The questions of converting to mac are often and becoming a daily conversation on FB Twitter and office gossip. You might yourself why would i want to ? or what would I gain or lose from changing ?. These are all fair questions and depending on you talk with the questions can go both ways.... Being a former PC lover i can honestly say I would never look back at the windows platform ever again!. The funniest thing about windows is they try to copy Mac year after year and fail at it. At first the task seams daunting, however the best advise is to forget all the hard parts of using and fixing a computer. I have been using mac for 5 years and counting and have learned a few things :

- forget what you think you know 

- It really is that easy

- Mac will run everything you would ever want, Faster and with not bugs! 

- YES YOU CAN RUN MLX on it ! , Via Parallels desktop. I really hate IE 

More people are switching to the easy flowing mac because it really can do everything easier and with less pain. I can remember having to perform virus checks,spyware , disk works ect.... No need with the Mac its just works. There are rumors that mac only runs "MAC" software .... not true at all

Fact to learn about is HTML 5 .... its coming to change the way things are viewed and used on the internet and mac has been ready ... look at the new IPAD its HTML5 ready and wow what a deal ! 

- I just started to use the IPAD for all my deals, paper is no longer needed and deals can be signed and emailed right from the IPAd. how easy is that ... Now add in Iphone were i can update and sign a contract as well .. easy easy

If you are interested in using a mac, book a 1 on 1 with a mac consultant at the local apple store and find out what you have been missing. 

i wanted to start talking to people about the options for technology in your next sale or purchase of property. There are many devices that are allowing agents to go paperless... i know thats a hot word these days, but better than saving the world like we all should its about time and being able to seal a deal with a Iphone, Ipad or just an email. If your not using a digital signature system..... WHY NOT ?. Its far to easy on a agent to send the document via Esign or Docusign and walk the client thru the process is a few seconds. The amazing part of this is function and time , the client simply signs in the the document and verifies identity. Once signed in the client can choose the way the signature will look by selecting the font and letters ( for example TT) once they have this established the click the boxes on the for yes or no and Bam! its done , time stamped , secured and sent back to you. No need for a scanner or printer and really easy to work. option 2 is the personal approach with a device such as Ipad or iphone. Download the app ( zosh) it is a few bucks and will save your time on printing , and looks great to send into the office. A client can sign with a finger or use a special pen designed to work on a Ipad and iphone ( www.boxwave.com). I often use this for on the spot sales and listings , clients love that your tech savy and saving time and the planet. I know there are people who are scared or simply will not learn new tech, well this is not for you ... check into a resort and live life because like it or not people are changing to instant technology. Enjoy the technology and utilize it for becoming a better agent and allowing more money to flow into your business. hope this helps you all and let me know if you have questions or comments 

TR

Its always a great thing when the snow is melted and the sun is high in the sky marking the summer season. As realtors we work during all types of weather and have to carefully navigate buyers motives , buying times. In Calgary the spring in summer season is a tricky one. The first few weeks of nice weather is rolling the dice to see if the buyers will be shopping, but once the weather is here to stay "watch out" and keep your contracts stocked and in your hands at all times. I have found that we can enjoy the nice weather and yet still crank out sales and listing buy doing a few items:

1) Get up in the morning and do something for yourself....

- For me its the Gym and a 2 hour work out. This allows me to relieve stress and enjoy myself at the same time

- My business partner " Kent" enjoys gardening and walking on the pathways of Valley Ridge

I have yet to see a client want a early morning meeting....... Train your clients to understand thats your time and they will respect that.

2) Spend your marketing budget on items that will generate leads by them self 

- PPC is a great way to achieve status on google and boost business on the internet

- Organic optimization ... you should be spending a huge portion on this so you generate traffic to your site and leads in your pocket. Blog, Tweet,facebook ect......

3) Have fun with your business and prospect while enjoying nature or doing something that needs to be done ( shop,eating ....) If you hear someone interested in home speak up and be a sales person.

- I love golfing with potential clients and even handing cards out while waiting for the group ahead to hit off. Its easy to talk about homes and everyone has one!. I always walk away from a day at golf with a number and a lead 

4) DON'T Listen to what " THEY SAY"

- To many people get sucked in to the papers and gloom that media forces on us. They sell papers and ratings.....

- I never understand why realtors read and believe what a reporter says about our market. Last i checked you should be a professional about your industry and who better knows the situation that us ? A reporter interviews 1 or 2 people in the industry and writes about the market like they know all the facts.

- Develop a pattern of know your market by being part of it. 

