Graphics designed and published by CBC.

It’s been a big year for many of Canada’s hottest housing markets.

The average buying price of a home jumped up over 7% compared to the same time last year, according to the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA).

At the same time, the actual number of homes sold is almost identical in growth (7%).

With having a soft spell earlier this year, this is welcome news for anyone in the market or looking to get into it.

For one thing, October tends to be a softer month than the busier days in the spring and summer, as people are eager to buy and sell. But having an October that is this active bodes well for the busier housing markets, and this includes Vancouver, Toronto, Calgary and Edmonton.

Additionally, the two hottest markets in the city appear to be lifting the numbers slightly. Taking Vancouver and Toronto out of the equation, the average home price for the rest of the country is $330,596 with a year-over-year rate increase of just 5.4%.

Several of our country’s major cities have seen slight declines in year-over-year pricing. Sherbrooke Quebec saw the most dramatic with a drop of 14%. The remaining 8 cities saw pricing declines between 0.3% and 3.7%, which shouldn’t shake up those local markets too badly.

The Edmonton Home Pros Team has worked for years in the hearts and surrounding areas of these communities

• Edmonton
• Leduc,
• Sherwood Park
• Spruce Grove
• St. Albert
• Stony Plain

We’ve seen the numerous market changes and forces at play, and we can help you navigate the market whether you are buying or selling your home.

Don’t be alarmed with steady growth. The Edmonton real estate market is strong and continues to follow a path that many in our industry have seen coming. They say a rising tide lifts all boats, and if you are looking to make a move in the marketplace, there is no better time than now.

So get in touch with us and we can have a conversation about making the right decisions for you and your family.

Comfortable Living for the over-40 seeking convenient, enjoyable living spaces. Photo Credit: Edmonton Sun

Central Alberta has a lot going for it. A thriving economy that is the envy of the country, growing population and amenities spread throughout the few dozen communities here.

But the demographics of our cities and towns is changing. The number of retirees and seniors is on the rise and is expected to climb leading into 2020.

And this is good news! Our aging population is the most active in recorded history, and the lifestyle they seek is something that developers have been working towards for over a decade. Building over-40 communities that appeal to the active and energetic lifestyle of the Boomer generation is an important way for our communities to grow sustainably.

One such community is the Villas at Lacombe Park in sunny St. Albert. Offering numerous home options for empty nesters, this community caters to those families who may be experiencing a change in the size of the family in a household. With bright floor plans from 1235 to 1530 sq. ft., residents will easily discover the right St. Albert home for them.

Some of the many features you will find in Villas at Lacombe Park homes include:

• Soft-line corners
• Galliano levered door handles
• Banjo top bathroom counter with full length mirror
• Soaker tub
• Three coats of paint
• Professional Interior Design Consultation
• Finished basements
• Hardwood and ceramic flooring
• 6 Appliances
• Window coverings
• Energy Efficient windows for ultimate temperature control
• Bright, open floor plans from 1235 to 1530 sq. ft.

Living in St. Albert affords you all of the amenities you might find in a small city, but the close proximity to Edmonton ensures that you never have to go without. In the Villas at Lacombe Park, access is abundant, whether you prefer auto travel or public transit,

You can find St. Albert homes for all types of families on our Edmonton Home Pros St. Albert Page.

And feel free to get in touch with us whenever you have questions about buying or selling a home in St. Albert.

There’s a lot of excitement in store for this year’s festival.

It’s that time of year again.

As the leaves turn and the first signs of winter arrive, we get to witness that very special time of year… Film Fest!

The 28th Edmonton International Film Festival (EIFF) runs for ten days from September 25 to October 4, 2014 at various locations throughout the city.

Each year, the festival gathers movie buffs from across central Alberta and brings compelling directors, producers, writers and actors to screen their films. A celebration of cinema takes place that helps to unpack the process of making a movie from page to screen.

But EIFF also gives these creatives a forum for conversation about the issues that drive movie creation. From social to religious, governmental to personal, the diversity of types of films and the great roster of moviemakers puts EIFF on the map in western Canada.

In its 38-year history, EIFF has earned a reputation for being one of the countries warmest and friendliest festivals on the Canadian landscape. Despite the fact that there’s snow on the ground, the festival’s ten days brings a collective magic to Edmonton’s city centre and south side.

Every year, EIFF gives Edmontonians a taste of the world’s best contemporary, independent, documentary and short films. Both the world cinema and film short shows attract huge audiences, but there is a new thirst for our locally grown filmmakers brewing.

