Recently, a Calgary landlord discovered the problems involved with his tenants subletting a property to another renter. The landlord had done his due diligence to find good honest tenants that he believed would take excellent care of the house. While there is no disputing the fact that they were great tenants, they ended up subletting the apartment to not-so-great tenants that used the apartment as a grow-op location. As a result, this landlord ended up losing the home because it was deemed unfit for human occupancy any longer.

There are various health hazards created with grow-ops from exposure to mold and chemicals and there are also safety hazards involved like structural damage, electrical problems and a higher risk of fire. All of these lead to

There are different elements to an offer that you submit for a home. Primarily there are 6 elements that make up an offer for a property that include the following:

The deposit

This is an amount presented with the offer that indicates good faith on your behalf for the offer that you are submitting.  If you end up with the property this amount will be applied to the sale price. There may be times when you'll want to supply a larger deposit in order to show the seller that you are very serious about buying this home and hope to have your offer accepted when there are various offers on the table.

The conditions

These are conditions that you set for the offer. An example of a closing condition could be: "subject to a successful home inspection".

Investing with partners in real estate can be tough. There are many things that need to be discussed in detail before heading into a partnership with anybody. These types of discussions will then translate into contracts on paper that will protect you from expensive accounting or legal fees down the road. If you are getting into a partnership with a family member, these things can also save a relationship!

Who is going to be responsible for the major decisions?

While there are going to be a lot of small decisions to make that could easily be handled by either partner, key decisions must be made at times and you'll need to have it worked out who gets to make them. It doesn't really matter whether one person is fully responsible for the big decisions

Some of the homes in the hottest Calgary neighborhoods are being inundated with multiple offers. If you're interested in a home and are considering putting in an offer for it you’ll want to find out how to handle the issue of multiple offers so that you have a better chance of ending up with the home you really want.

Get on a real estate agent’s list

One of the first things you should do is connect with a real estate agent and get put on his list immediately. This will mean that you'll be able to see the new listings faster than many others. In some cases the sellers will be looking through the offers as they come in while at other times they may set a specific date for going through them, which is commonly a week after the home has been put on the

If you've been trying to save up for a new home for a while and have enough money to afford a condo but just can't come up with the extra for a new single-family dwelling, you may be wondering whether condos are family-friendly or not. A lot of people have the misconception that condos are perfect for singles and seniors that have to downsize but not so great for families. While condos certainly are fantastic for seniors and singles that are just stepping into home ownership, there are a lot of family-friendly condos in Calgary that you and your family will absolutely love.

Condos are in fact a very sociable place to raise a child. There are usually child-friendly amenities such as a games room or a pool where children can meet and socialize together.

Whether you have toddlers, a new baby or school-age children at home and are planning to relocate, there's something new and exciting that's going to make your house shopping all the more easier. It's an iPhone app called School Locator that available for free download at the Apple store. You'll be able to get information about the various schools that are located in different communities across the city later in 2013.

Right now, the school locator app only works in the Toronto area but data will be added to the app for the rest of the country in 2013. As things stand now, it is working great for home searchers in the greater Toronto area that want to find out what types of schools are available in certain areas across the city.

The app is free to

The Globe and Mail has released a new report showing that more women are buying condos than ever before. In some cities the statistics are up as much as 1/3 and developers are taking note. New units are being tailored for both the male and the female population of condo dwellers.

Developers are now focusing more of their attention on the following features that are the most important to the average woman.

A safe location

According to developers, the location is a prime feature that is most important to female buyers. They like the idea of having a concierge that is overlooking a building that is situated in a safe part of town. Many of the established neighborhoods in Calgary offer this type of safety with supermarkets, restaurants and other

It can seem quite overwhelming can't it? Buying a home means getting a mortgage, signing a lot of paperwork, getting insurance and making sure that everything has been legally prepared. There's definitely a process that needs to be followed in order to finally call a house your home but it is definitely worth it in the end.

One of the most important things that you need to know about buying real estate is that you don't need to know everything about it to get started. Do you remember when you got your first car? You probably didn't have a clue about the paperwork involved and what would be needed in order to get a car loan.

How did you tackle this problem? You may have went to a used car dealership and picked out a car and then asked your mechanic

The time has come for you to sell your home and the term "porting" has come up. If you've never heard of this word before, don't worry. It is simply the terminology used to explain transferring the debt owed on a property to another.

In most cases you'll be able to transfer this debt over unless you have signed a mortgage contract for a home loan with no portability. If you're wondering where you stand in regards to your personal mortgage you can talk to a mortgage broker to get it fully explained.

If you are in the middle of a fixed loan but feel ready to make the move into a new home, you'll need to first find out about your loan's portability, which would give you the option of transferring the mortgage over to a new property.

If you don't

When you need a new home and can't afford a single-family house but don't relish the thought of living in a condo, a Calgary townhouse is the perfect compromise. A lot of people don't want to live a condo lifestyle but cannot yet afford a single-family home. In these cases, Calgary townhouses fit the bill perfectly.

More space and freedom

When you own a townhome you are buying a lot more space and freedom than what you would have in a condo. You'll get a lot more living area and in most cases a basement downstairs offering even more room. You won't have the strict rules that you need to follow as a condominium owner and will be able to renovate your townhome to your liking. When you look at the square footage you'll receive when purchasing a