Remember to breathe – Travel Alberta Video
Sometimes it's nice to take a break and remember just how beautiful our province is. Travel Alberta put out this video a couple of weeks ago and it's an excellent reminder of how lucky we are to live here. Take a break and enjoy.
Farmers Market Brings “Community” to Terwillegar, Riverbend
"It's like the heart of Terwillegar-Riverbend finally came alive." Edmonton Journal.
Terwillegar Towne
The Terwillegar Riverbend Farmer's Market opened in May and has run every Wednesday night since from 5:30-8pm. It's the culmination of years of effort from many volunteers, and brings a real community feeling to a sub-urban part of our city. According to their web site:
The Southwest Edmonton Farmers’ Market is a not-for-profit, volunteer run organization committed to creating a community gathering place for the residents of southwest Edmonton. We connect local farmers, producers and artisans who provide fresh, locally grown and made food and hand-made goods with our citizens, fostering relationships that create a greater sense of community and a stronger local economy.
Together with the new Recreation Centre, shops, schools, a transit centre and more, Terwillegar Riverbend is becoming a town onto itself. Riverbend offers a variety of housing options in a large price range and has some of Edmonton's most popular neighbourhoods. View Riverbend homes for sale.
Farmer's Markets around the city:
- South West Edmonton Farmer's Market, Wednesdays 5:30-8pm
- 104st Downtown Market, Saturdays, Saturdays 9am-3pm
- Alberta Avenue Farmer's Market, Thursdays 5-8pm
- Beverly Towne Farmers' Market, Tuesdays 4-8pm
- Callingwood Farmer's Market, Sundays 10am-3pm
- Castledowns Farmers' Market, Wednesdays 4-8pm
- Leduc Farmers' Market, Thursdays 10am-1:30pm and Saturdays 10am-1pm
- Old Strathcona Farmers' Market, Saturdays 8am-3pm
- Salisbury Farmer's Market (Sherwood Park), Thursday 4:30-8pm
- St. Albert Farmer's Market, Saturdays, 10am-3pm
If you visit any of our farmers markets remember to leave your pets at home.
Video Killed the Photo Star
Two years ago we blogged about doing wide angle, HD videos for our listings. Like the song "Video killed the radio star," video is in the process of murdering the photo virtual tour in real estate. At a recent conference we attended a Senior Executive with Google indicated that You Tube is currently the second or third most popular search engine in the world (depending on the month). I can certainly believe it. Our YouTube Channel is over 4 years old and our videos have gotten 85,000 views. If you’re wondering why that’s important it’s simple - the more eyes we can direct at our properties, the more opportunities we have to find a buyer who is looking for what we have.
So why is video so important to today’s consumer:
- 1. Video doesn’t lie. Pictures can and should show the home from the best perspective possible. Video shows you what it’s like to actually walk through a home and is trusted by home buyers more than photos that can be edited and enhanced.
- 2. Layout: Video shows the layout of the home, and how rooms are connected where photos can only show a room or two in one frame.
3. Demonstrating benefits: There is no better way to exhibit small areas like walk through pantries, walk in closets and ensuites than video. A photo may show a pantry – but what’s in it, can you walk through it, what’s on the other side?
4. Search – Video is searchable. Google is increasingly promoting video in their search results, many of our videos come up when buyers are searching for information on a community that interests them. For example, Google “Lewis Estates edmonton homes.” The number 1 natural result is www.EdmontonRealEstate.pro (one of our websites) and the next result are a few of our videos for Lewis Estates.
Not all videos are alike:
A recent survey showed that 73% of home owners would prefer to list their home with an agent who uses video, but only 11% of agents provide the service. This is a new area, and I’ve had over two years of practice to create the best videos possible. When you check out videos of homes for sale in Edmonton on YouTube you will see that most videos get about 10-30 views, while ours typically get 100-300 views (some have gotten thousands!). So, it’s not just about having a video done of your home, it’s about having a video that buyers can find, and will actually watch. A 10 minute slide show is certainly not a video most buyers want to watch.
A long time ago we were one of the first companies in the Edmonton area to start using professional photography for all our listings. Many home owners have caught on and are demanding this service from their agents. Instead of waiting for consumers to demand something we are always interested in leading the pack. So check out over 100 of our videos on our You Tube channel. Will others catch on? Eventually I’m sure they will, but even our biggest imitators haven’t figured out how to do the video yet. So, if you want it done right you know who to call. Not ghost busters.
The Buzz Around Sustainability
In the 20 plus years I have been in real estate I have seen various buzz words come and go. VTB’s (Vendor Take Back Mortgage), energy efficient, R2000 (an energy efficiency rating), green and many more, and now the latest belle to the ball is "sustainable."
