All Blog Entries by Justin Havre

The nicer weather in Edmonton makes it easier to renovate your home.  No worries about insulation, swapping out windows, leaving the door open and venting those paint fumes.  Edmontonians are reveling in home renos and using the equity in their homes as probably the cheapest way to borrow money to do it.

Hello HELOC 

A cute anacronym – HELOC – which stands for Home Equity Line of Credit.  It’s an interesting thing because the equity in your home is kind of yours and it kind of isn’t.  You’re borrowing money from the bank but you’re sort of borrowing your money.  Yet you must pay interest on it.  It’s actually the preferred way by countless Canadians home owners to pay for those big-ticket home reno projects and for good reason.  It can be the

Once upon a time, a walk-in closet was the hallmark of a luxury home in Edmonton. As part of a master ensuite or its own space with a window, walk-in closets provide that much needed his-and-hers space.   They were the envy of many, an amenity for Hollywood stars.  But now, an organized closet with room for shoes is pretty much normal.

This popularity for walk-in closets has almost developed overnight thanks to Social Media and speciality cable channels. Think of Carrie Bradshaw’s shoe collection in Sex in the City or Mariah Carey’s ultra-decadent closet in the MTV show Cribs. Design-inspired apps and websites especially Pinterest have really pushed the practical aspects of huge closets.

It’s funny to think that the clothes hanger wasn’t even

If the kind of home you've been dreaming about in Edmonton just isn't affordable, think about the short drive south to Leduc, population 30,000.

For every kilometre than you travel out of the Edmonton city limits, home prices drop by thousands of dollars. You might find yourself saving more then $60,000 on the kind of home you've been looking for.

It might make that daily commute worth it. It's all on four-lane highway and from the Anthony Henday it's only 10-minutes.

Check resale prices in a nice family-friendly community or consider a new neighbourhood like Southfork. It's on the east side of the highway in the south part of Leduc. Choose your lot and choose your builder and get into a single-family home for much less than you would in the

Opportunists are laying in wait for the real estate market in Edmonton to heat up. There's a cycle of highs and lows, and we're due to start rising again. People looking to make a quick buck are attracted to a heated market and are waiting for the temperature to start rising again for Edmonton real estate.

Regular folks can also get caught up in a frenzy sometimes, as their home values rise and suddenly there's more equity in their home that they can invest in more real estate in an attempt to gain some ground.

Here's the Scenario

With so many new condominium developments around Edmonton in the pre-selling phase, it's tempting to buy more than one unit, put a 10% deposit down on each of them, and then sell when the project is completed. So, let's

Hockey Canada has a plan to breathe new life into Northlands Coliseum.  It involves getting kids off screens and getting them active, two aspects of the argument for an exciting hockey academy idea put forward by Tom Renney, president of the Canadian organization.

Renney appeared before Edmonton City Council in mid-April as they debated the future of the former Rexall Centre which Hockey Canada would like to take responsibility for.  He said plans for the facility would help address today’s sedentary lifestyle among Edmontonians.

There have been at least 15 proposals put forward by a variety of groups, each with unique plans for Northland.  Edmonton council members voted during the April 8 meeting and agreed to start working with Hockey Canada in

One of Edmonton’s loveliest mid-century neighbourhoods is Laurier Heights on the western bank of the North Saskatchewan River Valley.  The location of this mature neighbourhood with its tidy bungalows, split-levels and rejuvenated 1950s homes just can’t be beat.  Many residences offer wonderful views of the valley in the Buena Vista area of the neighbourhood.  Close to nature and Edmonton’s Valley Zoo but equally close to Edmonton’s downtown core and just across the valley from the University of Alberta.

The average home price in Laurier Heights is $850,000 with some lovely properties available for just under $500,000 and other exceptional properties with views and wide lots in the $1.6 million range.   Selection in this neighbourhood is often very

Did you know that two thirds of the Canadian population live out in the suburbs? Ever since suburbs became a "thing" in post-World War II North America, these sprawling neighbourhoods have served a purpose — providing roomy yet affordable housing for Canadian families.

A new report issued by the Institute for Research on Public Policy published that statistic and went further to say that Canadian seniors represent at least 16% of our population and a large majority live in suburbs. By choice, most likely, as many moved to a suburban neighbourhood in Edmonton when they had growing families and are now attached to their home, no matter how isolated they are and no matter how mobile or immobile they have become. The thought of selling their Edmonton home

What is a multi family home? Townhome developments, apartment-style condos, stacked townhouses — whatever type of multi family real estate you choose to buy, there are tremendous benefits to be found. You may have the funds to purchase a single-family home. You might be selling your detached home and are pondering your next move. Give a townhome some consideration because there are far more benefits than a good price and a good location.

Townhomes started to appear in Edmonton neighbourhoods in the late 1960's and today's new construction townhomes are available in many attractive price ranges.

Multi-Family Units are Affordable

Edmonton townhomes are affordable, as multi-family homes just don't cost as much to build as a single-family home. Each

Check out the new Edmonton community of Paisley in the south west part of the city.  It’s a concept neighbourhood and one that’s been on the books since 2011 when the City of Edmonton adopted the Heritage Valley Neighbourhood Area Structure Plan.  This emerging neighbourhood was named in honour of the Edmonton Fringe Festival’s founder, Brian Paisley.  For those unfamiliar with the festival’s origins, it was started by Paisley in 1982 and modeled after the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland.  It was the first fringe festival of its kind in North America, and for his work developing it for Edmonton audiences and other theatre work in our country, Paisley was awarded the Order of Canada in 2010.

Edmonton home owners have just started moving into the

Edmonton real estate is blessed with an outstanding network of cross country ski trails. They stretch out across the city, snaking through the North Saskatchewan River Valley — meticulously groomed and used by cross-country enthusiasts from all over Edmonton. The day may soon come when cross-country skiing your way to work or school will be a way of life, similar to what's done in some Scandinavian cities. Some folks ski to the nearest public transit depot as part of their daily winter commute.

In the meantime, this sport is accessible, requires minimal equipment which can be rented and has a pretty low injury rate relative to other sports. Edmontonians can take lessons from a variety of ski clubs such as St. Albert Nordic or the Edmonton Nordic Ski