We’re Top 10 in Our Office in 2015! Thank you to our clients!!

January 26th, 2016

Hi Everyone!  It’s Tessa Corley-Rae writing you from the Glencoe Club Calgary.

Maria and I were just at our office awards breakfast this morning for Real Estate Professionals Inc in Calgary.  We were delighted to learn that each of us was individually awarded for being one of the top 10 realtors in our office in 2014, out of 280 Realtors.  Maria was number 7, and I was number 9.  We were thrilled to receive this honour!

We’d like to thank all of you, our special clients who made this possible! Without you, we would not be where we are in the business today.  Maria and I have had the special privilege to help over 2000 buyers and sellers with their real estate needs and everyone of you is very important to us!  We look forward to your continued support!

Here’s to an ever better 2016!  We wish you success in your business and personal endeavors!

If you or someone you know could use our assistance with Real Estate in Calgary or surrounding areas, we’d be thrilled to be your real estate choice.

Calgary’s Real Estate Market… What’s going on in early 2016?

January 26th, 2016

Calgary is going through some challenges these days and one of the most frequent and popular questions I’m confronted with is how this affects our real estate market?  Real estate is always a hot topic, and on a daily basis I am asked how home pricing and sales are affected by our current economy.  Of course, it is difficult to say where we are headed in the short term, but Calgary certainly has a particular way of getting through tougher times in the long term.

There’s no doubt that our number of sales are down from just over a year ago; in 2014 there were 25,543 sales, compared to 2015 where sales dropped 26.26% to 18,836.  However, the number of listings was also down year over year, with 2014 registering 36,168 listings, compared to 2015 with 33,874 listings, a 6.34% reduction.  Of course it makes sense that less listings does generally means fewer sales.

Overall, prices have reduced only 2.64% year over year, so it’s not nearly as bad as the media outlets like to report.  There may be some additional volatility to come from 2016, but it’s not all bad news.

There is some good news that comes from all of this!  If you are looking to upgrade your home or simply take advantage of some potential “good deals”, now is the perfect opportunity for a few reasons:

  1. Interest rates are still at an all-time low.  The Bank of Canada has kept the cost of borrowing money down so the lenders and banks are able to pass on the savings to you!  In fact, prime rate sits at an affordable 2.70%.
  2. Your next home might be on sale right now!  The luxury market has taken a larger price correction than other Calgary markets, so you can benefit from some great prices on your dream home.
  3. Buying in a down-market can be scary, but it does make financial sense if you can stomach it.  I can guarantee you that if you buy in the near future, you will not be paying top dollar on your home compared to more recent boom-years.   It’s true, there is potential that the real estate market could see further price correction, however there is comfort in knowing that you didn’t pay a premium price for your home to start with.
  4. The general trend for home pricing is always up, regardless of any economic downturns.  Buying real estate for the long haul will always net you a positive return over time.  Real Property can’t disappear like a stock or company, regardless of the state of economy.  Buying an investment with tangible land is the safest investment you can make. 
  5. A 2016 International Housing Affordability Survey conducted by Demographia, recently ranked Calgary as 239/367 international cities on the affordability index (367 being unaffordable, Hong Kong).  This study compares price of real estate to median household income.  On a global scale, Calgary is considered a relative bargain compared to other metropolitans.  This might not always be the case, so Calgary will likely be a better investment for long-term gain than other municipalities.

 

 

Selling your home doesn’t have to be overwhelming

September 22nd, 2015

When some people think about selling their home, they imagine all the things they will have to do: paint the kitchen, clean closets, prepare for viewings, find another home, arrange financing, start packing, etc. It can all seem very overwhelming very quickly.

In fact, the long to-do list you imagine you’ll have to deal with may dissuade you from making a move!

It doesn’t have to be that way.

There are many ways to make selling your home and buying another relatively simple and easy.

Sure, there will be some work to do. You may need to prepare your property so that it looks appealing to potential buyers – cleaning, decluttering, doing some repairs, etc. Of course, you will also need to view some properties for sale in order to find your next dream home.

But those activities may not be as time-consuming or difficult as you had imagined. In fact, you and your family might actually enjoy the experience – and see it as an adventure.

The trick is to work with the right REALTOR®, someone who can guide you through the process, show you the shortcuts, and generally make things easier for you.  The Corley Team has various seller’s guide they offer to their clients to help them through the process.

It’s a little like baking your first cake from scratch. The task seems daunting, unless you have a master baker by your side to guide you step-by-step through the process. Then it’s a lot easier, and even fun!  We’d love to be your Master Home Sales Team!

That’s what a good REALTOR® can do for you. Looking for one? Contact The CorleyTeam today at homes@corleyteam.com.

Alberta Employment Rates, how this affects our real estate market

April 6th, 2015

According to ATB’s monthly economic news letter The Owl, titled “Jobless Rate 2015 won’t come close to historic highs” we are in for a bit on an increase in unemployment (as high as just under 7% by the summer).  The good news is it won’t be as drastic as in historical highs in Alberta such as 1984 (over 12%), 1993 (10%) and 2010 (7%).  The reason given that we will not be hit quite as hard is that Alberta has a more diversified economy then in the aforementioned years of high unemployment.

