It's not just my opinion. Edmonton and Alberta have won a slew of awards for being cost competitive, amount of corporate projects and expansions."Edmonton has been named the Number 1 metro area in Western Canada for business investment based on the number of capital projects and expansions taking place in the region...." Edmonton Economic Development CorpTo Read The Full Article Click Here     Edmonton attracts business and projects from all around the world and with these projects come workers who need housing.In September alone Edmonton gained 1300 jobs with Alberta's unemployment rate the lowest in Canada and investments into the city growing we can expect big things for this northern diamond especially if you are in Real Estate. 10/08/2007

Canada's stellar economy, low un-employment rates and strong dollar leave Canadians a lot to be thankful for on this Thanksgiving Day."We live in a time of plenty. Our country is experiencing an exceptional period of harmony. Our governments in Ottawa and Quebec are in minority postures, which are notionally unstable but surprisingly functional most of the time.On Friday, StatsCan put out the best labour-market report in 33 years, which is to say in nearly two generations. Unemployment fell to 5.9 per cent in a country in which six per cent, because of our generous social safety net, is considered full employment. In September alone, the economy grew by 51,000 jobs."Of Canada's rising star has more than any province to be thankful for,"And Alberta, well, what can you say about an econom... 10/08/2007

If you are Canadian, interested in investing and haven't read Don R.Campbell's books then you really, really should. His Canadian specific content and great down to earth advice are much more relevant to Canadians than American authored Real Estate books.  His Books:Real Estate Investing In Canada97 Tips For Canadian Real Estate Investors51 Success Stories from Canadian Real Estate Investors (12/5/2007 publish)Here are a few fantastic tips taken from Canada's Real Estate Investing Guru:Real Estate Investing Tips From Don Campbell* “Don’t listen to anyone -- including me.” Do your own homework and find a system that forces you to ask the tough questions.* Target older properties, not brand new units. “With some renovation work, you will add value to the property.”* Avoid buying pre-buil... 09/09/2007

 "Edmonton’s residential resale market has experienced extraordinary price growth in 2006 due to a combination of robust demand and shortage of inventory. Many of the forces that have bolstered sales and prices in the new home market this year, such as strong income growth, stable mortgage rates and surging in-migration, have produced similar results in the existing market. Sales on the MLS will achieve a record 21,200 units this year despite a chronic shortage of listings. In 2007, sales will pull back slightly due to some consumer resistance to recent price hikes. However, the expected 20,300 sales will still represent the second best year on record.." RBC Housing Market Outlook 2007 To read more: RBC Housing Market Outlook 2007CMHC Housing Market Update  2007Alberta's Growing Workfo... 08/11/2007

Photo Courtesy Edmonton SunI woke up the other day and, of course first thing, checked my email. My mom sent me this link with the ominous message of "Do you see why I am terrified of renting?" I keep suggesting that she rent out her house instead of selling it, the passive cash flow is a great source of supplementary income for retirement.So I click on the link and read this, House Left Covered In Crap - Landlord found post-eviction 'nightmare'What a title! The images it invokes...not pretty. The landlord rented the upper suite unit to a young woman, with three cats, for two years. He was unable to get references because she had just moved out of her parent's home. After an eviction notice due to unpaid rent, he came to change the locks only to find this:"A "nightmare" of cat feces, g... 08/11/2007

A plateau in house prices and the increase in inventory of unsold homes is shifting Edmonton's hot real estate market from the selling frenzy of 3 months ago to a buyer's market."The advantage has definitely moved from the seller to the buyer," Richard Goatcher, senior analyst at Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp.Many people are worried because house prices dropped $9000 last month and $115 this month. I have even heard the price drop referred to as "a falling knife".Then on the other hand we had $38B invested into Alberta last week. So, yeah, there is NO reason that the housing prices will increase again. Especially when the President of Shell Canada says that the Oil Sands are just beginning are they will require a huge injection of qualified labour - people who will need a place to l... 08/11/2007

