My Edmonton Home Staging Blog

I like to keep an eye on local reports and share them with you, to keep you informed on market conditions. If you ever want to add something to this, feel free to contact me on (780) 266-0850 or e-mail me at michellem@edmontonproperties.com.

Edmonton Home Staging Blog - Tuesday, March 2, 2010 - Extraordinary Fundraiser Brings Shriners Circus to Edmonton

Fundraising came naturally to charity campaign master Barry Gogal.  When his grade school was unable to pay for its sports teams’ travel and uniforms, Gogal raised money with raffles, selling woodwork-shop items and initiating bottle collections.  Gogal grew up on a farm, and traveled by bus to schools in Big Valley as well as Stetler.

Following his studies at NAIT, he became a surveyor and later a real estate agent for both commercial and residential properties. In 1975, when he was 25, he formed his own company, the Western Realty Group.  

Gogal is now responsible for bringing a wealth of animals and performers to Edmonton for the all-Canada Shrine Circus.  The event will be in town from March 12 through 14.  This is not the first time Gogal has led a major fundraising event.  Many years ago, he participated in the committee to develop the Shaw Conference Centre.  He, along with auctioneer and emcee Danny Hooper, developed dinner-and-auction fundraisers for Ducks Unlimited, as well as Edmonton’s Downtown Rotary Club.  Gogal was the man behind all the motor homes, boats and trucks for sold for the Rotary Club’s Klondike Days Raffle.  He performed this task for 13 years.

Art Jones, a good friend of Gogal’s convinced him to become a Shriner in 1993.  By 1998, Gogal organized the Valentine’s gala for the Al Shamal Shriners, and the event has completed its 13th year in existence.  Among the popular items for the fundraiser is a “cash calendar,” which delivers a daily prize 365 days a year.

Gogal noted that the Shrine has helped numerous charities since it was founded in 1872.  The group founded its particular charity, the Shriners Hospitals for Children, in 1920.  The Shriners currently operate 18 hospitals for orthopedics, three for burn patients and one hospital offering care for spinal cord injuries, as well as orthopedic and burn patients. 

Edmonton Home Staging Blog - Wednesday, February 24, 2010 - Edmonton RV Show’s Minimalist Campers Generate New Buyers

The 2008 economic crisis forced a number of recreational-vehicle manufacturers and retailers out of business.  However, an air of optimism seemed to pervade Edmonton’s 30th annual RV Show and Sale.  Buyers flooded the floor of the show, which opened February 11, and the first vehicles were sold during the first few minutes.  

Longtime show participants said that this year’s opening represented the healthiest they had seen in a long time.  Roadmaster RV Manager Don Humphrey reported that this year’s opening night was the busiest he had witnessed in 30 years of coming to the show.  He estimated that recreational vehicles were selling at a rate of at least double that of 2009, believing that people are finally making long put-off purchases.

The RV show filled the large halls of the recently enlarged Edmonton Expo Centre.  Many new vehicles captured the attention of attendees.  Noteworthy features such as outdoor kitchens were especially attractive to visitors.  After many years of producing aggressively upscale vehicles, some manufacturers have launched more basic models at lower price points.  These tents and travel trailers are designed to bring the experience of being outdoors back into the RV experience.  

An example of the more minimal approach is a tent trailer from Carefree Coach and RV.  The Quicksilver model comes in a variety of lengths, from nine to 21 feet.  Also in the Quicksilver line are truck campers in tent style to easily fold down during travel.  This line is manufactured by Livin Lite, and are made of aluminum.  

Livin Lite’s founder, Scott Tuttle, said that in his reviews of current pop-up tents, he was unable to find any that could feasibly be towed by cars or station wagons.  He decided to construct such a vehicle that could be towed by most of today’s cars and vans.

