Marjorie and Doug's Blog: February 2008

Calling all family-minded entrepreneurs! This 4 bedroom 2 storey has something for everyone in the family. There is a separate entrance for a business and a large garage bay that is heated and insulated. The office has a reception area, and 2 offices and bathroom. This space would also make a great nanny or granny suite.The residence has 4 bedrooms up, a fully developed basement and a double attached garage. With over 3000 sq. ft. above grade all the rooms have been super-sized giving you lots of room for friends and family. Hardwood floors on the main floor, laminate in the basement with carpet upstairs.The yard is well-treed with a good shelter belt. The kids will love the above ground pool. There is also a sauna and oversized jetted tub for the adults to enjoy. Located 5 minutes to Chestermere and 10 minutes to Calgary on a private road with only 2 homes on it. Call to see this great property today!

Directions: Take the 1A go over trans Canada highway turn left onto RG Rd 281, property on west side entrance to prop before inverlake Van Ittersum on sign.

Whether you want a complete set up for horses or and excellent sub-division opportunity,this 21 acre parcel is a real gem. Split up the front 4 acres and have 16 acres with home and horse set-up to enjoy until retire and you sub-divide the balance for your tax-free retirement fund. The 1705 sq. ft. bungalow fully has a fully developed basement and a 2 car attached garage. There is also a 2 car detached garage/workshop, a barn, horse shelter, corrals, and a riding ring. Rockyview has allowed 2 and 4 acre parcels nearby. This pretty parcel backs onto a WID canal and has access to the water for irrigation.

Just 5 miles from the city of Calgary, Chestermere often doesn't even get on the map! With over 12,000 residents it should be on the map. Chestermere Lake is a 750 acre lake that you can waterski, sail, wakeboard, skate and swim in.

We often have people new to Alberta stunned that you can live on a lake just 25 minutes to downtown Calgary.

You can, but it will certainly cost you more than just a few years ago! Lakefront appreciates more quickly than other types of property because there just isn't enough of it! We still believe Chestemere to be a great value when compared to other lakes, that are not near a major oil and financial centre like Calgary.

Of course there are lots of choices off of the lake, homes on the golf course, condo's by the lake and lots of homes built backing onto green space, and water features.

Take a look at this real estate show of all the great things we do in the town of Chestermere Lake.

311 permits to build new homes were given in Chestermere in 2007.  That number was down from 636 in 2006. 

In 2007 Shane Homes had the most number of permits at 45,   Lifestyle Homes had 44 with Reid Built close behind at 43.  Jager had 35 permits. 

Landmark 29, Truman Homes had 24.  Loinsworthe Homes had 17 permits. Greenboro had 13 permits. Douglas Homes had 8 permits.  22 home permits issued were for smaller builders.  

Much of the slowdown can be attributed as response to the Town of Chestermere’s inability to keep up to the demand for servicing to the lands being developed, rather than a lack of demand.  Although December was a slow month with only six residential home permits being issued.

With Rainbow Falls and Westmere being the most active developments in Chestermere the builders in these areas had more starts. 

Loaded with extras this gorgeous two-storey home is in mint condition with a great location on a quiet cul de sac. A grand entrance invites you into this tastefully decorated and very spacious 2147 sq ft home. Large windows capture natural light throughout and the very open plan makes this home ideal for a growing family and for entertaining. The main level has a very nice sized living room, formal dining room, dream kitchen, separate breakfast nook, walk-thru pantry and a fully equipped extremely large laundry room. The upper level boasts three very generous sized bedrooms and a large bonus room. The oversized master has a 5 pce dream ensuite, which includes a jetted tub & separate shower. This home has Custom shutters, air conditioning and a partially developed lower level. Professionally designed large fenced Southeast backyard with a vinyl deck, concrete patio and underground sprinklers complete this beauty. Great Value at $474,900. Call to view this home today!

Fresh as new! New flooring, new kitchen, fresh paint plus low price equals great value! Less than townhouses in the same neighbourhood. You can build a garage, no condo fees, no condo bylaws. This 2 bedroom up and 2 bedroom down 1/2 duplex could be your perfect home. Need room mates to help with the payments? They can use the separate entrance and have the use of the 2 bedrooms, full bath and their own living room with wet bar. The appliances are newer, and the new furnace was installed in March 2007. The corner lot provides lots of parking all around the property and access to the yard from the rear alley Don't miss this opportunity for a great revenue property, or enjoy this central location yourself. Call to view today!

In Chestermere we seem to have a lot of builders and out of town real estate agents marketing lakefront property that by our definition does not qualify as lakefront!

Chestermere is a 750 acre lake 5 miles out of Calgary that you can water-ski, sail, wakeboard and have fun, fun, fun.  The thing about Chestermere that distinguishes it from other lake communities in this area is of course the size, (750 acres is about 720 acres bigger than Calgary's other lake communities.), is the fact that you can run a motor boat on the lake.  Not having a dock or the ability to build one, is certainly a consideration in the value of the home. 

If you are truly lakefront you have a boat lift at the end of your dock, you go out and drop the boat, and away you go.  If you are not lakefront, you hitch your boat to your towing vehicle, tow it to the boat launch, wait your turn in line with all of Calgary and Chestermere, show your ID (Chestermere residents do not have to pay launch fees) and then back your boat down the launch, take it off of the boat trailer, (this will involve getting wet) move it to a safe place while you look for a place to park your vehicle.  That should not be a major hassle, but there is not enough parking at the boat launch and there is no place to tie your boat.  There are there bumpers along the concrete wall to protect your boat.   Maybe it would just be easier to stay in bed!

Can you see why a true lakefront home would be more desirable, therefore more expensive? 

If you are considering paying over $900K for a home in Chestermere and you are a boater, please contact us.  We are Lakefront Specialists.  We know the topography of the lake, we know which locations have natural sand, and deep water.  We know all about the lake and the lake management with the water provider W.I.D.  We have sold more lakefront homes on Chestermere Lake than anyone has.  We have been lakefront owners since 1991.  We water ski, sail, wake board, fish, swim, kayak, skate, and play on or in Chestermere Lake.

If you want to go it alone, or to deal direct with a builder, these are the addresses that are lakefront.  Cove Road, odd numbers below 300, East Chestermere odd numbers, West Chestermere even numbers.  

Where are the buyers?  Chestermere Is Their Market!

With prices very competitive what this market needs is more buyers!  Seller's who priced their homes competitively sold.  In January 15 homes sold in Chestermere.  Inventory levels started off at a reasonable pace with about 80 listings in the first week of the month.  As more and more homes were listed the market became more and more of a buyers market.  We ended the month with 109 active listings, 5 pending sales and 15 scolds.  At these numbers we are looking at 5 months of inventory.  There is a good selection of homes for sale in all price ranges and styles.  Bargains are being snapped up by savvy buyers. The lowest priced paid was $280,000 for a three bedroom townhouse.  The highest price paid for a home was $970,000.  The average sold price was $567,000.

Internet activity on our website (http://www.chestermererealestate.com/) is running about 300 visitors per day.  This suggests to me that there is a lot of interest in the market, and buyers are wondering when they should jump in.  The market for buyers is great right now, and now is the only market we ever know!