Libertas Property Management Inc. has been managing property in Edmonton and area for over a year now and April 1st we will be opening our doors in Calgary, no fooling!  We think we have what it takes to provide a good service in a tough industry doing a job not many people like to do.  We have many innovative ideas that we will bring to our clients.  Our systems and service we hopefully exceed our services in Edmonton and we will be competing with ourselves to provide Calgary with property management it deserves. For a full brochure make sure to contact Dave our landlord liaison for Calgary Landlords. www.libertasholdings.com   02/07/2009

Well it looks as though mortgage rates did some lovely dropping in the last few weeks along with the drop in Prime rates and in March who knows every economist that I've read in the last year keeps telling us that the interest rates will be going up (who needs any more doom and gloom).  in the last year they have consistlently gone down.  from January 2008  till January 2009 prime rate has gone down 1.75% here in Canada.  I do know that it's our well oiled machine we call the government of Canada that has helped this along.  I would just like to know all you folks out there in Canada what are some of your predictions.  Clearly we have no idea but I am putting it out there that the next meeting of the Bank of Canada will keep prime rate as is and the meeting in june will drop it a quarte... 02/07/2009

BAck from Mexico and wanting to go back as soon a humanly possible.  At least I missed the cold snap here in Calgary while I was gone.  Well 'm back and off to work I go.  Rates have dropped a lot in the last little while.  Best Rates right now are a 3 year fixed at 3.75%.  The Five Year fixed is at 4.39% for a quick close.  Adjustable rates are still sitting at 0.60% aabove prime. Again this looks good for a rate right now but if the rates go up at all you will be paying a lot more that the 4.39% if you want to get it locked in later.   Hola and have a great day   Lynn Meldrum 403-554-9142 02/05/2009

You probably should wait to buy if: - Your job is on the line. - You want to pay higher interest rates. Interest rates are at a record low level, with prime rate being 3%. - You are 100% sure that the house you want to buy will be available when you are ready to buy. - You want to continue paying someone else's mortgage by continuing to live in a rental accomodation. The question is whether the market has bottomed out. I wish someone knew the answer to this. But this is certain that the market will rise abruptly before anyone knows. As warren Buffet says "we simply attempt to be fearful when others are greedy and to be greedy only when others are fearful". So go ahead, check your credit, get preapproved and buy before the house you want to buy has a sold sign!     02/02/2009

Happy Groundhog Day!   I couldn't help but wonder this morning, what if we had a groundhog that could predict the upcoming trends of the Calgary Real Estate Market ?  Surely the little furry guy could spare another day of the year to give us his prediction on the market in the months to come?   Carolyn BMarketing Specialist for Rob JohnstoneCalgaryHomePros.com 02/02/2009

No matter what your political stripe may be this government’s new budget will benefit home owners who have disposable income to use on renovating or updating their new or existing home. In an attempt to stimulate the home building sector, Mr. Harper’s government has made it possible for people to claim 15% of their home renovations on their 2009 tax return. So, if you’ve decided that this was the year to finally renovate the basement, you’ll receive some tax credit for your efforts. The rules are laid out as follows: 1. You must spend between $1000 and $10000 on eligible home upgrades. 2. The maximum tax credit that you can obtain is $1350. 3. Eligible renovations include kitchen renovations, new flooring, bathroom renovations, home additions, decks, interior and exterior painting, dri... 02/01/2009

We thank all those who stopped by and visited our interactive booth at the 2009 CREB Forecast show. It was great to showcase our services and we look forward to working with new clients in the near future. Congratulations to our 3 winners from the CREB Forecast Show who won a Free 9-Tour Package They were:   Janet St. Onge of CIR Realty, Nam Traimany of MaxWell Southstar Realty, Antoni Grochowski Thanks to all those who entered! 01/27/2009

With its mountain views and rural feel, Cochrane residents may want to keep this gem of a community hidden but it appears that this town has officially been discovered by its nearby neighbours in Calgary. In the last 10 years, the communities surrounding Calgary have grown with a similar trajectory as the city itself. And, as the city has become more populated, there been people who would prefer the slower pace and country air of communities including, Airdrie, Black Diamond, Okotoks, and Chestermere. While the real estate markets in these areas have shown similar growth to Calgary in the past decade so to have they showed a similar slowdown, with one exception. While housing starts, housing completions and average house prices have dropped in Calgary and most of its surrounding communi... 01/25/2009

I strive to provide my clients with the best possible service that any Realtor can offer. With my years of experience as a top producing agent with Century 21 and my knowledge of the real estate market, I feel that I can make the selling or buying process a positive one for all of my clients. However, in an effort to constantly improve upon the services that I provide my clients with, I am now able to offer savings with a variety of companies that provide a range of useful services. As a client of mine, you will now have to chance to enjoy significant savings with ICI Paints, 1800GOTJUNK and The Brick.If you have any questions about the Calgary real estate market or the benefits of becoming a client of mine, please don’t hesitate to contact me any time.As always, visit my Calgary Real E... 01/20/2009

This question is asked of me by both real estate and mortgage customers who sometimes have little or no experience or knowledge of the benefits or difference in where they seek financing. Customers wonder why they should hire me to help solve their financing needs vs using any of the other mortgage associates in Alberta or go directly to their bank or financial institution. They wonder how can little old me compete with and consistently beat the service and the rates offered by others in the same industry. It is much like David and Goliath. The answer to the question is threefold. The first is an explanation of why most lending institutions cannot compete with a mortgage broker. Mortgage brokers are paid to find you financing that meets your needs. If they cannot find you appropriate fi... 01/20/2009

