October 2009 Newsletter

Issue #6 October 2009

Hi everyone,
With the cold weather and possibility of snow this week it must almost be Halloween!
The market is showing an increase in transactions over last year in the same time period and this is causing prices to increase slightly. If the market is a "typical" market this year we will see a slight decrease in activity as we get closer to December.

Our office is proud to be associated with the charity Children's Cottage Society and we will be having a clothing drive in November to help provide the families that use this charity with additional clothes. If you would like to help out by giving them your gently used kids clothing (size 10 or smaller) please contact me by November 11th and I will pick them up from you. If you do not have any children's clothes and would still like to help out, we are accepting cash donations to buy new underwear, gloves, mitts, etc.

I'm still in the process of building my business referral directory that will contain companies and individuals that give outstanding service. If you have received this type of service and wish to have others receive it also, please email me their contact information. This way when you need a service or supplier,contact me and I can let you know some of the outstanding companies and individuals we have in Calgary.

If you have any family or friends who do not live in Calgary but are thinking of buying or selling, have them contact me. I can put them in touch with a Realtor in their area that will give them the service that you have received from me.

Have a great day!

P.S. Your referrals of family and friends is my greatest compliment.

DON'T FORGET THAT DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME ENDS NOVEMBER 1ST AT 2:00 AM

Calgary, major cities driving housing resale rebound: CREA

BY MARIO TONEGUZZI
CALGARY HERALD OCTOBER 15, 2009

CALGARY - Spurred by sales in Calgary, Vancouver and Toronto, national resale housing activity climbed to the highest level of any third quarter on record this year, says the Canadian Real Estate Association.

The association said today that MLS home sales totalled 135,182 units in the third quarter of this year, the most ever for the period from July to September. The number of transactions was up 18 per cent from the third quarter of last year, which represented the biggest year-over-year increase since early 2002.

"Momentum for sales activity remained strong throughout the third quarter," said Dale Ripplinger, CREA's president. "Low interest rates, rebounding consumer confidence and an improving overall sense of economic security continue to draw homebuyers to the housing market." The association said quarterly increases in Vancouver (34 per cent), Toronto (11 per cent) and Calgary (19 per cent) contributed most to the national increase in activity.

mtoneguzzi@theherald.canwest.com

The Homeowner's Top "To-Do" Calendar
Courtesy Buffini & Company

Make sure your windows and entryways are ready for winter

Carefully inspect weather-stripping around dorrs and windows. Repair or replace as necessary.

Single Family

July August September
Listings 3314 3296 3148

Sales 1585 1277 1257

Absorption (# of months of inventory) 2.1 2.6 2.5

Average Price
(in thousands) $436 $454 $459

Median Price
(in thousands) $390 $400 $400

Condos

July August September

Listings 1587 1479 1515

Sales 702 632 580

Absorption (# of months of inventory) 2.3 2.3 2.6

Average Price
(in thousands) $285 $283 $290

Median Price
(in thousands) $263 $260 $265

Murray Scotton REALTOR®
403.301.7239 pager
www.murrayscotton.com