Looking to breathe some new life into your kitchen? Whether it's for your own enjoyment or to spruce up your home for resale, you'll be interested in finding out how to renovate at a reasonable cost. - Cupboards. While ripping down and replacing older cabinetry can certainly give your kitchen an instant upgrade, it's an intrusive and expensive venture. Instead, consider refinishing th...Read More

While having unexpected guests call with the cheerful announcement that they just happen to be in your area and will be popping by in ten minutes shouldn't logically cause any panic, the reality is that this type of surprise often results in the need for a full-blown emergency cleanup brigade! Take a deep breath and tackle the task like this: 1. Focus on two rooms – the room you'll ...Read More

Accurate home pricing shouldn't depend on anyone's personal opinion or connection to the home. Instead, through a home appraisal, its value can be determined based on an objective, documented analysis of the monetary worth of the property. If you are buying or refinancing a property, most lenders will require a professional appraisal before moving forward, in order to ensure the house is ...Read More

In many ways, buying your second home is easier than buying the first. After all, you're familiar with the buying process. But unlike your first home purchase, when you buy your second home, two transactions must occur in order for you to move: the sale of your current home and the purchase of your new one. When the purchase closing date and the sale date don't match, the purchaser often t...Read More

When presenting your home for sale, the value of curb appeal can't be emphasized enough. Here are some ways to shine a light on your selling opportunity. - Illuminated address sign. Make your address easy to find with an illuminated address sign or at least a spotlight shining on your house number. This is a great idea even if you're not selling your home, as it allows everyone, from the ...Read More

As anyone who has ever gone through the home buying or selling process recognizes, there is a mammoth amount of time and effort involved to ensure a smooth and successful real estate transaction. Savvy buyers and sellers quickly learn that in order to ensure the most effective outcome in the most efficient timeframe, they need to rely on the support of their trusted real estate representative. If...Read More

The actual, historical age of a home is straightforward: it is simply the number of years that have elapsed since building construction was completed. The effective age, however, takes into account the condition and utility of the building, and is the age the property appears to be. Lack of proper maintenance can increase the effective age of the building to more than its chronological age, while...Read More

Chances are, you have an invisible phantom in your household! It's phantom power – the electronic power drawn from devices left plugged in that, even when turned off, still use a significant amount of power. In fact, the average household uses between five and ten percent of its electricity to power appliances and home electronics even while these devices are in standby mode*! Computers...Read More

How would you feel about sleeping in a bedroom that was never dusted and where the floors were never cleaned? Pretty disgusted, right? So how about the spot you lay your head down to sleep every night – your mattress and pillows? We spend about a third of our lives in bed, so it's well worth putting some thought into the proper cleaning and care of our pillows and mattresses. While clea...Read More

How long will it take you to pay off your home? The length of your amortization greatly affects how much you will pay on a monthly basis, and how much interest will accumulate on your loan over the life of your mortgage. The maximum allowable amortization period in Canada is now 25 years for homebuyers with less than a 20 percent down payment on the purchase price of their home. Whether you choos...Read More