Calgary has much to offer. Recent data shows we have a comparatively low crime severity, We are the highest raked Canadian city on the EIU Livability Index, we are the 3rd best city in the world to find a job according to Movinga and we are the gateway to the Rockies with world class recreational opportunities.
According to the latest data from the Calgary Real Estate Board (CREB), the average price of a home in Calgary increased by over 9% between April 2020 and April 2021, 17% between April 2021 and April 2022 and an additional 1.2% between April 2022 and April 2023. Calgary has been experiencing steady population growth over the past few years. This growth can be attributed to the city's robust economy, excellent quality of life, and diverse range of cultural and recreational amenities. As more people continue to move to the city, growth will continue have an impact on the real estate market and housing prices will increase for the foreseeable future. Although that growth will have its highs and lows and values may fluctuate slightly, over time, we will see continued growth and long term property value appreciation. According to the latest census data, Calgary's population increased by over 14% between 2011 and 2016, bringing the total population to over 1.2 million people. This trend has continued in recent years, with a projected increase of over 16% by 2026. To put that in real numbers to digest, that is approximately 70 people per day. The city's growth rate is well above the national average, and this trend is expected to continue for the foreseeable future. A major factor driving this population growth is the city's strong economy. Calgary has a robust energy sector, with several multinational oil and gas companies having offices in the city. Although this sector has highs and lows that affect the economy, there is long term average growth. The city also has a thriving tech sector, with several startups and established companies choosing to base their operations in Calgary due to the favorable business environment and access to a skilled workforce. Add the growing supply chain infrastructure with procurement, logistics, and supply chain management are some of the fastest growing opportunities in the city. Calgary sits in the CANAMEX corridor from north to south and is a gateway on rail and highway corridors east and west A large part of my business, in the past few years, has been moving families to Calgary from out of province. They chose Calgary over their last home because they feel their quality of life for their family will be better here. As an aside, they often need work-from-home spaces. As more people continue to move to Calgary, there is a significant impact on the real estate market. We are experiencing that impact right now. The demand for housing has increased and the supply of homes has remained well below the 10 year average. This is resulting in higher prices for both rentals and purchases. Although we may not see this rate of growth consistently, from year to year, it is inevitable that property values in Calgary will continue to experience long term growth. The federal government is offering a new tax credit to help make it easier for Canadians to care for adult relatives in their own homes. The multi-generational home renovation tax credit took effect Jan. 1 for expenses related to building a secondary suite for a family member who is a senior or an adult with a disability. The credit will provide a 15 per cent tax refund on expenses of up to $50,000 to a maximum of $7,500.
The secondary suite must be for a related adult over the age of 65 or living with a disability, including a grandparent, parent, child, grandchild, sibling, aunt, uncle, niece or nephew. The secondary suite must be a self-contained housing unit that includes a separate entrance, bathroom, kitchen and sleeping area. Additionally, the home being renovated must be inhabited or reasonably expected to be inhabited within 12 months after the end of the renovations. Certain things cannot be claimed, such as:
To find out more on the Government of Canada website CLICK HERE If you are thinking of moving up to a bigger home, now is the time. We are currently in a buyers' market in Calgary. There are more homes coming onto the market than are being sold and buyers have the advantage of selection. Typically, in a buyers' market, prices will be stagnant or will fall. This can cause home owners, looking to move to a larger home, to pull back from selling because they are concerned that they will not get as much for their home as they would have in the past. Moving up is the norm for a maturing family. Most often, a first time buyers will purchase a smaller home. They do not need a lot of space and the smaller home is more affordable. As the family grows and the family income grows a larger house becomes more affordable and even necessary for the larger family. When are the best opportunities in the market to make this move up to a larger home? Let me explain why a buyers' market is the best time to move up to that next home: The graph above shows how home owners are presented with opportunities to “buy up” to their next home. The green line represents the value of the existing home, the yellow line, the value of the move up home and the red line represents the difference in price between the two homes. In this chart, the percent value change is the same for both the existing and the move up properties. When one increases by 2%, so does the other. That is generally the way the market reacts. Notice that as the market matures throughout this 25-year period, even though the percentage in value increase stays the same for both homes, the dollar value of the higher priced home increases more. Now let's look at the price difference. This is the critical factor that can influence the buying decision for people moving up. It makes sense to move up when the difference is at the least amount. The dotted red line shows the upward trend in price difference, where the solid red line shows the actual difference in price. As you can see, there are times where the actual difference is above or below the trend line. When prices are stagnant or dropping, the price difference is lower than the trend and when prices are increasing, the actual difference is above the trend line. If the owner of the existing property wants to take advantage of the best opportunities to move up they need to make a move when the market shows the least difference in price. They should make their purchase when the actual price difference is below the trend line or when prices are either flat or are falling. This would be during a buyers' market. Calgary is currently in a buyers' market and the June 2018 sales in Calgary paint a good picture for move up buyers for the next few months. If you are selling a home in the $300,000-$500,000 range, you can see that sales volumes in these price ranges are much stronger than in the move up ranges of $500,000 and up. There are certainly more people looking for houses and buying houses in the starter home range. This translates into a better buying price for the move up home and a good selling price for the seller's home. These appear to be excellent market conditions to make the move to a larger home. Feel free to contact me if you have questions. If you are thinking of selling, I would be happy to do a comparative market analysis of your home.
