Miranda's Blog

The recovery in the Canadian real estate continued in June, spreading to 70 percent of markets. In Calgary, seasonally adjusted sales were up 25 percent, ranking ahead of other major markets including, Edmonton, Toronto and others. Most economists and industry experts are singing a common tune; t...

A home-owner can be green and save money at the same time. Being environmentally friendly doesn't have to hurt the pocketbook. There are a number of different improvements that a homeowner can make to their home that can make that home more environmentally friendly and save money. Here are some i...

A rent-to-own is a very specialized type of real estate agreement. For people who cannot obtain conventional financing, in the form of a mortgage, a rent-to-own agreement may be the only option to own a home. With any rent-to-own agreement, it is important that all the parties have their own comp...

I have written previously about the opportunities out there for first-time home buyers. A recent article was written, espousing the benefits of investing in real estate, during a recession. I think that the interviewee has a lot of interesting information and advice to disseminate to investors th...

It looks as though the months of double digit decreases in real estate sales are over. The most recent sales numbers, released by CREA, indicate a measured but significant positive outlook for the Calgary real estate market. Sales of single family homes rose 19 percent month-over-month, while sal...

With an eye to the future, the City of Calgary is developing a plan to have more Calgarians living in mixed and mulit-unit dwellings. Calgary's current development strategy is no longer viable with increasing traffic congestion and energy and utility delivery costs. Currently, Calgary's populatio...

Whether you've finally decided to build that deck or pave that driveway, there is some information you need to know about building permits for the Calgary municipal area. Of course, all new buildings need a building permit, issued by the City of Calgary but for those who are adding additions or m...

Due to the current economic climate, in Canada, there are an increasing amount of foreclosures and bankruptcies. However, for the home seller there may be another option besides foreclosure if the seller has or is about to default on their mortgage. A short sale occurs when the selling price is l...

I recently sold a property to a very nice elderly lady. I strictly represented the buyer and another agent and brokerage represented the property of an estate sale. When we originally viewed the vacant property is was in okay condition. You could tell that the floors had been washed and the fridg...

Previously, I wrote a post (entitled Save Money Now) about the ways a person can save money if they are interested in upgrading or retrofitting a home with energy efficient materials and/or appliances. With a combination of federal government rebates and federal renovation tax credits, a person c...