Attn: Bungalow Lovers

We have added a new custom seach to our website www.kernichomes.com. We made it specifically for those looking to find a bungalow or bi-level home in Calgary. You can search by community and price range without jumping through the hoops on other real estate websites. Check out Calgary Bungalows here

Calgary Suited Home Search

We have just added a new custom search to our webiste. This suited home search will find all Calgary Real Estate with a second suite. Whether you are looking for an investment property or a mortgage helper this unique property search will help you find it.

Calgary MLS - Calgary Real Estate - MLS Listing - Airdrie Real Estate - Lake Newell Resort

Lake Newell Resort

Are you ready to live the dream? Just listed, 200ft of Lakefront on Lake Newell. That is double the amount of all other Kingfisher Estates lots in the Lake Newell Resort Developement. This is the perfect spot for your dream/vacation home. Huge .31 Acre lot on Southern Alberta's biggest and warmest lake. Located 10 minutes from Brooks and 90 minutes from Calgary near Kinbrook Island Provincial Park. Spend your summers swimming, relaxing on the beach, boating, fishing, and playing the local golf courses. There is a Marina for boaters and watersport enthusiasts. Don't miss this opportunity. Visit my website or the Lake Newell Resort website for more details on this great property.

Calgary MLS - Airdrie Real Estate - Calgary Townhouses - MLS Listing - Calgary Real Estate - Lake Newell Resort

Well January was off to an abysmal start for home sales until the mortgage changes were announced and then the market did a complete 180. Honestly it caught me by surprise. I didn't even clue in until I looked at the latest stats late last night and checked for some listings to show a client this coming weekend which I'll explain a little later. In last 10 days more home sold than the first 3 weeks of the month combined. Incredibly you have to go back a number of years to find a comparable market shift(but no 2007 is not coming back). Some are now predicting that prices will go up by the end of this month rather than late March/early April as was expected. I'm not a prophet or economist(both are usually wrong anyway) but many Realtors and buyers are feeling the rapid change in the market, on the ground as they say. Of course I'm not writing this to cause panic so please don't freak out. The people who will be affected most by this are first time buyers in the 300k and under price range and if prices escalate it would marginal to start(maybe 10k). For some that could be important so to those I would recommend a second look at their buying timeline. At the very least speak with a broker or your bank and get your pre-approval taken care before the deadline so you can lock in a great interest rate(less than 4%) for the most advantageous length of time(35yrs if you need it). You will likely read in the paper or see on the news that sales were not that great last month(it's true) but the market is shifting so don't let an opportunity to get in at the bottom pass you by. Yes we are at the bottom, these will be the best prices since the boom, I'm positive about this. It's very difficult to time a market. We didn't see it coming in 06/07 as you know. But the recent stats are hard to ignore. If you don't agree with me that's fine. I'm not trying to pressure anyone. Many are still on the fence and cautious, which is prudent. Why not do an experiment? Track the homes coming on the market(under 350k) that you like(new listings not the old crap) and see how long until they sell. That will give you a good idea of what I'm saying. I have a client looking for a 2 Storey home in the deep south under the 350k price point. Two weeks ago there were 52 homes matching his criteria. I just checked this afternoon and 23 of them are now sold. That's pretty significant in the real estate world. I don't usually write these types of emails as I know how the public views those in the real estate industry(sell, sell, sell) right? Well those who have worked with me in the past know I'm not like that at all. I just want to give people the opportunity to get the best deal possible and I strongly believe that is now. Please watch the market over the next few weeks to see if what I'm saying is correct. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to call or email. I'd be glad to help in any way I can. Go to my website www.kernickhomes.com to search for your new home.

Airdrie Real Estate
Calgary Real Estate
Suited Calgary Homes
Calgary Townhomes
Calgary New Homes
Calgary Foreclosures

2010 Top Producer

Just learned today that we(the Kernick Homes team) came in at the #5 position out of 150+ agents & teams in our brokerage for 2010. Last year was tough so were giving ourselves a pat on the back.

MLS Calgary

NEW! We have a Mobile Website

You can browse by community and our brand new proximity search that uses your phone’s GPS coordinates to find homes for sale near your current location. In addition to search tools we’ve added a bookmarking system that lets you save your favourite listings to come back to later, and quick “touch to call” buttons to get more information or to book a viewing. Just point your browser to the same URL (www.kernickhomes.com) and our our site will automatically detect your smartphone and load the mobile website!

MLS Calgary

Yesterday Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty announced 3 important rule changes:

1. The maximum number of years the government will back a mortgage was lowered From 3 years to 30
years. The maximum used to be 40 and was lowered to 35 a year ago. Previously the long time standard
was 25 Change will take effect March 18th

2. The maximum that Canadians can refinance their home is lowered from 90% to 85% Change will take effect March 18th

3. Government insurance backing on home equity lines of credit, or HELOCS, has been removed. Change for Heloc's will take effect April 18th

There was a proposal that could have required 100% of condo fees to be included in mortgage approval
calculations however the current rule remains at 50% (the option to change this remains open to the Government if they don't see the desired results from the new changes)

The 5 down payment still exists as does the 0% surprisingly - but for how long? The Goverment has considered and is still considering raising the required down payment to between 7-10%

Example Scenario in regards to rule #1

* On a standard S250,000 mortgage at a rate of 3.99 on a 5yr fixed mortgage mortgage payments increase from $1100 a month for the 35 year atnortization to $1187 a month for the 30 year amortization. An increase of S87 a month or $1044 a year.

* Starting March 18 someone earning $50,000 per year at 3.99% on a 5 year fixed mortgage now only qualifies for a maximum mortgage of $238.620 on the 30 year amortization. On the 35 year they used to qualify for S257,451. A reduction of their maximum mortgage qualification of $18,831 or almost 8%.

In regards to rule 2 & 3 This change will mainly affect those in need of equity funds to do Reno's, pay off debt, emergency cash, etc.

MLS Calgary

Made some big changes to the website. Check it out. http://ping.fm/zr7ba

MLS Calgary

OPEN HOUSE SATURDAY OCT 16 from 11-2pm. This one bedroom in Brookpark Gardens has 655 square feet of well planned living space. Painted with neutral colours and updated with ceramic tile and a light walnut shade of laminate. This condo comes with a separate dining area that looks into the kitchen. The large insuite storage room has space for all your gear and the master bedroom should fit your furniture. The large main floor patio has more than enough room for the BBQ, your patio set, mountain bikes and more. It's a short walk to the local retail centre with a post office, shoppers, 7-11, and a pub. Also located less than a km from the Southland Leisure Centre with a pool, arenas, and the fitness club. Note: Very low fees compared to other SW Condos. Put this one on your list.

http://www.kernickhomes.com/braesidecondo

New Condo Listing in Southwest Calgary http://ping.fm/3DiGS

MLS Calgary

Risks to Consider When Buying a Foreclosed Property http://ping.fm/RD6J2

MLS Calgary

Calgary inflation rate lower than rest of Canada http://ping.fm/ONJsu

MLS Calgary

O Canada: Investing in the World's Safest Economy realestate http://ping.fm/1Wbil

Calgary Foreclosures

MLS Calgary

Calgary Townhouses

What recession? Businesses snap up Toronto office space realestate http://ping.fm/FbVoz

MLS Calgary

Just Say No to MORE RULES! Mortgages Rules For Canadian Home Buyers to Be Tightened on Oct 15 http://ping.fm/dMeAx

MLS Calgary