There are many things to consider when renovating a home. What should I renovate to get the best return? Wall colours, flooring types, cabinet styles…The list goes on and on. There are also a few simple rules that need to be followed. Doing a great, professional job is among them, but the single most important rule is “Do not over develop”.
Here is an example that will illustrate my point. The current market value of a house is $400,000. The owners decides to do a complete renovation of the home. New roof, new windows, new mechanical, new kitchen, new baths, new flooring, new lighting, new baseboards, trim and doors are all on the list of things the owners wants to do. The budget for the renovation is $130,000 dollars. After the renovation the owners have a beautiful home and they lists the house at $570,000, hoping to gain a profit and get paid for the hard work, time and effort of renovating. The house sits on the market for months with very little interest and they finally have to take it off the market or lose money on the endeavour. What went wrong? Before the renovation begins, the owners should have researched to find out what the market value of the house will be when the renovation is complete. If the completely renovated house in their neighbourhood has a market value of $500,000, the owners will be out $30,000 in equity for the house and they gain nothing from the work that was completed. There is a difference between the cost of the renovation and the value of the renovation. I know this does not seem fair, but it is one of the realities of the real estate market. Cost and value are independent of each other in the real estate market. There are definitely situations where cost is lower than value. Those are the properties that people who flip houses search for. It is a very competitive market for those homes. I have seen a similar over development and wasted renovation dollars in neighbourhoods where there is prevalent infill redevelopment. Home owners, knowing properties in the neighbourhood are in high demand, will renovate their home to try to maximize their return when they sell. They might do a few simple updates like a fresh coat of paint and some new carpet and maybe even replace the worn-out roof. They might spend anywhere from $5000 - $15,000. At the time of sale, they end up getting a similar selling price to the neighbour who did not renovate before they sold. Why did this happen? Because the highest and best use for the property is redevelopment. Properties are being purchased in the area for the value of the land and the condition of the home has little effect on the value of its highest and best use. My best advice for people who want to renovate is to understand the context of the market and know the market value of a property before a renovation begins. Then be sure to understands how the renovation affects the market value. Don't assume that a there will be a profit for a renovated property or even a 100% return on the renovation dollars spent. In Calgary as in most cities, the closer to the core you go, the more valuable a renovation is, except in neighbourhoods where the zoning makes highest and best use of most properties, redevelopment. But even in neighbourhoods where this is true, certain properties can still benefit from renovating because not every property in those neighbourhoods has redevelopment as its highest and best use. You might be asking a few questions after reading this. 1. How can I avoid over developing my property? Engage the services of to a real estate appraiser to learn what the property is worth now and what it will be worth once it the renovation is complete. This may cost a few hundred dollars, but in the end, it could save thousands. As an alternative, If you are planning to sell after the renovation, get advice from a real estate professional like me who can explain the market and help you make some decisions. 2. What renovations should you do to get the best return? That is another blog topic to come. That really depends on your house and what it needs. Generally, I would say that the roof, windows, siding and mechanical should be your starting point. If all of those are OK, the rest depends on your budget. Some house flippers just do cosmetic changes (Commonly know as lipstick on a pig) and seem to profit. I like to steer my buyer clients away from these properties unless they are willing to take on the big ticket costs after they buy. Feel free to contact me if you have questions. If you are renovating to sell, I would be happy to do a walk through of your home and advise you on the best place to spend your money to get the best return on your renovation dollars.
Want to learn more about the value of your house?
Jim Perks is a REALTOR in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He uses his expertise in Internet marketing and real estate experience to service both buyers and sellers throughout the city of Calgary. He can be reached at RE/MAX Real Estate (Mountain View) 403-247-5178 or by email at [email protected]. His website is www.calgaryrealestateagent.ca
First, lets define market value: "The likely price a property should bring in an open, competitive market under conditions favorable to a fair sale, the buyer and seller each acting prudently and knowledgeably, and assuming the price is not affected by undue stimulus.” I could spend a lot of time breaking down that definition, but I will let you work through it for yourself. The purpose of this post is to help you understand the process I use to arrive at market value. Here are the 5 steps I use to find market value:
Would you like more information about pricing your home? Jim Perks is a REALTOR in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He uses his expertise in Internet marketing and real estate experience to service both his buyers and sellers throughout the city of Calgary. He can be reached at RE/MAX Real Estate (Mountain View) 403-247-5178 or by email at [email protected]. His website is www.calgaryrealestateagent.
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AuthorJim Perks is a Calgary REALTOR who divides his time working with both sellers of houses and buyers of homes. He has been an agent since 2010 Archives
September 2023
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