Edmonton Home Staging Blog - Wednesday, February 17, 2010 - $4 Billion Upgrader Proposed for Redwater Area

A joint venture between the government and oilsands titan Canadian Natural Resources could result in the creation of almost 3,000 jobs during the construction of a bitumen upgrader.  The project is estimated to cost $4 billion.  The upgrader would be in the Edmonton area at the North West Upgrading site.  According to Ian MacGregor, North West chairman, the venture would keep several thousand construction workers busy in the job’s three phases.  He said that the project is almost ready to be initiated, noting that piles could be sunk as early as this fall.  Significant work would begin next year, and the upgrader would be open in 2013.

Sturgeon County mayor Don Rigney said that the upgrader would provide a huge boost for Alberta’s Industrial Heartland.  He expressed excitement over the creation of long-duration jobs, as well as the addition of billions in funds to Alberta.  Sturgeon County, which is currently mostly agricultural in its workforce composition, would benefit greatly from the addition of an industrial installation, per Rigney.  He said that many of the potential employees and construction goods would come from Edmonton.

Many companies have submitted competitive bids.  Although a number of proposals were received by Alberta Energy, a company spokesman reported that a final decision on a processor will not be made until June.

Alberta Federation of Labour president Gil McGowan expressed reservations about the project, saying that raw bitumen export restrictions are needed.  He also said that the province needs to expend public monies to construct upgrading plants.

Edmonton Home Staging Blog - Wednesday, January 27, 2010 - Corporate Day Care in Canada

A local Edmonton-based chain of day-care centers could be the first of its kind to have stock of its company publicly traded on the Canadian TSX Venture Exchange.  The company is based in Texas, and the CEO of Edleun Inc. is seeking a public listing for itself on the stock exchange.  Leslie Wulf, the CEO, believes that with the help of investment funds, he will be able to expand the company's holdings across the United States and Canada.

The business model is unlike any company listed on a Canadian stock exchange, and Edleun would be the first day-care business in Canada to be publicly owned and traded.  In documents that were filed with the TSX exchange, the company states that it has assumed ownership of eleven day-care centers in the Edmonton and Calgary area.  The chain of day-cares that the company now owns operates under the name, "123 Busy Beaver"

The company has apparently owned these centers since 2007, when they were purchased by Adroit Investments and Educare Development Inc. on behalf of an unidentified client.  There are many critics of the company's business model, but Wulf says that Edleun Inc. is prepared to overcome the problems that have left other, previous large-scale day-care companies bankrupt.

Wulf says that with the help of the investment capital brought by investors, he will not only acquire existing child-care centers, but he will build new, state-of-the-art centers where parents will want to bring their child for care.

He wants to raise over $15 million in the capital markets, but the company and the country as a whole is coming under fire about the state of child care in Canada with the arrival of a publicly-traded corporation that intends to make profit through the child-care business.

Edmonton Home Staging Blog - Thursday, January 21, 2010 - Real Estate Market in Alberta In Recovery Mode and Doing Nicely

Alberta’s real estate market appears to be recovering nicely.  Experts are predicting that residential sales will see up to a 10 percent increase in many cities and towns across the province.  Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation is also confident that house prices may also have as much as a five percent increase.

It is also no longer a clearly defined buyers or sellers market. In the fall of 2009 the hot market started to favor the seller, a reverse from the beginning of that same year.  Now things are more on an even keel.

Some areas of the province were harder hit in the real estate pocket than others.  Grande Prairie and Fort McMurray, both heavily dependent on the oil trade are two examples.  Both cities are seeing a steady recovery.  Canmore is taking a bit longer with a good number of condos and homes still on the market.

The recovery is being driven by the first time homebuyer.  Many who were waiting to get into the market could not resist the low interest rates and lower price points that were seen in 2009.  Prices on homes have increased but interest rates remain low and are expected to remain so for the first part of 2010.

It may take a while longer for the “second home” market to recover. Canada’s economic recovery in general has a ways to go before it catches up to real estate’s dramatic turn around in first home sales.  Only then will the luxury of a second home once again be a consideration.

