“How Buying a House Can Reduce Your Stress and Improve Your Health”

Many studies show that stress is the leading contributor to many illnesses and diseases. Stress related diseases include high blood pressure, heart problems, diabetes, depression and anxiety, chronic headaches, and asthma. It is easy to overlook the daily contributors of stress in our lives. They can come from any aspect of our lives, such as financial, emotional, environmental, or even simply poor time management. We ignore them because we become accustomed to many of these stress factors. They are as simple as line ups when we are pressed for time, heavy traffic, and not having easy access to certain amenities which adds more travel time in our already busy schedules.

Studies have shown that reducing our stress load and leading active lifestyles can reverse harmful effects of stress. Although eliminating stress completely out of lives is not necessarily feasible (or desired for those who need that bit of a push), we can reduce it by making a few simple changes in our lifestyles.

So how can buying a house reduce your stress and improve your health?

For some people, not having the time to be active is a big barrier. This is why it’s important to ask yourself a few questions before you decide to buy a home. When looking to accommodate an active lifestyle, here are some things you may want to consider and prioritize as you browse for your new home:
– Do you like to run, cycle, or go for walks around the neighbourhood? Then you may want to consider and prioritize your future home to be in an area that has easy access to bike paths or parks.
– Do you prefer indoor exercises or participating in group fitness classes? Look to see whether your future home is located near a gym, fitness center, or yoga studio as a positive outlet for emotional release.
Other things to consider that could help reduce your stress may include finding a home that has easy access to the highway for those relaxing mountain getaways, or a neighbourhood close to your workplace and multiple methods of transportation to help reduce commuting time. Making sure your home is close to amenities may also help reduce unwanted stress in our “time crunched” society, such as grocery stores, gas stations, veterinarian’s office (for those with animals as part of the family), and perhaps even a spa for those rare moments of relaxation.

It’s important to share your lifestyle needs with your realtor so that they can not only help you find the perfect house, but the perfect neighbourhood to create your perfect home. Click here (“here” will link to your contact me form) to contact Anna and begin your search for your new healthier life.

With the growing awareness of unwanted stress factors in our lives, we are empowered to make healthy choices that will lead us to prevent illness and disease in our lives.

– Clara Cuzzani
Health & Wellness Consultant

CREB Housing market remains unchanged in January

Calgary’s housing market is starting 2016 firmly in buyers’ market territory, much the same as last year ended.

“The recent slide in energy prices has raised concerns about near-term recovery prospects for the city,” said CREB® chief economist Ann-Marie Lurie. “Energy market uncertainty and a soft labour market are weighing on many aspects of our economy, including the housing sector.”

City wide, January sales totaled 763 units, 13 per cent below last year and 43 per cent below long-term averages. While new listings declined by 16 per cent compared to January 2015, the number of new listings far outpaced the sales, causing inventory gains. January’s city wide months of supply levels rose above six months.

“Selection for buyers in all product types and price ranges has improved,” said CREB® president Cliff Stevenson. “More choice and low interest rates have encouraged some potential buyers to start window shopping. So far, this hasn’t translated into sales activity as many are waiting for steeper price declines from motivated sellers.”

The aggregate benchmark price of $447,300 in January was 1.21 per cent lower than the previous month and 3.27 per cent below the January 2015 price of $462,400.

“As expected, the imbalance between housing supply and demand is continuing to place downward pressure on prices,” said Lurie. “However, the recent price retraction has not erased all the gains recorded in recent years, as the benchmark price remains 4.41 per cent above the January 2014 price of $428,400.”

While all property types have recorded price contractions from recent highs, the largest price declines have occurred in the apartment sector as this segment has had elevated months of supply since the second quarter of 2015.

The apartment benchmark price totaled $281,900 in January, a year-over-year decrease of 6.35 per cent and 2.12 per cent lower than the previous month’s price. In fact, apartment sector prices have once again fallen below the 2007 monthly high of $301,500.

The detached segment of the market continues to show variations depending on price range. The under $500,000 segment remains relatively balanced. However, recent trends are pointing to weaker sales-to-new-listings ratios in the $500,000 to $600,000 range of the market.

“Calgary’s housing market continues to face a wide range of challenges,” said Stevenson. “Sellers are reflecting on their expectations and considering all options available to them, given the dynamics of their specific market. In this environment, buyers have the opportunity to carefully consider their housing needs and make a decision based on their lifestyle and future goals.”