If you listen closely you can hear it in the ads of some of the newer property developments. The first question I had about sustainability was: isn't that just another way of saying it's “green” without having a green designation? Short answer is: “not even close.” You can have a green project that is not sustainable.
The first time I asked that question the builder gave me a 91 page manual on the area structure plan which discusses sustainable principles in detail. I think Tyler Dixon, an architect at Ziola newstudio architects, sums it up best in the video below.
One of the things Tyler's counterpart and partner on the project, Tai Ziola mentioned to us, was that it is really exciting to work on a building where the builder isn’t going for the cheapest materials, for the lowest possible price. She believes that when you factor in the design and materials of the building that they envision, it will cost the owners less in the long and uphold its value better because of its sustainability and superior design.
Tyler Dixon says “sustainability goes way beyond green.” To give you a snippet of what he means here are some of the principles of sustainability that I learned from the condo project I’m working on:
- Maximize public green space in the neighbourhood by designating 20% of site and all public spaces.
- Create services that are close to home and within walking distance by ensuring that 100% of residents are within 450m of basic services.
- Provide jobs close to home by having commercial, retail and office space as well as a business park.
- Ensure that 50% of green space has habitat value
- Protect wetland areas
- Use landscaping that incorporates native vegetation
- Naturalize storm water areas
- Incorporate trees into parking lots and streets
- Encourage the natural flow of water and retention of wetland feature areas
- Reduce generation of wastewater and potable water demand
- Ensure 50% of buildings will have good solar orientation
- Create energy efficiency through green building standards
- Use trees and other landscaping to provide shading from the sun and buffering against cold and wind
- Use of on site bike racks
- Reduce heat absorbtion of buildings by requiring high standards for emissivity and reflectivity of the roof.
- Include low energy bulbs and follow a dark sky policy for areas such as wetlands
- Make it a walkable community by providing 40 – 50% of public streets for pedestrian traffic
- Provide trails and pathways that connect every parcel
- Increase demand for use of recycled material (check out optima’s gorgeous recycled wood cabinets)
- Provide public places for people to interact
- Minimize the amount of hard concrete surfaces.
These are but a tip of the sustainable ice berg. for more information please visit www.sunliving.ca (Natural Resources Canada). It will be interesting to see if the buying public embraces sustainability or still wants the same old, same old, cheap crap.
Learn more about new condos in Sherwood Park in a sustainable urban neighbourhood that will be under development soon - OptimaSherwoodPark.com.
Pumped Up!
I just finished at The Bounce morning show with Ian and Liann. They had me on for an “ask the expert” segment on real estate. It was great. I got to dance while talking real estate - two of my favourite things (I’m much better at one then I am the other).
I really enjoyed watching radio magic happen - talk about multitasking! Editing sound bites, picking songs, updating Facebook, answering calls, sorting through dozens of texts and prepping me all at the same time.
On and off the air Liann asked a question that has been formulating in our heads lately: "How will the new arena deal affect Downtown real estate?" We have done a lot of research on this topic, more than any we have written about to date but we've been too busy to put it all together to blog about. The answer I gave on air was: “of course it will have a positive impact on values but it will take some time to see it." Until the financial stuff is formalized and the exact plans are submitted it's purely speculative at this point to say what will happen, but we will post some more on this as soon as we can.
Ice Flow in Edmonton’s River Valley
I was out for a bike ride yesterday and was mesmerized by the ice chunks flowing down the North Saskatchewan River. I shot this video on my iphone from the pedestrian bridge under the Anthony Henday near Cameron Heights. The pillars holding up the bridge sure take a beating!
Landlord Bootcamp
Many of our readers are interested in investing in real estate, and potentially becoming landlords. Many already are and may need some advice on how to do it right. The Edmonton Apartment Association will be introducing a comprehensive ONE-DAY course on April 19, 2011 that has been designed to guide both new and/or experienced landlords and real estate agents in developing their professional skills and learning the tools of the trade. This course should offer an excellent opportunity to network with other landlords and discuss face-to-face ideas, problems and viable solutions.
Edmonton Neighbourhood Renewal Program
The city of Edmonton has a "neighbourhood renewal program" that is focused on the renewal and rebuilding of roads, sidewalks and streetlights in Edmonton. Every year, 1/4 of the City's local roads are inspected for the condition of the pavement, curbs and sidewalks. The program has identified a number of neighbourhoods slated for renewal in the coming years - is your neighbourhood on the list?
According the the City of Edmonton web site, the following residential neighbourhoods will be receiving some TLC in 2011:
Kensington, Ritchie and Greenfield are slated for preventative maintenance (roads are resealed with a thin asphalt ride surface).
