Housing Forcast for 2014 and December Housing sales data for Edmonton 

Edmonton, January 8, 2014: The REALTORS® Association of Edmonton released their annual housing forecast today at a seminar at the Northlands Expo Centre attended by 600 REALTORS® and business people. President Greg Steele forecast that the value of MLS® sales in 2014 will increase by about 3% for the year after sales of $8 billion in 2013. This is based on an overall increase in the number of homes sold and increased prices.

Steele expects that the sale of single family homes in Edmonton will be static, at about 10,500, but that sales in the rest of the CMA will increase by about 1,000 units. The number of sales of condo, duplex and rowhouse sales will increase by 2.5% throughout the region as these properties become the de facto entry point for first time buyers.

Prices, as usual, will fluctuate through the year but the 12-month average price for a single family detached property is anticipated...

Some people know what general paint color they want but struggle with envisioning the exact shade. Others are just scared to commit to color because they're not sure what works best with their furniture. One of the points about paint I like to make with clients is that the colors you may like may be very different from colors you want to live with. 

Some shades translate perfectly to walls. Some, although beautiful, are better saved for fabrics or rugs. Here are some shades of popular, tried and true paint colors along with their exact name and brand, that I think translate very well to walls.

Convert to Gas

 Nothing communicates home-loving coziness like a fire in the fireplace. Unfortunately, traditional woodburning fireplaces tend to lose more energy than they produce, pulling heated air out of the house and sending it up the chimney (and burning wood adds to air pollution). If you have natural gas or propane heating, consider having gas logs installed. A direct-vent system is best for new, air-tight homes; it pulls in air from outdoors, pushes it past the firebox, and sends the warmed air into the room. Vent-free systems require no chimney, flue, or outside exhaust. They're relatively inexpensive to operate, warm the room efficiently, and meet national standards for indoor air quality.

Call the Chimney Sweep

If gas logs aren't in your budget and you use your woodburning fireplace often during the winter, have it cleaned and inspected before winter. Burning wood releases volatile gases that cool and condense on the inside of the chimney,...

Edmonton, October 2, 2013:

The REALTORS® Association of Edmonton released market housing statistics for the year to date (YTD) including the month of September. The all-residential average price for the first three quarters of the year in the Edmonton CMA is $350,741 as compared to $340,090 in 2012. In September, the all-residential average was $352,057, up 5.4% from a year ago and inching up from $351,455 in the previous month. 

Year-over-year sales were also up 19.4% with 1,466 (adjusted, 1,357 actual) all-residential sales in September. There were 13,691 residential sales in the Edmonton CMA in the first three quarters of 2013 as compared to just 12,876 sales at the same time last year.

“Our members report that the market is very active with many properties attracting multiple offers,” said President Darrell Cook. “The increases in the Alberta population are driving the market and because of the steady sales there are inventory shortages at the lower price ranges....

This is a solid, well built Bi-Level and has beautiful natural light streaming in on both levels; it includes:

Open Concept Living Room and Kitchen

Bay Windows in Living Room and “Garden Door” to the back deck

Newer high end slate-look lino in Kitchen, Dining and Entryway in 2011

The Lifetime 3D Roof Shingles are only (1) year old

The Newer Deck is only (2) years old

Attractive new Fiberglass Front Door in 2013 and Back Door in 2012

Front Lawn treated by Tru-Green for past 7 years

Drywalled, Insulated Double-attached Garage

Driveway and sidewalk are in great condition

High End 2” Blinds in Living Room and Kitchen

2” Blinds on all of the windows in Basement

Basement has been renovated – just needs some trim.

LARGE unfinished storeroom in basement could also be converted to another bedroom.

Great neighbors with well-kept homes surround this house; and lots of long term homeowners around this neighborhood (20+ years!).

Enjoy an easy commute to Edmonton through...