Curb Appeal in Bloom: Celebrating National Plant a Flower Day

Blooming Homes: How National Plant a Flower Day Can Transform Canadian Real Estate

March 11, 2025 | By Ron Alfred De Guzman, Communications Manager at MaxWell Realty

Picture this: you step outside your front door, and the air is filled with the subtle scent of lavender, while vibrant blooms of coneflowers and tulips line the street. It's not just a daydream—it's the promise of National Plant a Flower Day, celebrated every March 12th across Canada and beyond. This delightful day invites us to dig into the soil, plant a seed or two, and watch as beauty takes root. But it's more than just a chance to brighten our yards—it's a golden opportunity for homeowners, realtors, and brokers in the Canadian real estate market to elevate properties,…

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Leading the Way: Women in Canadian Real Estate on International Women’s Day

Women in Canadian Real Estate: Celebrating Leadership & Innovation | IWD 2025

March 07, 2025 | By Ron Alfred De Guzman, Communications Manager at MaxWell Realty

International Women's Day 2025 spotlights the theme "For ALL Women and Girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment" – a perfect moment to recognize the powerful impact women are making across Canada's real estate landscape.

At MaxWell Realty, a proudly 100% Canadian-owned company founded in Alberta, we believe diverse perspectives create exceptional outcomes for our clients and communities. As we celebrate on March 8, we're reflecting on progress made and opportunities ahead for women in Canadian real estate.

The Changing Face of Canadian Real Estate

The numbers tell a compelling…

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National Organize Your Home Office Day

Thrive in Your Workspace: Tips for Organize Your Home Office Day

March 04, 2025 | By Ron Alfred De Guzman, Communications Manager at MaxWell Realty

In today's evolving real estate landscape where remote work continues to shape how we live, a well-designed home office has become essential for many homeowners and buyers. Organize Your Home Office Day is approaching, and it's marked annually on the fourth Tuesday of March, it lands on March 11, 2025. This is the perfect opportunity to refresh your workspace and enhance both productivity and comfort. First celebrated in 1992, this day has grown in importance as more people work from home (Days of the Year).

It's all about creating a space that supports your goals—whether that's getting more done,…

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Moving To Small Town Rural Alberta

 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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How to FLIP homes for a profit

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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Why Use a REALTOR®?

Industry know-how

To be honest, you won't see as many transactions as a REALTOR® does. An average family buys/sells Real Estate every 5 to 10 years. This is because when you buy a house, you're looking to create a home. You want your family to grow in it and you're only going to look to move from it if your family has outgrown it due to a baby on the way or kids growing up (upsizing) or the house has become too big due to the kids leaving for university or buying their own property (downsizing). This means that you probably don’t have a lot of experience with the ins and outs of real estate.  On the flip side of things, REALTORS® have the experience and education to get things done within the industry. They handle contracts and the real estate process…

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Community Watch: Mount Pleasant

CREB has recently released an informational article on the beautiful Mount Pleasant community, in Calgary. Let's take a look together, and see what it has in store for us!

About Mount Pleasant:

The lands that became northwest Calgary’s Mount Pleasant community were annexed by the City in 1910, making it one of Calgary’s older neighbourhoods. When development began in the area in 1912, Calgary’s population numbered fewer than 50,000 people.

As the city grew to 100,000 people by 1947 and 200,000 by 1955, then-suburban Mount Pleasant experienced an influx of new amenities into the area when North Hill Centre opened its doors in 1958. The opening of the Tran-Canada Highway came four years later, establishing the new thoroughfare as the…

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Dealing With Stress When Selling Your Home

Dealing with Stress when Selling Your Home 

Let's face it. Planning events, even exciting ones like an overseas vacation, can be stressful. So, it's not surprising that some homeowners — even those thrilled about moving — can slip into "worry mode" when putting their property up for sale. 

Unfortunately, this anxiety can make the process of selling an unpleasant experience. Who wants that? So here are some things you can do to reduce selling stress and enjoy the adventure. 

• Understand the selling process. The more you know about the steps involved in selling your home, the less mysterious — and, therefore, less stressful — it will be.
• Give yourself the time you need. Feeling rushed and stressed comes from trying to do too much in too little…

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Changes to the mortgage stress test

Ottawa, ON, February 18, 2020 – Earlier today, Minister of Finance Bill Morneau announced changes to the mortgage stress test.

The new benchmark rate used to determine the minimum qualifying rate for insured mortgages, coming into effect on April 6, 2020, will be the weekly median 5-year fixed insured mortgage rate from mortgage insurance applications, plus 2 per cent.

Recently, the gap between the Bank of Canada’s five-year benchmark rate and borrowers’ actual contract rates has been widening, suggesting the benchmark rate has become less responsive to changes in the market.

In October 2016, Finance Canada introduced a stress test for insured mortgages. In 2017, the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) issued…

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WHAT is International Woman's Day?

What is it?

International Women's Day (March 8) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. We have some of the most dynamic and entrepreneurial women in our offices and we want to showcase our support for gender equality. Read More about the history and values of International women's day

What is the #EachForEqual pose?

Get a group together with arms out front at right angle to the body, elbows bent and palms down to make an equal sign to show that you are committing to being "each for equal" and that you will challenge the status quo and help forge women's equality. One or more of the group holds the Selfie Cards. Someone takes a picture. Post on social media using #IWD2020 #EachforEqual…

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