When Your Home Buying Checklist Turns Into “Too Picky”

This is a tough subject to approach, for both Realtors and home buyers. Even though we all approach home buying with an objective-as-possible attitude, at the end of the day we’re all human. We all have emotions. Emotions are what make this subject so tough to approach. However, this is what makes this topic so important to talk about!

On one hand we have you, the home buyer. You do your homework, and you make a list of must-have home features to find a home that meets your needs. It's understandable how you can feel that the proper approach would be to include as many details as possible, in terms of applying intense criteria to your home shopping. On the other hand, we have the Realtor. They know the market like the back of their hand – what’s…

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How To: Make Your Laundry Room More Efficient

Do you find you are spending far too much time sorting, washing, and folding laundry? No one wants to be spending their valuable time stuck in their laundry room – no matter how big or small it may be! We are sharing our favourite tips and tricks to make your laundry room more efficient, and more beautiful. Let's look forward to laundry day from now on!

1) Create Effective and Appealing Storage Solutions

We all know the number of products it takes to get your clothes miraculously clean, but why put these mix-match product boxes on display? Instead, place your cleaning products in matching display boxes, baskets, or crates. For frequently used items, like detergent or dryer sheets, store them in clear jars for a décor piece. Remember to…

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Should You Go For A Fixer Upper?

We all love the idea of a fixer upper. Breaking down the old, out-of-date and deteriorated to create a new, personalized and modern space for ourselves. We all love the idea, until we are putting the idea to work. Nothing else can break down a relationship and/or your finances faster than renovations on a fixer upper. However, given the right circumstances and know-how, fixer upper projects can make a lot of sense! Let's talk about this in detail, and see if a fixer upper project is a good choice for you:

They're Priced Low

..as they should be! Project homes are priced lower than other homes in accordance with all of the fixes required. Dan Bawden, of The National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB), says that people shopping for a…

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3 Simple Ways to Add Value to Your Home

Your home is considered as a long term investment. You might want to sell it n the near future and maybe wondering how much would it cost. Keeping your house well maintained and adding up upgrades in some areas can put up a good house value.

Home’s Curb and Exterior

By the time you plan to sell your house, and when a potential buyer arrives first thing he’ll see is the front yard and the exterior of your house. A clean and well maintained exteriors can add up a good value to your home. Also if your budgets permits a little landscape can also do wonders.

Kitchen Touch-Up

Consider your Kitchen as the heart of your home it might also be one of the overworked area. If you’re thinking about selling check any repair and do some touch-ups. Add…

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Your Guide On Conditional Home Sales

Have you ever found a home that you were interested in buying, only to find that near the bottom of the page the status reads, "conditional sale" ? What does that mean? Is the home sold, or isn't it? Sold listings are taken down since they're no longer active on the market, so why is a home that is conditionally sold still up there?

A conditional sale is much like the photo above. Each domino represents each part of the agreement, and the action of the dominoes falling one after the other represents these parts being completed/agreed upon. The hand stopping the action represents a condition, or a part of the agreement, that has not yet been met. Simply put, when a home is ‘sold conditionally’, it means that a buyer and seller have come to an…

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Early Spring Maintenance

It's always an experiment to start your outside maintenance in March or April. Will it snow again 3 times, or 4? Will we flood, or will our sump pumps work alright? Once you're confident that second and third Winter have passed, you can get yourself on these 7 easy outdoor tasks:

Eavestrough Cleaning

Clean out all of the pesky pine needles, leaves, dirt and other debris in your gutters! Overflowing gutters and blocked downspouts can damage the siding and foundation of your home. If you want to be pro-active, you can install a gutter guard once it's clean, which allows only the smallest of particles through. All you have to do every now and again is wipe off the large debris.

A/C Condenser Cleaning

Find your big air conditioner…

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While Your Home Is Listed

Now that you've done all of the prep work to get your home on the market and pretty as a picture, what do you do? You know it's up to us now to do our job, but sometimes sellers can feel like they SHOULD be doing something during this time. Here's a list of things to remember during this listing time, so that you can be the best seller you can be:

Be Flexible

Make it as easy as possible for buyers to view your home! Adjust your schedule around potential buyers as much as you can. of course, there are commitments that you may have where you can't compromise your time, but if you can accommodate buyers most of the time, you'll be giving yourself a higher chance of a sale. Not only that, but this accommodation is perceived positively by…

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4 Truths About Real Estate Comparables

"Comparables" in real estate refer to comparable home sales. You might even hear this abbreviated as "comps." Comps help sellers and their agents identify an accurate listing price for a home — one that captures more buyers, minimizes time on the market and clears the path for a smooth transaction. Home buyers reference comps to decide how much to offer on a home, so that they make sure they're not over-paying. An appraiser sources their own comps to help accurately assess how much a home is worth. When analyzing real estate comps, it's important to heed a logical criteria of comparison. Let's go over the four most important criteria, so that you can understand how to accurately and fairly price your home when the time comes to sell.

1) Compare…

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How To: Move With Kids And Pets

Looking at making a move with your children and/or pets? Here are some simple tips to help you with the process:

1) Prepare Ahead Of Time

Start a discussion with your kids, especially the younger ones, about the move. This gives them time to wind down, figure out the new situation and accept change. Have a question and answer style session with them. All of this helps with the transition! Moving day can be a very challenging day for young kids who aren't adequately prepared.

2) Visit The Neighbourhood

Take the kids and pets to parks around the new place. Let them see how much fun the new area has to offer! If there's a dog park, you have an excellent opportunity to socialize your dog and meet other dog owners. Just like kids…

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Cheap Painting Tips To Make Your Home Project Easier

Have you ever looked at the photos on a listing and been completely turned off just by the look of a room? Of course you have, you're human! It's a natural response. We all have different tastes, and it's bound to happen. Luckily, paint can be corrected without too much hassle. Don't give up on a house just because the paint is outdated or not exactly what you want! These kinds of painting projects can actually be a fun bonding experience with you and your new home. It helps to make the transition fun, and show you that yes - this house is indeed yours! Not all painting projects are created equal though, especially where budget is concerned. That's why we've gathered these budget friendly tips together to help you get the most out of every last (paint)…

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