For the past few months we’ve all seen the headlines … “Financial Meltdown”, “Recession”, and “Hunker Down”. The word of the year for 2008 is ‘bailout’.   Looking ahead at 2009, what will you choose to fill your head with? One of hope, resilience and knowing that, “this too will pass?” or, will you bury your head in the sand along with all those other doomsday prophets?   I believe 2009 is the year that many folks will get back to reality in spending habits. Life may become simpler.   This morning as I was preparing my kids sandwiches, I used the last zip lock sandwich bag.  I began to consider my school days. I wondered to myself, “Will I buy more zip lock sandwich bags”?   Growing up, I was the youngest of six kids. My parents were born in the depression, in rural Prince Edward Island... 01/06/2009

Well, with the end of 2008, real estate professionals and prognosticators can look back and reflect on how poor 2008 really was. Here are some national numbers to consider: 1. Average house prices are down 9.8 percent in November from a year ago. 2. Total home sales are at their lowest since 2001. While these numbers do not look good for Canadian home owners these numbers don’t tell the whole story. This down turn is likely a result of a cyclical ebb and flow of home prices which have steadily risen in the last decade or so. And, the Canadian real estate market will likely avoid the disaster that most U.S. cities find themselves in. Led by Phoenix with a 33 percent decrease in real estate prices, the U.S. market is far worse than Canada. Part of what makes the Canadian situation differ... 01/03/2009

I've added a new feature to my website today, the Hottest 20 Communities in Calgary (in terms of MLS sales turnover). Here's the latest numbers as of December 2008: Top 20 Hot Communitiesas of December 1, 2008 Rank Community Average Absorption Rate(last 6 months) 1 Scarboro 2.14 2 Midnapore 2.20 3 Douglasglen 2.25 4 Collingwood 2.27 5 Vista Heights 2.53 6 Macewan Glen 2.60 7 Sundance 2.71 8 Lake Bonavista Downs 2.93 9 Lake Bonavista 2.95 10 Country Hills 2.96 11 Hidden Valley 2.98 12 Coventry Hills 3.08 13 Cougar Ridge 3.09 14 St Andrew's Heights 3.13 15 University Heights 3.15 16 East Mayland Heights 3.19 17 Riverbend 3.21 18 Evergreen 3.25 19 Fairview 3.27 20 Dalhousie 3.32 12/31/2008

The news for Calgary real estate isn't pretty for some right now. Consider the amount of units sold up to the end of the month of November in 2008 compared with 2007. There were approximately 31000 units sold up to the end of November 2007 and approximately 23000 units sold up to the end of November this year. That's a reduction of 40%! This behavior, however, could be seen as a natural correction following a period of unprecedented growth. Calgary has had a shortage of housing for most of the last decade or more and it is just now that builders have caught up to the demand. For sellers, this can be trying times as values continue to decrease, however, for buyer's this could be a time of great opportunity. Calgary's real estate market will turn around and most think this is an inevitabl... 12/26/2008

FOOD DRIVE   The South Calgary Community Association has some exciting news regarding the 5th Annual Garrison Woods Calgary Inter-Faith Food Drive and are hoping you will join the team of elves.   Last December over 900 letters and bags were delivered to virtually every home in Garrison Woods.  We then collected approximately 3,750 lbs. of food from our wonderful residents. We are anxious to continue this tradition however have made the decision to defer our Drive until January 2009.  The Interfaith Food Bank has informed us that there is a large spirit of giving over Christmas however early in the New Year their food supplies start to run low.  In addition to deferring to January, we have also decided to expand our Drive to include all the Communities within the South Calgary Community... 12/21/2008

For people who can afford it, 2009 is probably going to be a good time to buy a new home. Interest rates are likely to be low and home prices continue to become more affordable. However, lenders are making it more difficult for first-time home buyers to enter the market. The days of 40 year amortizations are over and lenders are requiring larger down payments. For people who are purchasing their first home these obstacles can be daunting. First-timers….don’t despair. If you have RRSPs, you may be able to use them to finance the down payment on your property. In order to support home ownership in Canada, the Government of Canada allows home buyers to withdraw up to $20,000 to put towards a down payment of a first home, tax free! And, spouses can also use up to $20,000 in RRSPs to purcha... 12/14/2008

