Real Estate Blog - real estate

Property Investments and Vacation Homes

When people think of recreational properties, they often think of a small house in Palm Springs or Arizona that they can retreat to during the cold winter months. This is absolutely true: many people who can afford the cost and upkeep of a second property somewhere outside of their primary area of living choose to invest.

Recreational properties are great for personal use, but they can also make extremely sound investments. Many people pursue real estate as a way to make money, whether its their primary job or not, and investment properties are one of the ways they do this. An investment property is not so different from a recreational property. In fact, the only difference is the mindset: a recreational property is for personal enjoyment, and an…

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CMA's for Buyers

Earlier this week on Monday we featured a blog post that discussed CMA for sellers. In it we explained what exactly a CMA is and why it is important to have done on your property before you list your home. If you have not read that post already, please do now. Here is the link: http://blog.kenrichter.com/2015/04/14/cma-for-sellers/#sthash.2iUj4jlU.dpbs

Now that you know exactly what a CMA is, you may be surprised that we are discussing why a CMA is important for buyers to do on homes they are interested in. After all, shouldn’t the current homeowners have done their due-dillagence and already had a trustworthy CMA done? The answer is, hopefully. However, here are the reasons why a CMA (Comparative Market Analysis) is important for you to do on any…

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Ken Richter is #1... Again!

Team Ken Richter has done it again! This 2015 awards season we are thrilled to report that we have been recognized as leaders in the industry. This is all thanks to you, our amazing clients, who have decided to partner alongside us. We hope that we can live up to these titles and continue bringing you experience, expertise and passion. Without further ado, here is the official list of the awards we are so honoured to have won:

• Re/Max Real Estate (Central) – #1 Office Worldwide for the 16th Consecutive Year

• #1 Office Worldwide for Number of Closed Transactions – Metro Market

• #1 Office Worldwide for Total Sales Volume – Single Office

• Largest Single Re/Max Office in the World

• Ken Richter has also…

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The Importance Of Location

As we have discussed, buying and selling a home goes beyond aesthetics. Yes, a beautiful garden and freshly painted trimming will add value to a home and make it appear more desirable. However, the building itself cannot be the only important factor. One could even argue that location is the most important thing to look at when choosing a home.

Location is important for a number of reasons, the most prevalent being that you need to find a home in an area that will suit your needs and desires. For example, if you have teenagers, finding a safe neighbourhood with good public transportation lines and nearby recreational facilities is preferable. What about the flip side? Why is location important to people selling their home?

Location is important for…

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February Statistics

At the end of each month we turn to CREB®, the Calgary Real Estate Board, for statistics on what went on in the market that month and what consumers can expect to see in the coming month! At the end of January, we did not have the best news to report. Unfortunately, due to the significant drop in oil prices, the market was shocked out of a highly optimistic forecast for 2015 and into a month where everything slowed down. People were neither buying nor selling as unstable economic conditions loomed over the market.

We are thrilled to say that this is no longer the case! The market in February was still not at where it was forecasted to be, but that is completely understandable due to the changes in January. February was a month for recovery, and recover…

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The House Hunt: What To Look For

Finding a home: no one is naive enough to think it is going to be easy. Negotiations, research, setting up meetings–it all takes time and dedication. However, if you are willing to put in the work, you will reap the rewards of searching thoughtfully and diligently.

This is why having a good Real Estate agent is so incredibly important! You need someone who cares about your future home just as much as you do. They are going to bring the experience, expertise, and organization you need to make your house hunt a success! Team Ken Richter is very excited to journey with you, and we promise to work with you every step of the way!

We also have two big tips and tricks that you can be applying in your search to find your dream home. These are simple things…

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Real Estate Terminology

On this blog we use a lot of terminology that is specific to the real estate market! This terminology comes from the many years of experience Team Ken Richter has working in this industry.

The posts where you may have noticed these unfamiliar terms the most are our monthly statistics reports! These are the reports we create with help from CREB to keep you up to date on what is going on in the world of real estate! However, no matter what post it is, we want to make sure every one is clear and understandable!

That is why today we thought it would be good to share some real estate terminology with you! Here are our top five most commonly used terms, and what they mean:

1). Inventory: This may seem fairly straight-forward, but just to clarify, when…

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New Neighbourhoods in YYC

Calgary is one of the fastest growing cities in Canada right now. Yes, everyone wants to come so they can work in the oil field. However, people are drawn to Calgary for so much more.

Calgary is not just a city, it is a community. It is a massive network of people who value culture, art, history, innovation, and, of course, the wild, wild west. Not only are the people here beautiful, but the landscape is, too. We get the best of all words: prairies, foothills, and the gorgeous Rocky Mountains. Anyone who lives in Calgary considers themselves a lucky ambassador of one of the best cities in the country.

Residence in Calgary is in high demand, giving it a booming real estate market that continues to have hundreds of homes added to the inventory each…

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2015 Market Predictions

CREB has been working hard to compile Calgary’s Real Estate statistics in order to help YOU make informed decisions. They have gathered information from 2014 that can give you insight into 2015 and enable you to forecast where the market is headed and how you can harness trends to your advantage.

The official report can be found at the link at the bottom of this article, but we have summarized some of the key points for you here. Make sure you check out areas that relate to you and your home! This kind of insight can make a world of a difference when it comes to making decisions about one of the largest investments you will make in your lifetime.

To recap what went on in 2014, the Calgary real estate market moved in a really positive direction!…

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November Statistics

The month of November is always a gap month between fall festivities and Halloween gimmicks, and wintertime activities and Christmas celebrations! November seems to have flown by this year, much to the delight of everyone who dreams of time off work and school. While the Christmas season is well underway, complete with constant carols and ads for the perfect gift, there is one last thing from November that we need to take care of: the Calgary real estate statistics.

The Calgary real estate scene has been a seller’s market for a long time now: with a low number of properties on the market, sellers are at the advantage because they do not have an incredible amount of competition. Rather, buyers had to compete in order to win the bid on the properties…

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