
Real Estate Advice For Calgary And Airdrie
Market updates, buyer guides, seller strategy, and the occasional honest word about what this business is actually like from the inside.
Real Estate Advice is the blog of Tara Molina Real Estate Group, a Calgary and Airdrie real estate team led by Tara Molina, REALTOR® CCS®, brokered by Royal LePage Benchmark. It covers market updates, buyer and seller guides and the questions homeowners ask us in Calgary, Airdrie and all surrounding communities.
What Do We Write About?
Written from what we’ve actually seen. Every piece here comes out of the same place the rest of this website does: 500+ homes sold across Calgary and Airdrie since 2017, and a fairly stubborn habit of telling people the truth about what we found.
Market Updates
What the CREB® numbers actually mean for someone buying or selling this month, rather than a headline.
Latest Update →For Buyers
What to expect before your first tour, what happens after an offer is accepted, and how to read a listing properly.
Buying A Home →Real Life
Local love and the moments behind the sold signs. Not every post has to be about a transaction.
Latest Articles →Some of it is practical. Some of it is a market update you can act on this month. And once in a while it’s just real life, because there are people behind the sold signs.
What Is New On The Blog?
The newest Calgary and Airdrie real estate advice, most recent first. Search for a topic, or scroll down for the questions we answer most.
My Chat with Dixie Bennett – A Change of Pace and Place
It was wonderful to join Podcast hosted Dixie Bennett on her "Inspired Women Gathering Show" to chat about "A Change of Pace and Place". In this episode we discuss what makes a good realtor, parenting and entrepreneurship, business success and starting over,...
How To Choose A Calgary Realtor Copy
When entering the housing market as a buyer or a seller, the importance of choosing the right Realtor is often times overlooked. Finding a “match” is an important step of the process: the wrong Realtor can turn what is meant to be a fun and exciting experience into a...
Spring Cleaning Checklist
Crawling out of hibernation for spring has got to be one of the best feelings - especially after the crazy winter we have had in Alberta this year! Every year I crawl out of my hot cocoa induced, fuzzy sock wearing, hiding under the blankets hibernation, I am always...
Holiday Events in Airdrie 2018
'Tis the season to enjoy the festivities with friends and family, and where better to do so than the magical City of Airdrie? There is something to do every single day of the holiday season in Airdrie; from a nationally recognized park of festive light displays, to...
Choosing The Right Community
In this interview with Tanya Appel from I Love Calgary Real Estate, Tanya and I talk about the home buyer journey and how to pick the right community and home for your lifestyle. We cover several topics in this interview, scroll below the podcast to read the high...
Why You Should Know What Your Home Is Worth
Do you know how much your property is worth? Why is that important? For the majority of homeowners, owning a home is more than just a place to live, it’s an investment in their future. Values of properties fluctuate depending on the national economy as we have seen in...
Community Home Show
Community Home Show Fun For The Whole Family Tara Molina presents the first ever Airdrie Community Home Show! This great event celebrates entrepreneurs with a trade-show style bash inside a gorgeous Airdrie home. Sound like fun? It gets even better! There will be...
Airdrie Canada Day 2018
Canada Day 2018 Activities For The Entire Family Each year, the City of Airdrie puts on a spectacle for Canada Day. With so many events from exciting fireworks to charitable events and fun runs, there's something for everyone. Explore some great events from the...
How To Survive The Office Holiday Party
How to survive the office holiday party by airdrie real estate agent tara molina The office holiday party is a muddle of dichotomies. Have fun, but not too much fun. Let loose, but don't do overboard. The list goes on. So how can you not just survive the office...
What Do Calgary And Airdrie Buyers And Sellers Ask Us Most?
Start with your question. The questions we hear most from buyers, sellers and homeowners in Calgary and Airdrie, each with a short answer and a link to the full article.
Selling
How long does it take to sell a house in Calgary or Airdrie?
Across our own listings sold since July 2017, the median was 22 days, and four in ten took longer than a month. Airdrie and Calgary have moved differently since 2022, so the answer depends on which city you are selling in.
Should I list in the fall or wait for spring?
Fall is not the quiet season it is assumed to be: Airdrie set a September record for new listings in 2025. We cover when listing in the fall makes sense, and when waiting is the right call.
What should I fix before I sell?
Spend where buyers will notice and skip the projects that never pay back. Start with five weekend projects that return the money, and what buyers react to in the first ninety seconds of a showing.
Should I sell first or buy first if I am leaving Calgary?
It depends on where you are going and what your home is up against. A move to BC adds property transfer tax and paperwork, and Vernon is now covered by the speculation tax.