But one program that has caught the attention of many schools is EIFF University. This is a program that target junior high and high schools with “a thought provoking and relevant series of films.” These events are open to other groups, too, but the specific programming for youth has had a solid impact on the Edmonton community.

Edmonton’s rich diversity is bolstered by the programs and screenings of the EIFF. It’s reputation and quality continue to drive passionate conversations about our world and how we can make it better. We hope to see you out enjoying some of their events in the coming weeks. We definitely look forward to seeing you out there.

If you would like to have a conversation about Edmonton, its communities or buying/selling a home in our fine city, get in touch with us. We’d be happy to talk with you about your needs.

Edmonton’s diversity is varied and colourful.

Back to school season is here! Stores are filled with excited parents (and maybe a few disappointed children) as they prepare for the new school session.

Now that school is just about started, a lot of our conversations among the team has been about language schools, and in particular, bilingual schools—schools that may offer immersion or second language education in central Alberta.

One of the greatest things about raising a family in or around Edmonton is the diversity of cultures and perspectives we encounter here. People from all over the world wind up settling in Edmonton, Spruce Grove, Leduc Sherwood Park or Stony Plain. This has been the tradition here for hundreds, if not thousands of years. But today, we see this diversity blooming in our education system, which now provides bilingual education in 8 international languages.

And for our children, learning a second language has incredible health, communication and advancement benefits. Children who learn multiple languages have well-exercised minds, develop high communication skills and can achieve great advancement opportunities in the future.

So we wanted to list the Edmonton schools that offer second language and immersion classes so you can have an idea what languages are available and where you might find those classes.

Being a real estate team that provides service in many of these languages (and some languages that are not taught in the current school system), Edmonton Home Pros understands the importance of language and culture in making buying decisions that support our families and communities. We hope that if you are considering buying or selling a home in Edmonton or any of the above communities, get in touch with us.

Chinese (Mandarin)
ELEMENTARY	JUNIOR HIGH	SENIOR HIGH
CAERNARVON SCHOOL14820 118 Street NW	LONDONDERRY SCHOOL7104 144 Avenue NW	M.E. LAZERTE SCHOOL6804 144 Avenue NW
DOVERCOURT SCHOOL13910 122 Avenue NW	OTTEWELL SCHOOL9435 73 Street NW	MCNALLY SCHOOL8440 105 Avenue NW
KILDARE SCHOOL7525 144 Avenue NW	PARKVIEW SCHOOL14313 92 Avenue NW	ROSS SHEPPARD SCHOOL13546 111 Avenue NW
MEADOWLARK SCHOOL9150 160 Street NW	ROSSLYN SCHOOL13215 113A Street NW
MEYONOHK SCHOOL1850 Lakewood Road South NW
German
ELEMENTARY	JUNIOR HIGH	SENIOR HIGH
FOREST HEIGHTS SCHOOL10304 81 Street NW	ALLENDALE SCHOOL6415 106 Street NW	STRATHCONA SCHOOL10450 72 Avenue NW
RIDEAU PARK SCHOOL10605 42 Avenue NW
RIO TERRACE SCHOOL7608 154 Street NW
ASL: American Sign Language
ELEMENTARY	JUNIOR HIGH	SENIOR HIGH
ALBERTA SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF6240 113 Street NW
Arabic
ELEMENTARY	JUNIOR HIGH	SENIOR HIGH
CALDER SCHOOL12950 118 Street NW	KILLARNEY SCHOOL13110 91 Street NW
GLENGARRY SCHOOL9211 135 Avenue NW	QUEEN ELIZABETH SCHOOL9425 132 Avenue NW
MALMO SCHOOL4716 115 Street NW
French Immersion
ELEMENTARY	JUNIOR HIGH	SENIOR HIGH
BRANDER GARDENS SCHOOL14865 56 Avenue NW	AVALON SCHOOL5425 114 Street NW	HARRY AINLAY SCHOOL4350 111 Street NW
DELWOOD SCHOOL7315 Delwood Road NW	DICKINSFIELD SCHOOL14320 88A Street NW	ROSS SHEPPARD SCHOOL13546 111 Avenue NW
DUNLUCE SCHOOL11735 162 Avenue NW	MCKERNAN SCHOOL11330 76 Avenue NW
GREENFIELD SCHOOL3735 114 Street NW	KENILWORTH SCHOOL7005 89 Avenue NW
GREENVIEW SCHOOL5904 38 Avenue NW
HOLYROOD SCHOOL7920 94 Avenue NW
J.A. FIFE SCHOOL15004 76 Street NW
LAURIER HEIGHTS SCHOOL8210 142 Street NW
LENDRUM SCHOOL11330 54 Avenue NW
MCKERNAN SCHOOL11330 76 Avenue NW
RICHARD SECORD SCHOOL4025 117 Street NW
RIO TERRACE SCHOOL7608 154 Street NW
Hebrew
ELEMENTARY	JUNIOR HIGH	SENIOR HIGH
TALMUD TORAH SCHOOL6320 172 Street NW
Spanish
ELEMENTARY	JUNIOR HIGH	SENIOR HIGH
MCKERNAN SCHOOL11330 76 Avenue NW
MILL CREEK SCHOOL9735 80 Avenue NW
SWEET GRASS SCHOOL11351 31 Avenue NW
Ukrainian
ELEMENTARY	JUNIOR HIGH	SENIOR HIGH
		M.E. LAZERTE SCHOOL6804 144 Avenue NW

