Cathy Burgess - Blog

The Harsh Realities of Winter on Your Home

cathy.burgess@century21.ca — Thu, 09 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

After going through a very long, snow-filled winter, Spring has sprung and the bright warming sun and warm spring breezes are like a breath of fresh air. However, now that all the snow has melted all that warming sunshine highlights the ravages of our winter season. Gutters are filled with leaves and debris and last summer’s forgotten plants line your flowerbeds. A certified home inspector, with the American Society of Home Inspectors, put together this checklist to help you target the areas that need repair, so you can get your yard work done quickly and enjoy your time outdoors with family and friends under the Sun:

Check around the house for leaky gutters. When water is left to pool around the foundation, you can expect to see leaking in the basement or crawlspace. Make sure you have extended downspouts and that they drain away from the foundation. Keep your downspouts clear from any garbage or toys.
Go over your yard and identify low areas. These areas, along with the space beside your foundation, should be filled with compacted soil to level them out and create a slope away from the house or foundation. In the Spring we generally experience a lot of rainfall which can cause yard flooding and that can lead to major foundation damage and basement flooding. These low-laying areas, if not filled, are havens for mosquitoes in the summer months.
Go around your home and use a screwdriver to push into the wood trim (if you have any) around the windows, doors, railings and deck. Finding “soft” spots are the result of rot and should be repaired now before the Spring rains and hot summer sum do more damage to the wood that has been left exposed.
Stand back from your home and examine your roof shingles and make sure none were damages or are missing from the winter months. If your home has an older roof, it could be time to start budgeting for a new one. The hot summer sun can really damage worn shingles. Shingles that show signs of cracking, having buckled, or are loose and missing or missing the protective granules will need to be replaced. Flashing around the roof vents, chimneys and skylites (if you have them) need to be checked regularly by a qualified roofer.
You will need to go over the exterior of the chimney checking for any signs of damage. The chimney should be cleaned and inspected by a certified chimney sweeper.
Inspect your concrete for any signs of cracks or movement over the winter months. All exterior concrete should drain away from the house and foundation with the exception on a pool deck. If any cracks are noted fill them with a concrete crack filler of a silicone caulking. Finish with a power-wash and then roll on a good concrete sealant.
Don’t store any firewood close to your home. Firewood should be stored at least 18 inches off the ground and at lease two feet from your house.
As you are circling your home be sure to check your outside hose faucets for freeze damage. Here’s a little tip on how to check it: turn the water on and put your thumb or finger over the opening, if you can stop the water, it is more than likely that the pipe inside is damaged and will need to be repaired/replaced and since you are right there, check your garden hose for any leaks or rot.
If you have a central air condition unit, now is the time for a qualified heating and air conditioning tradesman to clean and service the system. Your central air conditioning will work at peak performance levels with clean coils and a regular system maintenance schedule will ensure your system will perform, at its best, year after year.
Go over all your lawn care equipment to make sure it’s ready for summer use. Cleaning the equipment and sharpening the blades will make your yardwork much easier.

Now you can get out and enjoy those wonderful summer months with your family!

Open House Weekend Blitz

cathy.burgess@century21.ca — Wed, 08 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Our office has been buzzing over the past couple of weeks leading up to our CENTURY21 Open House Weekend Blitz. We have been working with our Clients to ensure a great showing, decluttering and cleaning to show all the highlites of the home. Last week was all about getting the word out to the public and letting then know they had a great chance to win the Grand Prize of Carson Arthur, