EDMONTON - Edmonton is the second-best market in the country to invest in housing, says real estate analyst Don Campbell.?Population growth is strong, job growth is strong and things are supporting this market quite nicely, said Campbell, founding partner of the Real Estate Investment Network, a business that provides resources and information on real estate to members.?It doesn?t look like it?s going to be another ?07 where it just got into pure frenzy, but I think you?ll see late this year ... Full Article...

Last Friday, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. released new data on housing construction across the country. In Alberta, the monthly number was a bit disappointing. However, a longer-term vantage point can offer a more encouraging perspective. In January, home builders started construction on 29,366 houses across all areas of Alberta (seasonally adjusted and at an annualized rate). That?s the second month in a row in which housing starts had fallen, and one of the lowest totals over the last 18 ... Full Article...

It?s a catch-22 for young people: you can?t get a job without work experience, and you can?t get workexperience without a job. Unemployment rates for youth have traditionally been higher than those forolder workers, but in Alberta, at least, the situation is improving. In January, the unemployment rate for Alberta youth aged 15 to 24 was 7.8 per cent?the lowest rate for  this age group since November 2008. It also compares favourably with the national youth unemployment rate of 13.5 per cent ... Full Article...