Edmonton Home Staging Blog - Sunday, January 17, 2010 - Huge Show of Support for Fallen Canadian Heroes

The community, both actual and virtual, is acting in full force to memorialize five Canadians who lost their lives December 30 in Afghanistan.  Two Sherwood Park natives, Sgt. George Miok, age 28, and Cpl. Zachery McCormack, age 21, were killed by the detonation of a roadside bomb in Kandahar City.  Also killed in the same incident were Pte. Garrett Chidley, age 21, of Cambridge, Ontario, Sgt. Kirk Taylor, age 28, of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia and Michelle Lang, age 34, a reporter for the Calgary Herald.

To date, nearly 4,000 people joined groups on social networking site Facebook to commemorate Miok and McCormack.  Mourners put yellow ribbons along the way from Edmonton International Airport to Miok and McCormack’s resting place at Sherwood Park’s Glenwood Memorial Gardens.  At McCormack’s funeral, his fiancée, Nicole Brisson, painted a picture of the life she and McCormack were about to share.  The couple had known each other since they met as 15-year-olds at a youth group-sponsored camp.  

Miok’s funeral was held January 9 at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church.  Friends, teachers and people who never knew him posted entries on Miok’s memorial page on Facebook.  Onetime teacher Corey Ralph recalled Miok as a preternaturally wise person and a phenomenal student.  Friend Erik Okerstrom noted that he had spoken with Miok two weeks prior to his death, and that Miok indicated he was glad to be assisting Afghani citizens.  Greg Gorecki shared on Facebook his account of how hundreds of people, including citizens, police, EMS staff and war veterans gathered to line the entrance of the Toronto office of the coroner.

Edmonton Home Staging Blog - Tuesday, December 15, 2009 - Twinned Highway 21 finally opening

The tree planting and landscaping final touches may have to wait for the warmth of spring, but the long awaited twinned Highway 21 is now open from Highway 16 to a point just north of Wye Road in Edmonton. The route was opened in two phases, the southbound lanes followed by the remainder of the roadway a few days later.

Commuters will find improved intersections at Baseline and Wye Roads as well as at Country Club Estates and the connector to Highway 628. Lakeland Drive also sports new traffic signals. The connector at Highway 21 has been updated using a modified clover leaf design. Guard rails have also been incorporated into the route’s design. RCMP officers will be directing motorists through the newly opened route hoping to keep traffic delays to a minimum.

The project, started in 2006, created a 12.8 kilometre stretch of new roadway costing $115 million that connects Highway 16 to Highway 628. The project also included the paving of 10 kilometres of service roads in the area.

Originally scheduled to be opened by Alberta Transportation in October, the weather did not cooperate, pushing the highway’s debut to December. Heavy snowfall on Friday and Saturday last again delayed the opening by a few days as the province dug out from the early winter storm.

Edmonton Home Staging Blog - Wednesday, December 9, 2009 - Not-for-Profit Organizations Feel Sting of Budget Cuts

Service providers for people with disabilities are facing a $10 million budget shortage, and may see even more cuts in early 2010. Last spring, Alberta’s provincial government allocated $24 million to permit contract agencies to issue better worker wages. With $10 million gone from the budget, the existing $14 million will be disbursed among disability-care non-profits as a one-time payout to key workers.

Paul Fujishige, who is executive director of Transitions, a St. Albert-based group providing programs for the disabled, noted that the budget cuts will hinder employee retention and recruitment. His employees received a bonus of 3.5 percent with Transitions’ share of the $14 million payment.

The provincial government faces a budget deficit of nearly $6.9 billion for 2009, and all ministers have been given the mandate to locate savings in the range of $430 million. Seniors and Community Support Minister Mary Anne Jablonski commented that while she empathizes with organizations receiving the $10 million cut, the total provincial budget for Persons with Developmental Disabilities is some $604 million, and perspective should be maintained. Jablonski also noted that falling government revenues are a clear indicator of additional budget cuts for 2010. It has yet to be determined whether more reductions are ahead before the end of 2009.

