Here we are in April! Wondering when this snow will all disappear.. looks like we might be getting another big dump later this week – prepare yourselves (emotionally). 

I'm working with a few sellers from all walks of life. Some listings are performing, others are struggling, but we're seeing no slow down in inventory build across the city right now.

Just look at the activity on the MLS (right now):

The market hasn’t stalled (as you can tell by the number of solds over the last 7 days - 494, with 443 pendings)

But seller strategy has (look at the price reductions - 485 over the last 7 days).

Right now in Calgary, I’m seeing a clear divide. Some homes are still selling quickly and close to asking. Others are sitting for weeks with little traction.

The difference isn’t always the home. It’s the approach.

The biggest mistake sellers are making right now is pricing based on past market momentum instead of current buyer behavior.

Buyers today are more selective. They’re watching interest rates, comparing options, and moving with intention. When a home is priced even slightly ahead of the market, they don’t chase it. They move on. Key term here, is the element of substitution ("what can I get instead at this price range, all else being equal?")

And here’s where it gets costly.

When a home sits, it loses momentum.

Showings slow down.

Price reductions start to feel reactive instead of strategic.

In many cases, that leads to a final sale price lower than where it could have landed with the right positioning from day ONE.

The homes that are performing well right now are doing three things right:

1. They’re priced to attract attention immediately

- Not to “test the market,” but to create urgency.

2. They show exceptionally well

- Presentation matters more than ever. Clean, bright, and move-in ready wins.

3. They align with buyer expectations

- Layout, updates, and condition are being scrutinized closely.

This isn’t about underpricing. It’s about precision.

If you’re thinking about selling this year, the strategy matters just as much as the home itself. The goal isn’t just to list. It’s to position your property so it stands out the moment it hits the market.

If you’re curious how your home would perform in today’s market, I’m happy to walk you through a clear, data-backed strategy.

Well, it's now March and spring is right around the corner! 

I received a notice much like everyone else did in the mail, regarding the City of Calgary's proposed rezoning reversal, and thought I'd provide my own thoughts on this. 

Since going to town council to vote, the current stage now is that a public hearing will be held, which will be to consider a bylaw that would bring back low density residential zones that existed prior to the land use bylaw approved May 2024 (effectively making every single family home lot an R-CG designation from R-C1 / R-C2).

There are a few exceptions (properties that would NOT see a reversal):

- Properties that have received approval for development permit / building permit or subdivision application under R-CG / R-G / H-GO

- Submitted a development permit / building permit or subdivision application before the FIRST reading of the propose new bylaw

- Properties that have already been rezoned

Effectively, grand-fathering all properties that are currently in-the-works at the city (via DP / BP or SA), and those that are already completed. 

The public hearing will be held on MARCH 23, 2026 @ 9:30 AM hosted at the Council Chamber (800 McLeod Trail SE).

I encourage those who have interest to participate. This largely defines how the city will feel, look, and live over the next decade, given the changes that have already happened, as I'm sure most of you who have already noticed. 

Politics aside, what really matters to me is how this really changes the market dynamics in our city. Recall the discussion with CREB Economist Ann-Marie, >50% of new-build high-density developments (apartments / townhomes) are earmarked for rental-only, largely increasing the rental supply in the city with rents coming down as a result. The bulk of the price declines have been in the high-density sector as well which we've seen since last year as a dramatic change in trend.

Those considering purchasing homes are much more careful of property location, neighbouring properties, and zoning in the area. Likewise, on the seller side, being mindful of location / neighbours / zoning are critical to price the property appropriately to reach the right audience. 

Having been a real estate investor in Calgary now for over 15 years, there’s always a strategy that I keep coming back to that provided me with success over the years. More recently, with the City of Calgary’s initiatives to increase density in established neighbourhoods, they have made creating legal suites a great solution (for both landlords and tenants), and lenders have also done the same. 

In particular, suited homes have found a sweet spot, with two rental units under one roof, allowing for easier maintenance / management and spreading of vacancy risk across two units as opposed to just one. We’ve all heard of market diversification before, and this is not dissimilar in diversifying the rental income stream. 

I was chatting with a lending colleague of mine, and she provided some great insight into how lenders are supporting investors with certain lending programs that make this a no-brainer investment. 

One financing option that can be particularly effective for buyers and investors is a purchase + improvements program. This program allows buyers to finance both the purchase of a property and eligible renovations under one mortgage, with improvement funding of up to $150,000.

It can be used for general home upgrades or to add a legal basement suite, provided no structural changes are required. When a basement suite is added, projected rental income may be used to help offset renovation costs and improve mortgage qualification.

For investment purchases, the property must contain two self-contained suites, and a 20% down payment is required. The improvements themselves are flexible and can include kitchen or bathroom renovations, flooring and window upgrades, furnace or air-conditioning replacement, roof repairs, electrical updates (including knob-and-tube replacement), basement finishing or waterproofing, septic upgrades, decks or patios, and the addition of a rental unit.

Overall, this program is well-suited for buyers looking to improve livability, add rental income, or enhance long-term property value at the time of purchase.

For more details, reach out to book a call to see how this can work for your investment portfolio.

In a marketplace with plenty of Realtors, we thought it might be helpful to show how we stand out and the transparent advice we provide our clients to achieve real results. 

