Time is right for first-time homebuyers, housing experts say THE CANADIAN PRESS TORONTO - Panelists at a BMO real estate conference say there is no doubt that now is a great time for first-time homebuyers. President and CEO of Brookfield Real Estate Services (TSX:BRE.UN)Phil Soper says affordability in many parts of the country is improving for the first time in a long time. He says the housing market has shifted from a seller’s market to a buyer’s market, which is good news for som ... Full Article...

Direct from the Desk of Dory Cameron…. an update for May 19, 2009. Over the last year, I have secretly begged the Bank of Canada to lower their rate. I have also secretly hoped that Kuwait oilfields would erupt in a sea of fire. I have prayed that people from all over the world would flock to Calgary as the best and most stable place on earth to live. None of this happened. Still, we desperately needed something to reduce the 8,000 listing that we’ve seen over the last year. The m ... Full Article...

Stability Returning To Real Estate - Confidence Seen Helping Calgary Resale Market Calgary's resale housing market is seeing an uptick in activity as consumer confidence increases and we can expect a slow, steady return to stability over the coming months, says the president of Coldwell Banker Canada. The local resale housing market has slowed compared with last year because of the current economic conditions and the high inventory of new homes built during the past few years of the boom, sai ... Full Article...

April Market The average price of a single family Calgary home in April 2009 has increased by 1% to $426,311 from March 2009. But we are showing a decrease of 10% from April 2008 when the average price was $474,564. A year over year decrease of $48,253. We are seeing single family home prices stabilize as we move back to a more balanced market. The average price of a Calgary condominium in April 2009 was $277,056 a 2% decrease from March 2009, and a decrease of 11% from April 2008 when the av ... Full Article...

Lenders beware: Phony mortgages are the bank’s problem, court rules B.C. Court of Appeal says owners of properties hit by fraud don’t have to pay Homeowners can rest easier, but lenders may be scrambling after British Columbia’s highest court ruled in favour of the owners and left lenders holding the bag if someone fraudulently takes out a mortgage on property they don’t own. In two decisions released this week, the B.C. Court of Appeal said mortgages placed on property ... Full Article...