Home buying season is typically between April and June, but it's no guarantee that buyers won't look to the off-season. As the market grows more unpredictable, the so-called season grows more remote.

Today, home buying season is basically every single day of the year, with buyers taking advantage of the on and off-season perks. The season in question still remains around spring, but Christmastime has also grown into a home-buying frenzy as of late. Summer and fall are now considered off-season. Then again, does it matter?

Buying a home off-season puts the buyer in a better position. During this time, Realtors struggle to do everything to sell in a less active buyer base like lowering their prices, making attractive offers, and so on. However, take note that there are fewer houses for sale during the off-season; some homeowners are not keen on letting go of their house while winter is in full swing.

On the other hand, buying during the season means more homes to choose from but at the expense of higher prices. It's not necessarily another housing bubble; just the law of supply and demand at work. Prices go up when goods are in demand and supply runs low due to the increase in demand. You'll also face stiff competition from other buyers who may work on friendlier terms.

 
According to a number of surveys, Calgary is one of the most liveable places in Canada. The city, nestled within the province of Alberta, was even considered the cleanest city in the country by Forbes. It also helps that the region is a very bustling community, with much of the action centered on its downtown district.

Calgary’s rise to fame can be attributed to Alberta’s sudden oil boom around 1999. Wisely, many businesses flocked to the city, hoping to capitalize on the economic wave Calgary was riding on. Today, the city is replete with skyscrapers, offices, and numerous shopping and dining options, yet unlike other congested cities in Canada, a good number of the new houses in Calgary are built in areas of expansion. This means homebuyers can look forward to enjoying city life while having entire houses to themselves.

Buying a home in Calgary can be tricky. Properties around and in the city can fetch a premium price, and such things discourage first-time buyers. Fortunately, local real estate professionals can help buyers find a house that perfectly fits their budgets. Calgary’s a wonderful place to live in, and it certainly pays to know exactly which houses are the best in the region.

 
Moving to Calgary may be one of the best decisions you'll ever make in your life, with the city being given an impressive liveability rating by the Economic Intelligence Unit. Calgary also has a total of 222 neighbourhoods, and you will likely find an area wherein you can completely feel at home. The real estate properties available in the city also abound, and looking through the information in online resources can give you a clear idea of your options— whether you intend to buy a single-family home, condominium, or a town home.

While each real estate option has its own advantages, one thing you do have to prepare for if you choose either town home or condominium living is the Homeowners Association Fee. HOA fees are used to cover the costs of the cleaning and maintenance of common areas like lobbies, main entryways, and parking spaces. HOA fees are also used to ensure amenities like tennis courts, gyms, entertainment areas, pools, and others are kept in good condition and repair work is done as needed.

Property owners mandate its occupants or residents to pay HOA fees, and ideally, the amount and required date of payment is specified on the Land Title Certificate, which your realtor will inform you of before you sign on any paperwork detailing your purchase of the property. Do carefully read the terms involved in HOA fees since in Canada, failure to pay the due HOA fees may lead to costly lawsuits.

 
If you’re working in the logistics industry, you do understand that there are lot of variables to deal with. Stocking up on required goods, finding space for them, and making sure they get shipped to their intended destination on time are among the chief problems you’ll deal with every day. However, there will be times when the supply train is bringing in more product than your current facilities can deal with at the moment. One solution is to lease a warehouse.

Finding a suitable warehouse for your company requires a thorough assessment of existing operations. The evaluation will include the availability and condition of electrical fixtures and water outlets, determining the total floor area you’ll need, and your overall budget. The last one is essential because the rental will be factored into your operational expenses per month. Security issues can play a role if the prospect facility is a bit far from your business place; the research will include accommodations for employees and security personnel.

Consult a Realtor about your specifications for the warehouse. The agent can help identify commercial properties that fit those needs and set up a meeting with the property management company running it. Even if the negotiations and the rates work in your favor, make sure to hammer out all important details in the lease contract before you ever sign it.

 
There are a lot of houses out there in real estate listings, each having different strengths and weaknesses, so it is not that odd if the search eventually becomes excruciatingly confusing and time-consuming.

Of course, hiring a reliable Realtor will help you in your search, but it is inadvisable to leave everything to him alone. You must have a proactive participation in the buying process, as you are the one who will be living in that house, after all.

Here are some things to consider when buying a house in cheery Calgary:

Proximity to quality schools

The house’s proximity to good schools such as Mountain View Academy, Mount Royal University and the University of Calgary is something worth pondering. Not only will the proximity help your children in their studies, but it can also help increase the value of the home when you decide to resell it.

Location

Checking out the location of the home is important as well. A good home is not worth it if it is located in an area that is contrary to your ideal living conditions. Double check your needs and do not be tempted by good homes in odd areas.

House structure

You definitely do not want the house to fall down on you, as it will cost you much more in the long run. Avoid homes that look like they’re going to break apart at a moment’s notice.

