Renters complain of price hikes in wake of Calgary flood

CALGARY- The city has been dealing with a low vacancy rate for months—and it’s gotten much worse in light of the devastating June flood.

Renters looking for affordable housing say not only are properties being snapped up within hours of the listing being published, but they are also being gouged by greedy landlords.

Read more: http://tinyurl.com/por5shz

IS REAL ESTATE EVER A WISE INVESTMENT FOR RETIREES?

At one point in my life you might have heard me say something like, “I’ve probably made more money in real estate by accident than I have in the market on purpose.” For many years, you could buy good-quality property, as much as you could afford, and you were almost guaranteed to make money. That ended in 2008. Now folks are looking for bargains, hoping to profit from the crash.

Read more: http://tinyurl.com/ljpqwen

Renters: How to steer clear of bad apartments and lousy landlords

I rented my first apartment during my second year of university when I lived off-campus with four other girls in an old house in London, Ont.

Part way through the year, strange sounds in the night revealed a family of raccoons living in our floor boards. Our landlord called in an animal control expert to get rid of them – but not before they gave us fleas.

Read more: http://tinyurl.com/95rhxz9