How to Choose the Right Residential Neighbourhood

One of the most essential parts of buying real estate is choosing the right neighbourhood for you. There isn’t a single method of knowing the right surroundings; it all depends on what you and your family needs. There are, however, some easy steps that can help get you started on your search for the perfect neighbourhood.

Hasten Your Home Sale with These Tips

Relocating is never easy and neither is selling your old home to finance the new one. When months pass by without any buyers, consider doing home improvements to make your property more attractive and increase its market value. Where do you begin though?

Realty Speak: On Agents, Brokers and Realtors

Real estate involves a wide web of people that you can contact, including agents, brokers, mortgage lenders, and home inspectors, to name a few. If you want to make sure that your transaction goes well, you should at least learn the basics about the people that make up the points in this web. Here are some information on three of the people home buyers and sellers often confuse:

The Agent

A real estate agent is one who is licensed by your province to sell houses. Hence, they are the ones who walk you through a list of potential houses if you're buying, or help you get the word out about your house if you're selling. An agent, however, must be employed by a broker before they can operate, as evidenced by the fact that the home listing should be in the broker’s name.

The Broker

Real estate brokers have a lot more education or training compared to agents, thus qualifying them to set up a firm of their own. Brokers also have more rights, such as the right to do appraisals and manage their own team of real estate professionals.

The REALTOR®

A realtor on the other hand, is different from the other two in that he has to be a member of the National Association of REALTORS® to qualify as one. This means that he will have to adhere to a set of rules and guidelines expected of a realtor through the association's code of ethics.

CHC: Building Communities, One House at a Time

Although it is one of Canada’s major cities, not everyone who lives in Calgary can afford to live in a decent home. In other countries, housing assistance for the elderly, the disabled, and low-income individuals is offered in the form of vouchers; the Calgary Housing Company (CHC), on the other hand, provides actual housing units. These properties are funded and supported by the local government to help out the less privileged.

The CHC operates and manages about 10,000 housing units for rent, which are primarily intended for low-income families. Unlike some residential properties for sale in the city's real estate market, CHC housing units are guaranteed to be built according to high standards and come complete with basic amenities that some houses lack. The CHC strives not only to provide affordable housing but also to create solid and happy communities.

These things are made possible through the city's support services, especially those related to healthcare and home security. The CHC also encourages tenants to be more proactive by participating in community activities like agency resource fairs, community BBQs, clean-up activities, and seminars. Aside from fostering a sense of community, these activities also aim to educate low-income households about parenting, community engagement, social development, and the like – things that any community should have.