Fujishige worries about additional budget shortages, saying that Transitions and related organizations are often the last to receive additional funding, and the first to have that funding revoked.

Edmonton Home Staging Blog - Thursday, November 26, 2009 - Century-Old Church Set for Demolition

Unfortunately, St. Stephen’s Anglican Church, 10909 96th St. will have to be demolished due to the fact that the structure is not secure and the needed repairs would be too expensive.  The church recently hosted its final service earlier this month.

To keep the hundred year old church standing, the diocese would have to come up with over $450,000 in repair costs.  It is a sad situation because many great memories exist among the members, who have been attending the church for decades.

Only about sixty members attend the church, and they understand that closing the building would be the best option.  A new chapel will be built at St. Faith’s Anglican Church for the members to use.
St. Stephen’s was Edmonton’s only Anglo-Catholic church, and it is known for its extensive history of helping poverty-stricken people in the area.  The bishop, Jane Alexander, says the tradition will continue at the new location.

Sadly, the building will be demolished in early December. The good work of the parish will remain the same, and only the physical address will change.

Edmonton Home Staging Blog - Thursday, November 5, 2009 - How Much Return Can You Get Back on Renovation Costs

A recent survey shows that 2/3 of Canadian homeowners plan to renovate their home this year. Though a majority plan to spend modest amounts, there are some who plan to spare no expense – the best of materials will be used to add home theaters, patio Jacuzzis. And even kitchens that cost more than $60,000. Unfortunately, some of these folks never stop to ask how much of this renovation investment can ever be recovered in the event they decide to sell their homes.

Though most homeowners renovate solely to equal their own personal preferences and provide themselves with additional luxuries, it is difficult to forget that many renovation projects do offer the additional benefit of increasing the overall value of your property should you ever desire to sell.

The Appraisal Institute of Canada conducts an annual survey of its members to determine which renovations garner the best return on your expenditure. Every year, renovated the kitchen and the bathroom sit at the top of the rate of return list and yield returns of between 75 to 100 percent of the cost that can be recovered when the house is resold. Pools are far less beneficial, but swimming pool vendors continue to see a large amount of business.

Still, even those basic figures don’t tell the whole story, or hold true in every case. A $25,000 renovation of a kitchen can actually negatively impact the future sale of a home if the renovation is in bad taste. When you are renovating in for the purpose of selling, you should ensure that the design choices will appeal to a majority of potential future buyers.

One fact that all homeowners should know is that your rate of return has a lot to do with the value of other homes in your neighborhood. When your home already exceeds the value of other houses in the area, you are unlikely to see much return on your renovation investment. If your home is valued under the area market average, you can often recover a large portion of the costs of renovation.

You should also keep in mind that your renovations should be kept in proportion to the value of the home. Don’t bother with a $30,000 bathroom remodeling if your home is only worth $100,000 in an area of similarly valued houses. You will probably never recover the investment.

Among the hottest trends in home improvement are the addition of a home theater, hardwood floors in the kitchen, a main floor laundry room, whirlpool bath, kitchen islands, ground floor offices, and built-in kitchen appliances.

Kitchen and bathroom upgrades, interior painting, and roof and furnace replacement are some of the improvements with the greatest potential for cost recovery. Asphalt driveways, swimming pools, and skylights are among those renovations that see the least amount of return on investment.

Edmonton Home Staging Blog - Tuesday, October 27, 2009 - Habitat for Humanity Open New Location In The City

Edmonton’s popular Habitat for Humanity has seen such great success with the ReStore program that a second location is set to open. Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore program works by selling donated renovation materials for fractions of the cost to lower-income families and volunteers.

The main Habitat for Humanity headquarters is located at 82nd Street and Yellowhead Trail, but this location has become crowded and unable to hold any more donations. There is no more space for people to come and shop for materials, much less for the materials themselves says Alfred Nikolai, CEO and president of Edmonton’s Habitat for Humanity chapter.

