Different high schools offer different kinds of programs that will appeal to different students. Some have Advanced Placement courses for kids who excel in academics and are interested in fast-tracking their first year of University. Others have robust sports programs for teens with basketball, football, or volleyball talent, while still others are known for their excellent arts and theatre programs.

The best way to find the right fit in a high school is to visit an open house.

Here are the open house dates for some of the major high schools in Edmonton. To see a full listing of high school open houses near you, visit the Edmonton Public Schools Open House website.

Eastglen High School

General Open House: March 7, 2012 – 6:30pm to 8:30pm
Advanced Placement Open House: February 23, 2012 – 6:30pm to 8:30pm

Edmonton Christian High

General Open House: March 5, 2012 – 6:30pm to 8:30pm

Harry Ainlay

General Open House: March 8, 2012 – 6:00pm to 8:00pm
French Immersion Program Open House: February 6, 2012 – 6:15pm to 7:15pm
International Baccalaureate Open House: February 6, 2012 – 7:30pm to 8:30pm

J. Percy Page

General Open House: March 13, 2012 – 6:30pm to 8:30pm
Advanced Placement Open House: February 07, 2012 – 6:30pm to 8:00pm

Jasper Place

General Open House: March 8, 2012 – 5:30pm to 8:00pm
Advanced Placement Open House: February 8, 2012 – 6:30pm to 8:30pm

L.Y. Cairns

General Open House: March 8, 2012 – 6:00pm to 8:00pm

Lillian Osborne

General Open House: February 23, 2012 – 7:00pm to 9:00pm

M.E. LaZerte

General Open House: March 8, 2012 – 6:00pm to 8:00pm
International Baccalaureate Open House: February 16, 2012 – 7:00pm to 8:30pm

McNally

General Open House: March 14, 2012 – 6:00pm to 8:30pm
International Baccalaureate Open House: February 13, 2012 – 7:00pm to 8:30pm

Millwoods Christian School

General Open House: March 15, 2012 – 6:30pm to 8:00pm

Queen Elizabeth

General Open House: March 15, 2012 – 6:00pm to 8:00pm
Advanced Placement Open House: February 15, 2012 – 6:30pm to 8:00pm

Ross Sheppard

General Open House: March 7, 2012 – 6:00pm to 9:00pm
International Baccalaureate Open House: February 7, 2012 – 7:00pm

Strathcona

General Open House: March 6, 2012 – 7:00pm to 9:00pm
Advanced Placement Open House: February 9, 2012 – 7:00pm to 9:00pm

Victoria School of the Arts

General Open House: February 28, 2012 – 6:00pm to 8:00pm

Vimy Ridge Academy

General Open House: Februray 29, 2012 – 7:00pm to 9:00pm

W.P. Wagner

General Open House: March 15, 2012 – 7:00pm to 9:00pm
Advanced Placement Open House: February 21, 2012 – 7:00pm

If you’ve recently moved to Edmonton and this is your first Alberta winter experience, here are just some of the things to get you out of the house if you’re going cold-weather stir crazy.

Pavillion at Metropolis Festival at City Hall
Photo by Mastermaq

Snow Sculptures at the Silver Skate Festival
Photo by Bill Burris

Metropolis Winter Festival

Running until February 20 in Sir Winston Churchill Square downtown, Metropolis is a celebration of winter inspired by modern cold-weather construction techniques. Massive pavilions lit with bright lights have been erected in the Square, and every weekend you can enjoy live music, entertainment, a selection of food from Edmonton-owned restaurants, and kids activities.

Silver Skate Festival

February 17th – 20th, Hawrelak Park
Now in its 22nd year, the Silver Skate Festival at Hawrelak Park is Edmonton’s longest running winter festival, and is a great place to bring the whole family to enjoy some cold climate fun. There’s an ice slide, snow sculpture competitions, skating, horse-drawn sleigh rides, and dozens of live performances to take in.

Oilers & Oil King Hockey

Hockey is one of the highlights of the long, cold Alberta winters, and in Edmonton hockey fans have plenty of ways to keep up with their favourite teams. Go to a live NHL Oilers game, check out and support the local WHL team the Oil Kings, or meet up with friends at one of the local sports bars to watch the game and share a pint of brew.

