As enjoying a lazy day floating down the Bow River becomes a summer ritual for more and more Calgarians, river traffic has yet to reach Deerfoot-esque congestion levels. That is, for now.

The idyllic act that just oozes “summer” continues to gain popularity in the city.

What once was a few rafts bobbing and ebbing along Calgary’s most tranquil tributary is now a parade of yellow inflatables dotting the doting river like so many stampeding rubber ducks.

“Rafting the Bow is without a doubt the best time in the summer in Calgary,” raves avid river rafter Duncan Shaw.

According to employees at Rapid Rent, who regularly station in Eau Claire to lure would-be rafters, the city is just now entering prime rafting season.

July and August are traditionally, and obviously, the busiest time of year to amble along the river, particularly when the sun is scorching.

Shaw has noticed an increase in the amount of rafters in the past couple of years, but he is much too mellow to mind.

“The river’s pretty wide open,” he says. “The sun hits early in the morning, and stays till late in the evening. There is plenty of room and time to enjoy it.”

A popular route is to muster up a crew of three to 10 people and send off at Bearspaw Dam or Bowness Park, traveling down at leisure, catching currents all the way down to the inner city Prince’s Island Park.

The whole journey will run approximately four hours, with ample opportunities get out of the raft and enjoy the beautiful Bow.

“There are a few spots where the river widens and deepens and it’s slow enough to jump in for a swim—as long as you’re aware of the changing current,” Shaw warns. “You don’t want to be swept away when the river picks up its pace again.”

With a group of eight, including three rafts, oars and life jackets, it can run a meager $25 per head. There are several places in the city where all of the equipment can be rented.

Surprisingly, previous experience is not a necessity. Almost anyone can partake, so long as the necessary safety precautions are adhered to.

“There’s not much experience required, but respect for the river is a must,” says Shaw. “You don’t have to be a genius to navigate the ebb and flow of the Bow. The current is pretty laid back, so it’s very relaxing, as long as one doesn’t get complacent.”

Life jackets are required, and the Calgary Police Service marine unit regularly patrols the waterways to ensure safety measures are being taken, and the revelry isn’t getting too out of hand.

“The Bow is a great time for families, young people, old people, anyone looking for some quality outdoorsmanship within the big city’s boundaries,” he said.

Those looking for a little more adventure and excitement than what is offered with a lazy float down the Bow River are in luck; Calgary is in close proximity to some of the best white water rafting in the country.

Traveling a little farther up the Bow, near Banff and Canmore, the fresh water running from the annual snow melt guarantees a little more of a wild ride.

With everything to get the heart racing for those younger to those more seasoned rafters, one thing is for sure: you will get wet.

Feeling brave? You could also opt for the ultimate mountain water experience and book a couple days off work this August to head to either the Kicking Horse or Kananaskis rivers for a multi-day river raft trip, guaranteed to thrill-and soak-the burliest of outdoorsmen.

–Dan Leahul is a Calgary Real Estate News resident reporter

The community of Richmond is located in Calgary’s southwest. It is one of Calgary’s older communities and was annexed in two phases, first in 1907, then in 1910.

Most of the development in this area occurred in the 1950s.

Richmond residents’ have easy access to Calgary’s pathway system and the community is located nearby the Southwest Regional Park, and Richmond Green golf course.

The commercial area of Marda Loop is also nearby.

Richmond recently completed construction of a new community centre which offers a variety of activities to residents.

A playgroup, dog training groups, and a moms and tots group make use of the centre. Richmond facilitates a popular soccer and baseball program, and its hockey and pleasure skating rinks offer recreational opportunities to residents.

The community centre also hosts annual Easter, Halloween and February chill out celebrations. Frequent bingos and casinos allow the centre to raise money for these events.

Demographics

Located in Ward 8, Richmond has a population of 3,830 (2006 Civic Census) with approximately 17% comprising the immigrant population (Statistics Canada, 2001 Census of Canada).

