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Phil Johnson of Christchurch, New Zealand, has put a new twist on turning life's lemons into lemonade. His home was damaged during the 6.3 magnitude earthquake last month, when a 25-tonne boulder ripped his house in half. Rather than letting this devastating situation get him down, Johnson used the event as an opportunity to share a laugh, and raise money for charity. Eager to get rid of the offending boulder, Johnson decided to post the following advertisement on an online auction site: For ... Read Full Post

The rest of the world now knows what we here in Calgary have been celebrating for years. Calgary is a great place to live! The western Canada city has just been placed fifth in the top cities in the world in The Economist Intelligence Unit's 'Global Liveabilty Ranking' 2011 report. For the fourth year in a row the Alberta city ranked highly in the survey, which assesses 140 cities based on a number of factors. These include healthcare, infrastructure, education, stability, culture and environ... Read Full Post

An interesting phenomenon has been happening with Calgary houses, and with homes around North America. They're melting. It seems that houses equipped with vinyl siding are at risk of sustaining heat damage if they're located next door to a home with low-e windows. Apparently, the reflection from low-e windows can cause intense, concentrated heat, that vinyl siding just isn't capable of withstanding. According to a report put together by the U.S. National Association of Home Builders and the V... Read Full Post

We've been hearing a few negative stories regarding the Calgary housing market just lately, so it was great to see buyers feverishly vying for the chance to snap up forthcoming University City condos in the past few days. Phase 1 of this master planned community sold out in no time, with Phase 2 units rapidly following suit. The sales office, which opened for business last weekend, saw unprecedented numbers of buyers queuing for their chance to own a piece of the city's hottest condo block. W... Read Full Post

Top10Calgary.com is having a contest right now to find the 10 best agent sites and 10 best broker sites in Calgary, and JustinHavre.com is proud to be among the nominees. Everyone is eligible to vote and/or nominate his or her favourite Calgary real estate site. The contest is running until the end of November. There are some really great looking websites in the running, so you should definitely check them out and vote :) --The Justin Havre Writing Team Read Full Post

Once upon a time, the relatively simple act of buying the latest Britney Spears CD, or a making a hotel or flight reservation, meant either a trip into town, or a needlessly long and complicated telephone conversation. For millions of consumers, for whom a visit to a book store or shoe shop might be rather less than convenient, the internet revolution has been quite a lifesaver. For many Canadians, the days of trawling endlessly around the malls or downtown in search of what you need, may be ... Read Full Post

Perched majestically among the verdant hills of Southwest Calgary, with spectacular views of both the city skyline and Bow Valley, The Landings at Cougar Ridge real estate is destined to become the talk of the local housing market. This latest development, by the award-winning Statesman Group, presents a community of exceptionally designed, luxurious townhomes and garden villas, boasting numerous exceptional innovations. With sustainability a high priority for the developers, the homes on thi... Read Full Post

Thanks to Google and its brethren, people are trained to type what they're looking for into a search engine, and get immediate results. Pouring over endless copy, or clicking on a series of links that don't lead where you want is tedious, and can quickly prompt a user to click off your site, and try a competitor's instead. Having a user-friendly architecture is important, as it makes it easy for users (and spiders) to navigate your site and find what they're looking for. It's also important t... Read Full Post

We've all seen those houses that stand out, head and shoulders above their neighbours. Often, a whole neighborhood will be defined by one truly eminent home, and people will even reference a distinctive property as a local landmark when giving directions. That is the sign of a genuinely exceptional building. For many people, an architectural masterpiece is the pinnacle of home ownership. But, it's not often that a truly iconic property comes onto the local market. Here in Calgary, the rare op... Read Full Post

There has been a good deal of talk in the housing industry in recent years, regarding the growing trend toward 'greener' building practices. In some areas, environmentally friendly housing is very much in demand, and even outselling more traditional property. And, as more and more people around the world look at ways of improving their carbon footprint, and seek out more sustainable solutions to daily living, one Calgary community is breaking the mould with advances in solar technology. The D... Read Full Post