The chapter is opening a second ReStore locations on the south side of Edmonton, where they hope to have the same level of success they saw at the main location. The new ReStore location will be over 18,000 square feet and will be opened in early 2010. The new location will be located at 6909 76th Avenue.

The $1 million raised annually from the ReStore program goes to the costs of running the local chapter of Habitat for Humanity, which builds affordable housing for low-income families. The Edmonton community has made if possible for the local chapter to win the 2008 award for building the most homes out of 71 Habitat for Humanity chapters in Canada.

Edmonton Home Staging Blog - Monday, October 19, 2009 - Edmonton New Home Construction - How Is It Doing This Year?

The federal housing agency recently announced that construction of new homes in the Edmonton area has more than doubled compared to the same period in 2008. 376 homes have been built so far this year in Edmonton, compared to 184 at this time in 2008. Construction activity on new projects is also rising, up 2% compared to 2008.

Single-detached starts are surpassing 2008 levels for the first time, as housing starts for single-detached homes continued to rise through September. As inventories are depleted, market conditions improve because there is not an abundant supply.

Activity is still decreasing for multi-family housing, such as apartment complexes and condominiums. Work has started on only 184 new projects. This is a sharp decrease from 2008, when work started on 241 units. The good news is that housing starts of all kinds were significantly higher than they were a year ago at this time, up 32%.

Edmonton Home Staging Blog - Friday, October 9, 2009 - New Energy Source For Sherwood Park

There are plans for the ultimate recycling project in Edmonton. Enerkem GreenField Alberta Biofuels is receiving a $7.45 million grant to build a facility that will turn household waste into energy to service 1,600 homes in Sherwood Park.

The plant will be located at the one time Cloverbar landfill and will create low-grade waste heat. This heat, which replaces natural gas, will be piped to the energy centre in Strathcona and then distributed to homes and business via underground pipes.

Enerkem’s plant will be taking unrecyclable household waste and turning it into ethanol and methanol. It is expected that when the plant comes on line and the area is fully developed, greenhouse emission will decrease by approximately 7,000 tonnes annually.

Funding for the project is part of the $1.5 billion federal Ecotrust, of which Alberta’s share is $156 million. The trust distributes the funds throughout Canada’s provinces and territories to assist in environmental improvements.

Edmonton Home Staging Blog - Thursday, October 1, 2009 - Stony Plain Road LRT Conflict

Local residents and businesses have until November 9th to register their concerns with the Edmonton city council regarding the proposed LRT route planned along Story Plain Road. Final vote on the proposal will be made on that date.

Business owners are concerned that the proposed street level route will cause an 80% drop in business. Since Edmonton is in a cold climate and the station stops are planned to be six blocks apart, some feel clients won?t want to make the walk to their businesses in the often sub zero temperatures of winter.

Those who live in the area are concerned about noise levels and how their ability to walk about their neighbourhood will be affected. There will be fewer intersections where walkers will be able to cross the street. There will also be fewer left turn lane access points for drivers.

Area residents, just as local businesses are concerned with what the LRT line will do to property values. The city states that the new line which connects Lewis Estates with the MacEwan University Station will only serve to increase property values. The line will give easy access to West Edmonton Mall, Oliver Square and Misericordia Hospital, cutting down on vehicle traffic in the area.

Edmonton Home Staging Blog - Wednesday, September 23, 2009 - Ready to Buy Your First New Home?

Location is an important aspect of the search for your first home. Real estate specialists suggest that you should buy in the best location you can afford.

While your real estate agent is there to guide you through the buying process, your best weapon when searching for a new home is thorough research. Home inspections are crucial to insuring your new home is a good safe investment. Internet research can help you determine what style of house you deserve and allow you to see features of different neighborhoods.

Realize that no home is perfect and you may have to make some sacrifices on your want list. Have a priority list so that you know what features you cannot live without.