A total of 510 families accounted for 765 children still living at home with 37.9% of these being six to 14 years old.

According to Stats Canada, 2001 Census of Canada the median household income for Richmond in 2000 was $49,954.

In addition, 59.8% of the population over 20 completed college, attended university or graduated university with a degree - an additional 14.8% graduated from Trade Schools (Statistics Canada, 2001 Census of Canada).

There are a total of 2,040 occupied private dwellings in Richmond with 48.3% being single detached dwellings (Statistics Canada, 2001 Census of Canada).

 By CREN Staff

 Housing starts across Canada have decreased this month, according to new statistics compiled by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC).

The seasonally adjusted annual rate of housing starts was 217,800 units in June, down from 227,700 units in May, according to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC).

“Despite the decrease in June, total housing starts remain at high levels,” said Bob Dugan, chief economist at CMHC’s Market Analysis Centre. “This is mostly due to the multiple segment which has been continuously above the 100,000 unit threshold since the beginning of the year.”

The seasonally adjusted annual rate of urban starts moved down by 5% in June compared to May.

Both urban multiples and singles decreased, with a decline of 3% for multiples to 114,700 units, and a 7.8% drop for singles to 74,600 units.

The seasonally adjusted annual rate of urban starts went down in all regions of Canada, except Ontario, where housing starts increased by 10.8% to 77,900 in June.

Urban starts declined to 8,500 units in Atlantic Canada, 40,300 units in Quebec, 31,200 units in the Prairies, and 31,400 units in British Columbia.

Both single and multiple urban starts decreased in all regions in June, with the exception of multiple starts in Ontario which increased by 30%.

Rural starts were estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 28,500 units in June.

For the first half of 2008, actual starts in rural and urban areas combined were up an estimated 1.5% compared to the same period last year.

Year-to-date actual starts in urban areas have increased by an estimated 6.1% over the same period in 2007.

Actual urban single starts for the first six months of this year were 13.1% lower than they were a year earlier, while multiple starts were up by 23.1% over the same period.

All starts figures, other than actual starts, are seasonally adjusted annual rates—that is, monthly figures adjusted to remove normal seasonal variation and multiplied by 12 to reflect annual levels.

CMHC estimates the level of rural starts for each of the three months of the quarter, at the beginning of each quarter. During the last month of the quarter, CMHC conducts the survey in rural areas and revises the estimate.

—As Canada’s national housing agency, CMHC draws on over 60 years of experience to help Canadians access a variety of quality, environmentally sustainable, and affordable homes — homes that will continue to create vibrant and healthy communities and cities across the country

Click Here

http://www.keithsellscalgary.com/archive/clippings/May2008MetroStats.pdf 

for full report!

Unbeknownst to many, Calgary’s water supply is an extremely limited one and the growing population and soaring economy are placing increasing demands on the Bow and Elbow Rivers.

During the spring and summer months, water use in Calgary can increase by 50% because of outdoor watering activities.

The City of Calgary is doing its part to reduce water demand by helping educate Calgarians on how to use water more wisely outdoors. The City’s “Fill a Frisbee. Free a River.” outdoor water conservation campaign starts this week and focuses on some simple yet practical tips Calgarians can use to water more wisely.

“Watering the lawn is the main reason why Calgary’s water use increases so dramatically during the summer,” said Kate Murray, public program coordinator for the city’s Water Services. “Your lawn only needs one inch of water over the week to stay healthy and that includes rainfall.”

The City’s “Fill a Frisbee. Free a River.” outdoor water conservation campaign focuses on several tips.

The first asks Calgarians to lay a Frisbee upside down within the range of their sprinklers and time how long it takes to fill—that’s how long the sprinkler should run over the week.

Watering first thing in the morning is a simple tip that can make a big difference throughout the day.

Use a sprinkler timer and set it before leaving the house in the morning. This will help you remember to turn off the water, and it won’t evaporate in the heat of the day.

