C21 Life Hacks - homeowner

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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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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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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How To Create A Hobby Space In Your Home - Big Or Small!

Hobbies are a great way to relax, hone your skills, and unwind after a long day. Having a dedicated space in your home for your hobby can keep supplies organized and give you a place to enjoy your favourite pastime. Whether it’s a whole room, or just a corner, here’s how you can carve out some space for your hobbies:

1) Double Check The Space You Already Have

Do you use each room in your home every day? Take a moment to consider whether a storage room can be cleared out if it’s full of junk, or if a corner is being occupied by a side table that could be a small desk instead. Maybe consider changing up one of the larger rooms if it’s not used often – do you often use your dining room, or eat in the kitchen?

2) Organize Your Tools…

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8 Ways to Reduce Food Waste At Home

Tomorrow (April 28) is National Stop Food Waste Day. That's why we're dedicating this week's blog entry to food waste reduction in the home! Waste Reduction in Canada is a year long program formed by recycling councils in each province. By their compiled data, it's estimated that 58% of the food produced here in Canada is lost or wasted each year. That means 35.5 million tonnes of food goes to waste! Can you even imagine what that would look like if you piled it together?? Financially, this means that the average Canadian annually spends $1,766 just to throw out food. 

With more people becoming aware of this issue, more people are sharing their advice on how to reduce food waste. Today, we're going to share our 8 tips that you can use everyday to…

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Downsizing: More Common Than You Think

When you think of downsizing, you think of empty nesters or retirees, right? Well, it's actually becoming more common to downsize for other reasons. Small families, couples and singles of all ages downsize in order to enjoy life, reduce expenses and help provide opportunities for their children. It's all about their needs and life situations that lead them to make such a decision. Here are the main reasons why more people are looking at downsizing before becoming empty nesters and retirees:

1) Reducing the Cost of Living

Reducing cost is the number one way to save money, whether you're a business or an individual. In recent years, people have opted to ditch landlines in favour of their cellphones. They've cancelled their Satellite…

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7 Horrible Habits for Homeowners to Halt

Bad habits are easy to fall into, and hard to break out of. Take, for example, the use of alliterative titles. It was our resolution to stop with the cliché, but it's a tougher habit to break than we thought!

All jokes aside, there are bad habits that you can fall into as a homeowner...habits that can end up costing you money. We'll list them below, as well as solutions:

1) Compulsive Sale Buys

We know, getting a deal on anything for the home is such a rush when you're a homeowner...but budget buying may actually cost you more in the long run. Cheaper isn't always better. For example, cheaping out on paintbrushes seems like a good way to save money, but dollar store brushes can leave annoying streaks and uneven strokes. Depending…

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