December is always the slowest month of the year for home sales in Calgary, followed typically by January. This year is no exception.  However, with the downturn in the economy, the collapse in the price of oil, the tightening of credit and buyers' expectations of lower prices in the coming year, sales during the first nine days of December were much lower than for the same period of 07.  The stats below are for the city of Calgary and are generated on a weekly basis by the Calgary Real Estate Board.                                                 2008                       2007 SINGLE FAMILY HOMES Sales                                         155                          266 New listings                                401                          419 Inventory                          ... 12/12/2008

For the past few months we’ve all seen the headlines … “Financial Meltdown”, “Recession”, and “Hunker Down”. The word of the year for 2008 is ‘bailout’.   Looking ahead at 2009, what will you choose to fill your head with? One of hope, resilience and knowing that, “this too will pass?” or, will you bury your head in the sand along with all those other doomsday prophets?   I believe 2009 is the year that many folks will get back to reality in spending habits. Life may become simpler.   This morning as I was preparing my kids sandwiches, I used the last zip lock sandwich bag.  I began to consider my school days. I wondered to myself, “Will I buy more zip lock sandwich bags”?   Growing up, I was the youngest of six kids. My parents were born in the depression, in rural Prince Edward Island... 12/12/2008

  December 2007 marked both the last month the United States had positive job growth and the first month of recession. Fast forward a year and the headlines indicate the worst is yet to come with 533,000 American jobs lost in November 2008 and unemployment continuing its climb to levels not seen since the early 1990`s. The American labour department indicated 2.7 million jobs have been cut since last December.Generally speaking, a recession is defined as two consecutive quarters of gross domestic product (GDP) contraction. While the USA uses slightly differing measures it is still apparent recession has set in south of the boarder. How does this affect Canada? Until recently we have remained relatively unaffected by the deteriorating US economy. Last week the Organization for Co-operat... 12/09/2008

CALGARY - More and more people have been streaming into bankruptcy trustee Bruce Alger's office in recent months, as a slowdown in the all-important energy sector begins to weigh on the livelihoods of everyday Albertans.Not long ago, Alberta was considered Canada's economic juggernaut, as torrid development in the oilsands created scores of high-paying jobs and rampant economic growth.But oil prices have been decimated since hitting an all-time high of US$147 in July. On Friday, the crude contract closed at a four-year low of $40.81 on the New York Mercantile Exchange.The staggering fall in oil prices has caused many producers to put a kibosh on their ambitious expansion plans, many of which need crude prices close to US$100 per barrel to be viable.At the same time, though, the inflated... 12/07/2008

CALGARY MARKET SHOWS SEASONAL DECLINE  Calgary, December 1, 2008 - MLS® sales activity shows typical seasonal slowdown, as the end of 2008 approaches, according to figures released by the Calgary Real Estate Board (CREB®).  Single family Calgary metro sales for the month of November totaled 670, showing a decrease of 39.3 per cent from the 1,103 sales in November 2007 and showing a decrease of 18.3 per cent from last month's sales of 820. Condominium sales for the month of November were 284, a decrease of 42.7 per cent from the 496 condominium sales recorded in November 2007 and showing a decrease of 29 per cent from October 2008 when 399 condominiums changed hands.  "We're coming into the homestretch, with just one month left in 2008. Market activity typically slows down during the en... 12/05/2008

               Public Consultation to Begin on River Park Plan                     The New Year will ring in with the start of public consultations on the Park Management/Design Development Plan for River Park/Sandy Beach/Britannia Slopes.           The plan will focus on ensuring the long-term viability of the park area as a multi-use recreational area, while protecting its natural environment.           Ward 11 Alderman Brian Pincott says the project is necessary, as the park is showing the impact from the city’s population growth.             “This is a treasure of a park, and we are very much loving it to death. Reviewing the management and design of the park is key to ensuring that it is one that we can enjoy for years to come.”             The City has hired O2 Planning + Design I... 11/11/2008

Over the last few years I have formed a good team; however, I’m stilling working on creating a Dream Team.   I’ve recently read Blair Singer’s book, “The ABC’s of Building a Business Team That Wins”. He recommends that a team develop a Code … then use this code as way to retain and recruit people to your team.   Code – The Howard Team Real Estate Service   Never abandon a teammate in need. Be willing to “call” and be “called.” Celebrate all wins! Be on time. Keep all agreements and clean up any broken or potentially broken agreements ASAP. Deal direct. (If you have a problem with someone go directly to that person with it or get off it!) Be responsible – no laying blame on others, no justifications! Be resourceful – find solutions before “dumping” on others. Never let personal “stuff” g... 11/02/2008

