Summer - Ramp it Up

The Summer months are a great time of the year to sell your home. Here are a few tips to get your home SOLD.

Activate CalgaryDreamHomes.com and our marketing plan! Arrange a Marketing Consultation with us, and let us present how we get your home sold, for the right price and in the least time.

Use Lots of Natural Light. Buyers love lots of Natural Light – Blinds up – it’s showtime! It can make your home feel bigger, more open, and of course more appealing. In summer everyone loves the outdoor space, so make sure you cut back any tree branches or bushes that are stopping the Natural Light get into your home.

Put a Bit of Color in Your Garden We go through winter with everything green, apart from when it’s snow covered. But in the summer add some vibrant colors to your garden. Put them either “in’ the garden or in lots of pots. It will give your home incredible Curb appeal.

Make The Best of Your Outdoor Space. When you are selling in winter it is hard to show off your outdoor living space. But in the summer WOLLA! Make sure you highlight it. It can be a small balcony or patio, but you can invite potential buyers to spend their summers outside! I recently added a fire pit and bought 4 Adirondack chairs and I got my 2 children to pick their own colors! OK Turquoise and Baby Pink – but FUN!

· Keep Your Home Nice and Cool. Maybe add an AC unit to your home, it can get really hot in summer, and it helps if the buyer arrives at your home and it is nice and cool. They are more likely to spend more time in your home and appreciate what it. If you don’t have AC then turn on the ceiling fan/s and open windows, create a nice through breeze.

Let us make a few suggestions – 403-850-0669

City of Calgary, July 2, 2021 – 

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. 
“It is taking time for supply to catch up with the demand in the market,” said CREB® chief economist Ann-Marie Lurie. 
“Through the early spring market, many buyers did not have a lot of choice, but the recent improvements in supply are providing more options for those purchasers and supporting the strong sales we continue to see in June. At the same time, gains in inventory are taking some pressure off the market as it starts to trend towards more balanced conditions.” 

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. While this is higher than longer-term averages, it was balanced by strong sales and the months of supply remained relatively tight at 2.4 months. However, this is still an improvement from earlier in the year when the months of supply was below two. 

As the market moves toward more balanced conditions, we are also starting to see the pace of price growth slow. The benchmark home price continued to trend up in June, but the monthly gain slowed to less than one per cent. While the pace of growth is slowing, as of June, the benchmark price was 11 per cent higher than levels recorded last year. (Cont)

FULL REPORT FROM CREB

3 TIPS FOR BEING BEAR AWARE IN THE ROCKIES JULY 2021

If you’re hiking in the Rockies you’re on the home turf of the resident grizzly and black bears. Parks Canada recommends taking the following steps to minimize the chance of an encounter:

BE NOISY

Clap, sing and talk loudly. Don’t rely on bear bells alone to make your presence known.

TEAM UP

Hike in a group of four or more and don’t let kids wander off.

LEASH THE DOG

Or better yet, leave the pooch at home. Dogs provoke defensive behaviour in bears.

For more information on bear safety visit pc.gc.ca.

SOLD

Fabulous North West Townhome

3335 42St NW - congratulations to our buyers.

Watch the New Aerial Video

MLS # A1119671

Its always the best feeling - putting the SOLD sticker on one of our listings! 238 Citadel Drive NW sold in 10 days over list price. Happy clients!

Members of The Institute who hold the CLHMS designation (Stewart J Lowe-Calgary & Area) have successfully documented performance in the TOP 10% of their markets, and have successfully demonstrated their expertise in the luxury home and estate market.

Recognized as the mark of accomplishment in luxury markets around the world, the Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist (CLHMS) designation assures affluent buyers and sellers that the agents who have earned it have the knowledge, experience, competence, and confidence they require. 

ACHIEVING GUILD RECOGNITION

Recognized as an achievement in luxury markets around the world, the Million Dollar GUILD™ recognition assures high-net-worth-individuals that real estate professionals who have achieved GUILD status are remarkably knowledgeable, experienced, and have the unique skills necessary to meet and exceed expectations for today’s most discerning luxury buyers and sellers.

Luxury real estate professionals achieve GUILD recognition after having completed the luxury home sales and marketing training, becoming an Institute Member, earning the Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist™ designation, and have documented performance in the million dollar and above residential market.

June 9, 2021- Once again, The Bank of Canada has held its target for the overnight rate at ¼ percent.

Great news for those with a variable rate mortgage and those with line of credit! Rates are still at historic lows! As always, if you or someone you know has questions, feel free to contact me at anytime

City of Calgary, June 1, 2021 –

With 2,989 sales, housing market activity hit a new May record.

