Real Estate Blog

It’s something that car enthusiasts wait for all year.  It’s the Cochrane Winter Rally, the first performance stage event of the year and 2017 won’t disappoint. Set north of the picturesque Bow River Valley, the upcoming rally is a qualifying round and Round 1 for all local championships of significant in the Calgary area and there are just 30 spots available in the 2017 edition. The Rally is set for March 12, 2017.

Subsequent events on the Western Canada Rally Championship include the Rocky Mountain Rally, the Pacific Forest, Kananaskis and Big White Rallies.  It’s organized by the Calgary Sports Car Club but staged out of Cochrane.

Qualifying Automobiles

There are strictly enforced rules for the types of vehicles allowed to enter the rally and

Families purchase homes in Cochrane because they love the small-town feel. The community has responded with the construction of new schools and improved leisure facilities. Calgary’s Child Magazine has recognized the contributions of local business in Cochrane to serve young families by providing recognition to several local organizations. In Calgary's Child Magazine's Parent’s Choice Awards for 2017, the award for Best Place for Children’s Parties in Cochrane has been given to 4Cats Arts Studio on Bow Ridge Road.

What is 4Cats

4Cats is an art studio that provides classes, workshops and hosts parties for children and adults alike, allowing people to enjoy the creative life.

The name was derived from a famous café in Barcelona Spain called Els

It’s called the Half Hitch Brewing Company and the locals say its not Half Bad.

Cochrane's Heier family opened their microbrewery about 18 months ago after several years of fine-tuning several varieties of craft beer at home.

When some of their suds started winning awards and causing a stir in the craft beer community, the family put their heads together and opened in the Half Hitch in Cochrane mid-2014.

The Heiers had wanted to combine their collective resources and open a business of some description for five years.  Family dinners at their Cochrane home were spent throwing ideas around the table but nothing really inspired them to take action. 

When one of the Heier brothers mentioned a brewery, ears perked up and the talk began, even

Thinking of moving your family to Cochrane?  People love the small town feeling in this community to the west of Calgary. It has all the big city amenities, including resources for parents who are doing one of the hardest jobs on the planet – raising children!

When you buy a home in Cochrane, you will be buying into a well-connected community where there is tremendous support for parents through the Cochrane Parent Link Centre at 127 1st Ave W.  Thanks to the great variety of programming, you won’t be alone especially if you have parents and other family supports that live far away.  Here are just a few things you’ll find through the Parent Link Centre.

Education Courses

What area of parenting to you think you might need help with? 

Tiny homes are hot right now. There are TV shows dedicated to the design and construction of little wee homes that are well under 400 square feet.

Take Gregg Taylor, a Cochrane area contractor, who built a tiny home for himself. It's only 160 square-feet and is parked on a five-acre parcel of land in Rockyview County. He wanted something affordable and this little home is completely mortgage-free. He wanted a Cochrane home that was environmentally sustainable and off the grid. His little house meets all his requirements. The trouble is, county officials and neighbours aren't happy with him.

In fact, after parking his house on his lot for just a month he was handed a fine of $1,500 by Rockyview County bylaw officials and will be assessed further

Cochrane families helping other Cochrane families make it through the holiday season is one of the reasons why Cochrane Home Treasures exists.  The annual Christmas charity drive operated by the Treasures for Your Home Society through the Cochrane Home Treasures store has kicked off for another year and this year more than other they’re looking for assistance from the public.

Cochrane Home Treasures is now accepting names of deserving individuals and needy families that need a hand up this Christmas.  Folks that might be in a tight spot financially or are challenged in some way and find that Christmas is a tough time with additional expenses and expectations.

What is Cochrane Home Treasures?

Home Treasures is a non-profit retail store located at

Unless you're a fastidious home owner, cleaning out your gutters is often one of those chores you forget to do until the first hard downpour of the year. You know you've dropped the ball when your eavestroughs overflow. All those falling leaves land in the gutters and plug up your downspout. Not to mention dead pine needles, debris from crumbling shingles and the odd dead bird.

Keeping your eavestroughs clear of leaves and organic matter will help them last longer. Gutters are less likely to pull away from the edge of the roof or bend and twist from being too full. The clean lines of your eavestrough will also enhance your home's curb appeal.

It's recommended that gutters be cleaned out twice a year. However, you might be getting tired of hauling a

Resale is all about great kitchens so more often than not, it’s worth your time to remodel this family-centric room. But when you’re allocating resources, there are certain areas within the kitchen where you can save a few dollars, and few areas where you should splurge.  Keep the cost of your kitchen renovation on par with the value of your Cochrane home.  You should spend somewhere between 6 and 10% of the value of your home on your kitchen and see a return of around 70%, ballpark.

Also, consider this spending advice:

Kitchen Appliances

You might want the very best in your kitchen with a European hood fan, six-burner gas cooktop and a fridge that dispenses everything.  Unless you’re a professional chef, you can certainly save a few dollars on

You can’t just pick any old brush off the shelf at the store and expect it to do a good job.  Painting is an art and the correct tools are a must if you want your home to look good.

Get the right quality brush

This is the best thing you can do to ensure a good paint job.  Buy the best quality paint brush you can.  You may not think it’ll make that much difference, but a poor quality brush won’t hold an adequate amount of paint.  It will also leave more streaks which means you have to work harder to get a smooth finish.  And cheap paint brushes will lose their bristles.  Ever try to pick a stray hair from your brush off a wet paint surface?  It’s extremely aggravating and will slow you down.  If you are the kind of person who throws out your brushes

A huge residential community could be built between the Town of Cochrane and the Bearspaw District, adding another 14,000 people to Rocky View County.

The plan was presented this week to Cochrane councillors and while no one seemed thrilled at the idea, some were in agreement because that Glenbow Ranch development would ensure that the City of Calgary wouldn’t built high rise buildings next to the town.

The lesser of two evils in some way.  Keep the big city at bay by building in between.

The new community would be built on the south side of Highway 1A on the east side of Cochrane stretching out towards Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park.  As it stands, the centre of the community would have some density with single-family structures on the east side