"Overlay" (roads are repaved and sidewalk panels are treated to eliminate safety hazards) will occur in Callingwood North, Casselman, Belvedere, Duggan, Bearspaw, Crawford Plains, Greenview, Menisa, Richfield, and Kameyosek.
Reconstruction (roads are repaved, and sidewalks and streetlights are replaced) will begin in West Jasper Place and Capilano, and will be completed in Fulton Place, Parkallen, Rio Terrace and Sherbrooke.
Alley reconstruction will occur in Sakaw and McLeod.
Renewal projects will begin in Woodcroft, Windsor Park, King Edward Park, Dovercourt, Canora and King Edward Park in 2012.
If you own a home in these neighbourhoods you will benefit from the renewal projects, but will be inconvenienced while they occur and may also see a larger tax bill. In neighbourhoods where sidewalk or alley reconstruction occurs, the costs are shared with the home owners. If you're buying or selling a home in one of these neighbourhoods be sure to discuss the implications of these tax levy's with your agent.
Spring is here – a.k.a. basement flooding season
So we're coming out of the worst winter in 40 years in Edmonton, and there is a lot of snow out there. Foundation and restoration companies are expecting a lot of calls this spring as the snow melts, and basement flooding begins. If we have a quick melt, followed by spring rains, a lot of us could be "underwater" this spring (and I don't mean with our mortgage payments).
Photograph by: John Lucas, edmontonjournal.com
How can you protect yourself? Make sure your sump pump is working, is free from blockages, and its hoses are not frozen. If you have a crack in your foundation, or a negative grade (the land slopes towards your home instead of away) clear the snow away from that side of the house.
If you see pooling of water on your street call the city at 311 and let them know. If there is a drain near your home, shovel the snow away from it so the water can drain properly.
Of course, another sign that spring has arrived in Edmonton is potholes. You can report potholes to the city as well, but did you know if your car is damaged from a pothole encounter you can file a claim with the city to recoup your expenses? Your best bet is to avoid it altogether, by leaving enough space between you and the car in front of you so you can avoid the half million or so potholes you'll find around the city.
Building Code Changes could put an end to “bonus rooms”
What things eventually determine the way we build our homes? Preferences for open spaces, gourmet style kitchens, new technologies and materials - these are just a few of the factors that affect the style of new homes. Much of this is wrapped up in the building code to which builders must adhere. From time to time fundamental changes in this code make huge impacts in what our homes will look and feel like.
The other day Sara and I met with a builder and his financial partners that are looking at doing a joint venture development. During the meeting the builder mentioned that the windows on the sides of the units would have to be removed due to new regulations. I hadn't heard about this, and when I started to think about it I realized the impact of this change could be far reaching, so I looked into it a little further.
It turns out that changes to the building code in Alberta were recently made to reduce the risk of fire spreading between homes. As many of our readers know, there were a number of fires in newer subdivisions in Edmonton, that spread from one home to the next in recent years. The main risk factors that lead to fire spreading were identified as: attics, exterior walls of homes, and windows facing the side yard between homes.
Results of the MacEwan fire
To reduce the risks of fire spreading between new homes, the new requirements are:
- Builders must either put drywall underneath combustible cladding (such as the ever popular vinyl siding) or have a special fire proofing product applied to the exterior of the cladding.
- Use non-vented soffits on the sides of homes to prevent fire spreading through the soffits into the attic.
- No windows on the sides of homes facing other homes (within a certain distance of other homes that I was not able to verify).
More information about these requirements is on the city web site.
So, what is the impact of these changes?
The siding is no big deal but it will add to the cost of the home. Non-vented soffits can create moisture problems; if you're purchasing a new home make sure the builder uses power vented roof vents to keep air flowing in the attic and reduce moisture build up. The third requirement though - no windows on the sides of homes - could have a big impact on the design of new homes.
As the need to increase density has grown, lots have become more narrow, forcing home builders to design homes that are longer, and closer together. Many builders use the space over the garage for a family room (commonly referred to as a bonus room), and put the third bedroom along the side of the home. Since a bedroom must have a window (ironically so you can escape from a fire), the new fire regulations make it impossible to place a third bedroom along the side of a typical new home. Unless a new type of window is invented, the space over garages will increasingly be used for bedrooms instead of the ever popular bonus room.
According the the article I found on the city web site, there are some work arounds to the window issue, and builders can apply for a variance in some cases. Of course, if the home is being built far enough away from another home this will not be a problem; corner lots, pie lots, and those siding onto walkways could become more valuable as building options become more restricted.