Edmonton, March 2, 2016: Residential inventory saw another significant increase in February, surpassing 6,000 listings on the market, ending the month with 6,681 properties for sale on the MLS® System for the Edmonton Census Metropolitan Area (CMA). That’s a 16.17% increase over last month, and 33.41% more homes listed for sale than February 2015. Sales for February were up 36.54% month-over-month at 837 compared to 618 in January, but 10.1% lower than the 931 properties that sold during the same time last year.

“Sales numbers are increasing consistent with seasonal trends,” REALTOR® Association of Edmonton Chair Steve Sedgwick explains. “Relative to 2015, potential buyers have more inventory to choose from. Despite this inventory growth, prices have moderated only slightly compared to last year, so home owners and sellers can maintain some confidence that housing prices are remaining stable.”
February brought strength back to the average all-residential selling price, ending the month at $363,266, which is 6.93% higher month-over-month and virtually on par with this same time last year. Prices in all categories saw an increase in the Edmonton CMA market compared to just one month ago. Single family house prices averaged $419,940, virtually flat to last month (up 0.24%) but down 2.79% year-over-year (YoY). Condo properties sold for an average of $247,090, up 8.83% over last month, and down just 1.32% YoY. The biggest average price gain came in the duplex/rowhouse category, with the price in February finishing at $354,386, up 8.41% and 1.24% compared to January 2016 and February 2015, respectively.
February’s average days-on-market for all housing types dropped to 57, down from 71 in January but up from 48 YoY. On average, condos sold in 57 days last month, that’s down significantly from the 85 days it took in January, but still higher than the 49 days in February 2015.
“Buyers are still taking their time to consider all of their options before purchasing a new home,” Sedgwick said. “But with warmer weather just around the corner, clients are reaching out to their REALTOR® for support as the busy spring buying season approaches.”

Fun cat furniture your cats would adore, and it still looks stylish in your home

Our furry or feathered friends are lovable and very much a part of our families. When it comes to selling your home, pets can sometimes inconvenience or even hinder the selling process. There are a few extra steps you can take to ensure the process is a little easier on you, your pet and a potential buyer.

Preparing your Home to Sell

- Freshen the Air ñ You may not know or have become used to it, but pet homes tend to smell. Pet smell is a major turn-off. Freshen up the air with a thorough clean up. Replace or have the carpets professionally cleaned. Remove stained pet beds and litter boxes. Neutralise the air with natural air fresheners such as flowers, bowls of fruits, aromatic spices like nutmeg and cinnamon, or freshly baked goodies. Using neutralizing essential oils and diffuser is also a great way to eliminate odours.

- Repair pet destruction ñ Scratched doors or posts, scuffed floors, damaged furniture, and chewed off carpets should be repaired or replaced.
- Clean up the fur ñ Many people are allergic to pet fur and dander. Be sure to vacuum, sweep and launder anything with traces of fur.
- Tidy pet clutter ñ Remove all pet evidence from the house. Pet bowls, water fountains, beds, litter boxes, carriers, and toys can add to the clutter.
Clean the yard ñPatches of yellowed grass, droppings, dug holes, damaged plants, and abandoned toys can be taken as signs of neglect.

Showing

- Relocate pets ñ Arrange for a friend or family to look after your pet during a showing. Relocating your pet for few days or weeks will help keep the house clean and minimize maintenance.
- Remove pets from the house ñ If relocation is not an option, make sure to remove your pet during showings. Hide all pet paraphernalia like pet bowls and beds away from plain sight.
- Quickly run the vacuum or sweep before showings.

You should have received your Annual Assessment Notices from the City of Edmonton by now. This is the assessed value of your property, which substantiates how much tax you have to pay on it. Simply speaking, the assessment places a dollar value on your home for tax reasons.

It is not possible for the City of Edmonton to physically appraise each house, so assessments are based on the fair market value of the property. A number of key factors such as age, size, layout, traffic noise, proximity to establishments like schools, parks, restaurants, etc. help determine the assessment amount.

Your property assessment should manifest the overall market of the previous year; for example, the assessed value of your property will most likely decrease if houses in your neighbourhood didn't sell as well as they did the year before. Alternatively, the assessed value of your property may increase if either renovations or upgrades have been done and you registered these improvements with the City via permits and/or a revised Real Property Report.

There is a secure website that enables you as a property owner in Edmonton to obtain assessment information specific to your property. Sign in information is located on your most recent City of Edmonton property assessment notice. Review a full report of your assessment here.

Following the mailing date of the Assessment Notices on January 04, 2016, a property assessment review period is held until March 11, 2016 wherein you can arrange to speak with an assessor concerning any disagreement you may have with the assessed value of your property.

However, if you still disagree with the assessed value, you may file a complaint with theAssessment Review Board. The formal complaint must be filed prior to the deadline on March 11, 2016 in order for the Board to review your case. Regardless if a formal complaint has been filed, you still need to pay your taxes on time or you'll be penalized.

