Lawrence Named Calgary Top Producer with Re/Max Landan!

It is with gratitude and many thanks I announce that I was once again named with the Top Producers with Re/Max Landan.  

Thank you everyone for your help - support- and referrals.  I appreciate your help. 
                                       

  ~  Lawrence  ~

Lawrence Cuming
Re/Max Landan Real Estate

403-827-7823
www.calgarytopproducer.com

The Realtor Friends Recommend to Friends

Get cozy with your home decorating

(NC) – Cozy. The word is cute, comforting, and a bit quaint. It recalls country cottages, cats curled in front of the fire and silver-haired ladies sipping Earl Grey poured from a pot with a crocheted cover. It's an appealing image for those anticipating the cold months ahead – until we try to create a “cozy” retreat in a modern Canadian home.

“Cozy can quickly turn to dull, dated and even kitschy,” says Sally Morse, interior designer and director of creative services for Hunter Douglas, a leading window treatments manufacturer. “While we long for comfort, warmth and security, we don't want to sacrifice style, luxury or energy efficiency.”

Morse notes that Scandinavians manage to sail through the colder months and long nights, while maintaining their legendary style. With daylight at a premium during the winter months, Nordic homes rely on effective insulation, with window treatments that let in the limited daylight and help keep out the cold. It's a time shared with friends around a crackling fire and a candlelit table. Green winter arrangements, hot drinks and hearty dishes bring warmth and intimacy to their streamlined, modern interiors.

In fact, the word “cozy” has its roots in the Norwegian word “kose sig”: to make oneself comfortable. “Coziness also means intimacy, contentment and feeling fulfilled in your space,” says Morse. That space may be a modern suburban home, an urban loft, a restored Victorian or a city condo. Whatever one's refuge, her tips will help to create a feeling of well-being, comfort and luxury, as follows:

Start the Conversation. Arrange furniture in conversation areas that bring family and friends together. “Furniture pieces shouldn't be wallflowers,” Morse points out. Attractive area rugs add intimacy to the groupings and warmth to bare floors.

Make Fire a Focal Point. Real or electrified, nothing is more welcoming and warm than a roaring fire. Invest in attractive fireplace accessories, stack logs of birch or pine in an attractive box or basket, decorate the mantelpiece with large, dramatic candles and a winter wreath or branches. If you don't have a fireplace, invest in an electric one – it will pay dividends in atmosphere and energy savings.

Go for the Glow. Turn off ceiling lights and spotlights and let soft light glow from table lamps. Candles and tea lights placed in groups throughout a space cast a magical glow. Consider battery-operated candles. They even flicker and are perfect for placing in a window.

Window Dressings. “The right window treatments can bring warmth, ambience, texture and light, while making a very personal design statement,” says Morse. For example, new Solera Soft Shades from Hunter Douglas combine a soft, sculpted look withadded dimension and a unique cellular construction that increases energy efficiency at the window. Solera shades also come with the LiteRise cordless lifting system and have no exposed cords on the back for enhanced child safety.

Colour Me Cozy. Choose deep, soothing hues: dark greens, ruby red, warm shades of brown and taupe. Burnished accessories that reflect the light – bronze, copper, brass, and gold – will add to a feeling of comfort and peace.

Layers of Meaning. Layering with various textures and colours adds visual interest and a feeling of warmth. Studies suggest that decorating a room with varied textures makes the occupants feel three degrees warmer. “Be creative in layering colours and prints,” advises Morse. Try olive or mossy green, layered with a soft spa blue over it; dark gray paired with silver; deep brown layered with taupe and soft buttery hues. Accessorize with pillows, throws, quilts and blankets in subtle, coordinating prints.

A Soft Touch. Soft, supple fabrics are essential to creating a cozy retreat. A velvet sofa, a faux-fur throw, a silk-covered cushion, linens, mohair and cashmere areelegant and welcoming.

On the Scent. Signature fragrances for the home are a growing trend with “scent shops” offering an array of customized home fragrances. Create your own cozy scent with diffusers, sprays, scented oils, potpourri and candles. Buy these in complementary scents and “layer” them in different combinations. Start with a scent candle or diffuser in one scent and spray with another. The best scents in life are free and very cozy – cookies or bread baking, coffee brewing.

The Look of a Book. We love our Kindles but a collection of well-read books add charm and individuality. Stack them under a coffee table, by an armchair or on a shelf.

Get Personal. Family photos or mementoes from a vacation are other good choices. “Watercolour pictures on the wall,” says Morse, “from a Caribbean Island or Paris will remind us I've been there, I've experienced that.”

www.newscanada.com

For More information on Calgary Real Estate Contact Lawrence Today!

Market moves toward balanced conditions Growth in new listings outpace sales growth in July, supporting double-digit inventory gains Calgary, August 1, 2014 – Residential sales this month totaled 2,336 units, a record level for July activity. However, year-over-year sales growth slowed to 3.18 per cent.