Despite strong levels of sales, they did trend down relative to last month. Additionally, there were 4,562 new listings, causing seasonally adjusted inventory levels to increase over last month.

“The recent gains in prices have encouraged more homeowners to list their homes and take advantage of the current market situation,” said CREB® chief economist Ann-Marie Lurie.

READ MORE

WEDNESDAY COFFEE CONNECTION

MAY 26 2021

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Starting June 1, both insured and uninsured mortgage borrowers will be subject to a stricter stress test when qualifying for their mortgage.

The Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) confirmed on Thursday that it will move ahead with its stress test changes first announced last month, which will apply to uninsured mortgages (typically those with more than a 20% down payment).

Soon after, the Department of Finance confirmed it will follow OSFI’s lead, and apply the same stricter higher qualifying rate to insured mortgages, or those with less than 20% down.

In both cases, borrowers will need to prove they can afford payments based on the higher of the contract rate plus 2%, or a new floor rate of 5.25%, up from the current 4.79%.

“The recent and rapid rise in housing prices is squeezing middle class Canadians across the entire country and raises concerns about the stability of the overall market,” Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said in a statement. “The federal government will align with OSFI by establishing a new minimum qualifying rate for insured mortgages…It is vitally important that homeownership remain within reach for Canadians.”

READ FULL ARTICLE

Yes it is a “Sellers Market” and you probably figured that out if you are looking to buy in Calgary!

It refers to a scenario where there is less inventory for sale compared to the number of buyers. But if you are thinking of listing your home, here is what buyers and sellers need to know before plunging into a seller’s market.

Less inventory on the market, what sellers have to understand though is that a seller’s market does not mean that a good deal will automatically fall into their lap.You still need to make sure that your home is priced well and  in good condition. The combination of these will increase the chances of multiple offers. A smart seller with our help will know how to make the most of multiple offers.

In a multiple offer situation it is not always the one with the highest offer. Take a long look, who has got their financing lined up, fewer conditions and a possession date that works. The main thing for a seller is that you do not want the deal to collapse, and have to go back on the market.

Buyers in a seller’s market must be ready to move. Nothing attracts a seller as much as a motivated buyer who has everything lined up to close the deal swiftly. You must give a competitive offer, and show you are serious.

As a buyer consider, where you want to live, have CalgaryDreamHomes.com send you the latest listings, talk to your lender and get a commitment, have your down payment ready and basically know your numbers, what is your maximum price range.

You might have to wait for the right home to come on the market, but that’s ok – be ready to go! If you snooze you lose in a sellers market!

Call us with any questions 403-850-0669 info@calgarydreamhomes.com

CALGARY LATEST LISTINGS

If you are in the market for an acreage property, here a a few things to remember. The space is great but there are a couple of other things to keep in mind. Also you have to consider possible drawbacks associated with living further away from cities and suburban areas. 

Here are 7 things to consider when buying a rural property, so you can weigh the costs and benefits of investing in the countryside before you make any commitments. 

READ MORE

May 03, 2021

City of Calgary, May 3, 2021 –

There were 3,209 sales in April, a new record high for the month, as Calgary's housing market continues to bounce back from the pandemic lows recorded in 2020.

“Despite entering the third wave of COVID-19, there is more optimism of economic recovery when the economy re-opens,” said CREB® chief economist Ann-Marie Lurie.
“However, the recent surge in home sales could be a result of potential buyers wanting to enter the market before any further changes occur in prices, interest rates and lending policy. This could erode some of their purchasing power.”

READ MORE

Today, Canada's banking regulator proposed raising the mortgage stress test benchmark for uninsured mortgages to 5.25% (or two percentage points above the mortgage contract rate, whichever is higher).

This change, proposed by the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI), only impacts homebuyers with a minimum 20% down payment, and would reduce their purchasing power by about 4-5%. 

FULL ARTICLE

In comparison, the average income earner in Vancouver can now afford 54 square feet of housing, up from 40 square feet in 2006. In Calgary it is now nearly 154 square feet.

READ FULL ARTICLE

April 01, 2021

Persistent sellers’ market conditions contribute to price gains

City of Calgary, April 1, 2021 – The initial impact of COVID-19 on the housing market began last March.

One year later, it is not a surprise that March sales in 2021 were higher than in 2020. However, at 2,903 sales, this was the highest March total since 2007.  

“Low lending rates and improved savings have supported sales activity,” said CREB® chief economist Ann-Marie Lurie.

“However, sales have been somewhat restricted by the lack of listings. This month there was a jump in new listings, contributing to the strong monthly sales.” 

Inventory levels pushed above 5,400 units, but citywide months of supply fell below two months. This reflects the lowest months of supply for March since 2014 and these tight conditions have contributed to price gains.

FULL REPORT