The silver lining in the clouds is the balancing of the real estate market.  The past few years have seen a furry of real estate activity, causing a heavily weighted seller’s market.  This has driven prices upwards at a high rate, thus presenting a challenge to buyers to get into the market at a comfortable level.  The recent months have caused the market to fall into a balanced market, meaning sellers are still selling relatively quickly as long as they are priced competitively, and buyers are having a better selection of homes to choose from at competitive prices.  Sellers are no longer solely in the driving seat, but rather are having to cooperate with buyers in order to achieve that sale.  This cooperative market is beneficial to everyone!

Check out ATB’s The Owl for further details on employment rates and economic forecasting, brought to us by Todd Hirsch and Nick Ford.

Tessa

Hello world!

March 27th, 2015

Welcome to my new blog! I look forward to sharing new and exciting updates about the Real Estate Market and what is happening around town! Stay tuned for new posts coming soon!

Welcome to Our New and Improved High-Tech Website!!

March 23rd, 2015

Welcome Buyers and Sellers of Calgary!

After 6 months in the making, we have finally launched our new state-of-the-art website: www.corleyteam.com!  This website is brought to you by you!!! After months of surveying our buyers and sellers about what they would want in a Real Estate Website, we came up with gem designed by our wonderful web designers at Redman Tech!

We hope you enjoy our great new features:

  • our awesome biography pages with some fun additions
  • our community stats page that has sales stats and live active statistics on all Calgary communities
  • our new a beautiful blog
  • our great new home search options
  • our clearly defined seller’s and buyer’s services
  • and so much more!

We look forward to your feedback and your future real estate business!

The New Haskayne Development West of Tuscany Calgary

March 10th, 2015

I just recently attended an information open house at the Lynx Ridge Golf Course Club House that described in detail the new Haskayne Development including the Area Structure Plan, the plans for the landscape, city transit plan, the construction of roughly 3400 residential homes/lots and some awesome sounding commercial additions, all with a wholesome influence.  For those of you who don’t know the location, this will be just south of 12 Mile Coulee Road, and west of the Stoney Trail, past Home Depot in Tuscany on Nosehill Drive.   This whole development will be brought to us by Brookfield and it sounds great!!   Good news for the residents of Tuscany, the commercial sector will bring in some great new stores and amenities that Tuscany really needs!

As described to me, the developer will be using a very natural theme to the landscape and try to work with the flora and fauna that already exists in the area and surrounding coulee.  This is very important to the wildlife, and it sounds like Brookfield is doing their best to respect Mother Nature.  There are plenty of plans for parks and green space but the best news yet is that it will connect Cochrane to Calgary with bike paths that already meander through Glenbow Ranch.  This means that Calgarian and Cochrane residents will be able to make even more of their weekend bike rides along the river!  It also connects Cochrane to inner-city and downtown Calgary for those of you who enjoy long bike rides to and from work.  What a win!!

The plans will commence construction in 5 years if all goes well.  I could go on and on from what I learned at this open house out of excitement, but for now I will update you with more information as provided by the developer and the City of Calgary.

Tessa Corley-Rae

Top 10 in Our Office in 2014( Again, yahhh)!

February 27th, 2015

Hi Everyone!  It’s Tessa Corley-Rae writing you from the Glencoe Club Calgary.

Maria and I were just at our office awards breakfast this morning for Real Estate Professionals Inc in Calgary.  We were delighted to learn that each of us was individually awarded for being one of the top 10 realtors in our office in 2014, out of 230 Realtors.  Maria was number 6, and I was number 8.  We were thrilled to receive this honour!

We’d like to thank all of you, our special clients who made this possible! Without you, we would not be where we are in the business today.  Maria and I have had the special privilege to help over 2000 buyers and sellers with their real estate needs and everyone of you is very important to us!  We look forward to your continued support!

Here’s to an ever better 2015!  We wish you success in your business and personal endeavors!

If you or someone you know could use our assistance with Real Estate in Calgary or surrounding areas, we’d be thrilled to be your real estate choice.

 

Great time to buy in Calgary!!

February 1st, 2015

Wondering what is happening in the Calgary Real Estate market in 2015 so far? The numbers are in for the first month of 2015 and now might very well be your best opportunity to buy in the next several months or even year!  Calgary listings are up year over year and sales are down.  Don’t worry, it’s not doom and gloom.  We have plenty of healthy real estate market to look forward to over the course of this year, just consider this little blip an adjustment towards a balanced market, compared to last year’s heated seller’s market!

January 2015 Stats
Total Listings on the Market: 2909 (up 74% from 2014)
Total January Sales: 598 (down 63% from 2014)
Sales to Listing Ratio: 28%
 
January 2014 Stats
Total Listings on the Market: 1671
Total January Sales: 974
Sales to Listing Ratio: 61%
 

Northwest Recreation Centre

December 17th, 2012

The residents of northwest Calgary were disapointed to hear the news that the federal funding for the four city recreation centres previously approved by P3 have been denied.