Let Mother Nature help water your plants by collecting the rain.

Just place a rain barrel under the downspout of an eave. Plants like natural water better and you’ll feel good about doing your part to free a river.

Also remember to mow the lawn no shorter than three inches high and it will shade its own roots from the scorching sun and choke out pesky dandelions.

Reducing the amount of water Calgary consumes is important to the water quality and aquatic life of the Bow and Elbow rivers. Using water more wisely also helps reduce the strain on water treatment facilities by requiring them to draw less water out of the rivers.

In addition to these four tips, there are other easy ways Calgarians can help to reduce their water use without sacrificing the beauty of their lawn. Read more about lawn and gardening tips by visiting www.calgary.ca/waterservices or by calling 3-1-1.

—Dan Leahul is a Calgary Real Estate News reporter.

Originally Published in CREN, May 22, 2008

Four thousand western Canadians were recently asked to rate the priority of fifteen public policy issues by the Canada West Foundation (CWF), and unsurprisingly, topping the list were the usual suspects: health care, the environment and poverty.

The Looking West 2008 Survey by CWF found those three issues garnered the largest number of very high and high priority ratings.

Social issues continue to be a top concern for western Canadians, while economic policy, post-secondary educational funding and infrastructure continue to form the middle of the pack, said Robert Roach, the foundation’s director of strategic policy and research.

The provinces involved in the study—British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba—each ranked health care, the environment and poverty reduction as their respective one, two and three priorities. Arts and culture, foreign aid and business taxes consistently ranked lowest.

It’s a good thing, said Roach, and it shows that western Canadians are confident in the economy.

“It opens up the room for some other issues to come to the top,” he said.

“However, health care and the environment in particular have been pretty stable in terms of being near the top in most priority lists. I think those ones would remain priority even if some economic issues came closer to the top.”

Improving the health care system, which the report said was “the perennial Canadian public policy issue,” received the greatest number of very high and high ratings, with one in every two of those surveyed saying so.

A slightly larger proportion of western Canadians placed high priority on health care in 2008 (77.2%) than in years past; in the Looking West 2003, 2004 and 2006 surveys, 73 to 74% of those surveyed stated that improving health care was high on their priority list.

Doing more to reduce poverty is also growing as an important social issue, as 71.7% of western Canadians named it as a very high or high priority compared to 66.4% just two years ago.

“The other thing we have noticed over time is the number of people recording the environment as a high priority has steadily increased over the last three or four years,” he said. “It was sitting at 65% a few years ago, and now it’s at 75%. The majority thought it was an issue but even a larger majority thinks it’s an issue today.”

Like health care, the environment is a fairly durable issue, said Roach, but it’s a problem that’s not going to get fixed any time soon.

In recent years, analysts have expressed concerns about the labour supply in western Canada, but the general public appears to be less worried. Public policies aimed at increasing labour supply—specifically Aboriginal employment and skilled foreign workers—received very high or high priority ratings from less than a majority of western Canadians.

“That’s where there is a gap between theory and public opinion,” Roach said. “For most of the public, it’s not as direct an issue. Where as on paper, we know that labour supply issues are a big, big economic factor for the future of the region.”

Other CWF surveys results demonstrate that western Canadians currently see the national, provincial and local economies in a positive light. But how might western Canadians’ public policy priorities be affected should the economy take a turn for the worse?

Research suggests that public policy preferences in Canada vary with the “misery index,” which is calculated as the sum of unemployment and inflation rates.

When the misery index rises, Canadians are shown to prefer less domestic spending. CWF predicts that if this is the case, the wide base of support of strategic investment spending may shrink in the event of an economic downturn.

The survey showed a strong majority of western Canadians believe that the government should leave the economy to the free market, but also support a wide number of government activities to support the economy.

This is seen in the strong support of government protection of rural economies, tax incentives for industries and government funding of both university researchers and, more broadly, research development.

The Looking West 2008 Survey is part of CWF’s Going For Gold Project and features five separate segments, two more of which will be released throughout the month of May.

