Wednesday, November 26, 2008
BRIDGELAND - WHERE would you like to EAT?
Featured in this month's WHERE magazine is a page dedicated to eateries in Bridgeland. I spent the weekend in the area and definitely will be back to sample more from this great list. CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO READ AND SAMPLE A TASTE OF THIS GREAT COMMUNITY.WHERE to Eat: Bridgeland
Also check out : http://www.calgaryrestaurants.ca/
Active Bridgeland Property:
MLS# C3350611
List Price: $684,900
Monday, November 24, 2008
Optimists Rule
Optimists still rule on real estate
Canwest News Service Published: Saturday, November 22, 2008
Canadians are still in a mood to mortgage. Nearly four in 10 Canadians still think that now is a good time to buy a house, even though the proportion who expect home prices to fall further has soared, according to a recent survey by the Canadian Association of Accredited Mortgage Professionals. Attitudes toward local conditions in the mid-October survey have shifted only slightly, with 38% of Canadians believing now is a good time to purchase a house -- still outweighing the 32% who believe it is a bad time. Meanwhile, only 0.28% of mortgages are in arrears, a proportion that is not only low but also steady, the organization said. Still, the proportion expecting home prices to fall has more than doubled from last fall to 35%. That's especially the case in British Columbia, where 48% expect prices to fall. Jim Murphy, association president, notes that anticipated mortgage credit growth would slow, but remain relatively strong.
Canwest News Service Published: Saturday, November 22, 2008
Canadians are still in a mood to mortgage. Nearly four in 10 Canadians still think that now is a good time to buy a house, even though the proportion who expect home prices to fall further has soared, according to a recent survey by the Canadian Association of Accredited Mortgage Professionals. Attitudes toward local conditions in the mid-October survey have shifted only slightly, with 38% of Canadians believing now is a good time to purchase a house -- still outweighing the 32% who believe it is a bad time. Meanwhile, only 0.28% of mortgages are in arrears, a proportion that is not only low but also steady, the organization said. Still, the proportion expecting home prices to fall has more than doubled from last fall to 35%. That's especially the case in British Columbia, where 48% expect prices to fall. Jim Murphy, association president, notes that anticipated mortgage credit growth would slow, but remain relatively strong.
HOT OR NOT?
Your home: hot or not?
Financial Post Published: Saturday, November 22, 2008
Financial Post Published: Saturday, November 22, 2008
Can your home weather the financial storm? Don R. Campbell, a real estate analyst and author of Real Estate Investing in Canada, gives a dozen ways to analyze your property's exposure to a downturn.
First, it's vital to remember that property markets are not national; they are regional, local and even vary widely from neighbourhood to neighbourhood in the same city.
That being said, there will always be hot real estate markets and others that are cold, but national and provincial figures are too generalized to be used by Canadian homeowners and investors to make sound decisions on their most important asset.
The 12 questions below will help you decide if your area and personal property are poised to go up, stay flat or collapse.
The more "yes" answers you get, the better the market will perform.
But overall, to dramatically reduce your risk, the most important thing to remember is: Don't fall in love with your property.
12 ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
1 Is your area's average income increasing faster than the provincial average? 2 Is your area's population growing faster than the provincial average?
3 Is your area creating jobs faster than the provincial average?
4 Does your area have more than one major employer? 5 Is real estate booming in the surrounding region more than where you're looking?
6 Will the property values benefit from a major new development nearby?
7 Has the local and provincial political leadership created a growth atmosphere?
8 Is the region's economic development office helpful and proactive?
9 Is the neighbourhood located in an area of renewal or gentrification?
10 Is there a major transportation improvement occurring nearby?
11 Is the area attractive to Baby Boomers?
12 Is there a short-term perceived problem (negative stories, short-term layoffs) that will disappear?
In fact, there are 13 major influences on the long-term value of property. Underlying the local analysis of your property market you need to consider the outlook for Canada generally.
The Canadian economy and real estate are relatively well-positioned to withstand the economic storms that are buffeting property values in many other countries.
Friday, October 31, 2008
TRICK OR TREAT
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
I hope you are as prepared as these two enthusiasts!
I wonder who will get more treats and who will do more tricking.
Bets are on for Dorothy in the wig for more treats.
