Steve Szilagyi - 2% Realty

10/10/2026

If you own a home with a basement, water management outside the house matters just as much as what you finish inside it.

Basement moisture can start with things that seem completely unrelated to the basement itself:

🌧️ Grading toward the foundation
↘️ Short downspouts
🪟 Poor window wells
💧 Drainage problems
🏠 Water collecting where it shouldn’t

Then there are the questions inside ... staining, odours, cracks, sump systems, previous repairs and whether a recurring issue is being disguised instead of solved.

A finished basement can look great and still deserve a closer look.

I put together an Alberta-specific guide to basement moisture, drainage, window wells, sump systems and disclosure considerations.

Basement moisture Alberta: grading, window wells, sump pumps, condensation, and disclosure. Practical fixes that protect resale value.

10/09/2026

One of the challenges with new construction is creating character without making the house look artificially “old.”

Stained glass is an interesting example of how that can be done well.

Used carefully, it can bring colour, texture and privacy into a newer home without turning the entire room into a period piece. A transom, interior door, window or smaller architectural detail can do a lot more than covering every opening in elaborate glass.

I like design that gives you something interesting to notice after you’ve been in the room for ten minutes.

Not everything needs to announce itself from the driveway.

It adds immediate patina.

10/08/2026

A home inspection is not about finding a perfect house. You won’t.

It is about understanding what you are buying.

In Southern Alberta, that can mean paying close attention to:

🌧️ Grading and drainage
🏠 Roofs and exterior wear
🧱 Foundation movement
💧 Moisture
⚡ Electrical systems
🚿 Plumbing
🔨 Quality of previous renovations

The useful question isn’t simply, “Did the inspector find something?” They almost certainly will.

The useful questions are: How serious is it? Who is qualified to assess it further? What might it cost? Can it be managed? And does it change what this property is worth to you?

I put together a Southern Alberta home inspection guide focused on exactly that.

Home inspection red flags in Southern Alberta: roofs, grading, foundations, furnaces, moisture, permits. Spot issues early and protect your offer.

10/07/2026

An athlete relocating to Calgary does not automatically need to buy a house.

That should be obvious, but the real estate process often starts as if the decision has already been made.

Contract length matters. Career stability matters. Travel matters. Privacy matters. Future relocation matters. What happens to the property after another move matters.

Sometimes ownership makes sense. Sometimes renting for a year while learning the city is the much smarter move.

The point is not to force every relocation into the same template.

I put together a complete Calgary relocation guide specifically around the realities of a professional sports career ... including buy-versus-rent, neighbourhood strategy, privacy, exit planning and coordination with the rest of the athlete’s advisory team.

The athlete’s guide to relocating to Calgary: housing, privacy, contracts, lifestyle, travel, and real estate strategy for high-performance clients.

10/07/2026

Curious what your home might actually be worth right now?

There is a big difference between an online estimate, the number a neighbour listed for and a realistic range based on what buyers are actually paying for comparable properties.

If selling is even loosely on your radar, having a starting point makes the rest of the decision easier.

You can use my home valuation page to start that process.

No pressure to list because you asked a question. Sometimes you just need better information before deciding whether there is a move worth making.

Get a free home valuation in Lethbridge, Calgary, and Southern Alberta with a strategic, data-backed property value estimate.

10/06/2026

Older Alberta homes can be fantastic purchases. They can also come with a vocabulary you may never have needed before:

• Poly-B
• Aluminum wiring
• Vermiculite
• Asbestos-containing materials
• Older sewer lines
• Foundation movement
• Previous renovations with limited documentation

None of those automatically means “walk away.” They mean: understand what you’re looking at, determine what actually exists in that specific property, bring in the appropriate professional when necessary and price the risk properly.

Character and mature neighbourhoods are great. So is due diligence.

I put together a detailed older-home checklist for Alberta buyers covering many of the issues worth investigating before conditions come off.

10/05/2026

The kitchen usually gets plenty of attention during a showing. The grading beside the foundation? Not nearly as much.

Buyers naturally notice finishes first because that is what photographs well. But some of the more important questions involve the parts of the property that are less exciting to look at:

🌧️ Drainage and grading
🪟 Windows
🔥 Mechanical systems
⚡ Electrical
🚿 Plumbing
🏠 Roof condition
💧 Signs of moisture
🔨 Renovation quality and documentation

You don’t need to inspect the house yourself while walking through it. You do want to notice enough to know what questions need to come next.

I put together a guide to the things Alberta buyers commonly miss during showings.

What buyers miss when viewing homes Alberta buyers often overlook structural issues, mechanical systems, and location risks during showings.

10/05/2026

I’m increasingly convinced that one of the worst ways to start a home search is with a list of house features.

Four bedrooms. Triple garage. Certain neighbourhood. Certain price.

Those things matter ... but why do you want them?

A house can check every box online and still make everyday life worse. The commute is brutal. The maintenance becomes another job. The location doesn’t fit how you spend your time. Or you bought more house than the life you actually enjoy requires.

Lifestyle-first real estate works backward.

What should become easier after this move? What matters on an ordinary Tuesday? What could change in the next few years?

Then we find the property that supports those answers.

That is a very different process from simply selling someone a house.

Lifestyle-first real estate begins with your life, not a listing. See how the right home, sale or relocation should support what comes next.

10/03/2026

Breakfast nooks are having another moment, and this is one trend I understand.

Not because every house suddenly needs built-in seating ... but because good design should make awkward or underused space work harder.

A well-planned nook can turn a corner of a kitchen into somewhere to eat, work, read or have coffee without needing another full room. That flexibility is probably part of why they’re showing up again.

The best ones don’t look like somebody squeezed a restaurant booth into the kitchen either. They look like they belonged there from the beginning.

The cozy kitchen corner is becoming a destination again.

10/03/2026

What does $319,900 currently get you in central Lethbridge?

At 824 Stafford Drive N:

🏠 Detached bungalow
🛏️ 3 bedrooms
🛁 1 bathroom
📐 799 sq. ft.
🎬 Large downstairs rec room
🚪 Separate side entrance
🌳 Large yard
🚗 Alley access
🛠️ Serious room to think about a future detached garage

And this property is being offered for sale for the first time.

There is original character here that you simply cannot recreate by ordering the latest flooring and paint package. The layout is simple, the yard gives you options, and the central location keeps a lot of the city within easy reach.

Sometimes interesting real estate isn’t about having more house. It’s about having enough house plus room to do something with it.

🔗 Full listing and all photos:
https://steveszilagyi.ca/properties/listing/AlbertaOne/A2343378/Lethbridge/824-Stafford-Drive-N

from mls: Welcome to 824 Stafford Drive N in Lethbridge. Offered for sale for the first time, this 3 bedroom, 1 bathroom home brings together original character, a practical layout, and a central location with plenty of room to make it your own. The main floor features a comfortable living room, kit...