The stats are in and once again I am not surprised by the numbers.  This is from the Canadian Real Estate Association:

Residential sales in the city of Calgary totaled 2,948 units in May, a 16 per cent increase over the previous year. Sales last month were well above long-term trends and are the highest May activity on record.

“Strong sales activity is a reflection of improving fundamental conditions such as a growing population, favourable lending rates and rising wages,” says CREB® chief economist Ann-Marie Lurie. “Leading up to May, resale market sales were somewhat restricted by lack of choice. However, recent price gains have encouraged growth in new listings, helping meet some of the housing demand.”

In May, new listings totaled 4,327, a 16.5 per cent rise over figures reported during the same time last year with gains in new listings nearly matched sales growth. While inventories remain nearly five per cent below levels recorded last year, this is first time in over two years that year-over-year declines were not in the double digits.

While market conditions continue to favour the seller, improving supply has helped ease some of the tightness in the market.

“Market conditions vary depending on the product type,” says CREB® president Bill Kirk. “Both condominium apartment and townhouse style products have recorded inventory growth relative to last year. This is good news for consumers looking for more choice in condominiums priced between $200,000 and $400,000.”

Year-to-date condominium apartment sales have totaled 2,020 units, a 21 per cent increase over the first five months of 2013. Meanwhile, the recent boost in new listings caused inventory levels to rise to 1,051 units, a 13.1 per cent increase compared to last year, representing 23.3 per cent of all city-wide inventories.

“The single family market varies depending on the price and location,” explains Kirk. “While the majority of sales are occurring in the $300,000 to $500,000 range, the number of new listings in this segment has lessened relative to last year, which indicates most new listing growth is occurring in the higher end of the market.”

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Year-to-date, single family sales and new listings totaled 7,662 and 11,093 units respectively. While May saw new listings improve by 11 per cent compared to the same month last year, sales growth continued to exceed new listings growth, keeping inventories levels nearly 12 per cent below May 2013 levels.

The unadjusted single family benchmark price totaled $504,300 in May 2014, a 10 per cent increase over the previous year.

Meanwhile, typical condominium apartment and townhouse prices reached a respective $295,400 and $321,400 in May 2014. Despite year-over-year gains that surpassed double digit per cent in both segments, condominium prices in both segments continue to remain just below peak.

“Persistently tight market conditions continue to support stronger than expected price gains,” says Lurie. “While supply levels are improving, demand remains strong preventing any significant run up in inventories. However, we may see more divergent behaviour in the single family and condominium markets, impacting the relative price growth in each of these sectors.”

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Chaparral Real Estate News and Community Update

Are you looking for a new home in Caparral, Calgary?  I have all of the new listings available on my website and they are easily accesible anytime, all you need to do is click here to view them all.  There are some great properties for sale in the Neighborhood!  There are 16 new listings that are availble to look at if you are wanting to buy in Chaparral. Don't wait too long this is a really hot neighborhood and homes are selling fast.  

Information about Chaparral

Lake Chaparral is the fifth lake community developed by Genstar.  The lake and the adjoining park are a prestigious amentity built for the use and enjoyment of the residents of Lake Chaparral.  

ALL CHAPARRAL REAL ESTATE LISTINGS

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Calgary Real Estate - Moving with your pets.

Are you moving?  Do you have a cat or a dog?  Do you have another pet?  Not sure how to acclimate them for your move?  Let me help, you can check out my own website here on how to "Move Your Pets" for great infomration and I also found some other great advice on how to more pets.  This becomes a really stressful time for everyone, but no one quite understands what it's like for your pets.  They don't understand that there is a move in the future.  You can't explain to your Dog that he is going to be living in a new home.  

Here is some advice from a professional moving company and these 10 tips on moving with your pets should help ease some of the stress on both you and your critters!

Moving can be stressful for people, so just imagine how anxious it can make your pets. They can easily get stressed out when there's unexpected activity in their home or when they're introduced to a new environment. I've moved with four cats and a fish, and it's not an easy task. These challenges don't come with a formula solution, but here are some tips that should make the experience a bit calmer for your beloved companion(s):

1. Prepare an easily-accessible 'overnight kit' that has enough dog food, kitty litter, toys and grooming tools to sustain your pet and keep them comfortable during the first few days of unpacking.

2. If you're moving out of the area, inform your vet so you can take records and any prescription medications with you. See if they can recommend another vet in your new neighborhood.

3. During the move itself, the best way to reduce stress on an animal is to keep them in the quietest area possible. If you don't want to leave them with a friend or a kennel for the day (which is recommended), at least remove them from the action. This could mean emptying a bedroom on another floor and closing the door, or putting them in their carrier or kennel in the garage or car (take proper caution to ensure they'll be at a safe temperature and that they have water and food if they will be there for some time). Make sure you check in on them regularly, and try to feed or walk them at the time you usually would; having some sense of a routine in the midst of all the changes will help a lot.

4. Take the pet to the new house in your own vehicle. Cats and small dogs can be put in a carrier in the back seat, which can then be secured with a seatbelt. A bigger dog can be moved in a kennel in the back of the car; you may need to put seats down if possible. Some animals feel more comfortable if you throw a blanket over their carrier during the car ride so they can't see the environment changing outside.

5. Be careful when transporting the animal to your new neighborhood because if they get out they can easily get lost. Once they're in the car, it's important to not open the kennel until the pet is in the new home, even if the pet is usually well-behaved or docile. Give them a few days in the new home to adjust. Tip for cat owners: more and more people are keeping their cats indoors for safety reasons, and a move is a good opportunity to get them used to being inside as they won't be used to being allowed out in the new home. Use this transition to your advantage.

6. Move the house before you move the pet. Set up as much as you can, even just in a room, before you introduce the animal to the new home. Confine them to a section of the house while they slowly adjust to their surroundings. Give your pet lots of attention and introduce familiar objects like toys or blankets as soon as possible. Make them feel as at home as you do!

7. After you move, make sure you update their tags or microchip information to the new address and phone number.

8. Are you planning on moving with fish? Fish respond strongly to stress and a move can be traumatizing, if not fatal. It isn't ideal, but you can transport them short distances in bags filled with their old tank water (check with your local aquarium store for supplies and more details). If you have a long distance to travel it's best to give them a new home with a friend, empty the tank, and buy new fish after you unpack.

9. Guinea Pigs also are known to suffer from change or being jostled around. Their hearts are particularly susceptible so please take care with guinea pigs and make sure they are transported in a warm, comfortable, small carrier.

10. Finally, more than one feathered friend has been known to fly the coop on moving day. Many people proudly announce that their bird has never flown off the shoulder, and sadly regret the complacency. Birds, like most pets, are very jittery about change. So even when the smartest parrot balks at the idea of being put in a cage, please do it on moving day.

http://www.youmoveme.com/ca/blog/10-tips-for-moving-with-pets

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