Have you thought about putting off those new ceramic tiles or granite countertop - and start your home renovations with the installation of an EnergyStar appliance? OK, so it's not as much fun, and certainly not something your house guests will ooh and aah at, but... Who doesn't like to save money while helping the environment, right? Canadian banks are getting on that wavelength with recent offerings ...
Posted by Don Lawby
on June 29, 2009
At first glance, vacation properties might seem an unnecessary luxury during a recession ... but actually, buying or keeping a second home can be a good investment - if you're OK with renting it out in the short term.
That's because most people (with jobs) don't stop taking time off in bad economic times. They do, however, seek out cheaper vacation spots, often closer to home...
And ...
Posted by Don Lawby
on June 25, 2009
Take a hard look at our home... How well have you set it up to sell?
Making a home attractive to buyers, or staging it as it is better known, is an important step in getting it to sell.
Staging a home isn't time consuming or costly. Most owners can usually do it in a few weeks for less than $1,000. (You don't have to hire a home stager.)
The most important step in the process is to put ...
Posted by Jasmine Lee
on June 23, 2009
Quite the find by Mike Stewart, sales representative with Century 21 In Town Realty in Vancouver, the other day: He discovered a blog titled "It's Lovely! I'll Take it!" written by Sara Lorimer, an American who describes herself on Blogger as "I'm just trying to keep myself sane while we decide if we should move, remodel, or make do." Her blog, subtitled "A Collection of Poorly Chosen Photos from ...
Posted by Don Lawby
on June 21, 2009
Do you just walk into the bank, sit down and let them make the application on your behalf?
If you answered 'yes' to this question, then you need help!
Think of it this way...
Would you walk into a job interview empty-handed, with no specific information to leave behind with the potential employer about your strengths as a candidate?
Would you hand over a messy resume with all kinds of missing ...
Posted by Wanda Townsend
on June 18, 2009
I just completed visiting all the provinces, starting May 30 and ending today - meeting with realtors in 20 locations across Canada. (And this year, my annual road trip got a new techno-twist: I Tweeted updates from each of the cities from my Blackberry.) I visited at least 1 city a day, in this order:
St. John’s, NF
Dartmouth, NS
Moncton, NB
Ottawa, ...
Posted by Don Lawby
on June 16, 2009
You've heard of guestrooms... well, I have a colleague whose brother-in-law built a 'dog room' just off the garage for his two Rottweilers, including a tub so that they could be bathed before they came into the Master's house.
Neat idea - but what about the next person to buy this home? Will they have a need for a bed/bath suite for canines? And could that unique feature possibly even turn them off ...
Posted by Don Lawby
on June 15, 2009
Defining "hot" as homes experiencing price increases over the past year and over the past month, these are the hottest neighbourhoods in which to sell homes in Canada right now: • Toronto (3 areas) • Toronto suburbs (8) • Vancouver (2) • Vancouver suburbs (1) • Ottawa (1) • Ottawa burbs (2) • Winnipeg (2) • Halifax (1) • Regina (1) Over the ...
Posted by Don Lawby
on June 11, 2009
Ever worry that your home inspector might be related to, or buddies with, a guy who sells furnaces or someone who installs windows - and your inspector reports the dire need for window replacements or a new heating system!? Feel vulnerable? You should worry... In most of Canada, anyone with any background can hang out a shingle and call themselves "home inspectors." And in this recession, more underemployed ...
Posted by Don Lawby
on June 10, 2009
In tough economic times, it may be tempting to sell your home privately, thereby bypassing the commission paid to a realtor...
Jeff Gingerich, a sale representative at Century 21 Home Realty Inc. in Waterloo, ON, shares his anecdotes from last decade's tough market that points out the risk inherent in this approach. Several of his clients selling in the early '90s had bought in a private sale ...
Posted by Don Lawby
on June 10, 2009