It turns out that some common advice that almost all agents, including me, have been wrong about over the decades is the wisdom of purchasing on a golf course WITHOUT examining how financially solvent that course is. Every year it seems another course in the Calgary area fails; a whole host of reasons.

 Join me as we explore the recent past of some course, and the most recent golf course announcement (fall 2020).

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 Clients have asked me if I've seen an uptick in people wanting to move to rural, small town Alberta. It might make sense for some people, either as they've realized they might not NEEDED at their desk, are worried about Covid, want a slower pace of life, or simply the savings that come with leaving the big city.

 I explore the various options, how I'd choose which towns to live in, and what you could get buy for a LOT less than your current home is likely worth.

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JayMan is the first major builder in Alberta that has fully endorsed solar. Kudos to them for taking a big step. And it's gotten lots of press coverage, along with all the sales people in the showhomes pushing it as a feature.

 

But is it worth it?  And, how do we measure what something is worth?

  1. Is it just financial returns
  2. Are you willing to buy for the environment alone (ignoring the disposal and manufacturing of the panels)
  3. Or is it the self sufficiency aspect of knowing that you are WHOLLY reliant on the grid / others?

In terms of the last point, the self sufficiency, I like being self sufficient.  But in Alberta, even the biggest installation that could fit on my roof is NOT going to enable me to go off-grid in December. …

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Not much is written about HOW - TO successfully flip homes in Calgary.  Most agents just point you to some cheap homes, and say, fix them, sell them for more.  I think there has to be more to it.  More science.  More of a guide.  More steps.  So, I set out to start.  This is what I do for my FLIP clients.  Your agent might have other concepts, but this is what I consider advanced.

Here are my rules:

  1. buy in a good location
    1. ensure the home isn't on a major road and/or backs to major road.
  2. focus on the older areas. Think of the homes we grew up in or our grandparents owned.  Typically large lots.  Typically bungalows
  3. use area VALUE CHARTS to quickly identify which areas are possible to flip
  4. next, ensure that even if the value chart…

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This post is time sensitive, with implications for your mortgage, cashflow, and credit for April - Sept 2020, all due to Covid-19.

 I am not a medical professional.  I know NOTHING about health.  There are hundreds of news stories out there about Covid-19.  Many more about government actions.  About social distancing.  This is NOT one of those posts.  It should also be noted, that as with everything Covid, the situation is fluid and changing.

 The federal government announced the Covid-19 Mortgage Payment Deferral Program.  Essentially freeing up extra cash flow for mortgage holders NOW, in the middle of the outbreak.  The best page directly from the government describing the program…

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The Government Has Made Changes

In the government's never ending attempt to influence the market, control risks to the larger economy (bubbles in Vancouver / Toronto), spur / restrict the economy, encourage home ownership, fund budgets (BC speculator tax), and otherwise create headaches for people wanting to buy, this is a list of the changes wrought to the mortgage industry in the last decade:

Confusing? This is why I stress the importance of using an experienced mortgage broker.  Someone who tracks these changes.  So you don't have to.

 

 

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Many people complain about condo fees, without fully understanding WHAT condo fees actually are, what they do, or how they are calculated.  Let's review a few of these before deciding if the fees are "bad".

What are Condos First, a condominium is a form of group ownership. When you buy an apartment (lets say 100 units, all same size), you are not only buying your individual condo, but a type of real estate that makes you a PARTIAL owners in the ENTIRE building.  In the 100 unit example, you become a 1% in EVERYTHING, for better and for worse.   In real life, we typically break down the fees by the size of the units, with larger units paying more.

What Rights / Privileges / Responsibilities Your ownership stake allows you to vote for the board of…

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Years ago, when you accepted the offer, we marked the property as Conditionally Sold on the MLS, and since 80-90% of buyers waive conditions, we removed the property from the ACTIVE market. However, this procedure was unfair to the seller, as it precluded a chance of a back-up offer. So, the rules were changed (and it got confusing).

You still have the choice of us putting it as Pending (the new Conditionally Sold) on the MLS; during this time, we’ll stop actively marketing the listing and the property will be removed from Realtor.ca (or other sites).

Another option is Under Contract which informs other agents about the status (Conditional Sale), but it will remain on Realtor.ca. Buyer agents have the opportunity to present the home as an OPTION to…

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