Issue # 9 www.shelleysoles.ca April 2009
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Rent vs. Own
Canada
Mortgage & Housing says it's cheaper to buy a resale condo than to rent an
apartment. The monthly carrying cost,
assuming a 10% down payment and a 5 year fixed mortgage (the rates are amazing
right now), comes in at $1100 to $1200 per month versus approximately $1600 to
rent a 2 bedroom apartment. The tough
part is the 10% down, but with a little help from Mom and Dad, what better way
to get into the real estate market?
There are some great buys out there in the $200-250,000 range.
Sq.ft:#
Description:
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 Most of you
have likely to chosen to live in your neighborhood because you think it's
great. But is it the greatest in Canada?
Royal
Lepage is proud to announce My Great Neighborhood Contest, where consumers can
win one of 7 monthly prizes of $500 and or the grand prize of $25,000 in
cash! Participants are invited to submit
videos, photos and stories to tell Canada why their neighborhood is the greatest. They'll have to share their entries with
families and friends to get votes on line.
A $5000 donation will be made to a nearby women's shelter in the grand
prize winner's name. Click here to find out how to become involved and
view some of the entries.
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Help for Homeowners...Part 2
 In my last newsletter I mentioned that the Government
of Canada is offering support for home
renovations - for a limited time, the new Home Renovation Tax Credit means
homeowners could receive up to $1,350 in tax relief on renovation expenses.
Now the
Home DepotŪ is offering a Tax Credit Top Up - $1000 in gift cards when you
spend between $1,000 to $10,000. In my
experience, if you've got a project on the go, it's not hard to get to
$1000!!!
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Real Estate Update
How's the
market doing? I'm asked this several
times every day and the answer depends on whether you are a seller or a buyer.
However, both sales and prices are up (see sidebar) and we are moving into a
more balanced market.
 It appears
that sellers are more serious about pricing their homes competitively and the
low mortgage rates and affordable prices are a big factor in the increase in
sales. But beware, chances are if you
purchased in the last couple of years and are now thinking of selling, you're
not likely to see any return on your investment quite yet!
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Until next
month...in the meantime, if you or anyone you know is looking to buy, sell or
invest in real estate, I hope you will feel confident passing my name along to
them.
My business is
growing because of great people like you, and I appreciate that you trust your
referrals to me, knowing that they get first-class, personal service and
results!
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Current
Listings
Check
out this FANTASTIC
Condo!
$520,990
3317,
10221 Tuscany Blvd NW
MLS C3366712
Calgary Market Update
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Single
Family |
Mar 09 |
Feb 09 |
Jan
09 |
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Sales |
1086
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825 |
550
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*Median Price ($000) |
375 |
375 |
374 |
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**Average
Price ($000) |
420 |
416 |
413 |
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Days on
Market |
48 |
51 |
52 |
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Month End Inventory |
4369 |
4352 |
4040 |
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Condos |
Mar 09 |
Feb 09 |
Jan 09 |
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Sales |
446
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343 |
225 |
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*Median Price ($000) |
260 |
250 |
243 |
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**Average
Price ($000) |
284 |
269 |
271 |
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Days on
Market |
56 |
51 |
64 |
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Month End Inventory |
2052 |
2065 |
1923 |
Source: Calgary Real Estate Board
*Median price (in 000's) is midway between least expensive and most expensive.
**Average price
(in 000's) is useful in establishing trends over time, however can be
influenced by sales of a few very expensive properties in an community.
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Shelley Soles   Royal LePage Benchmark
403.259.9327
Supporting the Calgary
Real Estate Board Charitable Foundation
This communication is not intended to cause or induce a breach of an existing agency agreement. |
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In our household,
Easter is a time that family 