Spruce Grove is a town with limitless natural charm and history, including the Grain Elevator Museum.

There are few cities in Alberta that can boast an active lifestyle, booming industrial and retail business, big-city amenities and environmental sustainability. Spruce Grove is definitely smaller than Edmonton, but families discover numerous advantages when they consider buying or selling a home in Spruce Grove. Situated 11 km west of Edmonton along Highway 16A, Alberta’s 9th largest city mixes small-town community spirit with enough nature to get lost in it.

Spruce Grove has been seen as a desirable settlement since 1879, when homesteaders first settled and tilled the land for crops. Today, just under 30,000 people call Spruce Grove home, which is a 20% increase over 2010 population levels. This upswing in growth could further bolster homes in Spruce Grove as sound investment properties.

One possible factor influencing this growth is the outcrop of modern industrial parks and zones. These new facilities have attracted new medium and large businesses to the area, drawing in new homebuyers that seek short commutes to work. Transport, engineering and infrastructure companies enjoy the competitive rates, Trans Canada Highway access and railway infrastructure.

At the same time, Spruce Grove’s rustic character encourages families to develop an outdoor lifestyle, one that remains active all year long. The TransAlta Tri Leisure Centre and the West District Park provide families and youth indoor and outdoor activity.

But one of the most memorable attractions is Spruce Grove’s Heritage Grove Trail, which is a network of trails that run throughout the city and city limits. Over 30 km of trail is available year round for activities like snowshoeing, biking, running and cross-country skiing. Even with widespread use, Heritage Grove never feels overcrowded, and any business adds a friendly dimension to winter activities. Find out more about Spruce Grove homes and family-focused activities here.

As one of Alberta’s fastest growing cities, it makes sense to consider buying or selling a home in Spruce Grove. The active lifestyle, growing population and thriving industrial sector have made Spruce Grove an attractive investment option for people seeking big city advantages with opportunities to get captivated by nature.

If you would like to learn more, or if you have any questions about Spruce Grove or any of our other communities, please get in touch with us. Thank you!

Pavillion dancers are just one of the many draws of the Heritage Days Festival. Photo Credit: Edmonton Tourism

It isn’t hard to be proud of Edmonton. The capital city has a lot of great things going for it: Active communities, a growing economy, and Alberta’s creative spark.

But Edmonton has something else that is sometimes forgotten about, and because of our city’s size, we sometimes forget just how great and important it is.

We’re talking about Edmonton’s unique multicultural spirit.

Throughout the summer, it gets easier to see people at events and cultural celebrations, but it’s during the August long weekend that our city’s multicultural vibrancy comes to life on stage, in our bellies and throughout the William Hawrelak Park grounds.

This year’s Heritage Festival looks like it will be the biggest yet.

The Servus Heritage Festival runs from August 2 to August 4, and this year it turns 39, which is no surprise, since it draws nearly 350,000 people over three days.

People from all walks of life and from all areas of central Alberta flock to the food, performances and craft market in a weekend-long gesture of sharing and neighbourly spirit.

This year, the Heritage Festival boasts more than 60 food pavilions from all over Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and South and Central America. Every year, this festival has new additions and a whole host of culinary surprises. There are also a cluster of stages for cultural dance and live performances, and several pavilions have craft markets attached for light shopping.

Edmonton’s multiculturalism is one thing that we are especially proud of. Edmonton Home Pros has been expanding the languages of our home listings services in order to improve the offerings available to various communities in Edmonton. From Cantonese to Chinese to French to Tagalog to Arabic to Korean, we work hard to make sure that people can find what they need when it comes to buying and selling Edmonton Real Estate.

And as more new Edmontonians join our communities, we hope that the Servus Heritage Festival becomes the food and cultural highlight for them that it is for our team. In the meantime, we hope to see you on the festival grounds!

