RyanPenner.ca - Calgary & Okotoks Real Estate

08/20/2026

What stays in those boxes after we move in without thinking about it or needing it. It’s time to let it go.

08/19/2026

Saratoga races. We came we saw, it was an experience. Some very interesting characters at the racetrack. Our first time but when in Rome as they say.
Real estate gets cheaper the further up North we go.

08/18/2026

A dad asked his 39-year-old daughter why she was still renting.

She told him a basic starter home near them was $435,000.

That’s when the conversation got interesting.

Dad: “Okay…so save up. You guys make good money.”

Daughter: “Even 10% down would be $43,500.”

Dad: “Well, save $1,000 a month.”

Daughter: “Dad, after $2,400 in rent, daycare, insurance, groceries and everything else, I’m lucky if I have $500 left.”

So he pulled out his phone and started doing the math.

$500 a month.

$6,000 a year.

More than 7 YEARS just to save the down payment.

And that assumes nothing breaks, nobody gets sick, rent doesn’t increase, and life basically agrees to leave you alone for seven straight years.

He got quiet.

Dad: “I think we put about $5,000 down on our first house. I was 27 and working at the manufacturing plant.”

Daughter: “Exactly.”

And that was pretty much the end of the conversation.

No fighting. No lecture about spending less.

Just a dad realizing his daughter wasn’t irresponsible with money.

I think that’s where a lot of the generational disconnect comes from.

People remember how hard they worked.

They don’t always remember how different the numbers were while they were doing it.

$5,000 down then.

$43,500 down now.

The work ethic didn’t disappear.

The math changed.

08/16/2026

Work life balance is something we always talk about, but how often are we designing our lives to accomplish it?

05/28/2026

The real estate winds are shifting in Calgary, Hamilton and Winnipeg

05/20/2026

Required Hourly Pay to Afford a Home

In 1970: $3.60/hour
In 1990: $11.25/hour
In 2000: $16.05/hour
In 2010: $22.45/hour
In 2020: $32.70/hour
In 2025: $57.32/hour

The declining purchasing power of the dollar, along with rising housing costs, has made buying a home far more challenging for many Millennials and Gen Z adults.

05/06/2026

Beautiful Spring day out viewing some local listings. Looking for that perfect property for our clients who are a big time outdoor loving family. It’s all about location.
Do you live on a beautiful large lot? Are you backing onto walking trails? Are you thinking of making a move? Would love to connect.

04/30/2026

I really wish I owned a crystal ball.

Readers asked if it was a good time to buy or sell, whether fixed or variable mortgages were the way to go, and what’s happening with the preconstruction condo market

04/17/2026

Welcome to Spring in Alberta.
Just wait a few days and the melt will be in and the Spring market will pick up.
Are you looking to make a move?

04/07/2026

Just Listed! 5 Birch Glen in Okotoks.

http://ryanpenner.ca/mylistings.html/listing.a2299490-5-birch-glen-okotoks-t1s-5s9.108402019

Check it out.