Calgary Real Estate Blog - Calgary REALTORS

Forward Housing

Local Calgary Non Profit

Origin: May 1976 Roman Catholic Diocese of Calgary Association for Senior Citizens  was established and registered as a non-profit entity in Alberta. While in 2015, the non profit  Updated their name and logo to "Bishop O’Byrne Housing Association"  Now, newly renamed in the summer of 2020, "Forward Housing"

This non profit organization grew, and was founded upon the incredibly hard working and dedicated, Roman Catholic community in Calgary that was setup to support the low income senior population around 40 years ago. In 2013, Forward Housing opened a new residence in Bridgeland called Columbus Place, and since then their spectrum of affordable housing solutions has truly grown with a highly anticipated…

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Advice On Making An Offer On A Home

So you're ready to make an offer to purchase a home in Calgary? Read below on our best tips and tricks to make your offer the strongest possible offer below! 

You’ve seen 1, 2, 3, or maybe hundreds of fronts doors in your search for your new home! Finally you've found the perfect home that checks all the boxes off on all of your must-haves. Now it is time to make a home offer to secure your the home, here are some tips by the Real Estate Partners team with RE/MAX FIRST to have a smooth transaction with the seller and to ensure that you are able to get your new home with a price and deal that is painless for both you and the seller. 

The Basics Of Writing An Offer On A Home In Calgary

Once you've put an offer out to the seller, generally…

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Finished or Unfinished basements in Calgary

Many of our Calgary home buyers often ask..  

Should I Buy a home in Calgary with a finished or unfinished basement? 

To begin this breakdown, we're going to look at some of the benefits of having a developed basement in Calgary and surrounding areas. 

Benefits of having a developed basement in Calgary

While the size of your basement will not be reflected on the MLS® in terms of displaying the properties square footage, due to measurement standards only reflecting floor area that is above grade, it still will reflect the total 'livable space' often seen in write ups and marketing of a property. Your 2,000 sq ft home could be advertised as "With 3,000 Sq Ft of developed living space" this provides value when you're entering the market to…

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Should I Buy Calgary Real Estate During COVID-19?

The COVID-19 global pandemic has rocked markets all around the world, and the real estate market is no exception. For both home buyers and home sellers, questions abound. People wonder how the housing market will be affected by the virus, and for good reason. 

The last time the world witnessed a significant global recession was just ten years ago, where the median sales price of existing homes dropped by 25% across the board. The downturn lasted for years. 

Today, homeowners wonder if they should sell quickly before things get really bad. Conversely, potential home buyers wonder if the worst is yet to come, and if they should wait a few more months in the hopes that home prices will drop further. 

If you’re interested in homes for sale in…

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Calgary Infills

Infill Homes in Calgary: The Rising Trend You Need to Know About

Calgary's real estate market is always evolving, and one trend that has been gaining significant traction in recent years is the rise of infill homes. These are new homes built on vacant lots in already established neighborhoods, often replacing older properties or repurposing under utilized land. For homebuyers, investors, and even long time Calgarians, lots in infill communities in Calgary offer unique opportunities. What exactly are infill homes, and why are they such a big deal in Calgary?

What Are Infill Homes?

Infill homes are newly constructed residences built on vacant or redeveloped lots within existing communities. Unlike suburban developments that spread outward into…

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HOW MUCH ARE REALTOR FEES IN CALGARY

REALTOR® Commission Rates For Buying and Selling Homes

So you’re thinking about buying or selling your home in Calgary, but haven’t gone through the process of utilizing a licensed REALTOR®, you may have inherited the property, are a first time buyer or seller, or have done transactions privately, and now you're wondering what a REALTOR® might charge for their services aka the REALTOR® fees! 

First and foremost, REALTOR® fees are always negotiable and are not set in stone by any means. This means one agent or Calgary real estate team could charge differently from one another as they may offer more value or built in services than the other.  A common REALTOR® Commission that you might hear about with listings is the 7 and 3 model, which means that a…

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Top Tips for Finding the Best Realtor® in Calgary

With over 5,000 agents in the Greater Calgary market, our team shows you some ways to help locate the best real estate agent or team that Calgary has to offer! Read below to see our tips for finding and hiring the best realtor in Calgary.

Our guide on 

HOW TO FIND A TOP REALTOR® IN CALGARY

By the Real Estate Partners Team with Re/Max First | Your Top Calgary Real Estate Team 

When it comes to selling or buying a property in Calgary, you must ensure that you’re working with the best real estate agent Calgary has to offer! This can come in the form of a team or an individual agent, but is ultimately an agent who is not only experienced in your area, but one who is always looking out for your best interests and can be…

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Calgary Mortgage Deferral

With new information and changes coming daily, many Calgarians, and Canadians have been asking in their homes. Should I defer my mortgage?  

Calgary Mortgage Tips

To defer or not to defer – it’s the million dollar question! As COVID 19 hit Canada over the past weeks and many non-essential businesses began laying off employees, there has been much miscommunication from the government, both federally and provincially, that lead both homeowners and tenants to believe that mortgages are being “forgiven.” This is just not correct.  Period.  There is ZERO mortgage forgiveness being offered to homeowners.  All those mortgage payments have to be made, eventually.  The major banks and other lenders across Canada have worked to put mortgage “deferral”…

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Calgary Real Estate and COVID19

COVID19 AND CALGARY REAL ESTATE 

It's important for our team to provide communication not only to our clients, but consumers wondering how this virus effects and shapes the world as new measures and changes come through.  

Presently our team is working with buyers and sellers throughout the city, however, we have had clients postpone showings and viewings on homes for the interim until more clarity on the outlook of this pandemic is certain. 

Our team has taken the efforts and steps to help provide clarity online through social media to educate buyers and sellers of precautions for showings whether you're a buyer, seller, or buyers agent and have updated our showing instructions to reflect these new measures in hopes that responsibility within…

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Calgary Mortgage Rates March Update

This market is BONKERS.

A quick update on the newest bank of Canada mortgage rate DECREASE, the second drop we've seen recently.  

100%, this is the most crazy mortgage market that we've seen in our lifetime. Changes to the fixed rates, variable rates & bank rules coupled with the up coming changes to the stress test (that will take affect on April 6th, 2020) have created unprecedented volatility.  

It is imperative that any buyer clients, pre-approved for mortgages check in with their lending professionals about their mortgage pre approvals prior to writing an offer.  Rates, rules and times are a changing faster than we've ever seen.  

Clients that have mortgages committed at 2.80% or higher should absolutely consider breaking these mortgages and…

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