All Blog Entries by Kirby Cox

Look for Proof of a Faulty Roof

New home starts in the Calgary area increased for the sixth straight month compared to the same timeframe last year.  According to CMHC (Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation) there were 786 housing starts in January, up from 518 during the same month last year.  Metro Calgary itself experienced the most gains at 36%, with 271 homes in the ground, says CMHC.  Construction starts of multi-family units continue to lead the way, averaging more than 340 starts per month since August 2011. 

Taking advantage of the mortgage wars between Canada’s major banks, investors, first-time buyers, and home owners looking to “move up” are out looking for homes in droves.  The big five banks (BMO, TD, CIBC, Scotiabank and RBC) dropped their fixed rates to record lows and it all started when BMO reduced their Low Rate 5-year fixed mortgage product to 2.99%, the lowest interest rate for a Canadian bank ever.  

But prospective buyers need to be cautious and really make sure they know what they’re getting into.  Many of these mortgages come with greater restrictions and higher payout penalties.  Homeowners also need to buy what they can afford, so that when rates do rise again, they won’t be caught holding the bag when they need to renew.

We would like to offer a big thank you to everyone who came out to our 15th Annual Pumpkin Giveaway to support the Calgary Inter-Faith Food Bank. We had a really successful day; there were so many new faces out to help us, as well as many familiar families from previous Pumpkin Giveaways. We hope that you will make this event a tradition for your family’s future Halloweens. We have a lot of fun hosting this event every year!

The great people at the Hamptons Coop generously allow us to hold this event right on their doorstep and let us buy large quantities of pumpkins from them every year. Having such a good location really adds to the convenience for shoppers to pick up some extra items to donate. We gave away an amazing 600 pumpkins (or more!)

When: October 22 from 10 am – 2 pm (as supplies last)

Where: At the Hamptons Co-op, located on the corner of Country Hills Blvd NW & Hamptons Drive NW

The Event

Every year for the last 14 years, we've worked with the Calgary Inter-Faith Food Bank to distribute 600-700 pumpkins on the weekend before Halloween to the public in exchange for donations of money or non-perishable food. We also have candy for the kids!

Every year the generous Calgary residents who come out to the pumpkin giveaway donate around 500 lbs of non-perishable food items to the food bank. We estimate in the years since we first organized this event, we have helped to raise about $25,000 for the Calgary Interfaith Food Bank in food and cash donations!

Every year we send

While the mayor is still fighting for changing the regulation of rental suites across the city, the majority of city council seems dead set against easing rules for renting out basement suites in areas of Calgary where basement suites are not legal at this time. And for many Calgary residents, the lack of change in this area is just the way they want it to stay. 

Due to disagreement by the majority of city council, the changes to restrictions on secondary suites have been thoroughly thwarted thus far. All of the council except for the mayor and two aldermen are firmly against the changes and this stance is not likely to change, according to Alderman Druh Farrell. Calgarians should not expect any change in the position on the secondary suite issue

For beer and German cuisine fans, late September/early October could be considered the most wonderful time of the year because it is time for Oktoberfest!

Oktoberfest is a massive beer festival held each year in Munich Germany that runs for just over two weeks. While you can travel to Germany to take part in this celebration of good food and great beer, in many places across Calgary you can also find some of that celebratory atmosphere here too.

Oktoberfest celebrations outside of Munish usually include a variety of German beers, authentic German foods like bratwurst & sauerkraut, traditional German folk music, and maybe even some traditional clothing like Lederhosen and Dirndl.

Places in Calgary you can enjoy Oktoberfest:

Craft Beer Market

While the concept of a condominium for vehicles might seem like something you’d find in a Disney/Pixar movie, this idea has become a reality in the community of Springbank just outside of Calgary. The Dens is more than a luxury storage facility, it is (according to the company) a “condo development, specifically designed for private storage with a club atmosphere”.

This high-end facility is for residents who not only need some extra garage space to store recreational vehicles, luxury cars, seasonal sport vehicles, motorcycles, boats, and more, but also hobbyists who want a space to gather to share their passion for their collections.

The Dens isn’t just all about vehicles though, management encourages anyone who’s looking for a space to set up their

With gas prices up again, many Calgarians are feeling pretty cranky about that drive to and from work every day. According to Stats Canada, most commuters in Canada take between 45 and 90 minutes a day to get to and from work. This roughly adds up to between 195 and 390 hours spent in the car every year. When you factor in the cost of transportation and the cost of these lost hours, it may become evident that you could be spending time in your day much more pleasantly.

While the following strategies may not work in all situations, it can be well worth trying to find a workable solution to help you save your money and your sanity!

Take public transit or car pool

When you’re not driving, you’re free to do other things. You can do work, or you can take

For anyone concerned about the health of the real estate market in Calgary, the steady increase in sales of single family residences will be welcome news. While the numbers of Calgary home sales have not recovered to the 10 year average rates, experts are optimistic that the local market is continuing to strengthen.

The combination of well-priced homes hitting the market, along with a steady supply of interested buyers has increased home sales by 5% over last year. While the number of sales has been slowly but steadily increasing, home prices have remained fairly stable at reasonable levels that have encouraged potential home buyers to take the plunge.

For homeowners looking for something affordable, there are many homes in Calgary that are priced well