Garry Marr, Financial Post Published: Tuesday, December 29, 2009 It is the dominant form of housing under construction in urban centres across the country. But smart design and effective use of space cannot compensate for the fact that the condominium is simply too small for families. The typical unit is a one-bedroom and averages about 600 square feet. According to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp., multi-family units made up half of the 117,500 units constructed in the first 11 months of ... Full Article...

Marty Hope, Calgary Herald Published: Saturday, December 26, 2009  Now that the jolly old guy is back at home sleeping off his around-the-world-in-one-night gig -- and the turkey leftovers are being readied for sandwiches while the newest toy is being played with -- there is time for homebuilders and consumers to reflect on 2009. Frustrating? Got that right. Baffling? To say the least. At the start of the year, there seemed to be a whole ton of doom and gloom -- a hangover from 2008 when ... Full Article...

Desire to buy remains, priorities differ BY MARTY HOPE, CALGARY HERALD I can still clearly remember, as a high schooler, the day my dad came home from work and dropped a large brown envelope on the kitchen table. There was no big celebration, just satisfied smiles. My mother opened the envelope, looked inside and put it in her cedar chest. The letter marked the day when the home they had purchased in 1943 for something like $7,000 was theirs. The mortgage had finally been paid off. Every ... Full Article...