for a city that is so cold with not ideal ice cream conditions, Calgary has a great ice cream scene. YYC has stepped up its game when it comes to frozen treats and we are so excited to share them with you. Without further ado, here are some great places to grab a scoop in YYC:

1). Made By Marcus: This company began on the streets of Calgary, using festivals and markets to share their delicious ice cream with the world. They opened their flagship store on 17th Ave and have a new location coming to Hillhurst later this month! The ice cream flavours are decadent and surprising, like Beets & Cream. Our favourite is the White Chocolate Birthday…

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Outdoor Deterioration

Even the best built home filled with the fanciest appliances will experience normal wear and tear as the years go on. How quickly this happens depends on a number of factors, such as materials, installation, climate, use, etc.. This is completely natural and should be expected. The problem is most homeowners do not expect it–or, they forget about it and then are hit with unexpected and bank account altering issues.

By taking preventative measures and really caring for every part of your home, you can make it last much longer without the hardship of replacing things. Here are some areas outside of the home with things you can do now to prevent damage to them:

Roof: Spring and summer are the perfect time to do roof maintenance since it is so nice…

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May 2016 Statistics

In May inventory levels continued to rise as more homes were put on the market. Meanwhile, sales activity slowed to one-thousand nine-hundred twenty-three units being sold. CREB® explains this development in their monthly housing summary for May. An in-depth report with specific statistics can can be found at their website, www.creb.com, but here are some of the major highlights:

Why did the market play out the way it did in May?

“While recent oil price gains may have some feeling optimistic, weakness in the labour market continues to impact housing demand,” says CREB® chief economist Ann-Marie Lurie. “Job losses are spreading into other sectors, wages are declining and unemployment levels remain high. At the same time, we’re seeing housing supply…

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Home Staging: Deck Edition

Home staging is all about helping put your home’s best foot forward. It is a way to not only make your house more desirable to potential buyers, but it enables you to to add financial and aesthetic value to the property. While your house itself needs to be fully staged, do not forget about the rest of the property. Specifically, your deck.

Deck’s fall victim to nature’s vicious ways more than most other parts of your property. Paint peels, furniture gets blown away, barbecues lay dormant and crusty. Rather than merely straightening the chairs and table before people arrive at your open house, consider doing some of the following things:

Re-varnish your deck: A fresh coat of varnish or paint can be done inexpensively and makes a massive difference.…

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DIY Indoor Herb Garden

What is the hottest trend for this spring and summer? Do-it-yourself indoor herb gardens. One need not look far on Pinterest or in home decorating magazines to see that the herb garden craze is blowing up this season. Why? Because herb gardens are useful in every single way imaginable.

First off, herb gardens are extremely cheap to make. Later on in this article we will walk you through how to make your own. Herb gardens are extra cost effective because it will prevent you from ever having to purchase herbs from the store. Furthermore, indoor herb gardens make homes look fresh, the liven up bland living spaces and they make the room they are in smell amazing.

There are so many benefits to making your own indoor herb garden! So, here is how you can…

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