Real Estate Blog

If there are three areas of your home at risk for water damage, it would be the kitchen, the bathroom and the laundry room.  The floor usually takes the brunt of any leaks so when it comes to replacing flooring or fixing water damage, think about some options that would be resistant to water.  That includes areas of your home with excessive humidity as well. Carpet in the bathroom is a no-no.  Hardwood in the laundry area?  Not a great idea.  Waterproof or water-resistant flooring would also be a great selling feature when it comes time to put your Okotoks home on the market.

Here are some flooring options for rooms with water and moisture present:

Vinyl

Vinyl floors are very easily cleaned and very affordable.  You can order vinyl flooring by

The outlook for 2017 according to the Calgary Real Estate Board, which also oversees and tracks activity in Okotoks, is for more sales and more stable inventory.  In CREB’s annual market outlook for the Okotoks and Foothills Region, the uptick in residential sales will occur over time as the economic recovery in Alberta and employment statistics start a gradual ascent.

CREB statistics for Okotoks show that the real estate market in 2016 fell by 5% over 2015 and the number of new residential listings hitting the marketplace also fell.  From that account the market was able to stay somewhat stable over all, keeping home prices on the level throughout 2016.  In fact, the monthly variance between the median asking price and median selling price last year

We have many more weeks of winter left in Okotoks and certainly, more snow.  Few people actually enjoy shoveling snow.  Many hope that a Chinook will arrive and melt it all away.  But alas, big dumps of snow call for shovelling and that’s often when Okotoks residents start their grumbling about neighbourhoods who don’t do their part in clearing sidewalks.

If you are a renter, you might believe that your landlord is responsible for keeping walks and emergency exists safe and snow-free, and in most cases, you are probably correct.  If you are a landlord, you might have passed this chore onto your tenant.  If you are a home owner, you need to look at yourself in the mirror!

Snow removal is quite often the responsibility of the landlord, via a property

Everyone who moves to the Town of Okotoks loves the place.  It’s a short drive south of Calgary or north from High River and is a vibrant community where people look out for each other and are eager to make it safe and welcoming for all.

About Okotoks

Okotoks is a wonderful town for families and there are lots of them.  The average age of residents in Okotoks is 34.  Community celebrations and activities are geared to bring families together to have fun, enjoy recreation and participate in events that instill pride of place and community spirit.

Two years ago, in 2015, the Town of Okotoks made the Top 10 list of the most Entrepreneurial places in Canada.  At # 6 on this list, awards such as this attracts people to Okotoks.  The town has an active

For people who live in Okotoks, there is such a thing as a free ride. 

The new On-It regional transit, which will start offering free rides in the Foothills region beginning January 6, will operate for free two days a week. It’s a way of introducing the service to Okotoks homeowners who commute to Calgary and other areas in the MD of Foothills.

Riders can check out the service at no charge on Mondays and Fridays.  A no-strings-attached way of seeing how comfortable and convenient this new service can be.

The fares for the service depends on the destination.  Okotoks to Calgary is $6 each way or $155 a month unlimited rides. Black Diamond, Turner Valley or High River to Calgary is $8 one way or $170 a month unlimited rides.

The On-It Regional

Here we grow again.  The people who brought you the popular community of Drake Landing is creating another beautiful master-planned neighbourhood in Okotoks.

United Communities is turning 113 hectares (280 acres) on the edge of the D’Arcy Ranch Golf Course into an exciting new development to be named, simply, D’Arcy.  The name comes from one of the original owners of the land where the golf course now lays, the D’Arcy Family.  This area was first homesteaded by the Bain family and the land changed hands several times until the D’Arcys took hold of it.  The first school was also located here in the late 19th Century.

When the D’Arcy family decided to sell the land, they stipulated that there had to be a positive vision for its future.   The golf

Everyone wants a home to call their own.  Providing homeless individuals and low income families with a roof and four walls is the mission of Habitat for Humanity, both globally and here at home.

The Southern Alberta Foothills division of Habitat for Humanity is on the brink of reaching a new milestone and is one of seven local charities that will receive funding from the annual Western Wheel Cares campaign.  This is a fundraising drive initiated every year by the weekly newspaper in Okotoks.

With a boost from this campaign, Habitat for Humanity is about to reach its goal.

The chairperson for the Southern Alberta Foothills chapter, Marilyn Boake, says the organization has been looking for suitable land upon which to build a home.  The months-long

People choose to live in Okotoks for it’s small-town charm where people are friendly and celebrations include the whole town.  The warmth and hospitality of Okotoks is exemplified every year during holiday celebrations the whole town can enjoy.

Here’s a run down on community events in Okotoks in December:

Okotoks Museum and Archives

A Heritage Christmas:  The museum looks back on a good old-fashioned prairie Christmas.  This early 20th Century exhibit reflects the early traditions of Southern Alberta from hanging stockings to decorating a modest tree to what was on the menu for the Christmas day feast in a prairie kitchen.  Fascinating for youngsters and new Canadians.  Admission is free.

Up in the Attic:   Every Saturday from now until

If you have always wanted to keep chickens in your back yard, then consider purchasing a home in Okotoks.  Town council has just unanimously passed a bylaw to allow homeowners to keep hens.  Now people who love the daily fresh eggs won’t fun a-fowl of the law.

In the spring of 2015, the town started an Urban Hen Pilot Project to determine how many residents would be interested in keeping hens and to see how it would go.  Keeping poultry in the backyard can often cause bad neighbour relations due to noise and odour if poultry is not properly cared for and their habitat maintained.

The pilot ended in September and it went so well that the pilot project is now the Urban Hen Program.  There were a few hiccups and a few neighbours that weren’t exactly in

What started out as locker room talk amongst players in an Okotoks adult rec league has turned into an ambitious fundraiser for the Okotoks Junior A Oilers hockey team.

With the support of area tradespeople, a new home is being constructed in Black Diamond which will be sold to help keep the Foothills team running.   Construction started on the home in September 2016 in the Riverwood subdivision in nearby Black Diamond.  It’s a 1,100 square-foot home which should be completed in December.  The project management team and construction crew are going all-out on this community-build to create a unique custom-built home with a three-car garage, kitchen upgrades and by next year, high-end landscaping with a patio and gas barbecue.  The value to anyone who