February 2026

A cozy date-night spot, a featured Griesbach home with income potential, plus your everyday-love playlist.

Welcome to Black Sheep Local: Issue 002 (February). This month’s drop is your mid-winter reset: a few bottles worth breaking your “try it once” rule, a must visit date night spot that actually delivers, a playlist built for routines and momentum, and a featured Griesbach home with a legal basement suite for long-term flexibility. Local picks, real value, zero fluff.

Jump to a section below:

5 Wines You Need to Try Now That Dry January Is Over by Zach Koziak

Date Night at Rge Rd (No Chain Restaurants Allowed) by Brody Broome

February Spotify Playlist by Rachel Roxburgh

Broker's Corner - February Edition by Thomas Harrington

Spot Check Out & Local Listing by The Black Sheep Team

5 Wines You Need to Try Now That Dry January Is Over

by Zach Koziak

Dry January always sounds like a great idea… until February hits and you realize how long winter still is. If you made it through (or even mostly made it through), congrats you’ve earned yourself a proper glass of wine.

I am the type of person who almost never buys the same bottle of wine twice. Somm (pun intended) of my favourite bottles of wine I stumbled upon from either liking the label, or saying what the heck to a recommendation from a random Real Estate newsletter. Although I usually never get the same bottle twice… these wines all carry immunity from that rule.

Yalumba “The Signature”

This is a serious red but it has something special about it that makes it really approachable. This wine is structured, bold but with a nice acidity that will keep you reaching for another sip. I have had a few different vintages over the years and they all have subtle nuances, but this wine consistently delivers.

Great for a long winter dinner, something slow-cooked, hey maybe even on valentines day because you forgot to make a dinner reservation and everything is booked up again.

Taylor Fladgate “Vintage Porto 2017”

No wine list is complete without some desert. This is your post dinner digestif (super important for health and what not). You’re opening this when dinner is done but you’re not. I really enjoy old vintage ports and this would be an amazing port to lay down for 20 more years, but again that’s why this is on my 2 bottle exemption list. I have met lots of wine drinkers who think they don't like port until I have them try a younger vintage port.

Rich, warming, and perfect in small pours. One of those bottles that turns a normal night into a memorable one.

Veuve Clicquot “Rose Brut”

It’s pretty, it’s pink, and it’s delicious… I don’t know what else to say. This is one of my all time favourite rose champagnes. There was a good amount of time where I would always have a bottle of this in the fridge ready to pop. Think fresh strawberries, creamy bubbles, and a flaky croissant.

I can’t think of a better bottle to open this valentines day, this would pair perfectly with anything salty or savoury. Think charcuterie, soft cheese, or french fries from Mcdonalds lol.

February may be the shortest month of the year, but it still packs a lot in. With Valentine’s Day at the center of it, love is everywhere but this playlist takes a more laid-back approach. It’s less about candlelit dinners and more about the kind of love that shows up in everyday moments: loving your routine, your goals, your people, and the journey you’re on this year.

This mix blends a little bit of everything some older favorites, a touch of country, and feel-good songs that are easy to listen to whether you’re driving, working, or checking things off your to-do list. The goal was to create something familiar and upbeat without being overly “lovey,” perfect for getting through the last stretch of winter.

February is also when New Year’s resolutions can start to feel a little harder to stick with, so this playlist is meant to help keep that momentum going. Whether you’re staying consistent with goals, getting back into a routine, or just need a soundtrack for your day, these songs are here to keep things moving short month or not.

Broker's Corner - Canadian Real Estate News

by Thomas Harrington

February is here and we have more data, info, and opinions about how 2026 is going to shape up real estate wise.

Overall we're seeing a slow down compared to the craziness of the last few years, but both the Edmonton and Alberta markets as a whole are looking fairly steady, with some nuance depending on the type of property.

If you follow a link to a news article, you'll have to create a free Edmonton Journal account. We are in no way affiliated with them, they just want your email address before you can read these days...

"Could 2026 be the year of the renter?"

Original Article Here

This one isn’t a huge surprise honestly; we’ve had slowing population growth and a tremendous amount of purpose-built rentals hitting the market - it’s pretty natural to have a supply glut that favours renters.

This article discusses national averages, so the numbers are bit higher than locally. That being said, this is probably the most interesting line in the whole article;
“Despite rents being down 5.4 per cent over the last year, they remain 14.1 per cent above the levels seen at the end of 2019, according to rentals.ca.”

The majority of growth in rental units is in purpose-built rental high rise apartments; so this excess supply should put downward pressure on condo prices and may have a negative impact on small independent landlords who own individual condo units, but I think single family home prices won’t really be impacted by this.

"Alberta Record-Breaking housing starts expected to taper off."

Original Article Here

This article focuses on Calgary, but this is a province-wide reflection. A few key points here I would say:

These numbers sound impressive, and are record-setting - but compared to what the country moreso “needs” we are still far below.
This growth was driven mostly by population growth, not by oil, which is unique for us.
Further to the above article; 70% of the housing starts were multi-dwelling housing units, so not enough detached houses by any means.

Alberta has a solid economy overall, but with things softening a bit and population growth slowing, this has led to less investment in new construction. This is a decent sign for current homeowners, as this should keep single family home prices relatively steady.

"Edmonton enters 2026 with comfy balanced housing market."

Original Article Here

Overall I would say calling our market “balanced” is appropriate enough, but we seem to notice a lot of “pockets” where things are either really hot or really cold, so somewhat balanced if you average things out, if you will.

I think we will continue to be a strong and steady market compared to the larger markets in Canada. The big picture looks pretty good for Edmonton and Alberta as a whole all things considered.

Perhaps a softening economy overall, prices higher than they were pre-pandemic (still an average for detached home well above $500k) makes for slightly weird market conditions, but should be a “comfy balanced” year overall. Forecasts call for steadiness or marginal increases in single family home prices, and a likely larger drop-off in condos, which echoes what the previous two articles were pointing at as well.

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REALTOR® , MLS® , and REALTOR.ca are property of the Canadian Real Estate Association. Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

"Commission savings" are based on comparing our commissions to a commission of 7% on the first $100,000 and 3% on the balance. "Saving thousands on commissions" is based on comparing our 1% listing fee to a commission of 3.5% on the first $100k and 1.5% of the remaining balance of the sale price + GST. These numbers are used as an example based on their prevalence in the market. Fees are in no way fixed and all commissions are negotiable.

Commissions are negotiable in the province of Alberta. We refer to "traditional agents" and "traditional fees" to describe the 7/3 and 3.5/1.5 fees outlined above, which is a common fee model in the markets in which we operate, but does not in any way insinuate or assume that this is the fee model charged by any given other brokerages.

All commissions are subject to a minimum fee. In Edmonton & surrounding area, we charge 1% of the sale price + GST, or for homes with a list price under $400,000, we charge a flat fee of $4000 + GST on the listing agent side. Our packages are only for Black Sheep Realty as the listing brokerage and does not include cooperating commission to be paid to the buyer's agent.

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BLACK SHEEP LOCAL

February 2026

A cozy date-night spot, a featured Griesbach home with income potential, plus your everyday-love playlist.