 
Selling your house is an intricate process that needs a lot of foresight and the proper use of marketing strategies. This can, of course, be eased if you hire a reliable Realtor who can help you put up your home in an MLS with the local real estate board of Realtors. Here are some tips on how to choose a Realtor:

References

Ask your prospective Realtor for a list of references whom you could contact yourself to ask about the Realtor’s services. A reliable agent should be proud of work he's done for past clients. Talk to a few people on the reference list and interview them about their experiences working with the Realtor.

Get the Local CMA

Get a CMA or comparative market analysis from your Realtor– this will help you identify how you should price your home sale, as well as tell you how well it would do when compared with other homes in your area. CMA basically tells you how homes with similar qualities as yours have been selling in the current market.


This is one of the most important questions that you can ask; your Realtor should be able to efficiently raise your home’s visibility in the market. One way this can be done is by using MLS or multiple listing services, which can help real estate professionals and prospective buyers alike get a good glimpse into what you are selling.

 
MoneySense.ca has named Calgary as 2013's Best City in terms of weather, employment rate, housing prices, property tax, and other factors. It isn't surprising at all if a lot of people start moving near or even in the City. If you are having trouble picking out the house you want, then read on and the following tips might be helpful:

  • The Neighborhood – Aside from choosing the house itself, you need to find a good neighborhood. Find out if the community has local markets, ease of access to public transport, schools, and other things you might need. Some of the neighborhoods that have been acknowledged recently as good places to live in Calgary include Arbour Lake, Acadia, and Varsity.

  • Closer or Farther from the Center? - Like other cities, homes near downtown are more expensive because of the location advantage. If you don't mind the commute, then a home located a bit far off the city center can be cheaper.

  • The Quadrants – Calgary is subdivided into different quadrants (Southwest, Northwest, Southeast, and Northeast), and each has their own advantages. For example, Northeast is closer to the airport while the Southeast is closer to commercial and industrial areas.

You can check several resources online to guide you in finding a new home. Research is important when buying a home, so be sure to read about the surroundings of your prospective house before you sign any contract.




 
Reports that surfaced in October suggest that the housing market in Calgary, Alberta is currently at a price hike, which is sending people on the fringe between buying a house now or waiting for rates to subside. This is a constant debate in the real estate industry, where some people advise that people should take the leap while the prices are still low, and others claiming that waiting for a better window is the way to go.

The rise in the housing market is a simple matter of economics; as the supply goes down (Calgary home inventory is low in all categories), the demand will rise. This demand can only be offset by allowing the prices to increase as well, thus the national price increase of 1.2% to 4.1% within the third quarter of 2013.

Advocates of securing your home purchase as soon as possible say that the soaring prices of homes and mortgages will only increase in the coming years. Hence, it should be best to get yourself started now, and have it refinanced should the market begin to subside significantly.

Some people on the other hand argue that the risk of the market soaring “too fast, too high” is unlikely. One of the grounds for their argument stems from the fact that as homebuilding improves, supply should gain a better foothold, thus eliminating excess demand.

 
Just recently, real estate sales in Calgary topped the national average by 5.6 per cent. It is hoped that the industry's growth will be sustained in the next couple of months. This fact is surely thrilling a lot of home buyers who have been dreaming to settle in Calgary for good. Here are some tips you can follow to find a suitable property for sale.


First, you might want to save up for a sizeable down payment so you can pay a huge amount upfront and thereby reduce your monthly fees. Before obtaining any sort of financing, be sure to understand how mortgage works. Likewise, find a reliable mortgage lender that can offer reasonable rates.

Meanwhile, keep in mind that aside from the home’s market value, you’ll need to shoulder a bunch of additional charges that come along with the purchase. Be prepared to pay for services like property surveying, land registration, and local authority searches. It's also possible that the previous owner may have left some bills unpaid, which you’ll need to take care of as well.

Just like any other big-ticket purchase, you need to carefully inspect a house before buying it and moving in. If you have next to zero knowledge about this aspect, seek the help of your real estate agent.

 
Commercial real estate in Calgary is one of the largest in Canada, with about 65 million square feet of office space in the downtown and suburban areas, and about 127 million square feet of industrial space in the south east and north east. With such a large inventory, foreign and domestic investors are sure to find a commercial property in the city that best suits their interests and needs.

Aside from office buildings, retail centers like shopping malls are very popular because they can be rented on a long-term basis—provided tenants agree on a “triple net lease agreement” in their contract. This clause ensures that the investor's returns won't go down as taxes and operating expenditures increase. Meanwhile, resorts and hotels generally represent a huge gamble because while they generate large profits, they can be quite a handful to manage. Savvy investors are known to lease out hotels and resorts to companies who can run them in their stead.

Other investors also purchase plots of land for development, which is arguably the riskiest but most lucrative venture they can take. On one hand, land development brings with it a slew of construction and legal requirements, but on the other hand, investors can develop the property as they see fit. The city of Calgary may require investors to work with the Development and Building Approvals Business Unit before any land purchases can be finalized.