“While July’s sales growth seems like a dramatic departure from the double-digit gains recorded in the first half of this year, it is in comparison to exceptionally strong sales during the same period last year,” said CREB® chief economist Ann- Marie Lurie, noting July sales this year are nearly 19 per cent above long-term averages for the month.

New listings in July totaled 3,219 units, an 18 per cent increase over the previous year. The rise outpaced sales growth during the month, pushing inventory to 4,659 units, nearly 14 per cent higher than July 2013 levels.

“More selection is welcome news for many potential purchasers.  However, improving supply levels have only come after nearly three consecutive years of declines,” said CREB® president Bill Kirk. “Along with improving inventories, other indicators support the notion that market conditions are moving toward more sustainable levels.

” Single-family unadjusted benchmark prices totaled $511,600 in July, just above May figures, but 10.8 per cent higher than $461,600 in July 2013.

“Following two years of annual increases and several months of monthly gains that exceeded one per cent, unadjusted benchmark prices appear to be leveling off,” said Lurie.“This fits with our expectations as the market moves into more balanced territory.

” Single-family sales totaled 1,553 units in July, a 1.3 per cent decline compared to the same period in 2013 and a 8.3 per cent increase year-to-date. While overall single-family sales remain higher than long-term trends for this month, the year-over-year monthly decline reflects fewer sales and listings in properties priced under $400,000.

“With declining choices in the lower-priced single-family market sector, consumers are considering both condominium apartment and townhouse segments,” said Kirk.

Year-to-date condominium apartment and townhouse sales increased by 21 and 19 per cent, respectively. New listing growth far outpaced sales growth, particularly in the apartment sector, thus boosting inventory levels.

For buyers, more choice has helped ease some of the upward pressure on benchmark prices. Unadjusted prices in both apartment and townhouse-style condominiums were similar to levels recorded the previous month. Despite slower monthly gains, year-over-year price growth grew by 11 per cent in the condominium sector. Benchmark prices for apartment and townhouse-style condominiums in July totaled $298,100 and $327,000, respectively.

“Calgary’s housing market continues to demonstrate exceptional levels of sales, and strong year-over-year price gains,” said Lurie. “This is a reflection of the economic factors supporting this market, including gains in net migration, employment, wage growth and favourable lending rates.”

Nothing feels better than getting into a neighbourhood BEFORE it becomes a trendy hotspot. But how can you identiify those up-and-coming hotspots? Here is what to look for...

1.    Trendy businesses
Look for a surge of trendy businesses moving into an area. Maybe there are more cupcake shops and microbreweries making an appearance, or perhaps the new health food store that everyone seems to be talking about announced a new store in the area. Large businesses especially do a lot more research and analysis of a neighbourhood. So, big businesses moving in often means a lot of homebuyers will follow.

2.    Convenient location
Are there any neighbourhoods that already have a subway station or major highway artery, but aren’t getting the attention that other areas are? As cities gentrify, neighbourhoods with strong transportation grids – whether public transport or by highways and bridges – will become more popular.
3.    Downsides moving up
Look for regions that have had a sharp improvement in crime rates; as those rates move down, the number of people looking to settle in that neighbourhood will go up. Also look to the new generation of homebuyers, who are likely looking for something different from their parents. While gritty, urban-looking buildings may once have been a turn-off, a new generation might see that as an ultra-trendy hotspot.
4.    Architecture
Many up-and-coming neighbourhoods have a definable style of home. Maybe it’s the old Victoria properties, or sleek and modern condos. Neighbourhoods with a unique style often become popular over time.
5.    Economic development
This one’s a no brainer. If a major corporation just built a new headquarters, it’ll need workers. And a lot of those workers are going to be looking in the neighbourhoods surrounding their place of employment to purchase homes. Other economic drivers, like new highways or extended transit systems, are great indicators that a neighbourhood could experience a surge in popularity.

6.    Lots of renovations
It doesn’t hurt to check with local municipal permit departments to see if they’ve noticed an uptick in the number of renovation and building permits for a particular neighbourhood. Several owners giving their homes a facelift is a good sign that the neighbourhood as a whole will get the same treatment over time.

7.    Days on market
A decrease in the number of the days on the market is a strong indicator that a neighbourhood is becoming more popular. People are looking to scoop up houses before anyone else – and that’s a great time for real estate agents.

Identify a handful of these up-and-coming areas and position yourself as the go-to expert there. When homebuyers eventually descend on the neighbourhood, you’ll be the agent they turn to.

Written by  olivi from the Canadian Real Estate Magazine 

Search all Calgary SW Listings in Evergreen Here

Evergreen Calgary

Evergreen is one of Calgary's fastest selling communities and it lies next door to Fish Creek Provincial Park, which absolutely brims with trails, wildlife, rivers and ponds. Evergreen itself boasts more greenspace than any other residential area in town. It is a beautiful landscaped oasis, with ornamental wrought iron, and stone bridges covered with Virginia Creepers welcome you as you enter the community.

Community League July Newsletter link