Concerts & Live Theatre

The theatre season is in full swing for every local theatre company, including The Citadel, the Walterdale Playhouse, and the Edmonton Opera among many, many others. The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra has a full schedule with something for everyone from classical to modern music, and venues small and large in the city are booked solid with some great performers and bands. Check out Ticketmaster, Tix On The Square, and YEGlive.ca to stay up on the arts and culture scene in Edmonton this winter.

Improv & Comedy

Did you know Edmonton has a wildly active improv and comedy community? Rapid Fire Theatre has a wide roster of shows, including one of the best Improv Theatresports teams in Canada, and the 16 day 2012 Wildfire Student Improv Festival is coming up in February. The live plays every Monday night at the Varscona, or catch a live recording of CBC’s The Irrelevant Show. Stand up comedy fans can check out the schedule at The Comic Strip or Yuk Yuk’s.

Farmers’ Markets

Did you know both the Old Strathcona and City Centre Markets run all year round every Saturday morning? You can find the Strathcona Market just north of Whyte Avenue, while the City Centre Market has taken up residence in City Hall while the snow flies. Support local vendors, farms and artisans.

Skiing & Skating

Take advantage of the unusually mild weather by hitting the slops at local ski hills Snow Valley and Rabbit Hill, or if cross country skiing and snowshoeing is more your style, explore the many trails along Edmonton’s winding River Valley. Skate in the heart of the city at City Hall, or get a view of Downtown from the Victoria Park Oval.

Homes on Mactaggart Drive

Below is an excerpt from the article. You can read the entire article on the Edmonton Journal website.

But if you had sunk your cash into a place in Rossdale, or farther downstream in Beverly Heights, you’d have made out like a bandit — average values in those areas jumped 55 per cent, blowing stocks and oil out of the water.

These are some of the findings from the latest assessments mailed out for 326,500 Edmonton properties at the beginning of January, based on estimates made last July 1.

Although one-year values for single-family houses (the Journal figures don’t include other types of homes) are down 1.7 per cent,results vary between a 10-per-cent rise in Secord and a similar-sized drop in Canora.

The spread is even larger over five years.

While the average neighbourhood value rose 41 per cent in that time, the biggest growth came in the northeast, where eight of the 12 districts that had increases of more than 50 per cent are located.

City assessors annually determine values at which each property might have sold as of July 1, which is used to determine that location’s share of Edmonton’s total property taxes for the following year.

Assessors look at various factors, including location, sale prices for similar homes in similar areas, lot and house size, building condition and age, size and style of garage, if the basement’s finished and any special features.

But the property assessments mailed out in January can vary from a home’s actual selling price.

For one thing, they are based on conditions six months earlier, and the market may have changed.

As well, assessors don’t reinspect every house every year, so conditions at individual properties can change without the city’s knowledge.

Before you even put your home on the Edmonton MLS system, you should give it a good spring cleaning. Clean everything, make small repairs, and get rid of all clutter. You’re moving anyway — pack the things you don’t use very often and put them in storage.

Home buyers react to what they see, hear, feel and smell, and small things like broken doorknobs make them uneasy: if these simple repairs haven’t been completed, what larger issues might be lurking? Have your Edmonton Realtor point out the quick fixes that can make a big difference, and consider putting a fresh coat of paint on the walls. Scrub, scour, declare war on dust, repair squeaks, replace light switches that don’t work.

Also be aware of any odors you may have gotten used to: it’s helpful to bring in a friend or Realtor for a “smell check”. Odd smells like traces of food, pet doors, or cigarette smoke can kill a deal quickly.

Remember: you’re not just competing with other resale homes, but with brand new ones as well!

We all know the Edmonton Real Estate market doesn’t stop just because it’s the Holidays, so if you’re looking to buy or sell your Edmonton Home, Paranych.com remains open for business as your source for listings and Edmonton Real Estate information!

We look forward to assisting you in your 2012 Real Estate adventures. Happy Holidays, and we’ll see you in the New Year!

The best plan of attack if your home has a major flaw is to try and repair it before you sell, or to lower the price of your home to reflect the problem. Buyers appreciate the honesty, and you’re much more likely to negotiate a fair price for both parties if you are up front about the status of your home from the beginning.