—Dan Leahul is a Calgary Real Estate News resident reporter.

Originally Published in CREN, May 22, 2008

Canadian housing starts are expected to shift into slow gear in 2008 and throughout 2009 due to a decelerating economy and eroding affordability, according to the 2008 Altus Clayton Housing Forecast.

Although there are mounting cautionary factors that are expected to dampen housing starts, there are a number of encouraging factors that support underlying housing demand.

Job creation remained strong with a year-over-year growth of about 350,000 jobs in the first quarter of 2008.

While job growth is expected to slow through 2009, the momentum from recent strong growth should continue to have a positive impact on housing demand this year, said the report.

Mortgage rates are also expected to move slightly lower in 2008 along with further Bank of Canada rate cuts.

Although Canada-wide starts came in at 234,000 units seasonally adjusted at annual rates in the first quarter, up 9.5% from the fourth quarter of 2007, the gain was driven by apartment starts where a burst in activity more than offset a dip in single family starts.

Single family starts, which includes single-detached, semi-detached and row units, came in at a Canada wide total of 156,630 in 2007.

That number is expected to drop to 127,485 in 2008 and 122,600 the following year.

Apartment starts are expected to shoot up in 2008 to 82,950 from 71,713 in 2007. However in 2009 that number will decline to 70,950.

Alberta is the only province that will look to buck the trend of slower housing starts this year and the next, thanks to the chugging economy. Weaker migration coupled with higher inventory levels will dampen the demand to lower levels than seen in previous years.

House price gains in Calgary and Edmonton decelerated in the first quarter of 2008, both for new and existing homes.

In Calgary, price gains slowed to single-digit growth, significantly lower than in 2006 and 2007.

“Growing inventories are a key factor here,” said the report.

Looking across the board, other provinces will seemingly be on the short end of the stick.

An underlying strong economy in British Columbia won’t mean an increase in housing starts and a gradual decline is expected due to continued deteriorating constrains.

In Saskatchewan, robust economic conditions stemming from the strength in the commodity market will likely translate into another strong year for the housing market; but housing starts will likely taper off as high house price gains impact affordability.

Capital investment intentions show continued strong growth in spending in Manitoba and will mean a very moderate decline in housing starts throughout 2008.

A challenged Ontarian export sector will drag down economic growth this year, however, total starts will remain deceivingly elevated as the backlog of condominium apartments sold but not yet started in Toronto gets worked through over the next two years.

“In Toronto, construction on sold but unstarted condominium apartment units will boost apartment starts significantly higher in 2008,” read the report. “Combined with continue single-family lot shortages, this backlog will continue to keep apartment starts buoyant through 2009.”

Weaker export demand from the U.S. is expected to dampen housing start levels in Quebec while slower economic growth and modest job creation will contribute to softer starts in Atlantic Canada.

In Canada, the report forecasts 210,410 total starts in 2008. That number will dip to 193,525 in 2009, the first time total Canadian housing starts have been below the 200,000 mark since 2001.

—Dan Leahul is a Calgary Real Estate News resident reporter

Originally Published in CREN, May 22, 2008

After the wild ride we had two years ago and to a lesser extent in 2007, 2008 is shaping up to be a completely different kind of market.

There are a tremendous number of homes on the market, 10330 single family and condos in Calgary metro as of this writing. I consider a “Normal” market to have between 3,000 and 4,000 listings, so you can see there is a lot to choose from, and it is definitely a buyers market, with lots of wheeling and dealing.

Why are there so many Listings? Several reasons, paramount among them is that many people jumped into the market two years ago with investment money, buying or building speculatively with the intention to sell in two years at a profit. Many of these investors calculated a future value of their property that did not come true, however they still have to sell at an inflated price to cover their expenses. The other primary group of sellers is the homeowner who saw the massive increase in their equity as an opportunity to move up to a larger  or newer home, they are also in the same boat as the investor. The net effect is that there is a large portion of homes on the market that are overpriced, leading to a stagnant market and widespread price reductions.