5) Prospect , Prospect , Prospect 

 - If you have no clients you will not make any money ......................

HAVE FUN AND ENJOY YOUR BUSINESS 

You certainly can tell when spring arrives in Calgary especially Valley ridge Estates. The golf course is in full operation and the trees and grass are turning green. Another indication is the amount of listings that appear in the area. Valley ridge currently has 52 listings and this is prime season for listing and buying in this 50% green space area. Valley Ridge really shines when the weather is nice since the gold course and pathways are vibrant again. If you have never seen Valley ridge Estates in Calgary, stop on in and enjoy what the area has to offer. Check out our new listings in Valley ridge www.thecalgaryteam.com

Calgary’s Housing Recovery Has Staying Power

Low borrowing costs continue to fuel market recovery

Calgary, December 1, 2009 – The Calgary housing market is showing signs of a sustained recovery according to figures released today by the Calgary Real Estate Board (CREB^®).

The number of single family homes sold in November 2009 in the city of Calgary were up 63 per cent from the same time a year ago, while condominium sales saw an even steeper increase—up 77 per cent from the same time a year ago.

“November sales are clearly demonstrating that the recovery in the Calgary housing market has staying power,” says Bonnie Wegerich, president of the Calgary Real Estate Board.  “We have now seen six consecutive months of year-over-year sales increases for both the single-family and condo markets.  And November sales are in line with what we would expect this time of year in a balanced and normalized market.”

November 2009 saw 1,095 single family homes sold in the city of Calgary. This is a decrease of 15 per cent from 1,285 sales in October of this year. In November 2008 single family home sales were 670. The number of condominium sales for the month of November 2009 was 504.  This was a decrease of 16 per cent from the 601 condominium transactions recorded last month.  In November 2008 condominium sales were 284.

“Clearly low borrowing costs are helping to fuel this recovery,” says Wegerich.  “Many buyers want to get in while mortgage rates remain at record lows. Better employment numbers and an improving economic outlook are giving the market an added boost.”

“It’s the ‘new kids on the block’—the young first time homebuyers if you will—that continue to be a bright spot in our housing market.  Clearly this can be seen in the strength of our condo sales this month and it is helped by the narrowing gap between the costs of renting when compared to owning,” says Wegerich.

“But interestingly in recent months we have also seen more move-up buyers enter the market and this is being reflected in the strength of our average price of single family homes,” adds Wegerich.

The average price of a single family home in the city of Calgary in November 2009 was $464,444, showing no significant change from October 2009, when the average price was $462,465, and showing an increase of 7 per cent from November 2008, when the average price was $435,471. The average price of a condominium in the city of Calgary in November was $294,264 showing a 2 per cent increase from October 2009, when the average price was $289,155 and a 3 per cent increase over last year, when the average price was $285,820. Average price information can be useful in establishing trends over time, but does not indicate actual prices in centres comprised of widely divergent neighbourhoods, or account for price differentials between geographical areas.

“A healthy demand for homes combined with a steadily decreasing inventory is holding prices firm,” says Wegerich.  “Our absorption rate for single family homes in the city of Calgary is currently less than 2.5 months.”

“Pricing will remain stable and may edge upwards in some markets—but it is unlikely that we will see any dramatic jump in prices in the months to come,” adds Wegerich.

Single family listings in the city of Calgary added for the month of November totaled 1,365, a decrease of 25 per cent from October 2009 when 1,819 new listings were added, and showing a decrease of 13 per cent from November 2008, when 1,567 new listings came to the market. Condominium new listings in the city of Calgary added for November 2009 were 705, down 18 per cent from October 2009, when the MLS^® System saw 859 condo listings coming to the market. This is a decrease of 5 per cent from November 2008, when new condominium listings added were 741.

The median price of a single family home in the city of Calgary for November 2009 was $408,000, showing no significant change from October 2009, when the median price was $410,000, and up 5 per cent from November 2008, when the median price was $387,300. The median price of a condominium in November 2009 was $264,900, showing a 1 per cent increase from October 2009, when the median was $263,500, and up 5 per cent from November 2008, when the median price was $251,800.

All city of Calgary MLS^® statistics include properties listed and sold only within Calgary’s city limits. The median price is the price that is midway between the least expensive and most expensive home sold in an area during a given period of time. During that time, half the buyers bought homes that cost more than the median price and half bought homes for less than the median price.

 “We expect sales to taper off as we enter the winter months,” notes Wegerich. “But the market is well above the trough we saw at the end of 2008 and we are now seeing much healthier and balanced conditions for both buyers and sellers.”

