C21 Life Hacks - buyers

Homeowner Safety: Vacation Season

Taking precautions to ensure your home is safe while you're away is important - be it for a week or for a few months. Many of the following tips are simple tasks that you can do to prevent break-ins and minimize damage:

• For long vacations, unplug all electronics and shut off the main water valve. This will significantly reduce your utility bills while you're away.
• Test your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors before leaving. Replace batteries if necessary. 
• Make sure all of your windows and doors are properly closed and locked. This includes basement windows, garage doors, and shed doors. 
• Avoid leaving any valuables out, where one could see them by peering in the window. Closed curtains and blinds are an obvious…

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Dealing With Multiple Offers - For Buyers and Sellers

Deciding which offer to take when presented with multiple offers takes more than just picking the highest bidder. Every seller has to consider a number of factors about the potential homeowners they're dealing with, such as their financing and offer commitment. On the opposite side of the transaction, buyers need to weigh things like conditions in fine print - even blind bidding. So, how do you begin to even deal with a multiple offer scenario? This week, we look at five considerations for both buyers and sellers:

1) Priorities

First and foremost, discuss priorities with your Realtor. While you might have to compromise on some things, your Realtor will do what it takes to check off as many of your goals/priorities as possible. 

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Re-Think Your Lawn!

Who has time to continuously care for that carpet-like, green grass almost everyone longs for? Cultivating a lush, green lawn takes time, can be expensive, and is a mainstay on weekend to-do lists - Spring through Fall. Now that’s a serious commitment! 

Traditional turf lawns require a lot of maintenance. You must mow and remove weeds often, plus the amount of water usage can be staggering. The average Saskatchewan household uses 353 litres of water per day, with about 35% -40% of that total devoted to outdoor uses, according to the Government of Saskatchewan's most recent water metrics (2018). With an increasing population, as well as more rural to urban movement, water conservation is becoming increasingly important.

It’s about time…

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Pet Friendly Home Renos

It's time to make some long-awaited changes to your home, but wait...is there anything you can do to make your home more of a home for your pet? Absolutely! The number of renovations centered around pets only continues to rise, and an American poll conducted back in 2017 found that 33% of first time home buyers in the 18-36 age range were driven to purchase directly because of their pet(s). This topped marriage (25%) and birth of a child (19%). So, if you're selling, you know your pet reno will be beneficial to the next owners!

Taking into account the health, age, needs and patterns of your pet, your plans will go a long way in making your home a safer, healthier and more accessible place for your furry bros! Let's kick off this list:

…

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Spruce Up Your Deck!

Here in the Prairies, we know summer is fleeting. With less than six months of warm weather, we take full advantage of the heat! So, it's no surprise that we want our living space to extend outdoors during this time. A few modifications to your backyard deck will improve its aesthetic and functionality, as well as increasing your comfort.

1) Install a Pergola

A Pergola turns an exposed deck into an inviting room, providing partial shade and comforting structure. The angled slats shade most of the area during peak sunshine hours, all while still remaining open.

2) Re-stain

A gorgeous outdoor space starts with great wood. Sand and power wash the surface, then stain or paint with the colour of your choice. Not only will it…

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New Homeowners: "I Just Moved In. What Do I Do Now?"

You've just bought a home, and you're getting ready to move. Before possession day, your daydreams consist of floor plans, furniture arrangements and interior design. Are we right?

It's absolutely normal to focus on the fun things right now, even though you know moving day will be hectic. In fact, we encourage ALL the daydreams and small celebrations right now. What we also encourage is taking the time to set up safety measures, take care of small maintenance tasks and check up on your new home's systems. This will solve the question of, "what now?" that new homeowners often have after moving in. Let's go over these tasks, and when the best time to complete them is:

Before Closing

Included in your Agreement of Purchase and Sale…

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Tips For Single Home Buyers

Purchasing a home is an exciting milestone in life. At the same time, it's stressful and seems like such a daunting process. For single individuals, this stress is amplified. This week, we're giving out our top tips to make any bachelor or bachelorette a savvy home buyer:

Be Aware of Your Finances

It's hard enough to qualify for a mortgage as a couple! Qualifying for a mortgage while solo carries more stress, amplified further by the fact that interest rates are on the rise right now. It's essential for the singles out there to know where their credit stands, since the higher your credit score is, the more favourable your interest rate will be. If your score is lower than you'd like it to be, check out our surefire ways to improve…

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Helping Your Adult Child Buy A Home

When it comes to purchasing a home, many millennials and Gen Zers have insurmountable worries. When mom and dad were buying their first home, housing prices were significantly lower, lending guidelines weren't as rigid, the cost of living was comparatively better, and the debt to income ratio wasn't large. A 20% down payment was an attainable financial goal in the 70s and 80s - now, not so much. For these reasons, many young people are turning to the Bank of Mom and Dad to turn their real estate dreams into reality. What options are available to you, as the parent of a to-be homeowner?

Can You Afford It?

Anything you contribute in this matter will be significant, so it's important that you consider your finances before making any…

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The 3 Selling Strategies for Move-Up Buyers

If you're reading this because you're looking at purchasing another home, potentially your "forever" home, you are at an exciting time of your life! This is why we like to call you a Move-Up Buyer - because you're movin' on up!  When you were a first time home buyer, you were probably young, broke, and a tad naive. You had to make some sacrifices for the sake of your affordability, and that's okay. That's life! But now, you've got some savings and some home equity on your side. Looking at homes this time around will feel a lot less like compromise, and more like mindful selection. With that being said, there are still some challenges you'll need to face with a strategy. Here are the three selling strategies for you:

1) Sell Current Home…

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5 Home Projects To Take Up This Spring

A new season means new projects if you're a homeowner. Your work is never finished! It doesn't matter if it's regular maintenance or time for a renovation, all of your work as a homeowner goes towards maintaining your investment. Instead of having projects take up your valuable Summer, use this Spring to work on the place. Besides, the temperature will be cooler and the breeze comes around often. Once the hot weather comes, you can fully soak it up outside or hide away in the cool confines of air conditioning. That being said, we've taken the liberty of doing some project brainstorming for you! Here are five home projects you can take up this Spring:

1) Install a Security System

If your plans include getting away from the house this…

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