Many in the general public see the price reductions and generalize that prices are falling. There is also a tendency in the media to sensationalize any market news that they can get their hands on to sell more papers, etc. Bad news sells more than good news.

I am constantly being asked, “Are prices still dropping?” To which my standard answer is “No, they have been increasing since the first of the year.” If the first week of May is any indication I will be able to keep using that answer. So far this month there has been a $19,000 average price increase compared to last month! So much for lower prices. Sales numbers are holding steady as well, almost identical to last month.

The best time to buy or sell is when you are ready. Waiting to identify trends in the Real Estate market is a fools game. Unless you are intimately involved in the industry, you are unlikely to recognize any significant treads until the time has passed to make a move.

After having written all of this the net effect is that I am still bullish on the Calgary Real Estate market and expect that year end will see approximately 5 to 6% increase in property prices, with a slow and gradual return to a more normal number of listings available.

Calgary, April 1, 2008 – Calgary’s MLS® listings for the month and for the first quarter, indicate a wide variety of housing for potential buyers, according to figures released by the Calgary Real Estate Board (CREB®). 

Single family Calgary metro new listings added for the month of March totaled 3,493, an increase of 11.6 per cent from March 2007 when new listing added totaled 3,131 an increase of 17.2 per cent over last month, when new listings coming to the market were 2,981. At the end of the first quarter, we have seen 9,497 listings new to the market, compared to the 7,661 new listings for the first quarter of 2007, indicating a 24 per cent increase. 

“We have moved into a market that is currently providing a great variety and choices for the buyer. Not only does the buyer have much better supply to choose from, they can also customize their wants and needs in a home, making for a dream home purchase,” remarked CREB® President, Ed Jensen. Single family Calgary metro sales for the month of March came in at 1,418, showing a decrease of 37.6 per cent from the 2,272 sales in March 2007 but showing an increase of 13.3 per cent over last month’s sales of 1,252. Looking at the first quarter sales for single family Calgary metro, we see that 3,747 homes have changed hands, compared to the 5,709 sales recorded in the first quarter of 2007, indicating a 34.3 per cent decrease. 

“Gone are the days of sellers naming their price; sellers have to pay much more attention to what their asking price will be and how they present their home to experience a quick sale,” explained Jensen. “Sellers should rely on their REALTOR® for help while deciding on a list price, your REALTOR® has an arsenal of tools at their disposal to analyze the market and find a fair and reasonable price point for the seller.” “The average time a home is remaining on the market prior to selling is 40 days, but some are remaining on the market much longer and that may be due to overpricing and the extra inventory we are currently experiencing, one in five homes are selling in today’s market, this is a great time for buyers to buy a home,” continued, Jensen. 

Buyers need to know, that in today’s complex market, it is more important than ever that they call a realtor to assist them through the details of a purchase. 

The median price of a single family Calgary metro home in March 2008 was $420,000 showing a very slight decrease of 1.6 percent over March 2007, when the median price was $427,000 and showing a 1.9 per cent decrease from last month when the median price was $428,000. Quarterly, the 2008 single family Calgary metro home median price also came in at $420,000, an increase of 2.5 per cent over the first quarter median price of 409,900, for 2007. All Calgary Metro 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. 

Calgary metro condominium new listings added in March 2008 were 1,561, showing an increase of 24.9 per cent from the 1,250 new condominium listings added in March 2007 and a 25.5 per cent increase over the 1,244 new condominium listings brought to market last month. New Condominium listings finding their way to the market in the first three months of 2008 totaled 4,208, an increase of 33.9 percent over the 3,143 new listing brought to market in the first quarter of 2007. 

Condominium sales for the month of March were 565, a decrease of 44.9 per cent over the 1,026 condominium sales in March 2007 and an increase of just 0.5 percent over the 562 condominium sales changing hands in February. Quarterly, condominium sales were 1,577 for this year, a decrease of 40.6 per cent from the 2,656 condominium sales recorded in the first three month of 2007. 

