Calgary Homes for Sale - The Calgary Real Estate Market

As we head into the winter market in Calgary, Alberta the future is beginning to look a lot brighter.

Calgary area homes for sale in the area have become a more balanced market which is good for the whole industry, both Buyers & Sellers. At least now one can better judge the true value of a home with NO guessing!

When the market slowed and almost ground to a halt it was due to more than one event as reported by many that are much more experienced in the economy than I.

However "why" doesn't really matter when one sees what is happening today, in fact who really cares about the "why" if there is nothing that one can do about it anyhow say some?

I would suggest that it is important to know "why" because it may help you to identify trends in Real Estate for the future. The "why" in this last go around was made up of several parts including the mortgage melt-down in the USA and the potential effect on the Canadian economy.

The economy started to turn around not all that long ago in the Calgary area and it was a surprise for many. However when one looks at history should we be surprised? Calgary has often had the reputation of the last into a recession and the first out. This was usually due to the local economy being so strong mainly due to the oil patch and supporting industries. What will happen if and when the oil industry dries up?

The Provincial Government has taken it upon themselves to add extra taxes onto the oil and gas companies in Alberta and a few of them are leaving the province in hopes of finding what they are looking for in places like BC and Saskatchewan. If they find what they are looking for will they come back? A good question for future government and maybe even the current government to ponder.

However on the bright side of things Cochrane and Calgary are in pretty good shape. House prices are starting to slowly go up and we are even seeing a few competitive offers on homes with some sale going over list price. Homes are not near as plentiful as they were a short time ago so Buyers are having to shop a little longer and Sellers are having to be much more realistic in their pricing. Sellers need to listen to the statistics and their Realtor's advice.

Calgary is situated on the Bow River in the beautiful valley the scenery and location are hard to beat.
The foothills west of Calgary are full of views and ranching history. Just west of Calgary (about 12 minutes)is the town of Cochrane which is an easy commute. In fact many of Cochrane's residents work in Calgary as they want to raise their families in a small town.

If you are looking for further information send us an email at Homes@Telus.net and we will get you the answers you need. In the meantime get ready for another winter and have a great week!

Jim Messner

Realtor & Certified Condominium Specialist
CIR Realty
Serving Calgary and Cochrane areas.
E-Mail: Homes@Telus.net