Our clients, selling for the first time, took our recommendation and suggestions, which lead to a secure sale in a timely fashion and achieving a higher price than they expected; one of the many reasons why we love working with people who understand the value that we bring. 

Starting with Home Preparation!

After meeting my clients a couple times in the home to walkthrough on showcasing the home on what to do, we recommended a few initiatives to allow buyers to feel comfortable.

• Professional furnace maintenance and duct cleaning: provides up-to-date information that the bones of the home have been well-maintained.

• Professional carpet cleaning: important to rid smells, stains, and anything else that you as a buyer would appreciate.

• Window cleaning: given the dust we get in Calgary, this is very important to showcase the light the home gets – clear of dust, dirt and grime build-up overtime; this is one of the biggest tips I have for my seller clients.

• Tidy up ALL clutter: we want to remove any ‘personality’ to allow buyers to feel like this is a place they can move into – not all tastes are the same, so we want to make mass appeal to ensure it’s a good fit for most folks that see the home.

• Repairs: no brainer, but repair or replace things that are broke (faucets, trim, countertops, etc.), and provide receipts to show it has been completed by a professional!

• Professional spot-less cleaning: this is another no-brainer. “Cleanliness” is subjective - what’s clean to one person may require a lot of work for another. To take the guesswork out and to be efficient, hire out cleaners to do the job to a professional standard.

Marketing Preparation:

• After preparing the home, we hire our professional photographers, measurements to have completed

• Virtual or real staging can be used, and sometimes we invite a designer in to help with furniture placement and tips.

• Preparation of print material, including floor plans, drone photos, any other important documents (in this case we were excited to showcase the power usage in the home given the solar panels - we graphed out power use and regeneration to show that buyers will pay close to nothing for power in the home!)

• Pricing discussion: important for sellers to understand where the market is. In keeping on top of new listings, and sold data, we were priced competitively to achieve certainty to lock-in a buyer. A lot of sellers like to gamble (waiting for the right buyer at an above-market price). This is not a strategy. Hope is not a strategy. We use real data, real comparables and market competition information to determine what the best price is. 

• Allowing the home to sit on the market is setting up for failure. Buyers start critiquing the home even more, trying to understand why the home hasn’t sold. More days on market means you’re taking a discount in the end.

Results:

• 24 showings in 10 days

• Conditionally Sold in 6 days

• Firm Sold in 17 days

• Sold for 103% of list price

Interested in working with Jason? Give me a call today to see how we work with a no obligation evaluation.

CREB held their annual forecast conference last week. Reviewing 2025 activity and what's expected in store for this new year... Below is a high-level summary of the discussion points delivered by CREB's Chief Economist, Ann-Marie Lurie.

2025 Was Weaker than Expected

We were expecting price growth for detached properties of 2.9% at the end of 2024, but ended up only at +0.8% YoY, while condo and townhomes saw a value decrease of -2.7% and -2.1%, respectively. 

Sales Slowed but Remained Above Trend

2026 is expected to see a drop in sale activity (~2% decline) over 2025 activity, however - this level of transactions remain above the long-term trend.

Alberta Population Growth Easing

On the back of the federal initiative to reduce the number of international immigrants, we've seen a demand-side impact on housing, with total numbers dropping from 153,542 (2024), 73,198 (2025) and 39,200 forecasted for 2026 - a 46% decline in immigration. We're seeing fewer interprovincial migrants as well, with those key markets seeing an adjustment in home prices (Toronto and Vancouver), with a 21% decline in migrants expected in 2026.

The resulting impact to Calgary, is a 1.3% growth in population in our city, down from 3% in 2025. Mind you, this is still reflective of population GROWTH, albeit at a slower rate. 

Strong Jobs in Calgary

Calgary remains a top destination for job prospects in Canada. However, we are expected to see slower job growth (likely as a result of slower population growth), of about 0.4% employment growth (down from 4.3% in 2025). Calgary's unemployment rate expected to remain flat compared to 2025.

No Further Rate Cuts Expected

There are no further interest rate cuts expected in the near-term. In fact, some economists are modelling rate increases near the end of 2027. 

Supply Rising Across Broader Market

With the record housing starts, we're seeing both resale and new home inventory rising. The impact of this is a slowly increasing vacancy rate. In addition, many of the new build properties are high-density (condo / townhomes), for which more than 50% are on a rental-only basis...

The good news is that we're seeing new construction slow down with only 18,415 starts expected for 2026 (vs. 27,866 starts in 2025). The bulk of these starts are in the North West region, and >50% of these are expected to be rental-only.

Key Risks Persist in 2026

Upsides: potentially some increased business activity with a strong Canadian energy backdrop, depending on how Ottawa dictates our energy platform...

Downside: Weaker commodity prices, tariff uncertainty, local supply growth

Overall, we'll see a slowing of activity in 2026, which is great for buyers who have been sitting on the sidelines for some time. It doesn't come without it's uncertainties however, but who can ever perfect market timing? On the seller's side - it's better to get aligned with the new picture. Some folks I talk to are still dreaming about 2022/2023 pricing, and sad to say but those days are over. The market ebbs and flows, with peaks and troughs. The best you can do is get up to speed on the market, and act in the best interest of you and the family.

Happy to chat if you have any questions if you're thinking about making a move. The more you know, the better armed you are at making key decisions!