Banish the Winter Blues!

February 24th, 2011

We are finally getting to that time of year when we can celebrate winters end and ready our homes for spring!  Dive into an in-house activity to keep our minds off the chilly winter blast we have been experiencing, so when the thermometer does pass zero- we can get outside and enjoy it!

Total Drawer Cleanout- Give your most  used drawers a makeover

When your drawers are piled high, it’s time for a clutter intervention. Reclaim the full potential of your most-used drawers by refreshing them in just two steps. And with the help of our handy tips, you’ll have lots of new ways to organize your freshly cleaned space.
Total Drawer Clean Out
“Oh!  That’s where that is!”          “I was looking for that!”      “I forgot I had that!”     “I didn’t know I had one of those!”     “Oh, and I just bought another one of those!”

5 possible routes unveiled for the last leg of the Calgary Ring Road

February 23rd, 2011

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® Supports secondary suites in Calgary

February 16th, 2011

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.

Green Light Given For Airport Tunnel – Maybe

February 8th, 2011

 

After debating late into the evening, Calgary city council narrowly voted just after midnight Tuesday to build the controversial tunnel to the airport.

Councillors voted eight to seven in favour of going ahead with the project, which proponents argued is needed because of the expansion at the Calgary International Airport.

In the spring, the airport is set to start building a new 4,270 metre runway.  Calgary Airport Authority is the 4th busiest aiport for passenger traffic and third busiest by aircraft movements in Canada.  The runway will be the longest in Canada.  This is because aircraft require more distance to take off at higher elevations because of the reduced air density associated with altitude and the airports need to accomodate the largest airplanes operating.

The proposed tunnel would compensate for the loss of access to the airport via Barlow Trail from McKnight Bloulevard.

Mayor Nenshi is thrilled with the council’s decision and confident that negotiations with the Calgary Airport Authority will produce an agreement.

But a council vote in favour may not be enough to guarantee the tunnel goes ahead.

The Calgary Airport Authority issued a brief news release Tuesday morning saying it is hopeful an agreement can be reached with the city, but complicated and critical items have yet to be addressed.

The release cites the need to meet current and future air travel and cargo demand and says the authority is commiteed to having the new runway in service as quickly as possible.

Motivation!! A Positive Outlook is everything!!

January 28th, 2011

One of the most influential things in our life is our attitude. 

A Negative attitude can make life seem dull, monotonous, and just plain boring.  People with negative attitudes typically never have anything nice to say.  All of that negative energy can make everything that they touch seem like waste.

People who exude positive energy are generally more pleasant, willing, courteous, and kind.  They make people feel good just by being around.  They help make life special.

If you do not already have a fabulous outlook on life, try these little tricks to start to change…for the better!

1. Be grateful for all the good things in your life, even what may seem bad.  as the saying goes, things could always be worse!

2. Smile.  There is something magical about a smile.  It can warm up even the most cynical people. Smiling, even when you are not happy, can help you to stay focused on being positive.  Sometimes you have to “fake it until you make it.”

3. Do something for you.  It doesn’t have to be some big, grand retreat or jet-set getaway.  Maybe just having a new flavor of ice cream or trying a new perfume is enough.  Whatever generally makes you happy, do it.

4. Think of all the good in your life. Meditating on our lives and the good things can make us appreciate the positive experiences that we have already had and look forward to the future.

5. Exercise.  Doing something physical will get your blood flowing and endorphins going.  Endorphins are believed to improve mood.

6. Give compliments.  Seeing the good in others is something that many people struglle with.  However, when you see the good in others, they will reciprocate and find something good to say about you.  It’s a win – win for everyone!  Try it.

7. Offer love. It is hard to give when you are always negative.  Give someone a hug or send someone else a nice little token of love to make their day special.  You will feel wonderful about it!  It can become a good habit to get into.

8. Learn form your experiences both good an bad.  If things didn’t go the way you wanted them to at some point, don’t get frustrated or bitter.  Remember, everything in our life happens for a reason.  Our experiences can be a positive if we learn from them.

