Real Estate | Page #32

Real Estate

Nothing says summer quite like sitting by the lake with a cold drink in one hand and a good book in the other. The air that sweeps over the water is cool and refreshing, the sound of the shore summer's best symphony. Dig your toes into the sand and wade through the water. If summer was something tangible, this would be it.    Does this all sound like a beautiful dream from a faraway place? A little too exotic for dry Alberta? For a long time it was nothing more than a pipedream. The only solution was to buy a vacation home someplace like Arizona or Radium. However, innovators quickly found a sweet solution: lakefront living.    One of the most popular trends in real estate  is crafting communities around man-made lakes to provide family's…

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Selling a home for the first time is a big decision! And many of you are planning to sell, because the Calgary market is hot!

Perhaps you are ready to upgrade or downsize, or are simply just wanting something new. We understand that selling a home is just as big of a financial decision as buying it was, and an emotional one. You've made memories in this house, and as the saying goes, parting can be such sweet sorrow. It may also feel overwhelming, and you may be unsure of where to start. Don't worry; Team Ken Richter is here to support you from start to finish!

The first thing to do is connect with us. You can call Ken Richter directly at 403-630-6363, or email directly at Ken@KenRichter.com. One of the first things we will do is provide you…

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There are many benefits that come with owning a home. It diversifies your investment portfolio, puts a roof over your head, allows you to gain equity and so much more. One of the downsides? It keeps you tethered to one spot; unless you are Captain Richard Deane, the Superintendent of Fort Calgary. Captain Deane didn't let anything stop him from moving the Deane House in 1926 across the Elbow river to where it sits today. They used logs to literally roll the house across the river!

All this being said, rolling a house across a river is not for everyone. So instead, why don't you roll up with a house on wheels: a Recreational Vehicle (RV). Many people are turning to RVs as a way to own a home that they can take with them on the road! Popular blogger…

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The headline of this month's market summary from the Calgary Real Estate Board? We are still in a seller's market! 

Here are some of the highlights from their report:

  • "Calgary’s housing market is showing few signs of letting up, as sales reached 2,915 units in June – a record high for the month."
  • "New listings in June totalled 4,135, the second-highest level ever recorded for the month. This caused inventories to trend up to 6,918 units."
  • "[Inventory] was balanced by strong sales and the months of supply remained relatively tight at 2.4 months."
  • "The benchmark home price continued to trend up in June, but the monthly gain slowed to less than one per cent."

Calgary Real Estate Board Chief Economist Ann-Marie Lurie notes, "It is…

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It is property tax season! If you own a home and are confused about what exactly property taxes are, how they are calculated, or how to pay them, read on!

First off, there are some incredibly important reasons why we have to pay taxes. Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. once said, "taxes are the price we pay to live in a civilized society." Paying taxes are not just your legal duty, but your civic duty. Taxes help Canadians receive the services that make Canada great, such as schools, courts, roads, parks, hospitals, garbage collection, sewer maintenance, clean drinking water, public transit and more. In 2013 it was reported that the average Canadian receives about $41,000 in public services each year. This would not be possible without everyone…

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Relocating is very exciting!

It means you get to start a new adventure in a new place. Did you know that on average people relocate once every five years? No matter what the circumstances are behind your relocation, we are here to help make the process go as smoothly as possible:

1). Make sure all of your closing and move-in documents are taken care of. This is why having a real estate professional on your side is such a big asset. We can walk you through exactly what you need and what to do as you say goodbye to your old home and welcome your new one. 

2). Have your affairs in order. This means making sure all your mail will get forwarded to your new property, that things like electricity, heat and internet are all set up, that any licences…

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Calgary, you keep surpassing all expectations! While some believed that the housing market would be one of the last to recover following the COVID-19 pandemic, in Calgary this has not been the case. Month after month in 2021 Calgary is reaching milestones not seen since before our oil market crash years ago. May hit a new record: 2989 sales! This is incredible new for buyers, sellers and investors.

Here are some of the highlights from the Calgary Real Estate Board's report:

  • "There were 4,562 new listings, causing seasonally adjusted inventory levels to increase over last month."
  • "The months of supply did trend up slightly this month to just over two months, but it was not enough to halt the upward pressure on prices."
  • "The unadjusted…

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Owning a home is no small feat. Why? Because they are a major financial investment. One of the main things to understand about owning a property is that you will likely start paying a mortgage.

So, what is a mortgage? A mortgage is the money you pay a creditor over time in exchange for them lending you all of that money upfront to pay for your property of choice. Essentially, it is a loan you take out to finance the purchase of a property. Depending on your unique situation, the creditor (typically a bank) will determine how much money they are comfortable lending you based on things like your job, credit score, assets, etc.. Finding out how much money the bank is willing to give you usually directly determines how much money you can spend on a…

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"Walk Score" is a real estate term that gets thrown around a lot, but is rarely ever  defined. So what is this all-important walk score? A walk score is a score an address is given between 0 and 100 regarding how friendly the area is based on walkability. Variables that go into calculating this score are:

  • Area safety & Crime Rates
  • Nearby Transit & Bike Routes
  • Proximity to essential services such as Grocery stores, pharmacies, schools and businesses
  • Composition of  land (Hills, Forests, Plains, etc.)

A walk score is a fast way for potential buyers to see how, essentially, accessible their new home is based on location.

Having a high walk score is often exalted as a wonderful thing, but having a low walk score is not necessarily…

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The Calgary housing market continues to blow expectations out of the water. While some believed it would take years for us to recover from the coronavirus pandemic, after wave two we say the market skyrocket. This April was no exception: Calgary recorded it's highest sales for April in a very, very long time. Here are some of the highlights from the Calgary Real Estate Board's report:

  • "There were 3,209 sales in April"
  • "Recent price gains and tight market conditions have encouraged many sellers to list their home this month."
  • "Demand was strong enough to absorb the additional supply, ensuring the market continues to favour the seller."
  • "4,670 new listings coming onto the market in April, inventory levels trended up relative to last month…

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