The average price of a single family Calgary metro home in March 2008 was $474,513, showing a 1.1 per cent decrease from March 2007, when the average price was $479,914. The average price of a Calgary metro condominium was $312,620, showing a 0.1 per cent decrease from March 2007 when the average price was $312,280. 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. 

The Calgary Real Estate Board is a professional body of 0,000 licensed brokers and registered associates, representing 000 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. 

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Premier Ed Stelmach commended the Calgary Real Estate Board on the opening of the Crestwood Affordable Housing Development as part of the board’s ongoing Speaker Series held at the Greenwood Inn last Friday.

The premier spoke in front of over 200 members of the Calgary Real Estate Board, as well as several executives from other real estate boards and provided an update on Alberta’s direction and future regarding economic growth and trends.

The Crestwood development, which opened its doors this January, was in the spotlight of Stelmach’s speech.

“This group was very generous in its support of that project, which provided 60 affordable housing units,” Stelmach said. “It’s a great project that’s making a real difference to many people in this city, and I thank you for supporting it.”

Stelmach is recently coming off a landslide election win with his Progressive Conservative party. The PCs added 12 seats to the legislature this year for a total of 72.

“On the campaign trail I heard a lot about the stresses and strains that come with rapid growth,” he said. “In response, we presented a clear, realistic and positive plan to tackle growth pressures. A plan to build a strong and stable future for our province.

“Albertans embraced that plan, and rewarded us with their trust. Now they expect us to roll up our sleeves and get on with the job. They expect action. And that’s what I plan to deliver.”

The day before his speech, Stelmach’s new cabinet was sworn in, which has a stronger voice for Calgary this time around than in previous terms.

The new cabinet will begin focusing their priorities on the issues that were clearly identified during the election campaign, including developing energy resources in a sustainable way, improving the efficiency and delivery of health care, adding value to exports and broadening the economy, fighting crime and improving infrastructure.

Stelmach focused on two such priorities during his speech; health care and the economy.

“Last year we started implementing a health workforce action plan and have been working with Ottawa to attract, and more importantly retain, health care professionals,” he said. “We’re taking steps to increase the number of doctors and nurses trained in Alberta and recruiting health professionals from other places.”

Alberta health region administrators have recently been campaigning overseas and have made over 1,500 job offers for international nursing staff.

“I know it won’t happen over night—this is an area that our new health minister, Ron Liepart, will tackle,” he said. “I’m confident we’re going to see significant progress, starting in the next few months.”

Affordable housing will play an important role in the retention of health care professionals who will soon be coming to Alberta for work, he added.

The premier said Alberta’s economy will start moving towards a new generation of innovation and “value-added activity.”

“A knowledge based economy creates opportunity, good jobs, a competitive economy and wealth,” he said.

The Conservative government will soon be taking action to encourage Alberta’s innovative potential and will work with the private sector and post-secondary institutions to cultivate an environment where Alberta takes full advantage of its entrepreneurship.

“This is truly Alberta’s century. A time for new ideas and a time for a new energy. I’m excited to be leading this great province at such an incredible time and I’m humbled by the faith Albertans have shown in me personally, and in my team.”

Stelmach’s speech was followed with a short question and answer period.

Calgary Real Estate Board president Ed Jensen was there to see Stelmach speak.

“There are a number of issues that our board and our members are concerned with, but in particular the issue of affordable housing, so it was fantastic that they got to opportunity to not only hear the premier speak, but also to ask him questions,” said Jensen.

“Affordable housing is an issue near and dear to our hearts as a professional industry association, and we have worked successfully in the past with all three levels of government on our Crestwood project, and we look forward to a continued good working relationship with Premier Stelmach’s government on all of the issues that directly impact our industry.”

—Dan Leahul is the resident reporter for the Calgary Real Estate News