And be sure to get in touch with us if you have any questions about our multilingual services, or if you would like to buy or sell a home in Edmonton.

About The Edmonton Bikeology Festival

Photo by: Sam Saunders

We think its safe to say Summer has finally arrived in The City of Edmonton. The weather is co-operating and the real estate market is heating up. In addition to being a great time to buy or sell your Edmonton home, Summer is also the time to enjoy outdoor activities. Whether you’re swimming at Sherwood Park’s Millenium Place, or enjoying some outdoor running through Leduc’s network of trails, this time of year fosters outdoor fun.

A favourite pastime for many Edmonton homeowners is outdoor biking, and our city strives to be as bike-friendly as possible. So much so, that’s there’s a whole month dedicated to cycling. We’re of course referring to the Edmonton Bikeology Festival. For the month of June, the Capital City will unite and celebrate our cycling culture. Local bike shops will host events throughout the month including bike-education, bike breakfasts, a commuter challenge, and learn to bike lessons for special needs children. There’s a lengthy list of events, which you can see in the Bikeology website, but we picked out events coming up within the next few weeks.

Photo by: Bromford

• MEC Bikefest | May 31st | Sir Winston Churchill Square
  Visit Mountain Equipment Coop’s Bikefest between 10am and 4pm, to connect with the local cycling community. According to MEC you can, “try out new great, test ride a new bike, browse exhibitor booths, score deals at the MEC Bike Swap, or learn new skills at a bike clinic.” Best of all, they’ll also have free tune-ups for attendees.
• Bikey Breakfast | June 6th & 27th | Earth’s General Store (9605-82 Ave)
  Enjoy some delicious pancakes at Earth’s General Store and good vegan food, This event will be held the first and last Friday’s of the Bikeology Festival in Edmonton.
• Commuter Race | June 10th | Various Locations
  The commuter race is a friendly challenge for Edmonton cyclists. Each participant will start at separate locations and ride to one location. There’s minimum distances required with the purpose of this challenge being to discover the fastest route to Downtown Edmonton. For more information visit their website.

Stay tuned to the Edmonton Home Pros blog this Summer for updates on upcoming events and real estate advice. If you’re looking to sell or buy Edmonton homes, turn to Stephen Lau and the Edmonton Home Pros, contact them today.

Strathcona’s lower crime will attract more Edmonton home buyers.

The Edmonton community of Strathcona is one of the city’s most treasured areas. Its residential neighbourhoods are filled with rich heritage, mature trees, and a renovated mature homes. The community also has a high walkability score, making it very easy for residents to access nearby amenities, dining locales, bars, pubs, grocery stores and even the Edmonton River Valley. Due to its ideal location, Strathcona homeowners can easily commute to South Edmonton or downtown.

Strathcona Public Building Photo by: daryl_mitchell

Strathcona is increasingly growing in popularity. From its renowned entertainment district, Whyte Avenue, to its historical features, the community is getting a lot of buzz. More recently, the Edmonton Police Service (EPS) released figures, which stated crime had dropped 31% since 2009 in Strathcona. Additional information released by the EPS can be found below:

• Homicides have remained at zero over the last four years to-date, except for one case in 2011.
• Robbery cases have dropped.
• Decreased crime as noted by local businesses.

If you’re looking to buy an Edmonton home for sale in the community of Strathcona, now is the perfect time! As the crime rate continues to drop the community’s popularity continues to grow, the Strathcona real estate market will attract Edmonton homeowners from across the city.

Thinking about buying a Stratchona Edmonton home for sale? Stephen is backed by a solid team of professionals who are Edmonton area experts and can help you find the perfect Strathcona property to suit your needs and budget. Contact Stephen Lau today!

Image obtained fromThe City of Edmonton website

Edmonton has taken the next step in the river valley evolution. The development of West Rossdale will bring residents closer to nature with pedestrian friendly streets, property enhancements and new condominiums, while preserving the area’s existing open spaces and parks.

(more…)

With the ongoing revitalization of downtown Edmonton, Chinatown will soon see an increase in visitors resulting in a boost to its economy.

The City of Edmonton has invested $56 million dollars towards infrastructure and public amenities as part of the new downtown developments. In an effort to encourage area growth, the city’s downtown developments include a new urban community from 97th Street to 92nd Street and from 103A Avenue to the north of the river valley. The development, called The Quarters, consists of five districts. Designed as a pedestrian-friendly community, The Quarters residents will have instant access to many amenities including Edmonton’s river valley and Edmonton’s Chinatown.

(more…)