3 Tips for Getting the Most Out of Your Home Inspection

1. Prepare Questions
   Before you meet with the inspector for the inspection appointment, make a list of any questions or concerns you have about the house, based on your initial viewing. Add questions about any particular appliance or system that are new to you, and ask about any renovation or remodelling plans you might be considering. A qualified home inspector should be able to answer most, if not all, of these questions. The purpose of the inspection isn’t just to ascertain whether or not the home is in good working order, but also to give you a chance to ask questions about the operation and maintenance of the house.
2. Take Notes
   Bring a pad of paper and a pen with you to your inspection appointment, and take as many notes as you need. You will likely be learning quite a lot of new information about your home, and it’s a good idea to jot this down to make sure you remember it, especially when it comes to maintenance, how things operate, and renovation insights. The home inspection is also a good opportunity for you to measure the size of rooms.
3. Attend the Inspection
   If at all possible, the best option is always to attend the inspection and walk through the house with your inspector. This will give you the very best opportunity to ask questions that may make or break your decision to buy the home, so even though it seems like a pain to set aside the time, we always recommend it. If you can’t attend, think about sending a trusted friend or relative, your Edmonton Realtor, or contact your inspector by phone after the inspection to review the details of the report.

Remember that no home is perfect, not even newly built ones. Every home will have flaws uncovered during the inspection processes. Be prepared to review these issues with your seller and negotiate, but also be prepared to walk away if the inspection uncovers major issues you’re not willing to take on.

It’s not just the quantity of photos that can make a difference, but also the quality. If the only camera you have is the one on your phone, then it’s time to buy or borrow a real camera. High quality, crisp images can make a huge difference: nobody wants to look at blurry, pixilated pictures.

This is your home’s first impression to potential buyers, and you want to leave them itching to book a viewing. That means before you get behind the camera, you should make sure your home is clean and tidy. If you’re planning on having your home staged, wait to take your photos until after your staging has been completed.

Talk to the Terry Paranych Team to discuss our home marketing techniques, including professional quality photographs.

The best price to list your home at is one that will attract buyers, but also leave you some breathing room for negotiating later on. This will let you get the best possible price, and leave the buyer feel like they are getting good value for the home.

There are a lot of factors that impact the price you’ll ultimately get for your Edmonton Home. For example, home inspections can reveal major problems that may require you to lower your price: it’s always a good idea to have a home inspection done on your home prior to putting it on the market so there are no unexpected surprises later on.

Some markets are kinder to sellers (a “seller’s market”, where many buyers are looking at fewer properties), while other times there could be an overabundance of real estate available for sale that will make it more of a buyer’s market. The current supply and demand will also impact the final sale price of your home.

You can read the section on the Edmonton market in the report excerpt below, or check out the full press release and downloadable report on the RE/MAX website.

Alberta, Edmonton

A red-hot economy fuelled unprecedented price appreciation in Edmonton over the past decade, but rising values have had as much to do with new home construction as they have supply and demand. Canada’s second strongest performing market – up 165% since 2000 – has seen close to $19 billion in residential building permits issued during the same period, virtually tripling values reported in the previous decade.

Average price has climbed from $124,203 in 2000 to $328,803 in 2010, peaking in 2007 at $338,636. Prices have since stabilized and regained some of the ground lost during the recession and subsequent fall out. More balanced market conditions have emerged, with buyers gaining a slight advantage.

New condominium construction has led the way in recent years, with an abundance of newer units coming on stream. Condominium now represent close to 28% of total residential housing sales in Edmonton, with an entry-level price point of $234,982 (YTD September 2011). Rental conversions have also occurred at a steady pace, given that affordability is top of mind with many purchasers. Yet, single-family dwellings remain most popular, with year-to-date (January to September) average price hovering at $325,252.

The city’s newer housing stock tends to be found in the peripheral areas, surrounding Edmonton proper. With more than 8,000 properties currently listed for sale, little movement is expected in average price in the months ahead. Although inventory levels are down somewhat from one year ago, supply remains considerably higher than the 5,500 to 6,000 units traditionally on the market at this time of year.

Renovation is on-going in the city, representing approximately just over 5% of building permits issued so far this year. Infill is a relatively uncommon phenomenon. Upscale communities such as Glenora have seen some properties priced at $400,000 to $500,000 torn down to make way for larger, custom-built homes, but, to date, the trend has yet to gain traction.

Edmonton remains one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the country, with a 10% increase in population in the last census, bringing the number of residents to 1,034,945 in 2006. Job opportunities remain plentiful in the area, thanks to an unemployment rate that is well under the national average. As economic performances improves, so too will the residential housing outlook.