Alberta real estate sales increased in 2007

In December, though, the real estate market dipped in Alberta. Total dollar volume was down 15.6 per cent compared with December 2006 to $1.1 billion and total sales were off 24.3 per cent to 3,049 units. The average sale price, however, increased by 11.5 per cent to $354,290 while new listings also increased by 16.1 per cent to 4,192 units.

Canadian commercial real estate continues to show strength

Moody's Investors Service said Canadian commercial real estate remains strong and continues to outperform commercial real estate in the United States.

In its latest Red-Yellow-Green (RYG) report for Canada, the ratings agency said each of the five market sectors in the country is "green", that is strong, and shows greater strength than its US counterpart, with the sole exception of the commercial retail sector.

Canada Less Vulnerable to Meltdown

Suspicion is arising worldwide as to the health of real estate markets after the subprime meltdown and weakening of the U.S. economy. However, Canadian real estate players are remaining confident that their particular set of conditions will help insulate the sector from a meltdown, according to an article in The Globe and Mail.

With different owners, lower interest rates, and a more conservative use of leverage plus lower vacancy rates, the Canadian real estate sector is more solid, industry players say. Michael Smith, an analyst at National Bank Financial, told The Globe and Mail that there are "stronger hands with less debt now."

U.S. slowdown may boost Canada's real estate market

The prospect of a U.S. recession has some homeowners and prospective buyers nervous about the impact on the real estate market in Canada, but one economist says a slowdown could actually boost activity in Canada's housing sector.

It's not surprising that economic uncertainty in the U.S. has been the focus of much discussion and speculation in recent days, since Canada has followed the American lead during four of the last six U.S. recessions.

IGB Real Estate Canada inks its first deal with the acquisition of Mont Tremblant

The IGB Canada team is committed to establishing the firm as an influential equity provider and the primary source for German investors interested in quality Canadian real estate. Led by principals Richard Geurts and Stephen Lewis, both with more than 25 years of experience in Canadian real estate and investment management,

Real estate hurdles expected in 2008

This may explain why according to the Canadian Real Estate Association, MLS resale housing activity in Canada's major markets broke all previous annual records by the end of 2007. In many areas it was a sellers market with the residential average price rising 11.6 per cent. This, however, was not the case for our area.

Windsor and Essex County proved to be a soft market in December 2007 with 179 properties sold, down 17.89 per cent compared to the 218 sales December 2006, however up 1.5 per cent (4,732) for year-to-date figures. December's average sale price was $159,261 with the year-to-date figure coming in at $166,196.

Canadian Apartment Properties Real Estate Investment Trust

Canadian Apartment Properties Real Estate Investment Trust of Toronto, Ontario announced today that CAP REIT has completed its previously announced conversion from a "closed-end" investment trust to an "open-end" trust.

Unitholders granted the trustees the authority to convert from a closed-end trust to an "open end" trust, if and when they considered it desirable, at the annual and special meeting of the REIT's Unitholders on May 26, 2005. The trustees have determined that the implementation of the conversion is in the best interests of Unitholder

Canada: GST Alert (Commercial Real Estate Alert)

On January 1, 2008, the federal goods and services tax (GST) rate will drop from 6% to 5%. As the deadline approaches for yet another 1% GST rate reduction, many buyers, sellers and lessors of property have questions about the timing and application of the new 5% rate. If you are a developer, a new home seller or buyer, or a commercial landlord you will need to understand the following rules and take careful note of the dates that any payments are made or become due as that will influence the rate of GST that must be applied.

Canadian home sales break full-year record

The Canadian Real Estate Association hasn't even tabulated data from December, but Canadian home sales for the first 11 months of the year have already broken the full-year record reached in 2006.

According to CREA, 496,890 homes were sold in Canada by the end of November, a number that is already 2.7% higher for the full-year tally from 2006.

Year-over-year, seasonally adjusted November home sales rose 1.6% to 42,576 units for November, 2007. The average national price for a Canadian home rose 11.7% over the same period to $313,645.

Eight trends will fuel '08 growth

So what will 2008 bring? More turbulent markets, more painful adjustments and boundless opportunity for those who adapt the fastest. Here are some of the trends that will buffet your business in 2008. - Expect slower growth and more financial shocks from the U.S. and its subprime real estate crisis. Canadian cities, buoyed by continuing strong immigration levels, should fare better than their U.S. counterparts, but the jittery financial markets will dampen growth across the board. The good news: Lower interest rates will favour aggressive companies investing in new opportunities. - More business owners will take advantage of Web-marketing tools that enable them to target niche markets more efficiently than ever. Pay-per-click ad services such as Google's AdSense and Yahoo's Search Marketing let you cut the clutter and reach only people who are actively looking for products like yours -- and you pay only when they click to your site. Similarly, search-engine optimization (covered in this column on Dec. 3) helps qualified prospects find your site faster.