Be realistic about your goals, skills, and time. If you know you’re not handy with tools, then don?t buy a fixer-upper. The asking price may be cheap but in the long run you may spend more paying a contractor to complete the repairs. If you don?t want to spend a lot of your free time on home maintenance or mowing lawns, the looks at loft, condos, and townhomes.

Now that you’re ready to buy your first home, call me.

Edmonton Home Staging Blog - Monday, September 14, 2009 - Market Starting To Look Better In Both Edmonton And The Surrounding Areas

In the Sherwood Park and greater Edmonton areas, the housing economy looks like it is improving. Jon Hall, a spokesman from the Realtors Association of Edmonton (REA), notes, "The prices are relatively stable." He states that housing prices are not changing drastically with only a small one percent increase per month.

According to REA, last month in Edmonton 2,554 houses were sold, and MLS system sales were estimated to be around $836 million. These numbers indicate that since July, house sales have increased by 25% and MLS system sales by 19%.

The good news extends to Sherwood Park as well. For example, in July 94 houses were sold at an average price of $425,644. Last year, houses in that area sold only for $399,360. These increases suggest that the housing market is getting better. Other factors involved in these increases include mortgages with low interest rates and buyer confidence. Hall says that people were really fearful in the beginning of 2009, but came to realize that life goes on even in a bad economy, and thus began purchasing houses again.

Hall also notes a peculiarity in the housing market: that the figure of $400,000 is a special one. For some reason, if a house is listed for under $400,000, many people will bid on it. However, a bigger or nicer house listed for over $400,000 will get far less attention.

Edmonton Home Staging Blog - Tuesday, September 8, 2009 - June sees drop in new house prices

In June the new housing price index was down 3.3% over the same period in 2008. Western Canada saw the largest declines, with Vancouver and Edmonton being hit the hardest on a month-to-month basis. These were just two of five Western Canadian cities posting significant price declines over the previous year. Saskatoon, Calgary and Victoria also felt the pinch, with Saskatoon prices declining 10.4%, Calgary dropping by 8%, and Victoria suffering a 7% drop in new home prices.

These price drops in the West follow a significant run-up in new home prices during 2007 and 2008. At that time a booming economy and a high demand drove contractors prices up considerably.

Elsewhere, new housing prices have actually risen. Québec city has had an increase of 6.8% over the previous year. Prices in Montréal have gone up 1.9%. In the towns of St. John, Fredericton and Moncton, builders were offering new housing at prices 3.6% higher than in the previous year. New housing prices in St. John had the greatest improvement in the country, with an annual increase of 10.3%.

Edmonton Home Staging Blog - Tuesday, August 25, 2009 - Fearing Hundreds Could Be Forced into the Streets

Alberta Hospital-Edmonton (AHE) is under fire as plans move forward to close 100 to 150 beds for critical care patients. The recently announced decision is being widely criticized as many fear that the result of such closures could lead to displaced mentally impaired patients injuring themselves, or others.

Edmonton East MP, Peter Goldring believes such a decision is "unconscionable" stating that, "at least 25% of the homeless people in the community have serious mental problems."

Brian Mason, Provincial NDP Leader, as well as Liberal health critic, Kevin Taft are fueling concerns with comments which directly contradict Marianne Stewart, the Alberta Health Services spokesman.

Stewart remains confident that no one will be moved unless there is another facility available. However both Mason and Taft remain steadfast in their conviction that the pending closures, scheduled to take place over a three year period, will inevitably end up doing more damage then good to the patients and the community.

Stewart, however, believes what "research and best practice" has shown; many psychiatric patients respond to treatment better outside of an institutional setting.

It appears the patients may ultimately pay the price to discover which side wins this debate.

Edmonton Home Staging Blog - Thursday, August 20, 2009 - Families Welcomed Home

There is no place like home, and this is especially true for two families who realized their dreams of home ownership through the first Habitat for Humanity project in Sherwood Park. The community, along with Mayor Cathy Olesen of Strathcona County and Iris Evans, Sherwood Park MLA, welcomed their newest neighbors in a joyful celebration.

