I love the colours of fall. All of the reds and browns and oranges…I’ve always been drawn towards earthy tones, so I guess it makes sense that fall is my favourite time of the year!

With the first day of fall just around on the corner – falling on September 22^nd this year, I’ve been keeping my eye on new fall decorating trends and looking for ways to bring these beautiful warm colours indoors.

Here are some links I’ve come across to blog articles where I have found some fall home décor inspiration! My hope is these ideas will be easy to do, inexpensive and effective, in transforming my home to match the comforting colours of fall!

Pillow covers. Once you have built up a nice stash of pillow covers that fit the inserts for your sofa and bed, it’s easy to give your rooms a quick makeover. Keep an eye out for sales throughout the year to find the best deal. Here are a few ideas for not-strictly-seasonal pillow covers to consider adding to your stash:

Burlap feed sack: great for a rustic fall and winter look, but can be used year-round

Sparkly, metallic hues: perfect for a festive feel
Velvet in rich jewel tones: for cold fall and winter nights
Golden yellow: can be mixed with seasonal oranges and reds in the fall, but also feels fresh in spring and summer.

Source: Coldwell Banker Blue Matter Blog

Fun and cool printed rugs. We’re head over heels for this color-filled and Moroccan-inspired rug! Its eclectic use of color and unapologetic take on texture and pattern will establish a unique and visually defined quality to just about any space!

Source: Domino.com

Pumpkin Pie Potpourri

Get the pumpkin pie smell without the actual pumpkin pie! This incense-in-a-pumpkin will spread the scent of Thanksgiving for about 6 hours.

Source: Martha Stewart Living

Paint Patterned Pumpkins. You can create all of these designs with acrylic paint and painter’s tape. For a two-tone dipped look, bisect a pumpkin with a strip of tape (angle the tape for a diagonal effect) Use a foam brush to cover one section of the pumpkin…read more:

Source: Country Living

Create a Wall Grouping With Fall Flair. Shop thrift stores and garage sales for assorted small frames then fill them with fall sentiments, black-and-white photos and pressed leaves.

Source: HGTV.com

What are you doing to change things up in your home this season? Head on over to our Facebook page and post a picture of your fall home décor projects – we’d love to see them!

City of Calgary, September 2, 2016 – Overall sales activity was down again in August, totaling 1,567. However, this figure does not reflect the big differences in activity between the detached sector, versus the high density apartment and attached segments of the market. “While overall sales have eased for detached homes, so too has the amount of new listings on the market preventing inventories from reaching previous highs and limiting the downward pressure on pricing,’ said CREB® chief economist Ann-Marie Lurie. “This is not the case in both the attached and apartment sectors which have recorded inventory levels near August highs.”

The detached benchmark price totaled $503,200 in August, 3.3 per cent below last year, but similar to levels recorded last month. Meanwhile, condominium apartment prices continue to decline totaling $274,900 in August, 7 per cent below last year and are at levels comparable to figures reported at the end of 2013.

Price declines were higher in the apartment sectors, due to the more pronounced imbalance between supply and demand. On average, apartment inventories rose to levels well above historical norms. At the same time, sales are at their weakest level since 2003 causing months of supply to average over 6 months so far this year.

It is really interesting to see how different market segments are reacting to the downturn. The absorption rates for detached homes in the bedroom communities of Airdrie, Cochrane and Okotoks are very different with Airdrie continuing to out-perform Cochrane and Okotoks and even the City of Calgary!

The best time to buy is when there is a lot of inventory from which to choose. For those who are considering taking advantage of the low interest rates to invest in real estate there are several market segments with low absorption rates to choose from.  If you are interested in an investment strategy specific to your needs please contact us. We would love to help!

Hope this helps!

Susanita de Diego

Download Calgary and Area Real Estate Statistics – August 2016

Thinking about Buying or Selling a Home without a Realtor®?

Here are a few Realtor Myths – Busted!

1.) Realtors make a lot of commission.

Sometimes it seems like those who are not involved day-to-day in the real estate industry perceive a Realtor’s job to be pretty easy. Some would say that the amount of commission we charge is too high compared to what we do to earn the commission. Opinions are subjective but I believe that many people really don’t know what a Realtor must do to maintain the high degree of expertise necessary to best represent our clients and to maintain a successful business.

Let’s start with the hard costs of signs, lock boxes, stationary, business cards, computers, tablets, cell phones, applications and programs, web sites, courier costs and in the case of higher producing Realtors, staff.

In addition to advertising on multiple web sites, property advertising costs could also include professional photographers, professional printers, professional measurement companies, videographers and advertising in print publications and social media.

Then there’s the costs of running a business. There are licensing fees, real estate board fees, real estate association fees, errors and omissions insurance, franchise fees, and the fees a Realtor must pay to their agency. On the low end these fees are approximately $12,000.00 per year. A premium real estate office will charge their Realtors higher fees which could be closer to $20,000.00 per year or more!

Of course all Realtors must maintain a reliable vehicle with business insurance.

A highly skilled Realtor has learned from the experience of being involved in hundreds or in some cases thousands of real estate transactions. These experiences create market knowledge and negotiating skills which benefit their clients.

To cover all of the above expenses a Realtor relies only on commission income and we do not get paid in advance. We are compensated after the transaction has completed, which can be months after we have performed our duties. Sometimes we will have performed all of our duties and we don’t get paid at all. This would be if the market conditions prevented a listed property from selling or if the seller changed their mind about selling or if a buyer client decided not to buy or bought through another Realtor.

2.) If I work with a Realtor to buy a home it will be too expensive.

The Realtor representing the buyer almost always receives their fee from the agency representing the seller, not directly from the buyer.

3.) A Realtor can work part time.

In addition to the duties required to market and sell a home and the duties required to locate the right home for a buyer client, a Realtor’s working hours must include continuing education, researching new and innovative marketing methods, maintaining data bases, web sites and social media, updating processes, following up with prospects, prospecting for new clients and in the case of higher producing Realtors, training staff and/or team members.

Being a professional Realtor is really being a small business owner and is definitely more than a full time job.

In my opinion our profession requires a passion for helping people and the best Realtors use their expertise and skills to not only create monetary value for their clients but also to help ease their clients through what can be a stressful and emotional time.