Bill Jones - Realtor® Airdrie & Calgary Area Homes and Condos

Maybe you or maybe your client is thinking of moving to Western Canada, The US Dollar goes 20% further here! Consider this an Amazing mountain view awaits you from this well kept 3 bedroom home in Big Springs, Airdrie Alberta, Only 25 Minutes form Calgary! You'll appreciate the attention to detail with respect to the numerous renovations in this spacious home, including newer paint and flooring, and a brand new upstairs bathroom. The kitchen features hardwood flooring, refinished cabinets and pantry and is spacious enough to accommodate a kitchen table and chairs. The organizer in you will love the custom closet organizers throughout the home and ample storage space built into the basement. The partially finished basement only needs a few more touches to be complete! Choose your flooring/baseboards and add a toilet in the bathroom (plumbing completed already) and the basement is finished. This home is located on large lot and is next door to one park and across the street from another! It will be hard to remember you're in the middle of the city! WHy not Move your family or your client into this lovely home!

CLICK HERE FOR : FEATURE SHEET

Welcome to Alberta

Capital: Edmonton
Motto: (Strong and Free) Fortis et Liber
Flower: Wild Rose
Population, 2008: 3,474,000

The Land
Roughly half of the southwestern section of the province is dominated by mountains and foothills - striking reminders of the glaciers that, over millions of years, formed, moved and receded in the area. Peaks of the Rocky Mountains located in Alberta range from 2 130 to 3 747 metres in elevation. Over one-half of the province of Alberta, or approximately 350 000 km2, is covered by forests. Of the total forest area, 216 000 km2 are classified as commercially productive forest land and contain both hardwood and softwood species.

Attractions
The Calgary and Airdrie areas feature more than 40 attractions of interest, including galleries, museums, zoos, and historical sites. These attractions, including sveral top class shopping malls, The Science Centre, Fort Calgary Park and Heritage Park, offer enjoyment and entertainment value for all.

Economy
Alberta has one of the world's most productive agricultural economies, producing about 25 percent of the value of Canada's annual output. Approximately 22 million hectares of cultivated and uncultivated land are used as pasture and forage for livestock. While wheat remains the primary crop, the production of new crops continues to expand as the industry diversifies. The province maintains the largest livestock population in Canada.

Long known as Canada's "energy province," Alberta has more than 65 percent of the country's reserves of conventional crude oil, over 80 percent of its natural gas, and all of its bitumen and oil-sands reserves.

Bill

Condo buyer tips

Square footage can be measured any number of ways in condominium plans. Don't believe numbers presented to you. If exact measure is important, carry a measuring tape, and work consistently from the inside measure of condo apartments. Divide the asking price by the number of square feet to arrive at dollar-per-foot costs that you can compare.

Parking can be an uncovered stall, a covered stall, indoors but unheated or indoors heated and secured. Its legal status can be either assigned common-area space, or legally-titled ownership. If it is assigned, it should be protected by a formal lease agreement.

Construction of condominiums can vary dramatically. Concrete obviously is more long lasting and generally quieter than frame construction, but "post-tensioned" concrete construction can have problems requiring maintenance. Concrete transmits tapping sounds, while wood-frame buildings can quiver slightly under heavy footsteps. Quality will be your best investment, and I can identify the construction types and any sound issues as you shop.

Conversion of rental buildings to condominium ownership has created both opportunities and pitfalls. Some older high-quality concrete buildings have become condos at very affordable prices. As well, some well-built wood-frame rental buildings are being sold as condo apartments at prices that compete with the cost of renting! Yet some low-quality rental buildings converted to condominium ownership are simply not worth buying into.

Heating is an important issue in condo buildings. In apartment condos it is usually central hot-water heat, which means the cost is absorbed by your monthly condo fees. Older hot-water heating systems can at times be noisy, but I still prefer it! Electric heat is convenient, quiet and controllable in each room, but it's expensive. New in-floor radiant hot-water heat is wonderful for warm toes, but if you turn the temperature down, it takes a while to respond.

Renters will be found in any condo building, as renting of units can no longer be prohibited by condo bylaws in Alberta. That's good for your flexibility as an owner, but find out how many renters are in the building. If it's primarily renters, largely investors own the building, and they may not share your standards of operation and maintenance. You may also find less of a sense of community in the building and on the board of directors.

Age mix of owners might seem a strange consideration, but if you're a yuppie, do you want to live in a retirement home? And if you're enjoying a quiet retirement, you probably want neighbors you can relate to and make friends with. In short, condominium projects can become small communities where-if you choose the right one-you can make many friends and enjoy an in-house social life.

Condo documents are necessary to evaluate any condominium project before you buy. Sellers should have them on hand for you to review on site, and if you have an agreement to purchase, they should be handed to you without hesitation. These include the Condominium Plan, financial statements and budget, the reserve fund study, minutes of the recent annual general meeting and even board meeting minutes, so you have insight into how the complex is being run. If you purchase, your lawyer will obtain an estoppel certificate before closing, which will guarantee no surprises in the monthly condo fee or charges owed by the seller.

Orientation of the condo is important if it's an apartment facing only one direction, less so if it's a townhouse or duplex bungalow condominium with more exposures. How much sun does the home receive, and is that sun hitting your bedroom windows at 5 a.m. during the summer? You may prefer it, or you might hate it, so be aware of which way/s a home faces and whether it will be bright enough, too hot or too dark for your needs.

Real estate agents may be licensed to sell condominiums as well as houses, but do they know what they're doing? Use a Realtor who has taken condominium courses. If you are buying, Realtor services are at no cost to you, as the selling party pays commission, so you might as well receive qualified representation and advice. Whether buying or selling, you want nothing less than top-quality condominium credentials, ability, experience and market knowledge from your Realtor.

Bill

Bill Jones , Century 21, Castlewood Agencies - Real Estate Services for the Greater Calgary Area

Twitter: @c21bill

The City of Airdrie, just north of Calgary, is experiencing unprecedented growth with near doubling of real-estate prices. City Council, staff and citizens are increasingly interested in sustainable growth and development which has led the City to work with The Natural Step in creating a municipal sustainability plan, as part of its Sustainable Communities Program.

Airdrie will be using the Alberta Urban Municipal Association (AUMA) Municipal Sustainability Planning Guidebook which is based on The Natural Step Framework. The Natural Step will continue to provide training and coaching to the City of Airdrie as their municipal sustainability plan is developed. Airdrie has committed to engaging its citizens, participating in peer to peer networks and sharing the outcomes of their process.

Bill Jones - www.My_Realty.ca , www.century21.ca/bill.jones

AIRDRIE'S HOUSING MARKET - ON TOP

-Airdrie Alberta Canada-

For the first time, Airdrie cracked the Top Ten Towns in Alberta, ranking seventh by the Real Estate Investment Network (REIN). The ranking is based on long-term investment potential, and compares factors ranging from growth and employment base, to the cost of labour and materials.

Don R. Campbell president of REIN said, "For current Homeowners, the report shows they can expect for the next five years for Airdrie to be outperforming most of the rest of the province." For investors, they're going to see Investments to be less volatile than in other regions of Alberta.

This is confirmation of something people in Airdrie have known for a long time and it is surprising that Airdrie didn't hit the Top Ten sooner.

Meanwhile, Airdrie's building market shows signs of catching it's breath after several years of frantic growth. This doesn't mean Airdrie's housing market is entering a time of doom and gloom.

The city of Airdrie reports that permits for renovations and basement developments are really busy, which may result in a record year for renovations.

Bill

www.my-realty.ca

www.century21.ca/bill.jones

www.twitter.com/c21bill