Edmonton Real Estate Blog - edmonton real estate

Edmonton Real Estate Market Update For February 2014

The latest Edmonton real estate market stats for February 2014 are in and showing quite a bit of promise. With an amazing 24% increase in home sold, buying season is getting an early (and strong) start this year.

There is no question that February was a busy month for realtors in the Edmonton area. Greg Steele, President of the REATLORS Association of Edmonton, echoed these sentiments while noting that spring is only beginning and we should look forward to higher sales this month and moving forward into 2014. This is great news if you are selling but also if you are buying as a slight increase in listings will provide some balance to the market and give buyers more options.

Check out some of the highlights from the Edmonton real estate stats for…

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Edmonton Real Estate Market Update For January 2014

Not too much is out of the ordinary for the Edmonton real estate market update for January 2014. With a 10% increase in sales from the previous month, it seems that we are breaking the post-Christmas sales slump tradition.

Price stability and more property available for sale this month has resulted in a more balanced market with buyers and sellers being given more time to consider all of their options for housing needs. The average days on market dropped nearly two weeks to 61 days (down from 73), which is even more impressive when you consider the fact that there have already been four property sales over $1 million this year already.  

Check out some of the highlights from the Edmonton real estate stats for January 2014 in the infographic below.

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12 Real Estate Home Staging Tips To Help You Close The Deal

If you have ever sold a house before, you are well aware that it’s not as simple as throwing it on the market and waiting for a sale. Selling a home requires some preparation to ensure you get the most return on your investment while attracting the perfect buyer at the same time.

For this reason, I’ve collected some of my favourite home staging tips that have resulted in above-average closing rates and equal satisfaction between the buyer and seller.

That’s what I call a win-win!

Chris Proctor’s Top 12 Home Staging Tips

1. Make Sure It Looks Great Outside

First impressions are everything and the first thing that turns prospective buyers off is easily a poorly maintained front-yard. This means mowing the lawn, trimming the hedges and even…

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Alberta Economy Looking Up!

While the nationwide economic picture still looks pretty grim, Alberta’s economy experienced relatively strong growth of about 4% in 2010, and is expected to enjoy modest growth through 2011, according to Troy Media.

Recovering crude oil prices seem to be driving most of this growth, which would be even higher were it not for sluggish natural gas prices. Still, in the shadow of the Great Recession and the biggest economic freefall since the 1920s, 4% growth – heck, 1% growth – is a good news story; especially when we note that other parts of the country are still struggling mightily to right their local and regional economic ship.

How the “Modestly Growing” Alberta Economy Impacts Home Buyers and Sellers

As I’ve blogged about a few times – and…

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Edmonton Property Taxes to Rise an Average of 3.85% in 2011

As reported by the Edmonton Journal, most Edmonton home owners are in for a jolt when they receive their 2011 tax assessments from the City of Edmonton. That’s because after two years of declining prices, Edmonton’s 2010 property value assessments jumped an average of 9%.

Overall, the City of Edmonton assessed 319,608 properties worth $134 billion. The average home price in 2010 was $363,000.

Property value assessments are made up of a number of factors, including location, features, current selling prices for comparable properties, and more. In addition, neighbourhoods play a significant factor in overall value increases (or decreases). For example, Mactaggart and North Glenora are seeing average 20% price increases, while Windermere and Oliver are…

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Edmonton Employment Set to Increase – How Will it Affect Home Buyers and Sellers?

Edmonton real estate buyers and sellers may think that the only factors affecting their home’s (or future home’s) value is the condition of the house, the neighbourhood, and even nearby amenities such as schools, recreational facilities, malls, and so on. And while these are certainly a part of the story, there’s another key consideration that both buyers and sellers should be aware of, and prepared for: increasing employment rates.

True, it may seem strange to think that the health of employment in Edmonton should matter to buyers and sellers –after all, we’re talking about selling a house, not hiring or firing an employee – but in the bigger picture, it makes sense. That’s because more employment typically means the following:

• More demand for…

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Save up to $750 when you Buy your First Home!

 Are you in the market for your first home?

Or, with historically low interest rates and lots of selection to choose from, are you thinking about taking the (smart) step from renting to owning?

If so, then I’ve got some fantastic news for you that will put a smile on your face – it’s called the First Time Home Buyers Tax Credit (HBTC).

Launched by the Federal Government in 2008, the HBTC gives qualifying first time home buyers a non-refundable tax credit based on an amount of $5,000. The exact amount of the tax credit depends on the tax year’s lowest personal income tax rate.

For example, in 2009, this amount was 15%, which meant that qualifying first time home buyers received a tax credit of $750 (15% x $5000). In 2010, the…

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