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Lethbridge, AB Real Estate News

By Robert Havana, Alberta Real Estate License Parking
(Park and Protect- Alberta Real Estate License Parking)
Lethbridge Real Estate - Fairmont Park South Fairmont Park, or Fairmont as it is more commonly called, is a newer subdivision on the south end of Lethbridge, Alberta.  This area was developed over 10 years ago and sold extremely well.  It is located in a great spot, close to commercial and recreational opportunities and is built around a lake.  Real Estate in Fairmont still sells extremely well and the area remains in high demand.  Homes in Fairmont range from the low $300's up to near 1 million dollars for some of the mansions backing onto the lake.   Bear with me regarding the quality of the video, its only the 2nd time I have tried to take one and I was not only using a cheapy camera but it was -20 degrees out.  So check out the video, I appreciate and and all comments and any advice...
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By Robert Havana, Alberta Real Estate License Parking
(Park and Protect- Alberta Real Estate License Parking)
Lethbridge Real Estate Video - Coulee Creek Subdivision   This is one of my first attempts at adding some Lethbridge real estate video content onto the internet.  It was pretty darn cold and I was using my crappy little point and shoot camera, but hopefully its not entirely terrible.  I am a total rookie when it comes to making and posting videos, so bear with me.  If you need help with making videos, dont call me, but if you are interested in Lethbridge real estate, then I'm your guy.   This video is a short clip of the Lethbridge Coulee Creek subdivision located in South Lethbridge.  Currently there are several builders who are putting up custom homes and some really cool floor plans available.  Keep in mind, that as a buyer, it costs you no more $$$ to utilize the services of a Realt...
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By Robert Havana, Alberta Real Estate License Parking
(Park and Protect- Alberta Real Estate License Parking)
If you live in Lethbridge and your mortgage is renewing in 2010, you best start getting prepared.  There are a few surprises which could jump up at the last minute and delay your mortgage renewal, so it is best to get an early start.   One of the greatest surprises that a Lethbridge mortgage renewal might encounter is that the value of your home may have changed.  For those real estate purchasers who purchased at the top of the market, or whom paid way too much for a property based upon the advice of an incompetant real estate advisor, they may discover that their property value may be equal to or even more than they owe on the property!   For the mortgage lenders, this is a big problem, and it scares them to think that you have little or no equity in the property.   Another surprise fo...
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By Robert Havana, Alberta Real Estate License Parking
(Park and Protect- Alberta Real Estate License Parking)
Century 21 Lethbridge office has closed its franchise office the end of 2009.  I wrote a blog post a few months back about some changes that seemed to be taking place there, and it seems as if there was more going on.   I believe that many of the agents moved on to an office that is located in a town an hour and a half North of Lethbridge, however some may have switched to different offices.  I wish them all the best, there were some cool people in that office and a few who had some great creative marketing ideas.   I believe that this is the 4th time that Century 21 Lethbridge has gone out of business.  The franchise is strong in some far off places in the world, but here in Lethbridge Alberta, Century 21 is not a name that is synonmous with any sort of permanent existance.  They were ...
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By Robert Havana, Alberta Real Estate License Parking
(Park and Protect- Alberta Real Estate License Parking)
Is it still possible to find Lethbridge real estate at bargain prices?  Are there any good deals out there?   There are questions that my Lethbridge real estate clients and friends ask me on a regular basis.  The answer is overwhelmingly YES!  There are actually lots of good deals or bargain priced homes that come and go from the market in any given month.  There are not hundreds, there are not even dozens, but there are several each and every month.  Call Robert May at 403-330-3039 if this is the type of Lethbridge property you are interested in.   These Lethbridge real estate bargains may be foreclosures, court sales, divorces, frustrated landlords trying to unload a rental property, or just a tough sell property that is going for a good deal.  I have also came across homes that were ...
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By Robert Havana, Alberta Real Estate License Parking
(Park and Protect- Alberta Real Estate License Parking)
You turn on your television and you see a guy fixing up almost trashed houses, doing all the work, and making a huge profit out of it. You must have seen this through A&E’s “Flip This House” or HGTV’s ”The Big Flip” reality shows. In real estate terms, it’s called Flipping Houses. It might look easy, but there’s more to it than what you see on your TV screens and many horror stories of flips that have gone wrong.  Can you still flip a house in the Lethbridge real estate market and make a profit? Flipping Lethbridge houses is buying a property then quickly reselling it for profit. This method is done in two ways. One way is to acquire a property then putting it up for sale. Another is to purchase a property, modify it, and then sell it. Whichever way you choose, it is not as easy as it m...
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By Robert Havana, Alberta Real Estate License Parking
(Park and Protect- Alberta Real Estate License Parking)
Happy New Years to all my friends, family, and followers here on activerain, facebook, twitter, etc.  If this message travels correctly it will appear on all of those sites at once.   2010 will bring some challenges to the local Lethbridge real estate market and also for Lethbridge mortgage financing.  The last 6 months of 2009 demonstrated that things are not moving fast and also that mortgage lenders are being more and more particular and difficult.   While lowest interest rates in recent history are still available, the documentation and requirements that the banks are asking for has seemingly increased.  The goal of course is to eliminate any higher risk loans, but it is affecting almost all applicants in some way or another.   The inventory of homes for sale in Lethbridge still has...