The duplex was constructed on a lot paid for by Strathcona County. Built by the hard work of 800 volunteers, the project was sponsored by the Sherwood Park Rotary Club, Knights of Columbus Council 8325, Centennial Rotary Club and Fillmore Construction.

Mayor Olesen spoke with pride as she addressed the crowd, crediting both the community and volunteers commitments to working together in building a wonderful, inviting home.

Habitat for Humanity provides families around the world with affordable homes purchased through interest-free mortgages. Working alongside volunteers, families participate in the building process, watching their homes materialize before their eyes.

Members from each family demonstrated their appreciation, thanking volunteers in heart-felt addresses. Songs were shared, tears were shed, and two families, appreciative of Habitat for Humanity and the work of its volunteers, were able walk through newly installed doors to find themselves at home.

Edmonton Home Staging Blog - Wednesday, August 5, 2009 - New Home Prices Continue To Fall In The Country

The average price of new homes went down by 0.2% during the month of June in Canada. This also represents a total of a 3.3% decrease in new homes prices since the same time last year. When was the last time the country say declines like this? 18 years ago, according to Stats Canada.

Most were anticipating that new home prices would not change at all during the last few months, maybe a sign of a recovering economy. But the market proved that it could not bear the prices again, and gave the country it’s ninth straight month of declining prices.

The year after year decrease was the most since late 1991, during the last major recession the economy faced. Prices went up in 6 major centre, fell in 6 major centres, and remained unmoved in the 9 others that Statistics Canada keeps data on. Most cities in the west of the country continued to experience their pattern of decreasing prices.

Edmonton recorded nearly a 1% decrease (0.8% to be exact), where Calgary only recorded a 0.1% decline. Victoria prices went down 0.5% and Vancouver led the declines with a 0.9% drop.

Edmonton Home Staging Blog - Wednesday, August 5, 2009 - Some See It Hot--Economists and Real Estate Agents View Canadian Housing Market as Bouncing Back

Some real estate agents are happily experiencing the recovery of the housing market. Mike Stewart is one agent who is presently busier than ever working out of his Vancouver Century 21 office. After a dismal winter, spring brought promise with 10 sales in downtown Vancouver in May (his reigning month), and seven more in June.

Mr. Stewart’s prospects are mirrored across Canada, which could be a possible reflection of a recovering housing market. Economists are also optimistic, with a recent, steady influx of prices during a three-month period, especially when comparing to the three-year steady decline of prices in the United States?down one third from their peak.

In Canada, the housing market is hot, with a swell of sales and rise of prices. Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) reported on Tuesday that nearly 150,000 existing houses and condominiums sold in the April, May, and June. An industry-marketing group said it was the fourth-best quarter reported since CREA began recording sales data in 1994. In contrast, barely 16,000 homes sold in January. Economists and brokers like Mr. Stewart agree that low interest rates and lower housing prices contribute to the success of the current housing market. There are also eager buyers who held steadfast during the economic downturn of the fall and winter.

Canada experienced an upward trend throughout spring?by June, sales had risen 22.8 percent and prices were up 4 percent. Overall, sales were up 1.4 percent from a year ago. Toronto rates climbed even higher with sales and prices up 27.4 percent and 2 percent, respectively. And, the average home price in Canada is at a peak at $318,700, a bit higher than last year’s record.

Other factors influencing positive sales trends include confident Canadian workers in a near 9 percent unemployment situation, and Canadian banks are still viable in operation and lending capacities. Michael Gregory, a BMO Nesbitt Burns senior economist, believes the worst is over.

Even so, new home construction remains far below the 200,000 recorded during the decade subsequent to the market bust, but is still looking to be stabilizing with an average of 140,000 new houses and condos during the spring. March construction was at 154,700. Showing less than the 200,000 figure of the pre-bust decade, new-home construction holds steady.

