If you’ve never purchased a second home before, then the entire process can feel a bit daunting. More than that, you might not even really know what sort of property you should be looking for in the first place.
After many years helping families to find the right summer real estate in Gleniffer Lake, I’d like to offer a few tips. Here are five things you should definitely look for in a weekend home in Alberta:

A reasonable distance from your main residence. You don’t want to spend your weekends driving endlessly. At Gleniffer Lake, we are lucky enough to be an hour and a half from both Calgary and Edmonton; that means our residents can enjoy their time off, not spend it on the highway.

An area that’s affordable. Obviously, “affordable” can mean different things to different people. Still, it’s a lot easier to enjoy your summer fun if you know you won’t have to stress about paying the bills for later.

Lots of activities for the family. Our community offers golf, tennis, boating, and dozens of other family activities all summer long. Shouldn’t you spend your time having fun and enjoying the great weather?

Investment potential. Although most of our residents keep their Gleniffer Lake weekend homes for a long, long time, it makes sense to think about your financial future just in case. Try to find an area that has good value and potential for future appreciation – if you ever need to sell, you’ll be glad you did.

An environment where you and your loved ones can unwind. Even though I consider this to be the most important, I put it last because it’s something that people looking for a weekend or vacation property sometimes forget. The whole point is to “recharge the batteries,” so to speak, so make sure you find a place that makes you feel calm and happy.

Have other questions about second homes or summer properties in Alberta? Feel free to give me a call or send me an e-mail.

Each year, as we get to September at Gleniffer Lake, the families that spend so much time up here during the summer start to think about heading back to Calgary and Edmonton for work, school, and other obligations that draw them away from our little piece of paradise.

But another funny thing tends to happen as well: a lot of men and women who put off buying Gleniffer Lake properties all summer long decide to start making offers.

Sometimes, it is because they have been up for a short stay and just have not had a chance to get back and complete the paperwork; more often, they realize that they would love to get the chance to spend future summers coming back to Gleniffer Lake, and so they decide to get an early jump on the next season.

Either way, my advice to those of you who are considering investing in Gleniffer Lake real estate would be this: do not wait too long, because you could miss out.

As I have written in the past, development in our area is very limited, meaning that new construction cannot take place. This is an important feature of the Gleniffer Lake community, since it ensures that our resort will be beautiful for decades to come. At the same time, real estate prices in Gleniffer Lake and throughout parts of Alberta in general, are at historical lows, meaning that many of the bargains that exist today will not necessarily be there in the future. As a result, many are taking advantage of the savings and snapping up the available properties.

If you have been looking for the right time to invest in a weekend or vacation property in Gleniffer Lake, you probably will not get a better chance than the end of the 2011 season for quite a while. Why not call us today and take advantage while there are still properties available?