Edmonton leads the nation in highest year over year employment growth from June 2006 to June 2007."In terms of year-over-year employment growth, Edmonton (+7.0%) is currently the front runner, followed by Saskatoon (+6.4%) and Abbotsford (+5.7%). Montréal (+3.3%) is currently creating jobs faster that both Vancouver (+2.8%) and Toronto (+2.0%). Two cities known for their government employment are recording job losses, Ottawa-Gatineau (-1.3%) and Québec City (-1.5%)." Alex Carrick - Chief Economist, CanaDataThe city is has had increasing demand for skilled labour for the Alberta Oil Sands and the province's outstanding economy.Edmonton ranked third in Canada for jobless rate, Victoria, B.C and Calgary, AB were first and second."On the jobless front, Victoria (3.2%) is leading the nation... 08/11/2007

Picture Courtesy of Edmonton SunOver 100 homeless people are camped out in tents in downtown Edmonton. The Alberta Oil Boom and the subsequent real estate boom have people coming from all over the country, and the world, to find high paying oil sands jobs. However, the near 72% increase in property values have left a people unable to enter the housing market.Edmonton is notorious for its -40C degree winters, living in a tent is impossible in those temperatures.The city and government are working hard to come up with alternatives including shelters and subsidized housing.“You just can’t kick people out ... because they’re going to have an effect on other areas,” “In essence, we want to make sure that there are alternatives.” Ray DanylukHopefully the government will legalize secondary su... 08/02/2007

Nuwire Investor - NuWire Investor was created to help investors successfully pursue and profit from the wide range of alternative investments. Read Canadian Boom Town: Edmonton  which quotes Todd Millar Glenn Simon Inc President/Owner many times. (free 30-day trial subscription required) 07/03/2007

 As I have said before, "Where Calgary goes Edmonton follows". Calgary is hitting new housing highs and Edmonton will follow the leader. CMHC released a forecast in May projecting that single detached homes in Calgary and area will hit $474,000 by the end of this year."Only Edmonton is forecast for a bigger percentage hike, with prices expected to jump $90,000 to $340,000 by the end of this year, up 35.5 per cent."We (in Alberta) have the strongest economy in the country," Vinay Bhardwaj, manager of market analysis for the prairies region of CMHC, said."We have virtually full employment ... just about everybody in our province who can work and who has a skillset has a job," he said, noting that makes people more likely to consider home ownership. "On top of that, you have people who are... 06/15/2007

  Now instead of furtively trying to get into you side door basement suite apartment, you can enter your home like any full fledged member of society. Well soon anyway. Edmonton is finally moving ahead with making basement suites legal in most residential areas of the city. Although illegal, many many people had them and just tried to hide the fact that people were living under the stairs."An estimated 10,000 homeowners rent out suites in their homes, but the majority are illegal. For the plan to work, thousands of existing illegal suites would have to conform to new zoning rules."A Few Things To Keep In Mind:*Edmonton is SERIOUSLY pressed for housing. It is so bad that even engineers can't find a place to live*Just like in Prohibition if something is illegal, there are no rules to keep... 06/15/2007

If you have a teaching degree make way to Alberta. "Parents are sometime filling in for teachers in Alberta schools as students become the latest to experience the province's labour shortage. In Alberta's tight labour market, substitute teachers are in short supply and administrators say they're forced to be creative."Click Here 05/17/2007

I have started to hear the buzz that the growth we have had can't sustain itself and the market is going to crash!  I recently had a conversation with a guy selling his acreage because he felt Kyoto was going kill our economy.  I didn't want to get into it with him and nothing was negotiable so I just said good bye.  So is Kyoto going to kill the Alberta economy?  Let's look macro-economic picture:  The global economy is doing well.  China and India are growing nicely Demand for energy is out pacing supplyCanada is largest trading partner with wealthiest nation in the world, USAMicro-economic picture:We are experiencing the largest human migration in Canadian historyJobs, jobs, jobs-help wanted signs are everywhereAlberta: Calgary and Edmonton number 1 & 2 highest growth cities in Canad... 03/01/2007