It sounds like one big adventure to just pack up everything you have and move to another city. You'll get to live in new place, meet new people and start a new job. It might sound like all fun, but that's a lot of new things to deal with all at once and it can get stressful.

There are tons of questions you start asking yourself when you are moving to a new city. Where will we live? What type of home can we afford? How far will I have to commute to work? Can the kids get into a good school? How do we avoid making costly mistakes?

When you move to a new city you want to feel confident that you are working with a Realtor who you can trust to help find the right neighbourhood for you, as well as, navigate you through the home buying process so your move…

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Have you ever gone into a new show home and thought to yourself, "Wow, I could live here!" The show home was inviting, tidy, smelled nice, all the furniture looked great together, and it easily to picture yourself living there.

Now, if that same show home had a bunch of stuff on the kitchen counters, had a funny smell, loads of other people's family photos on the walls or it was completely empty you might have a harder time picturing it as your own home.

What is Home Staging?

Home staging is the process of preparing a home for sale by increasing its appeal to a wide range of home buyers. Home buyers need to be able to feel like they can visualize themselves in the home and that's where home staging comes into play.

Home staging is everything…

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Not doing repairs on your home before selling is like not ironing your shirt before a first date. When you see your date with a wrinkled shirt, you will probably ask yourself, what else don't they care about? 

You want to make the best first impression, whether on a date or selling your home. When home buyers see lots of little problems they often think there must be bigger problems too.

The good news is, you don’t need to fix up everything in your home to prepare it for sale. You can be selective and choose those projects that are most likely to help your home show well and sell quickly. Before making any big repairs, talk to your Realtor to weigh the pros and cons with your particular real estate market, home and your personal situation.

Here…

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Owning a home may be your dream, but in order for the purchase to be the happy and satisfying experience it was meant to be, you need to ensure that you are financially and mentally prepared for the responsibilities that come with it.

  • 11 Questions to Ask When Hiring a Realtor
  • 10 Questions to Ask About the Cost of Buying Your First Home 
  • 5 Questions to Ask When Searching for a Home 

Great questions to ask when hiring a Realtor.

11 Questions to ask when hiring a Realtor.

1. How do Realtor fees work? How much do you get paid?

Typically, the fees for both the listing and purchasing Realtors are paid for by the seller. The fees are determined at the time the home owners sign the listing agreement. The fees can vary depending on the type of service you’re receiving. What this…

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Calgary offers diverse culture and unlimited opportunities for its born and bred Calgarians, new citizens and visitors. With 1.2 million people, nestled next to the Rocky Mountains under the prairie sky, Calgary boasts clean air and contagious spirit. Here are just a few reasons that make Calgary one of the most incredible cities to call home.

  1. Calgary was named the most livable city in North America 2018 and 2019.
  2. With over 600km of pathways, you can get virtually anywhere in Calgary on your bicycle. City of Calgary Pathways and Bikepaths.

  3. The famous Calgary Stampede is The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth held for 10 days every July. To see what’s in store this year, visit the Calgary Stampede.

    Calgary Stampede

  4. Ice skating at Olympic Plaza.

  5. Enjoy a drink…

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What do you do when you live in a city with no lakes…well you dig a massive hole, fill it with water and build beautiful homes around it. That’s what Vee Keith founder of Keith Construction did in southeast Calgary in 1967 when he created the first master planned lake community in Calgary called Lake Bonavista. Now several decades later Calgary has a number of lake communities that offer residents private access to all the water fun they want.

Calgary’s 10 Lake Communities

  1. Lake Bonavista
  2. Lake Bonaventure
  3. Lake Midnapore
  4. Lake Chaparral
  5. Lake Sundance
  6. McKenzie Lake
  7. Auburn Bay
  8. Mahogany Lake
  9. Arbour Lake
  10. Coral Springs

Lake Bonavista – Calgary’s First Master Planned Lake Community

Lake Bonavista

The community of Lake Bonavista has…

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If you have a renovation project in mind – make sure they're renovations that will actually pay you back in the long run. Before you renovate your home it’s a good idea to contact your Realtor. Even if you're renovating primarily for your own benefit, you should try to assess the post-project increase in the value of your home, just in case you ever want to sell down the road.

Best Renovations for the Money

As far as getting a return on your investment, the best money is in upgrading or remodeling your kitchen or bathroom.

Kitchen remodel

  1. Minor bathroom remodel
  2. Minor kitchen remodel
  3. Exterior improvements (vinyl siding, paint, updated front entry)
  4. Major kitchen remodel
  5. Major bathroom remodel
  6. Deck, patio or porch addition
  7. Basement remodel
  8. …

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The City of Calgary is proud to have 17% of the designated park space as off-leash space. With 150 off-leash dog areas in and around the City there’s sure to be one close to home. Dog parks are full of people who share their love for their best fur friends, where you can meet people from your area and join in different dog groups to give Fido (and you) an opportunity to make new friends.  

Off-Leash Dog Etiquette 101

 Many of Calgary’s off-leash areas are shared spaces with natural environments which can lend themselves to having the occasional non-trained wildlife, so it’s important to remember to that all dog owners share the responsibility of protecting our family, both the two and four legged variety.

Dog park etiquette

  • It is illegal for dogs to chase,…

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Many of Calgary’s newer communities have Home Owners Association Fees or what's more commonly known as HOA fees. When you purchase a property in communities, like Auburn Bay, Mahogany, Springbank Hill or West Springs, you pay an annual fee to the community association which goes towards the maintenance of community amenities such as lakes, spray parks, tennis courts and outdoor skating rinks, to name a few.

Part of the appeal of these newer Calgary communities is that they are well looked after, with gardens or waterfalls welcoming you to the neighbourhood. So how are these great features taken care of? By Home Owners Association Fees.

1. What do HOA fees cover?

In different communities, the Home Owners Association Fees cover different things.…

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The countdown is on! You’ve purchased your next home and maybe even sold the current place you are in today, but the big move is still a work in progress. There are a couple essential notes to take to make your moving day as stress free and streamlined as possible.

1. Hiring a moving company or doing it yourself?

Do you call in all your favours and get your friends to help you move or spend the money and hire a moving company? A couple factors will probably play into your decision such as the time of year. Let’s face it, Calgary’s weather is a bit temperamental and if you’re moving the second week of January you might find out who your friends really are. You might need to sweeten the deal with eggnog lattes and take-out to swing the pendulum in…

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