Friday, October 24, 2008
EVOLUTION, TIMING, IMPACT
Economy to rebound by 2010: Bank of Canada
Thu Oct 23, 10:41 AMThe Canadian Press
By The Canadian Press
OTTAWA - The economy is in good shape to weather a global recession, although growth will be anemic for the next six months, the Bank of Canada said Thursday.
In its fall Monetary Policy Report, the bank said Canada's economic growth will be sluggish through the first quarter of next year, but will then start to pick up and will hit 3.4 per cent in 2010. It predicted real economic growth of 0.6 per cent this year and next.
It said lower world demand, lower commodity prices and tight credit will all contribute to sluggish growth.
The weaker Canadian dollar, however, will help, by lowering the cost of the country's exports and making them more attractive to foreign customers.
The report said inflation will stay below two per cent through 2010.
The central bank, which cut its key interest rate by three-quarters of a percentage point this month, says another cut is likely.
The report said the world is entering a "mild recession" and the United States, wracked by the sub-prime mortgage situation, is already in recession.
Canada is not immune, the bank said, but it is bolstered by a strong financial system.
"The weaker outlook for global demand will increase the drag on the Canadian economy coming from exports," the report said. "Lower commodity prices will also dampen the outlook, working though a deterioration in Canada's terms of trade to moderate domestic demand growth.
"The marked tightening in Canadian credit conditions in recent weeks will restrain business and housing investment."
The report predicts a modest decline in housing prices and in household net worth, due to declines in housing equity. Consumer spending will also be lower than earlier predicted, as people adjust to harder times.
Consumers are also going to borrow less, the bank said.
The bank warned, though, that its forecasts are subject to greater uncertainty than usual, as the world grapples with what it called "the deepest, broadest and most persistent financial crisis in decades."
"The bank judges that the risks are roughly balanced around its revised base-case project for inflation in Canada - a base case that now incorporates the recent intensification of the global financial crisis, a mild global recession and the measures that have been taken to resolve the crisis.
"The evolution of the financial crisis, its impact on the global economy and the timing of the effect of the various extraordinary measures being taken to address it post significant risks to the inflation prediction on both the upside and the downside."
In its fall Monetary Policy Report, the bank said Canada's economic growth will be sluggish through the first quarter of next year, but will then start to pick up and will hit 3.4 per cent in 2010. It predicted real economic growth of 0.6 per cent this year and next.
It said lower world demand, lower commodity prices and tight credit will all contribute to sluggish growth.
The weaker Canadian dollar, however, will help, by lowering the cost of the country's exports and making them more attractive to foreign customers.
The report said inflation will stay below two per cent through 2010.
The central bank, which cut its key interest rate by three-quarters of a percentage point this month, says another cut is likely.
The report said the world is entering a "mild recession" and the United States, wracked by the sub-prime mortgage situation, is already in recession.
Canada is not immune, the bank said, but it is bolstered by a strong financial system.
"The weaker outlook for global demand will increase the drag on the Canadian economy coming from exports," the report said. "Lower commodity prices will also dampen the outlook, working though a deterioration in Canada's terms of trade to moderate domestic demand growth.
"The marked tightening in Canadian credit conditions in recent weeks will restrain business and housing investment."
The report predicts a modest decline in housing prices and in household net worth, due to declines in housing equity. Consumer spending will also be lower than earlier predicted, as people adjust to harder times.
Consumers are also going to borrow less, the bank said.
The bank warned, though, that its forecasts are subject to greater uncertainty than usual, as the world grapples with what it called "the deepest, broadest and most persistent financial crisis in decades."
"The bank judges that the risks are roughly balanced around its revised base-case project for inflation in Canada - a base case that now incorporates the recent intensification of the global financial crisis, a mild global recession and the measures that have been taken to resolve the crisis.
"The evolution of the financial crisis, its impact on the global economy and the timing of the effect of the various extraordinary measures being taken to address it post significant risks to the inflation prediction on both the upside and the downside."
CUT COST & SAVE THE EARTH
With energy prices rising yearly and the critical NEED to lessen our carbon footprints becoming more vital, new products are surfacing all the time to help us change how much we pay out and how little impact we leave behind.
One product that caught my attention because I hate sacrificing style for our mother earth, sorry to say but true, is THE VISION by ECOSMART fire. It is a modern fireplace that "burns clean and is virtually maintenance free".
CHECK IT OUT AT:
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