Plenty of confusion over government rules  BY BILL MCFARLANE, CALGARY HERALD  Tortoises carry their homes on their backs -- but people should avoid that idea.Photograph by: Photos.com Unless you're a turtle, you don't want your home to be a big weight on your back. But for many people, the thought of buying a home is just that, a weight. Where to look? What to look for? How much to pay? What is the impact of the new the government rules for qualifying for a mortgage? The considerations go on a ... Full Article...

BY MARIE-JUDITH JEAN-LOUIS, CANWEST NEWS SERVICE JUNE 17, 2010  Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you fell in love with a home, bought it, moved in and then realized that it just wasn't right? If so, chances are you bought a Fast House. According to John Brown, founder of Slow Home (theslowhome.com), almost 20 per cent of homeowners move within the first three years of their purchase and buy another home because they are unsatisfied with the way their house functions. That's bec ... Full Article...

Homes are a long-term investment By Garry Marr, Financial Post June 10, 2010 Predicting the ups and downs of the housing market is near-impossible, so the best time to buy is when you can afford it.Photograph by: Tyler Anderson, National Post'You know, you're making the biggest mistake of your life. The housing market is going to fall." I got this great piece of advice from another journalist at the Financial Post, who has since left the newspaper, after buying my first home. Not exactly the ... Full Article...

Analyst expects hot trend in Calgary won't last through 2010 BY MARIO TONEGUZZI, CALGARY HERALD JUNE 8, 2010 10:02 AM According to preliminary figures released today by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp., total housing starts in the reached 862 units, up 79.6 per cent from 480 units in the previous year. Photograph by: Archive, Calgary Herald CALGARY - Housing starts in May ballooned in the Calgary census metropolitan area compared with year-ago levels. According to preliminary figures release ... Full Article...

TORONTO (Reuters) - The Canadian Real Estate Association cut its 2010 forecast for resale house prices and sales on Wednesday, saying sales in British Columbia were not as strong as expected at the start of the year. The industry group said it now expects the average price to climb 1.6 percent to C$325,400 ($309,905) nationally in 2010, a big drop from its previous forecast of a 5.4 percent gain. Sales are seen rising 5.5 percent to 490,600 units in 2010. In February, CREA forecast sales of 527 ... Full Article...