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Something unusual is happening across most Canadian housing markets this year. In the past, as the springtime was approaching, new home listings were usually rising more strongly than home sales.

This year, the opposite is the case.

Why is there a shortage of new home listings in Canada? What makes homeowners reluctant to bring their homes to the market? How is this trend affecting home prices? And most importantly, what can we expect for the remainder of this year?

A look at the latest data for the main markets in Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, and Vancouver suggests possible answers.

Among the best indicators of the state of a housing market are comparative trends in home sales and new home listings. The sales-to-new-listings (S/NL) ratio of, say, 0.5 simply means that in a given month there are 50 sales for every 100 new listings. Traditionally, a ratio in the 0.4 to 0.6 range is considered a sign of a “balanced” market, while ratios above or below that range indicate “sellers’” and “buyers’” markets, respectively.

The S/NL ratio in Canada’s housing market rose in all four months of 2023, from 0.53 in January to 0.72 in April. At this S/NL level, the country’s home market is clearly in “sellers’” territory where sellers have an advantage over buyers in a negotiating process. A look at the main regional markets confirms the trend.

Click HERE to read on!

During these difficult times with the wildfires smoke you will find below information on air quality and other tips to help with the smoke. Click HERE for more info on how to keep your house air clean as well as other tips.

Get started on spring cleaning by kicking gently used items to the curb for others to find!Make sure free items are clearly marked and removed after the weekend is over.Kick It this weekend on May 20, 21 & 22. Post your items to social using #RDKickIt2023. For more details visit www.reddeer.ca/kickit.

With homeowner property taxes due on June 30, we want to remind you about our TIPP program!

TIPP allows for annual taxes to be divided by the remaining months of the year and the monthly payment will be deducted from your account on the last business day of each month.

Sign up for TIPP by May 20, 2023! More information is available at www.blackfalds.ca/taxes

(NC) Interior design is a world of creativity. Your home has endless opportunities for expression and personalization. Here, Sharon Grech, Benjamin Moore colour and design expert, shares some commonly overlooked design opportunities to expand your design canvas in creative and bold ways.

Don’t forget about your fifth wall
Found in any room is a fifth and forgotten wall with infinite design possibilities – the ceiling. “Use a shade lighter than your surrounding walls to brighten a room and create the illusion of a larger space,” suggests Grech. For a space with lighter, neutral-toned walls, expand your creativity up high and opt for a bold and rich hue that will draw your guests’ gaze upwards.

Embrace your mouldings
Whether they are plain or feature an intricate Victorian-inspired design, mouldings contribute to a home’s charm and personality. Often made with wood and painted, updating the mouldings appears to be an under-used interior design hack. “If your walls feature a neutral or light colour, paint the mouldings a deep hue to add dimension and bring appealing framing to a room” shares Grech. “They are also a great way to play with perceived room size. Extend your wall colour onto mouldings to bring an elongated, uniform feel and a sense of expansion to the space.”

Add character to your home’s exterior
The change in season brings better weather and reveals new chances to play with exterior design. “Pay attention to an exterior’s potential-rich accents such as front doors, window frames and shutters, garage doors, pillars and sheds,” suggests Grech. “Giving these a fresh coat of colour with an outdoor-friendly paint such as Element Guard can be a time-efficient way to change the look of your home and add curb appeal.”

www.newscanada.com

1. Set Specific Goals: Identify what you want to accomplish with your spring cleaning. Whether it’s deep cleaning your kitchen, decluttering your closet, or organizing your garage, setting specific goals can help you stay focused and motivated.

2. Break It Down: Rather than tackling everything at once, break down your spring cleaning into smaller, manageable tasks. This will help you avoid feeling overwhelmed and make it easier to get started.

3. Create A Plan: Make a list of all the tasks you want to complete and create a plan for how you will tackle them. Having a plan in place can help you stay on track and avoid procrastination.

4. Get Inspired: Look for inspiration online to get ideas for how you want your space to look and feel after your spring cleaning is complete. Visualizing the end result can help motivate you to get started.

5. Make It Fun: Put on some music, invite a friend over to help, or reward yourself with something you enjoy after each task is completed. Adding some fun and enjoyment to the process can help you stay motivated and make the experience more enjoyable overall. and to your satisfaction.

4 factors to consider when thinking about whether or not you should sell your home.

1. Market Conditions: If the market is hot, with high demand and low inventory, it may be a good time to sell and potentially get a higher price for your home. Conversely, if the market is slow, with more homes for sale than buyers, it may be more challenging to sell your home and you may need to lower your asking price.

2. Personal Circumstances: Your personal situation should also be taken into account when deciding when to sell your home. For example, if you are upgrading, downsizing, relocating, etc. 

3. Home Maintenance: If your home requires significant repairs or maintenance, rather than investing money into repairs, selling the home as-is may be the best option.

4. Equity: If you have built up a significant amount of equity in your home, you may want to sell to take advantage of the profits. This equity can be used to purchase a new home, invest in other assets, or simply saved.

The head of the Bank of Canada poured water on market expectations for interest rate cuts in 2023 as the central bank maintained its key policy rate on Wednesday.

The Bank of Canada held its benchmark interest rate at 4.5 per cent in a second consecutive decision, a move largely in line with economists’ expectations.

Though the Canadian economy has been off to a hot start, the central bank’s policymakers signalled that stronger than expected GDP growth and a tight labour market haven’t disrupted the Bank’s forecasts for inflation to cool to around three per cent by the middle this year.

Click HERE to read on.

Wishing everyone a blessed Easter Sunday with your family and friends!

Let's start house hunting today! Who's ready to buy a new home and close next month? It is doable - contact us today!

This is one way to try and make spring cleaning a bit more fun lol! What's the best item you have found during your "treasure hunt"?

It took some time, but mortgage rates are now responding to last week’s plunge in bond yields stemming from fears about systemic financial risk in the U.S. and Europe.

As of Monday, numerous mortgage lenders and brokerages had started cutting fixed mortgage rates, some by as much as 60 basis points, or 0.60%. That follows a roughly 70-bps plummet in 2- and 5-year Government of Canada bond yields (which typically lead fixed mortgage rates) in just a two-week period.

Click HERE to read more.