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By Robert Havana, Alberta Real Estate License Parking
(Park and Protect- Alberta Real Estate License Parking)
South Lethbridge Real Estate       Are you looking for information on real estate in South Lethbridge?  This includes the areas of London Road, Lakeview, Fairmont, Coulee Creek, Tudor Estates, Park Royal, Fairview Subdivision, etc.  These are just some of the great areas available in South Lethbridge for you to shop for your next home or real estate investment.   A great place to start your house search is at my Lethbridge real estate online website.  While this blog is full of great information on mortgages, the market, prices, industry trends, things to watch out for, etc, my other website is great for searching the local Lethbridge MLS system for Lethbridge real estate listings without any pressure or obligation.   Go to my MLS Lethbridge real estate search site at:  LethbridgeRealEs...
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By Robert Havana, Alberta Real Estate License Parking
(Park and Protect- Alberta Real Estate License Parking)
lethbridge mortgage broker lethbridge real estate   For many years, illegal and non-conforming basement suites have been the bane of many real estate transactions and mortgage applications.  The City of Lethbridge has tried to deal with the situation several times in the past few decades, at one time allowing suites that were in existence before 1969 to remain in their non-conforming condition and making exceptions onf suites which were constructed after 1969.   As 2008 drew to a close, a new fire code amendment required all existing basement suites to be improved to meet a minimum safety level including smoke and fire detectors, proper egress windows on all bedrooms, free access to exits from the suite, and containing all HVAC systems behind moderately fire retardant walls. To the best...
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By Robert Havana, Alberta Real Estate License Parking
(Park and Protect- Alberta Real Estate License Parking)
Lethbridge Real Estate Online In addition to this blog, I have a couple of other specific destination websites.  Each serves a unique purpose for me and my clients.  The newest website that I own and operate is www.lethbridgerealestateonline.com   This website is build on the point2 homes framework and is designed as a place for me to post and syndicate listings and for my customers to easily search through the Lethbridge MLS system for available listings. If you are at the early stages of shopping for lethbridge real estate and do not want to be pressured or bothered by a 'salesman' it is a great place for you to begin.  Of course, you will want to come back to this blog for all the great advice and tips, but you can contact me directly through either site when it comes time to tackle ...
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By Robert Havana, Alberta Real Estate License Parking
(Park and Protect- Alberta Real Estate License Parking)
Lethbridge Character Homes in London Road   The City of Lethbridge is a fairly young city and as a result has very few 'old' pieces of real estate.  Our oldest homes in Lethbridge are about 100 years old, having been build in the early 1900's.  These old homes were build with style and character and are now highly sought after for this reason.  In Lethbridge character homes are primarily found just south of our downtown in an area called 'London Road'.         Lethbridge London Road Real Estate is fairly desirable.  While there are still a few rough gems in the lots to be found and restored, many of the old homes have been restored to their former glory.   Check out this great big Lethbridge character home.                 Of course when searching for a character home in the Lethbridge ...
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By Robert Havana, Alberta Real Estate License Parking
(Park and Protect- Alberta Real Estate License Parking)
Lethbridge Real Estate Online In addition to this blog, I have a couple of other specific destination websites.  Each serves a unique purpose for me and my clients.  The newest website that I own and operate is www.lethbridgerealestateonline.com   This website is build on the point2 homes framework and is designed as a place for me to post and syndicate listings and for my customers to easily search through the Lethbridge MLS system for available listings. If you are at the early stages of shopping for lethbridge real estate and do not want to be pressured or bothered by a 'salesman' it is a great place for you to begin.  Of course, you will want to come back to this blog for all the great advice and tips, but you can contact me directly through either site when it comes time to tackle...
Comments 0
By Robert Havana, Alberta Real Estate License Parking
(Park and Protect- Alberta Real Estate License Parking)
West Lethbridge Real Estate       Are you looking for information on real estate in West Lethbridge?  This includes the areas of Paradise Canyon, Copperwood, Varsity Village, Indian Battle Heights, Heritage Heights, Ridgewood Estates, Mountain Meadows, Sunset Arcres, Mountain Heights, Riverstone, etc.  These are just some of the great areas available in West Lethbridge for you to shop for your next home or real estate investment.   A great place to start your house search is at my Lethbridge real estate online website.  While this blog is full of great information on mortgages, the market, prices, industry trends, things to watch out for, etc, my other website is great for searching the local Lethbridge MLS system for Lethbridge real estate listings without any pressure or obligation.  ...