With average Vancouver housing prices down approximately 6 percent, greater than 4,300 homes sold in the month of June, an increase of nearly 75 percent from the previous year resulting in record Canadian sales.

Similar activity is occurring outside of Vancouver. Calgary reported the same 27.4 percent sales as Toronto as energy capital decrease by 6.3 percent. In Saskatoon, prices were down 10.8 percent and sales climbed 37.7 percent. Gregory Klump, a Canadian Real Estate Association economist, believes that sales will not plummet again to previous low levels.

Mr. Stewart agrees, although with slightly rising interest rates and August arriving, he might have to become nimble and segue into a beach market. He speculates that buyers might turn their interest to the beach rather than to condos. The beach market could be hot!

Edmonton Home Staging Blog

July 25-2009

National Home Sales Skyrocket

Property sales of resale home went up almost 32% in the 2nd quarter of this year, which represents the first yearly quarterly increase since the beginning of the current recession. The 32% jump was when compared to the 1st quarter, and totalled a 1.4% increase from the same time period in 2008. This is close to record levels of activity, it represented the 4th highest level of activity in Canada?s history. Almost 42000 homes exchanged title this month.

It’s another sign that people are losing their hesitancy to get back into the market, seeing record low mortgage interest rates and daily signs that the worst of the economic slowdown is in the past. Combine this with affordable prices it is expected to continue through the summer months and into the fall. While the average price of a listing has gone up, they are still considered affordable.

The latest pricing trend has been somewhat distorted by the major markets, as activity in Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, Vancouver and Toronto has been extremely high through the last quarter. The amount of unsold listings is at it’s lowest point since the summer of 2007.

Edmonton Home Staging Blog - Saturday, July 18, 2009 - Home staging can aid in boosting sales

I found this interesting article about home staging that I thought I would share with you, it has some pretty interesting tips and insight on the process.

Read the article by clicking here.

Edmonton Home Staging Blog - Friday, July 10, 2009 - Home Staging Tips to Sell Your House

When selling your home these days ever advantage you can have is important. Many people are looking to a different answer these days, home staging. Things can get in the way of a good sale, sometimes the nicest houses in the best neighbourhoods can suffer due to little things like too much clutter in the home.

That?s where I come in. I?m happy to offer my clients my home staging designation with the hope it will make their home more attractive to buyers. It?s pretty simply really, when a buyer can let his or her imagination enter a home and see the possibilities for themselves it?s often a positive when it comes to placing an offer on the property.

Make sure you start with the first room a buyer will see when they walk through the front door. The goal of staging your home is to highlight the strong points of your house and take attention away from things that could bring a negative feeling into the equation.

A simple tip that most individuals need to remember when selling their home is to keep it clean! A more advanced thing to do is to attempt to take an open and unemotional look at the house. This is where the expertise of a home staging expert like myself can be very handy.

Edmonton Home Staging Blog - Thursday, July 2, 2009 - All Your Home Is A Stage - Learn What Can Help With A Faster Sale

Staging can be big, it can literally make the difference between a fast sale and a long time on the market. It helps present your home so that it can appear to be extremely well maintained, one of the key factors consumers look for in a resale purchase. Ask yourself, if you were selling your car would you take it to the car wash before bringing it to the dealership? Home staging is a similar process.

The biggest misconception with home staging in Edmonton is the price tag. What most people don?t know, is more often than not, it is actually more about removing things from the home than adding things to it. Most people put too much furniture in their homes, which leaves little to the imagination for potential buyers. A property full of personal memories takes away attention from the actual home itself.

Think of clutter in your home as a roadblock to the purchase of your home. A home in Edmonton advertised as spacious can quite frequently turn into a claustrophobic if there are too many possessions within the house. Most people don?t expect this. If you have any questions about the home staging process, make sure to give me a call anytime.

Michelle (780) 266-0850