Buying
What are closing costs for buyers in Alberta?
Alberta has no land transfer tax. Buyers pay Land Titles registration fees, which rose in October 2024, plus legal fees and mortgage insurance where the down payment requires it. Our guide includes a quick calculator.
What is the difference between a deposit and a down payment?
The deposit is paid shortly after your offer is accepted to show the seller you are committed, and it counts toward your purchase. The down payment is the full amount you put toward the price when the sale closes.
What happens after my offer is accepted?
Your deposit, the inspection, financing, condo documents if it is a condo, condition removal, your lawyer, and then the keys on possession day. We walk through each step.
Do I need a REALTOR to buy a new build?
The sales staff in a show home work for the builder. Bring your own REALTOR on your first visit, because many builders will only work with an agent who was registered with you from the start.
Where should a first time buyer start?
With a mortgage pre approval, so you know what you can spend before you fall for a house. Then learn how to judge homes on your first tour.
Which new communities are selling homes in 2026?
Our list of the communities actually selling new homes in Calgary and Airdrie, who is developing each one and what is coming next, updated September 2026.
Your Home And Lot
Can I still build a suite or more units on my Calgary lot?
R-CG is no longer Calgary’s default residential zone. Since 4 August 2026 most lots are back to their pre 2024 designation, and some kept R-CG. Here is how to look up your own parcel and what it now allows.
Should I test my home for radon?
About one in six Alberta homes, and 15.5 per cent of Calgary area homes, tested at or above Canada’s radon guideline. A three month test started in the fall finishes before a spring listing.
Is Poly B plumbing a problem?
Poly B is common in Airdrie and Calgary homes built between the 1980s and the early 2000s. What the risks are, and what to do if your home still has it.
What is attic rain, and who pays for it?
Attic rain hits Calgary and Airdrie homes when a long cold snap is followed by a warm up, and newer homes are more exposed. What insurance and the new home warranty usually say, and the checks to do before the first deep freeze.
What happens if I pay my property tax late, or think my assessment is too high?
Penalties vary a lot by municipality: Carstairs charges 14 per cent the day after the deadline, Okotoks charges 4. If your assessment looks wrong, you can appeal it.
Market Numbers
Are Calgary condo prices falling?
In July 2026 Calgary’s apartment benchmark was thirteen per cent below its 2024 peak, while detached prices were down about two per cent. The correction is real, and it is confined to one segment.
Is the Airdrie market different from Calgary?
Yes. Our Airdrie median days on market has risen every year since 2022, while our Calgary median kept falling until 2024. Two markets forty minutes apart, running in opposite directions.
What did the Calgary market do in August 2026?
Calgary sales fell about 16 per cent, yet homes priced over $1,000,000 posted gains. The pullback was at the entry point.
Moving And Communities
What is it like to move from Calgary to Airdrie?
Tara made the move herself in 2005. What the commute is actually like, what it costs, what you give up, and who it does not suit.
What changes if I move to Calgary from another province?
Alberta has no land transfer tax and no provincial sales tax, so closing costs and everyday costs both drop. Tara grew up in Winnipeg and Trevor in Yorkton, so we have made this move ourselves. Pick the guide for where you are coming from.
Which communities do you know best?
Our community guides cover the Calgary and Airdrie neighbourhoods we sell in most, with live listings and every home we have sold there.
Want A Straight Answer About Your Own Home?
Articles are useful. A straight answer about your street, your house, or the one you keep going back to look at is faster. No pressure, no pitch, and no obligation to do anything about it this year.
Home evaluations are free, with no obligation. Afterward, the only thing you will hear from us is what is happening in the real estate market in your own community.
What’s My Home Worth? →
An honest range and the reasoning behind it, from our own record.
Search Every Listing →
Everything on the MLS®, updated all day. No sign up wall.
See What We’ve Sold →
500+ homes since 2017, on one map. Zoom in on your street.
Explore Communities →
Guides written from what we’ve actually sold, street by street.

Who Is Behind This Advice?
Tara Molina, REALTOR® CCS®, licensed in May 2017, with more than 500 homes sold across Calgary and Airdrie since. Shauna Allen, REALTOR®, works with buyers and sellers across Calgary, Airdrie and Edmonton.
The advice on this page comes from those sales: what happened, on which street, in which market, and how long it really took.

Let’s Make Your Next Move A Positive One!
Buying, selling, relocating, or just working out whether now is the moment. Tell us where you’re at and we’ll be straight with you.
Tara Molina Real Estate Group | Royal LePage Benchmark