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By Robert Havana, Alberta Real Estate License Parking
(Park and Protect- Alberta Real Estate License Parking)
South Lethbridge Real Estate       Are you looking for information on real estate in South Lethbridge?  This includes the areas of London Road, Lakeview, Fairmont, Coulee Creek, Tudor Estates, Park Royal, Fairview Subdivision, etc.  These are just some of the great areas available in South Lethbridge for you to shop for your next home or real estate investment.   A great place to start your house search is at my Lethbridge real estate online website.  While this blog is full of great information on mortgages, the market, prices, industry trends, things to watch out for, etc, my other website is great for searching the local Lethbridge MLS system for Lethbridge real estate listings without any pressure or obligation.   Go to my MLS Lethbridge real estate search site at:  LethbridgeRealEs...
Comments 0
By Robert Havana, Alberta Real Estate License Parking
(Park and Protect- Alberta Real Estate License Parking)
North Lethbridge Real Estate       Are you looking for information on real estate in North Lethbridge?  This includes the areas of Hardiville,  The Uplands, Legacy Ridge, Park Meadows, Stafford Estates, etc.  These are just some of the great areas available in North Lethbridge for you to shop for your next home or real estate investment.   A great place to start your house search is at my Lethbridge real estate online website.  While this blog is full of great information on mortgages, the market, prices, industry trends, things to watch out for, etc, my other website is great for searching the local Lethbridge MLS system for Lethbridge real estate listings without any pressure or obligation.   Go to my MLS Lethbridge real estate search site at:  LethbridgeRealEstateOnline.com Search fo...
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By Robert Havana, Alberta Real Estate License Parking
(Park and Protect- Alberta Real Estate License Parking)
The Bank of Canada has decided to kept borrowing costs at a record low 0.25 per cent today and reiterated they'll probably stay there through the middle of next year, while expressing optimism that economies around the world are on the mend. ``Conditional on the outlook for inflation, the target overnight rate can be expected to remain at its current level until the end of the second quarter of 2010,” said Governor Mark Carney.   The stable interest rates are contributing to investor and homebuyer confidence.  It is inexpensive to borrow and finance right now and much of the Canadian economy continues to remain strong.   If you are thinking of finding a sound place for your investment dollars, Canadian real estate is probably one of the most solid choices you can make.
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By Robert Havana, Alberta Real Estate License Parking
(Park and Protect- Alberta Real Estate License Parking)
Lethbridge Real Estate The month of November was fairly good for the Lethbridge real estate market as the number of sales for the month was up 48% from year ago levels. The number of sales that took place in November was 158, compared to 107 in 2008. This makes 49 more sales in November 2009, than November 2008, with main reason being that the economy had been rooted in the recession by then. The total sales dollar volume for November 2009 was $38,035,170, while in November 2008 the total sales dollar volume was $25,047,605; this shows an increase of 52% from the previous year. It only goes to show that with the recession over, buyers are more confident in making larger purchases, which includes housing. The total year to date sales dollar volume for 2009 is $553,721,350, while for 2008...
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By Robert Havana, Alberta Real Estate License Parking
(Park and Protect- Alberta Real Estate License Parking)
Lethbridge commercial real estate is attractive to many national and international clients.  Just this week RIOCAN icreased its local portfolio by taking a stake in a North Lethbridge shopping center.  Here is a copy of the news release from Canwest, it seemed to get good national publicity, but most of those in Lethbridge including those involved in Lethbridge real estate are unaware of the investment that is flowing into this community.   This is the place to buy and invest!   Here is the release: TORONTO - RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust said on Tuesday that its share of a deal to purchase four new format retail shopping centres in Western Canada is $166 million. Two properties will be purchased on a joint venture basis with the Canada Pension Plan Investment board and Sun Life F...
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By Robert Havana, Alberta Real Estate License Parking
(Park and Protect- Alberta Real Estate License Parking)
Lethbridge real estate sales and listings traditionally slows down this time of year.  As the first permanent snow begins to cover the ground and the holidays near, there are a few things that happen to alter the marketplace.  One of the first things that happens is that the number of new listings drops off.  Not a lot of people choose to move this time of year because of the season and temperatures.  Also, many of the listed homes in Lethbridge which have not sold and have sat for some time on the market often expire unsold or are removed from the market for the holiday season.  These events combine to lower the inventory of available Lethbridge real estate and property significantly.   Some people look at this time of year as a terrible time to do business, however this may be complet...
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By Robert Havana, Alberta Real Estate License Parking
(Park and Protect- Alberta Real Estate License Parking)
An announcement came across the newswire this week regarding a new commercial real estate office opening in Lethbridge.  This new office will be an Avison Young real estate office.  Avison Young is a Canadian commercial real estate brokerage and property management company with more than 500 real estate professionals in (now) 14 offices across Canada and in the U.S.    While Avison Young is not the largest commerical real estate office, they are widespread.  Now that they have opened in Lethbridge, they are one of the few alterantives available for clients seeking commercial real estate help. I suspect that they will focus upon International and National clients, as that seems to be the majority of their clientel in other major cities, and not so much on the small business side of thing...
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