I recently visited my brother and his family in Calgary, Canada. He transitioned there about a year ago from the Dallas, Texas area. Visiting them during the summer this year was a huge and pleasant change. The weather was in the mid 70's, sunny, and zero humidity. It was great time!

One thing I love to do while traveling is to look at the style of homes and neighborhoods. They can vary so much from region to region and it fascinates me. Canada is no different. As a Realtor, I often hear clients say "I could not live with out a basement" or "I have to have central air." Some regions do not have basements and a lot of homes do not have central air, but people get by because that's their "norm" and well, they have to. For instance, Texas homes do not have basements, Rancher's (one story living) are very common, and first floor master suites are in a lot of floorplans. Those characteristics are not common in the Philadelphia area.

In Canada I noticed no one has large yards. Look at the picture above. The houses are close to the street with a minimal front yard. You cannot see it but the backyards are not much bigger and each home is only 2 or 3 yards away from each other. Also, in this development every house is so different by both floorplan and exterior finish. No cookie cutter housing. I visited a friend of my brother's and their neighborhood was the same. Also, I realized my brother's home does not have central air conditioning. It is less than 10 years old, and no AC! But it's Canada... only 3 months out of the year are "warm."

I love how different areas adjust to make their distinct and beautiful homes. One day I hope to travel to Europe and admire their living styles!