Property tax bills are mailed out May 24th and are due June 30th. The City allows you to pay in multiple ways; in person, online banking, credit card or cheque. If you don't want to have the financial burden of paying all at once, you can set up a Property Tax Monthly Payment Plan. You can request enrolment in the plan here.

Edmonton, February 2, 2016: Residential inventory continues to remain strong, as January closed out with 5,751 properties for sale on the MLS® System for the Edmonton Census Metropolitan Area (CMA). That’s an increase of 39.2% over this time last year, and 13.03% up over last month. Sales for January were down however, with 618 properties selling in the first month of 2016, down 13.32% month-over-month, and 7.21% lower year-over-year (YoY).

“Sales volumes are down, relative to the same time last year,” REALTORS® Association of Edmonton Chair Steve Sedgwick explains. “It is likely that home buyers are responding to current economic uncertainties. Although prices have dropped slightly, they remain stable. Growth in inventory may create more opportunities for potential buyers, and given the low interest rates, we remain optimistic about market growth as we head into the spring buying season.”

Prices in all categories saw a decline in the Edmonton CMA market as many lower priced properties sold in January. The all-residential price ended the month at $339,714, down 7.2% from December and 6.3% YoY. Single family house prices averaged $418,928, down 1.3% and 1.2% from the previous month and YoY, respectively. Condo properties sold for an average of $227,052, down 8.8% over last month and 10.3% YoY. And the increasingly popular duplex/rowhouse category, which held steady for much of 2015, took the biggest average selling price decrease, coming in at $326,885, down 12.7% from the previous month and down 13.6% from the same time last year.

January’s average days-on-market rose to 71, up from 62 in December and 58 in January 2015. The increase is mainly attributed to the increased days-on-market for condos, which sat at 85 for January, up from 62 from last month and 61 YoY.

“The increase in the average days on market just appears to reflect that buyers are taking time to consider their options before purchasing a new home,” Sedgwick said. “Clients are looking to their REALTOR® for advice and guidance as they navigate their own individual situations.”

Forget that long commute and the structured 9-5 work day. Make it a thing of the past by starting up your own home-based business, where you can work at home and be your own boss. More and more people are leaving the office setting behind for the comfort of their own home.

Two types of home-based businesses allowed in Edmonton.

Minor Home-Based Businesses are those that are considered to have no impact on the neighbours and are basically invisible. Typical businesses would be consultants, computer programmers and other service-oriented businesses where the proprietor goes to the customer rather than the customer coming to the home.

Some regulations include:

• There cannot be more than one visit to your home each day because of your business.
• There cannot be any non-resident employees or business partners working on-site at any time.
• Your business cannot change the principal character or external appearance of the residential property.

Major Home-Based Businesses are those businesses that are visible and may involve the customer coming to the home or some other use of the property that is not typical of a residential area. Major home occupations will allow more business visits and also allow you to have employees. Typical businesses are hair dressers or lawn maintenance companies.

Some regulations include:

• There can be more than one visit to your home each day because of your business.
• There can only be two non-resident employees or business partners working on-site any one time.
• No outdoor business activity, or outdoor storage of material or equipment associated with the business is allowed.
• This type of business can not be located in homes that have a secondary suite.

Click here for more information.

Nothing is more Canadian than passing the time of a long, cold winter on a backyard ice rink. Sadly, there is a perception homemade rinks are difficult to make and even harder to maintain. Now with an array of products and how to videos available online, now it can be a simple project well worth a little effort for a ton of fun.

Before you begin, you’ll need to consider a few things:

How big of a rink do you want and where will you put it?

The bigger the rink, the more the materials and costs. Take measurements of your backyard and outline the shape and size you want. Check your slope and know for sure where your water line will be when you fill. This is the single most important step to building a rink. Even the slightest slope can lead to complications down the road.

Will you use a plastic liner?

You can flood your rink without a liner and you will get good ice with just a little more work. However, placing a plastic liner saves you a lot of time initially and later in maintenance. The liner holds the water so you can flood your rink as soon as the temperature permits with or without snow. A white liner is important as a dark colored one will absorb more sunlight/heat and melt the ice quicker.

Will you put up rink boards?

You can make a great outdoor ice rink surface without rink boards, but having boards makes it much more fun and it saves lots of time hunting for pucks that get lost in a snow perimeter. Rink boards also make flooding your rink easier with a wall to contain the water. Brackets and boards can be purchased from a backyard rink company or improvised from your local hardware store.

Sources of electricity and water?

Without lighting, the amount of rink use on short winter days is drastically reduced. Hang a string of Christmas lights or a couple of flood lights and extension cords. Make sure a water source is close by to fill the rink with water and maintain it through the season. Remember to drain the outdoor tap and bring the hose indoors after each use to prevent them from freezing.

Here’s a list of some better websites we’ve found that offer DIY step by step instructions or one-stop shops that supply complete kits for purchase.

- www.rymarrinks.ca - An Alberta based rink supplier
- www.howtohockey.com/how-to-build-a-backyard-hockey-rink - A DIY guide
- www.nicerink.com/top10/ - Top 10 questions about building a rink
- www.canada.ironsleek.com/rink-ideas - Install vs. build from scratch