The Corley Team Real Estate Blog

The City of Calgary have unveiled 5 possible routes for the final leg of the Ring Road.  The province wants to make a decision on a preferred route in about three months so that more detailed work can begin, said Trent Bancarz, a spokesman for Alberta Transportation.  To see the complete Functional Plan Study click here.  Details of each of the proposed routes are on pages 11-16 with a summary of each’s benefits and detriments on page 18. 

Click here to see the dates and locations of 4 public open houses the Alberta Government is hosting.

CREB® is calling on Calgary’s city council to make secondary suites permitted in all residential neighbourhoods, provided the homes remain owner-occupied, there is sufficient parking and safety concerns are met. CREB®’s announcement comes on the heels of public statements Mayor Naheed Nenshi has made in support of making secondary suites legal across all residential neighbourhoods in Calgary. The City of Calgary will be bringing forward a report to the Standing Policy Committee on Land Use, Planning and Transportation (LPT) on Feb.16 to specifically address the issue of secondary suites. Council is expected to vote on this issue in March. This represents an opportunity for CREB® to take a leadership position on this issue. In the coming weeks, CREB® will be working with partner organizations to advocate in support of secondary suites.

A fabulous new website, www.walkscore.com measures the walkability of any address!  Walkable neighborhoods offer surprising benefits to the environment, our health, our finances, and our community.  Walk Score is a number between 0 and 100 that measures the walkability of any address.  A full explanation of how the  score is determined can be found on the site.  It is fun and interesting!  My (Barb) Walk Score for example is a 12.  Although I live in a very amenitiy rich community, my location within that community is at an isolated corner significantly reducing my walkability score.  So we make good use of our bikes in the summer and in the winter…well….car dependant for sure!

The conference board of Canada says Calgary’s resale housing market can expect short-term year over year price growth at between five and seven per cent.  

The board, in releasing its monthly Metro Resale Index today, said Calgary is in a balanced housing market.

The average MLS sale price in the city in October, combining all residential properties, was $392,733.

That was down from $399,101 in September and from $399,550 in October 2009.

The board listed Edmonton, Saskatoon, Gatineau, Montreal, Quebec, Sherbrooke, Trois-Rivieres and Saguenay in a category with short-term price growth expectations of seven per cent or more compared with a year ago.

Joining Calgary in the five to seven per cent range were Victoria, Vancouver, the Fraser Valley, Regina, Winnipeg, Halifax, and Newfoundland.

In the three to five per cent category were Sudbury, Hamilton, St. Catharines, Kitchener, Kingston, Ottawa and Saint John.

And in the zero to three per cent range were Thunder Bay, Toronto, Oshawa, London and Windsor.

None of the 28 Canadian markets surveyed were listed as having price declines in the short-term.

British Columbia NDP MP Peter Julian tabled a Provate Members Bill that would ensure the Home Buyer’s Plan RRSP withdrawl limit keeps pace with inflation.  If passed, it is great news for all future home buyers out there!