Without discussing realtors spreading pseudo-authoritative information on listings utterly without accountability for the misrepresentation, commentary on the Calgary infill market cannot be considered complete. I have noted land selling that lacks any sort of added development potential, at prices that indicate serious value add development potential. Am I confused, is marginal redevelopment land now worth more? If so, what is the value of land with strong development potential? While I am making assumptions, sure, there is just something suspicious about a few recent transactions.

First of all, some land can only be used for a detached home, because it is too small. this is basically any lot under 42 ft. When you get deep into the 30 ft lots, then for sure you cant be subdividing land, and if you could, which you cant, the homes would be too narrow anyway. On occasion you could take a 40 ft lot, if it was large and on a corner and put some row housing on it, but in the cases of sales I have see, you can’t do this.

Yet the homes are typically teardown that sell, not something likely to be rehabbed, due to age, conditions, sizes etc. So who is buying these homes and why? Are they looking at the listing and using erroneous data in to it make false assumptions of what can be built? Are there many buyers or builders who want to start with very inflated sums and then try to build new luxury detached homes? Is a long but skinny lot suited for a garage suite attracting interest among home buyers who want a built in revenue stream? Lots of questions about this market in Calgary today.