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Today, we continue answering the great questions many of you have submitted! Let's jump right in.
What are the rules about putting in a carriage home?
There are three things you want to look for: the right zoning, the right size land, and a lot with rear-lane access. The zoning you're looking for is RU6, which allows you to have two different dwellings or a legal suite. Next, the land needs to be a certain size - small, 33-foot lots aren't going to cut it. You need at least 50 feet across and 20 feet or so in depth. There are some great lots in the Kelowna area with these dimensions. Lastly, you need a lot with rear-lane access. They used to allow carriage homes with side-yard access, but that's now frowned upon because it causes parking issues.
With the current house that exists on the lot, it needs to be a decent size. It can't be a small, 700-square foot home. You need at least 1,000-1,200 square feet because you can only go up to 80% the size of the existing home. If you have the right size lot, you shouldn't have to worry about this.
How are low oil prices affecting our market?
Anyone who is reading the headlines right now understands the coal mining market is on fire. We're up leaps and bounds over where we were last year, and there are certain segments of the market that are doing very well. The $500K-$700K market, which has been sluggish over the past few years, has really come alive recently. The one section of the market is really affected by the low-priced oil are the $1.1-$1.2 million homes; however, we've sold more homes this year, year-to-date, than we did last year. All things considered, it's fair to say that everything going on in Alberta hasn't taken the wind out of our sales!
