Real Estate Blog

"Curb appeal" is the term that refers to the attractiveness of a home as seen from the street. Curb appeal is what impresses home buyers when they show up and view a property for the first time. Curb appeal is achieved through a variety of home improvement projects as well as landscaping projects. Knowing how to boost your own home's curb appeal can help make your property more attractive to potential buyers and can also lead to bigger offers.  

Curb Appeal Can Be Achieved on a Budget

While expensive upgrades can be impressive, inexpensive DIY projects can still make a good impression on home buyers. For example:

• Repainting the front door. Repainting the front door can be done for as little money as the price of a quart of paint. To

When applying for a mortgage, you might be surprised by the amount of options you have available. From a capped rate mortgage to a high ratio mortgage, buyers need to understand what these loans could mean for their finances. This guide identifies the most common types of mortgages, how they differ from each other, as well as other terms buyers should know.

1. Open vs. Closed Mortgages

The way that you pay your mortgage will depend heavily on whether or not the loan is open or closed. A closed mortgage often carries a lower interest rate, but it places several restrictions. With a closed loan, you may be limited to making the specified payments. If you attempt to refinance the mortgage or pay off the remainder before the end of the term, you

The kids have left the nest and the home that was once just the right size now feels three sizes too large. Even worse, as utility rates, property taxes, and insurance premiums continue to go up in most areas of the country, living in a home that is too large can become a huge financial burden for empty nesters. Homeowners who are currently living in a home that is too large for your needs and your budget and would like to downsize into a home that is just right for your situation but don't know where to start, the following four tips will help.

Selecting a Location

Making the decision to downsize offers homeowners the perfect opportunity to choose a new home location that will be more beneficial to them. Before deciding to move to a new city

When choosing a new community for your family, consider the whole lifestyle that comes with that new area.  If you have children who love baseball, softball, t-ball or slow pitch, organized ball in the Town of Cochrane covers the bases.

In the past three seasons, there have been more than 200 kids playing in minor leagues in Cochrane, something organizers attribute to the popularity of the Toronto Blue Jays across the country.  But it’s far more than the Canadian “Blue Jays Bump” says the head of Cochrane’s Minor Ball Association, Paul Vaillancourt.

In an interview with a Cochrane weekly, he said that in 2015 there were 284 kids registered for minor ball, which spiked to 403 kids in 2016 and this year, registration has jumped another 18% to 476.

Halfway between Cochrane and Calgary in the rural community of Springbank lies an exciting new community that is creating a lot of buzz.  It’s called Harmony, and if your family is looking for a quite lifestyle similar to what the Town of Cochrane offers, it might be worth checking out.

It’s a brand-new community, built just west of the Springbank airport above the Bow River Valley.  Recently at the Sales and Marketing (SAM) Awards, it captured the top spot for Community of the Year in the Calgary Region, among others.

The Developers Behind Harmony

It’s being developed by two different companies who are collaborating on this innovative country community – Bordeaux Properties and another well-known Canadian developer – Qualico Communities.  People

River Heights and Riversong as are some of the newest in the Town of Cochrane, and two of the first to set foot in the annexed land on the south side of the Bow River. This beautiful neighbourhood offers Cochrane home buyers a variety of housing types, from retirement villas, acreages and modern homes constructed in the Prairie and Arts and Crafts style.

River Heights is off of Highway 22 south of Highway 1A before you head over the bridge. Bow Valley High School is in this neighbourhood. New home developers still building in the Riversong area say that spring has brought budding optimism into the community and more people are coming to look at show homes in the neighbourhood.

Tamani Communities, the developer of Riversong, was featured in a recent

It's been 20 years since the Town of Cochrane has been lobbying the province for funding and those years of hard work have paid off.

On April 7, the provincial transport minister, Brian Mason announced the approval for the massive upgrade to the Highway 1A and Highway 22 interchange. The project is estimated to cost $40 to $50 million and should be completed at the end of the 2021 construction season.

Once completed, Highway 1A (which runs east/west) will be a four-lane twinned thoroughfare and will pass under Highway 22 (north/south) which will also be twinned. There will also be a bridge over the CPR tracks and a bridge across Big Hill Creek.

According to Mason's provincial timeline, an engineering consultant will be dispatched by the end of

It's been quite a few years since the last new home was built in the Cochrane community of GlenEagles. Now, an application to build homes on the very last piece of developable land has been put before the Town's planning commission.

This is another application for the same parcel of land that has been submitted for review – the last one having been rejected just a few months ago.

It's 4.15 acres of prime land from the Jones Estate that was zoned "urban reserve." However, a builder was to have it redesignated as R-3 so that semi-attached structures can be constructed there adjacent to Glenvista Place. There is a potential for 24 duplex homes to be constructed here.

There have been concerns put forward by residents that the additional traffic would

After funding was approved and residents of Cochrane consulted, Town Council has decided to put a new off-leash dog park on hold. It was a surprising turn of events.

The park was touted for the north side of Quigley Drive between W Aarsby Road and Highway 22. The vote by council was apparently unanimous.

It's not that there won't be a new dog park in Cochrane. The final location for an official off-leash park is still to be determined. Town council has stated that administration needs to revisit the plans and come up at another area, perhaps on the south side of Quigley Drive along the pipeline corridor.

When public consultation was held earlier in March, approximately 60 Cochrane residents came to provide feedback. Some were opposed, some were

Like a moth to a flame, the Town of Cochrane draws people who love living on the doorstep to the Rockies.  On a clear day, you can almost reach out and touch the mountains.  People love the lifestyle of a smaller centre and access to the highway west.  Nestled along the Bow River Valley, people who choose Cochrane also love the view.

One of the best Cochrane communities for views across the valley is Sunset Ridge on the north side of the town.  This neighbourhood is still evolving and is where home buyers looking to economize on price or even on space will find some fantastic new multi-family developments.

That includes exciting townhome developments with no monthly condo fees which are perfect for the home buyer that loves the outdoors and