Bob Truman, First Place Realty

Equilibrium in the Calgary housing market

Bob Truman — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 16:28:00 GMT

For the past three years, the October median price has averaged $395,967, almost exactly where we are today($395,000), and t he market continues to be uneventful. Perhaps we've finally reached equilibrium after years of volatility. Shrinking inventory...(read more)

Off to a good start in October

Bob Truman — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 02:30:00 GMT

For the first eight days of October, sales are up 25% compared to last year. Going back a little further, compared to the past three years, sales are up 8%. The Oct median price is up substantially at $398,250 compared to $366,750 last year. If you're...(read more)

Canada - picked as the best in the world

Bob Truman — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 02:28:00 GMT

"countless Americans threaten to move to Canada if their preferred candidate does not emerge victorious. Of course, few follow through with a move north. Maybe it is time to reconsider." It turns out we are different here after all. Forbes Magazine...(read more)

What happened in September

Bob Truman — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 13:02:00 GMT

Here's a sneak preview of the Sept 2011 numbers. First, though, let's look at a bold statement made exactly one year ago, on Sept 30, 2010. CIBC said Alberta house prices are overvalued by 12.5% After all the predictions of gloom and doom, the...(read more)

Indicators of the future

Bob Truman — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 15:36:00 GMT

In this time of turmoil in the world's economy, it will be interesting to watch what's happening to sentiment among the buyers and sellers of Calgary real estate. The CC Index takes into account sales and new listings. If it continues to drop,...(read more)

Calgary Rip-Off buys a house

Bob Truman — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 02:13:00 GMT

The more fanatical they are, the harder they fall Just when things were getting boring around here, we have some unbelievable news. Many of the former bubble bloggers changed their minds and bought a house, realizing it was the right thing to do. One...(read more)

Life goes on

Bob Truman — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 15:13:00 GMT

Welcome back! After seeing the comment yesterday from Yeebs(on the previous post), I thought I better leave the summer behind and get on with it. Following the real estate market in Calgary is like watching paint dry. You missed nothing if you didn't...(read more)

Predictions update for 2011

Bob Truman — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 17:16:00 GMT

As we near the end of the first half of the year, Calgary's real estate prices are nowhere near the predictions. Except for CREB's and CMHC's. I'll be posting a mid-year predictions update, but I wanted to ask my readers if anyone has...(read more)

Vandals

Bob Truman — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 16:47:00 GMT

Sad to say, the Vancouver riots didn't surprise me. Read a real estate bubble blog any day of the week, and you'll plainly see these people are out there. People lacking any decency and any respect for society's norms. I caught Rex Murphy's...(read more)

More surprises

Bob Truman — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 16:08:00 GMT

With almost half the year under our belts, it's safe to say that events have not transpired as we expected when the year began. The 30-day median price, at $423,000 is higher than it was last year at this time. The SFH sales for Jun 1-15 are 31% higher...(read more)

Will Calgary follow in Vancouver's footsteps?

Bob Truman — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 18:48:00 GMT

BMO: "...Calgary’s house prices stand a reasonable chance of growing alongside incomes in coming years.” Read more: Calgary housing market recovers more than half its losses The headline is misleading. To be precise, Calgary has recovered...(read more)

"My commute is killing me!"

Bob Truman — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 17:13:00 GMT

This comment was submitted in response to the article Driving ourselves mad "This cannot be truer of an article. I've moved inner city and the fact that I can get to work in 5-10 minutes is just a quality of life perk I cannot do without. What...(read more)

Losing streaks

Bob Truman — Tue, 31 May 2011 15:01:00 GMT

The hockey season is way too long. I can still remember when there were only six teams, and I recall watching the Leafs win their last Stanley cup - in April! Come to think of it, what do the Leafs and bubble bloggers have in common? A: Both on long losing...(read more)

What are you doing with your time on this planet?

Bob Truman — Mon, 30 May 2011 02:43:00 GMT

This comment was worth a posting of its own(thanks, Moneyman). Most real estate blogs get pre-occupied with the investment aspect, whereas there's plenty more to consider when deciding to rent or buy: I'm in finance, and money should be all that...(read more)

Willful Blindness

Bob Truman — Wed, 25 May 2011 15:24:00 GMT

This spring was supposed to be the start of a long-awaited correction in house prices. I predicted that we'd see a price at the end of June of $388,000, but today the median price sits at $420,000, and I'm surprised, to say the least. That would...(read more)