Last year, along with my roles as a realtor, husband, and father … I set a goal to qualify for the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii. I also set goals around my business, finances, fun time, contribution and relationships.  (Things worked out pretty well.)   In the process of determining what I want 2009 to look like, I came across some notes I took from some lecture on Maslow’s Four Levels of Learning. From my pen scrawled notes, I reflected on these levels of learning:  Unconscious Incompetence; Conscious Incompetence, Conscious Competence, and Unconscious Competence.   Unconscious Incompetence is not knowing what you don’t know. Conscious Incompetence is knowing that you don’t know everything. Conscious Competence is the most dangerous. You think you know everything. Unconscious C... 01/18/2009

The City of Calgary Public Art Program wants to hear from you! Five community forums, one in each quadrant as well as in the Centre City, are being held in mid-February to encourage and solicit your thoughts and perspective on future public art initiatives in your community and throughout the city.   A short presentation of selected public art projects in neighborhoods and urban areas will be followed by a discussion on: What values, commonalities, aspirations and unique features of your community deserve acknowledgement and/or celebration? What anchors your community? Where do people tend to gather? What are the landmarks or locations you would take a visitor to see? What public art have you seen or experienced that you especially liked? What about it made it successful?   Light refres... 01/18/2009

Creating a stong community ... this is the mandate of The South Calgary Community Association (serving South Calgary, Altadore, River Park, and Garrison Woods).   We need to increase our Membership to at least 1000 homes.  Buy a membership today!   This month, some of our exciting new programs we are supporting include:   We will be supporting a community wide food drive for the Calgary Interfaith Foodbank We are working with a group of local residents to help save a community outdoor rink Our traffic committee is growing in numbers are we are working hard to encourage the city to review our traffic concerns Our blockwatch committee continues to eradicate graffiti in the neighbourhood and they are planning a community wide clean-up event this spring Our INDULGE committee is gearing up ... 01/18/2009

As they watched their utility bills creep ever higher, Chandra and Kalpana Jangam realized they had to make their 31-year-old Calgary house more energy efficient.  The question was who could they trust for reliable advice?   Their answer was the ecoENERGY Retrofit program.  It offered them the best of all worlds: a professional energy assessment, rebates on energy-efficiency improvements, significant long-term savings on utility bills and substantially reduced greenhouse gas emissions.   Operating since April 2007, Natural Resources Canada’s (NRCan) ecoEnergy Retrofit program offers grants to residential property owners who improve the energy efficiency of existing homes.  To qualify for the grants, homeowners must take these three steps: have a licensed, independent energy advisor do a... 01/18/2009

Most of us think about owning a home, most of us want to own a home some day, why not now? Prices of homes in Calgary have been falling. One of the major banks recently forecast that the price of an average home in Calgary will drop by 1% in 2009 before an increase occurs in 2010. What this indicates is that we are at, or very close to the bottom in terms of home prices in our city. NOW IS THE TIME TO BUY. Why would you want to buy when you can rent? Control your payments. Your payments will stay the same under home ownership for the term of your mortgage, can't say that about rent. Build your wealth and security. Over the long haul, Real Estate is the best investment you can make, and your own home is the best investment in Real Estate. Let's Do Some Math: Assume you buy a property wit... 01/16/2009

Best Mortgage rate right now are a 1 year at 4%  then 2 & 4 years at 4.69% then a 5 year at 4.74% all are fixed rates.  I find the variable rates a good deal right now, but as I don't know what's happening in the future the 0.60 & Prime woundn't be a good rate if prime goes up again.     01/14/2009

Best Mortgage rate right now are a 1 year at 4%  then 2 & 4 years at 4.69% then a 5 year at 4.74% all are fixed rates.  I find the variable rates a good deal right now, but as I don't know what's happening in the future the 0.60 & Prime woundn't be a good rate if prime goes up again.     01/13/2009

I was driving down the road the other day and I saw one of British Columbia's new licence plates with the tag line 'The Best Place on Earth'. Now I don't know about BC being the best place on earth but one thing I do know is the Calgary is a great place to live. For the outdoors person, Calgary and surrounding area is a veritable paradise. Calgary is a destination for world-class trout-fishing, skiing, rock climbing and mountaineering. Banff and Jasper is definitely in the running for one of the most beautiful stretches of mountains on the planet. And when compared with Vancouver and Toronto, Calgary is still a relatively inexpensive city to live in and with one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country, Calgary can support the influx of people who also enjoy this type of lifestyl... 01/11/2009

It seems daily that the interest rates are coming down.  I opened up another email from a lender and they are at a 30 day close of 4.69%.  If only I had gotten a variable rate when they were at prime -0.90.  Clients Qualifying for a new mortgage will be having a bit more trouble as the qualifying criteria has gotten more cumbersome with limits on the credit bureau score and down payment.  At this point someone who wants to get into a house without a down payment is looking at paying bank posted rates for a 5 year period.  With a minimum of 5% down they get the rate I quoted above.  It's hard to sell a 0 down when the interest rates aren't saving you any money.  People are quite confused with the new regulations espeically the 40 year ammortization.  We can no longer sell a mortgage with... 01/11/2009

  well life's certainly getting interesting in the last few days.  Mortgage rates continue to edge lower so that more people can afford a mortgage and House Prices are starting to stablize.  Rates are awesome Best rates are 4.94% for a 5 year fixed.  I am anticipating the Canada Bank meeting on Jan 21, 2009 to see if Prime Rate goes up or down.  I beieve that people will start to look at other options instead of the traditional banks and lenders in this new year as the rules have tightened up and the end of last year.  This is why using a mortgage professional is becoming very appealing.  AS we do all of the shopping for your clients.  Your clients generally don't have to go into a bank to finish their mortgage off and take days off of work.  Your clients can get preapproved within 24 h... 01/07/2009