I recently participated in the the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii. While training for the big day ... I was able to raise nearly $5,000 for Habitat for Humanity. If you are interested ... you can have a read of the days events! The short version ... 'very fun'. (Please take a moment to LEAVE A RESPONSE (make a comment) below... as it will assist me in ranking higher in google. Better yet ... ask a question ... so I can respond!)   Ironman Hawaii – Race Report by Bryon Howard   Race Totals: 10 hours,41 minutes and 39 seconds. 646th place overall out of 1732       98 out of 226 finishers in 40-44 age group ‘Swim 2.4 miles. Ride 112 miles. Run 26.2 miles. Then brag for the rest of your life.’ Thus Ironman Triathlon was born 30 years ago,1977.   Pre-race; 4:00AM: *7 hrs sleep ... 10/30/2008

Currie Barracks, Calgary's most anticipated new community. Canada Lands Company (CLC) is pleased to announce that the Currie Barracks redevelopment site is the first project in Canada and the largest to date worldwide, to earn gold certification for its approved plan from the LEED for Neighbourhood Development program. LEED is an internationally accepted standard for high performance in green design and construction. Read more about Currie Barrack's LEED certification and get all the latest updates in the October Newsletter, available for download at www.curriebarracks.com. 10/28/2008

Wow ... just returned from two weeks in Hawaii (participating at the Ironman World Championships) and I consciously avoided all news. Scanning the newspaper headlines that were stacked on my door step ... I think the sky has fallen. I think we are at the point of market capitulation. People are throwing up their hands and giving in. Sir John Templeton called this the point of "maximum pessimism".  His theory, which was proved true over and over, was that when the markets were at the HIGH of pessimism, THAT was the best time to be buying. Are we there yet?   10/22/2008

By Andrew Kyle, B.ASc., Realtor A Tale of Two Markets Note: I am late in writing my market report this month (October 13) which is perhaps a good thing, because I am factoring in the latest financial turmoil from the world markets into the below report. The spread between the Single Family (SF) House markets and the Condominium market in Calgary continues to grow, with the difference between the two markets being higher than it has ever been since I have been tracking the data. Condos reached a new high Absorption Rate, and the drop in median price of condos is starting to become what I would describe as "dramatic". Meanwhile, houses stabilized somewhat and median prices continue to slowly come down. Condos: The absorption rate for condos at the end of September 2008 stands at 6.08 - a ... 10/13/2008

I was recently asked to write a column on 'Staging for Condominiums' and was happy to illustrate just how different staging condos is from a single-family detached home.  I hope you find this article of interest and help for those of you who are condo-owners!____________________________________________________________________________________________________ A move is in your future - you've decided to sell your condominium!  Get ready, however, because with today's market flooded with a surplus of homes buyers can choose from, preparing your home for sale involves more than just cleaning and tidying your home for buyer visits.  It can quite often involve the expert advice of a Professional Home Stager to turn your home from average into a property that will make buyers say, 'I want to l... 10/08/2008

GARDENERS NEEDED THIS WEEKEND The Alternative High School Community Garden is looking to recruit a few good volunteers for upcoming Garden Rebuild workdays. When: Friday October 3rd & Saturday October 4th, 2008 Friday – 9:00am to 12:00 pm  On Friday we will be working with CADO clients and a few students to remove all the wood and plant material from the circle section of the garden. Refreshments will be provided throughout the day as well as a pizza lunch for all volunteers at 12:00 pm.   Saturday – 10:00am to 2:00pm Saturday we will be dealing with the remaining soil, moving the garden shed and moving and repairing the existing 4' x 8' boxes. Refreshments will be provided throughout the day as well as a pizza lunch for all volunteers at 12:00 pm.   Where: Alternative High School Commu... 10/02/2008

  In November or December Marda Loop, South Calgary, Altadore, and Garrison Woods will be enjoying the installation of a New Gateway Feature! Calgary Transit has finally agreed to fund the installation of this (first) structure – which will be on the east side of 33 Avenue and Crowchild Trail SW.   The design for the second structure is complete, however, the BRZ and community will have to raise the money, this installation can also proceed.  The budget to do this would be around $150,000.  It would be great to initiate a Local Improvement project to  accomplish this.  The link below provides more information and the contacts to initiate such a project:   http://www.calgary.ca/portal/server.pt/gateway/PTARGS_0_2_565867_0_0_18/Local+Improvements+and+Special+Taxes.htm   There are drawings... 09/29/2008