CREB^® is a professional body of 5,110 licensed brokers and registered associates, representing 252 member offices. The board does not generate statistics or analysis of any individual member or company’s market share. All MLS^® active listings for Calgary and area may be found on the board’s website at www.creb.com.

S outhern Alberta's population will increase by about two million people over the next 66 years, with most of that growth centred around Calgary, says a new provincial planning document.

Even before the population swells to that level, the Alberta government says it wants to improve water conservation, efficiency and productivity by 30 per cent in the next six years.

The detailed strategies for meeting these and other targets will be addressed in public meetings regarding the South Saskatchewan Regional Plan. The meetings begin today.

The purpose of the meetings is to discuss regional plans that attempt to balance population and economic growth with land conservation and the protection of water sources.

A government report setting out the terms of reference for the regional plan states that "significant growth is anticipated in the Calgary Metropolitan Region over the next 60 to 70 years. It is expected to add 1.6 million residents by 2076."

Calgary seams to always bounce back from tough times due to the wealth and job creation that we seem to provide. The Real Estate market is moving forward and home that are priced correctly are selling. Its almost to a point that both the seller and the buyer are happy with things. obviously everyone hopes to sell higher like the homes were priced 2 years ago, but this a double edged sword since they too would have to buy a replacement home for much higher. I feel that its a good move to find the home you want to stay in for a few more years and watch the market move up like it always does in Calgary. Interest rates will not stay this cheap and homes are selling fast to accommodate the trend.

the bottom line is the "fence sitters " need to buy the home there looking for and move on like 1000's of people are doing every day.

have a good week

Cheers

According to a recently published forecast by (CREA) Canadian Real Estate Association, Alberta is forecasted to fall by 8.8% and another 1.1% in 2010. The association said the average price in Alberta will dip to $321,900 from the recorded $352,857 in 2008. How accurate are they ? good question..... predicting the future right now is like predicting the end of the world... Im not sure i believe what they say according to the word on the street and what is actually happening. Calgary currently is leveling off and has a median price of $ 383,000 and avg sale price of $ 431,962. Im sorry but you cannot clump the whole province into one study , Edmonton is much different than Calgary. Calgary has always followed its own path and rebound the first despite what toronto says ! Its about time for the new to share with the public the real truth and not just what sells the papers. I think people have heard the fair share of bad news, lets report the poss info and boost the economy a little. mortgages are on backlog catching up with buyers, in fact there is now a (10-15 day) hold on transfers and ( 3-4 day) wait for approval. That means people are buying and taking advantage of the great pricing and amazing rates. Keep it up Calgary let prove yet again to the "Toronto" papers they are wrong and haven't a clue on our local economy.

have a great long week-end and keep safe 

cheers

Did You Know ??  

In April 2008, the Average Condo price was $312,620 and the 5-year 

rate was 5.386%.  With 5% down, the mortgage amount including 

CMHC fee would have been $306,344.15.  With a 35-year 

amortization, payments would equal $1,610.46. 

In April 2009 the Average Condo price is down to $284,056 and the 

5-year rate is just 3.95%.  With 5% down, the mortgage amount 

including CMHC fees is $278,353.58.  With a 35-year amortization, 

the mortgage payment today is just $1,218.81. 

Thus, today buyers are saving on average $391.65 per month, or 

total savings of 24.32 % over last year at this time! 

In April 2008, the Average Single Family Home was priced at 

$475,513 and the 5-year rate was 5.386%.  With 5% down, the 

mortgage amount including CMHC fees was $465,967.08.  With a 35- 

year amortization, the payments would equal $2,449.60. 

In April 2009, the Average Single Family Home is priced at $420,354, 

and the 5-year rate is just 3.95%.  With 5% down, the mortgage 

amount including CMHC fees is $411,915.39.  With a 35-year 

amortization, the mortgage payment today is just $1,803.62. 

Thus, today buyers are saving on average $645.98 per month, or 

a total saving of 26.37% over last year at this time! 

Its a great feeling when spring arrives and the snow is gone . In Calgary the season of spring is the best time to buy and sell real estate ! . Why you might ask ? Well the next few months people start think about moving area's or moving cities , Its prime time for Real Estate due to school timing and season changes. The next few months are great for listing and selling because we are all thinking ahead and that means the right place at the right time. Stampede is coming as always and will stop the markets were they stand!. So ( April , May and June ) are perfect to buy and sell. Write off July because we are all at the stampede !!!!. August is the next time for catching the market. So clean out your closet and garages and give us a call for helping you find or sell your dream home.

have a great spring