These are just a few ways to keep our outlook on life positive through the ups and downs we all face.  Life is what we make it.  Be good and it can be good for us.  Positivity is infectious.  All we have to do is choose it.

Three new rec centers considered for Calgary

January 25th, 2011

City council is considering using funds that have been set aside to build 3 new recreation centers in Calgary. They are looking at a P3 partnership that has proven to work so well with building schools. The three locations for the rec centers are Quarry Park and New Brighton in the SE and Rocky Ridge in the NW.

In repsonse to economic projections for Calgary, 2011 has already started with a big bang!

January 21st, 2011

The exceptionally low real estate inventory combined with considerable  buyer pent up demand has resulted in many new listings being sold within a short time, in some cases in multiple offers, however rarely exceeding list price.  One example would be a property we had listed in Coventry Hills this month sold in 5 days at 98% of list price.

As a potential Seller we strongly recommend listing early in the year as there are many Buyers acitvely looking to buy with locked in low interest rates (that are the lowest in history and will ultimately only go up) as well as benefit from lower monthly payments with  a 35 year amortization (that is reduced to a maximum 30 years as of March 18, 2011).  

Buyer’s it is imprtant that you get your pre-qualifying in place for financing, as it is a competitve buying market and you will need to be prepared to write an offer as well priced properties are selling quickly.

If you are considering buying or selling, please call us directly at 403-796-4400 and we will show you how our superior Buyer and Seller programs will benefit you.

CREB 2011 Housing Forecast Looks Positive.

January 19th, 2011

An improving economy with prospects of job groth and more people moving to the city as CREB forecasting an increase in Home and Condo Sales this year but the recovery will be slow.

CREB’s annual forecast released Tuesday, said Calgary’s housing inventory is expected to stabilize, resulting in an eventual return to a more balanced and sustainable market.

It forecasts single family home sales to increase by 19.9% this year to 14,500 transactions, while Condo sales will rise by 15.8 % to 6,000 transactions.  Satellite communities and towns such as Okotoks, Cochrane, Airdrie, and Strathmore, CREB is forecasting a 13.5% increase to 4,000 transactions.

In 2010, single family home sales were the loweest in more than a decade, falling 16% from 2009.

New Mortgage Rules in effect as of March 18, 2011

January 17th, 2011

 

  • Reduce the maximum amortization period to 30 years from 35 years for new government-backed insured mortgages with a loan to value ratio of more than 80 per cent.  This will significatnly reduce the total interest payments Canadian families make on their mortgages, allowing Canadian families to build up equity in their homes more quickly, and help Canadians pay off their mortgages before they retire.
  • Lower the maximum amount Canadians can borrow in refinancing their mortgages to 85% from 90% of the value of their homes.  This will promote saving through home ownership and limit the repackaging of consumer debt into mortgages guaranteed by taxpayers.
  • Withdraw government insurance backing on lines of credit secured by homes, such as home equity lines of credit, or HELOCs.  This will ensure that risks associated with consumer debt products used to borrow funds unrelated to house purchases are managed by the financial institutions and not by borne by taxpayers.

These changes above will take effect March 18, 2011 with the exception of insured HELOC (bullet 3) will take effect April 18, 2011.

 

CorleyTeam Property Searches now optimized for your smart phone!

January 14th, 2011

Enjoy a sleek mobile interface with an optimized mobile interface that gives you multiple search options, including community browsing and our brand new proximity search that uses your phones GPS coordinates to find homes for sale near your current location! 

In addition, we’ve added a bookmarking system that lets you save your favourite listings to come back to later, and quick ‘touch to call’ buttons to make it even easier for you to connect with us on the go!

We are very excited about this and hope you all find it useful.  Getting started could not be simpler.  Simply open up your smart phone web browser and type in CorleyTeam.com.   The site will detect you are on a mobile device and automatically display your new mobile-optimized site and give you the ability with the push of a button to save it as a button app on your phone.