Simmi Aujla looks young at first glance, but as soon as you start talking to her, it becomes very apparent that she has a wealth of knowledge, experience, and intelligence.

Simmi’s signature energy has helped her build a successful career based on building trust with her clients. She loves that she’s been able to bring her own style to real estate, and it seems to be resonating with people. Simmi is one of the Chamberlain Group’s top agents.

We caught up with Simmi on a quick lunch call to find out exactly what drives this talented powerhouse.

You are one of the originals with the Chamberlain Group. What did your journey into real estate look like?

I do consider myself one of the originals. I didn’t initially plan to become a REALTOR®. At

Staging plays an essential role in selling homes. Sellers need to present their house in a way that helps most buyers fall in love with it.

We invited Jakie to talk about how to stage your home on a budget so that buyers would fall in love with it. Jakie has been staging homes for several years now. Like magic, she can make houses look fantastic with her staging technique.

Beautify Key Areas

According to her, merely rearranging furniture can make a huge difference. You can start with the key rooms; kitchen, living room, and master bedroom. If there's an en suite off that master bedroom, that’s important too.

The curb appeal or the appearance of the property from the outside is also vital. People want to feel secure. They drive by the property to see if

Home is where your heart is. It sounds cliche but being with your family indeed plays a big part when you’re deciding where to reside.

We want to share with you the story of Ron & Roxy. They recently worked with Alex Weston on our team in their transition to Calgary from Penticton.

They have an incredible story with great lessons for those considering moving to Calgary from another city or town.

Ron & Roxy have a lot of family in the Okanagan where they moved from. They also have family members here in Calgary. They stayed with their family in B.C. for 49 years. This year, they decided to give a little more time to their family in Calgary and move here.

Though they have family here, they didn't know anything else. Everything was new to them.

We invited a past client to share her journey in buying a home in Airdrie. Amber worked with Rob on our team to purchase her first condo. 

Her family was from Edmonton and she has a twin sister. She works in the dental field.

When she first moved to Calgary, she didn't know a lot about the city. The downtown community was the best option for her as it allowed her to be close to everything she needed. She stayed in the city for about five years.

Planning Ahead

Her parents accompanied her to go to the bank and talk to a mortgage broker when she started looking for a new house. She wasn’t in a rush to buy anything but she wanted to see some options. That’s why she asked for a general outline in purchasing a house.

Amber knew exactly what she wanted in a

The real estate market has been very different over the last few months. As we enter 2021, the numbers continue to soar, and things are continuously getting positive.

Our seasoned agents, Jared Chamberlain, Simmi Aujla, Matt Antrum and Alex Weston, talked about their observations in the current market as well as their expectations for the rest of the year.

The Current Trend

The most apparent trend right now is the increase in sales across all market types in Calgary. The number of sales increased by 40% year over year, and the prices have gone up a little bit too.

While sales are increasing, the crazy part is the inventory number is continuously declining. Right now, if the product is good and it's priced competitively, it will sell right

Welcome to 2021! Is it all that you thought it to be?

The real estate market in Calgary saw quite the year in 2020. The biggest thing we are seeing is the low inventory of homes on the market.

Walking into the pandemic, we didn’t know what would happen to real estate sales, but looking backwards, it makes sense how the inventory got this low.

Yes, we’ve seen a large increase in sales number year over year, but let’s put it into perspective. Right now, everyone is at home. With us spending this much time at home, many who have income still are looking to spend or save it.

With limited options on where to spend money, we are, in a way, forced to save it. With savings and cash available comes opportunities to invest in where we live or another

Are you a first-time buyer considering making a purchase in the next couple of months?

Jared Chamberlain talked to some of the best agents on our team. They shared the recent trends in the market and expert tips for first-time home buyers.

Tony, Simmi and Randi have all been in the real estate industry for three to seven years. All of them have worked with first-time buyers before.

Market Trends

According to Simmi, first-time homebuyers are now taking more risks than cautious buyers in the past. She's noticing that people nowadays are jumping in, feet first. They're exploring areas that they wouldn't have explored before.

Instead of seeing everything and anything in the market, people are now trusting their instincts a little more. When

We gathered some of our team members to share a wealth of knowledge about real estate.

Our agents, Erin DuPont, Alex Weston, Matt Antrum and Rebecca Chamberlain, talked about tips and trends this year. They also gave guidance to buyers and sellers who are planning to make a move next year.

Unprecedented Time

We have never been in a pandemic before, so none of us knew how to go about it. During the lockdown in March and April, things moved slow. Everybody was cautious about everything.

When the government lifted the lockdown in May, the real estate market took off and switched significantly. Sellers had the opportunity to sell in a hot market due to a lack of inventory.

There was so much interest on the buyers’ side. Most properties on the market had

Are you thinking of making a move, but you're stuck with a large payout penalty?

Lindsay Labrecque of Spire Mortgage uncovered a little secret to help you deal with your big payout penalty in order to make a move.

In December of 2018, interest rates were at 3.5% and now it's 2% cheaper. That's about $6,500 savings per hundred thousand dollars, in interest alone. That's a lot of money.

There are people wanting to move because of this, however, they’re stuck.

Pro-Tip

Lindsay shared a pro tip for those who are with one of the big five banks, the charter banks like Scotia Bank, Bank of Montreal, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Royal Bank of Canada, and TD Canada Trust.

You can call your bank to find out what your penalty is and then ask the rate if

The Government of Canada launched the First Time Home Buyer Incentive Program. It helps qualified families inch closer to their dream house. Lindsay Labrecque of Spire Mortgage shares everything you need to know about the program and the strategy to pay it off.

First Time Home Buyer Incentive Program Qualifications

The incentive is for families with a maximum household income of $120,000.

Those who are eligible can have up to four times the amount of their annual income. If you are making $120,000, you can loan a maximum of $480,000.

Going into a partnership with the government to get a house also means sharing its equity with them.

For Lindsay’s rental homes, the government is her silent joint venture partner. They give her a down payment, and she has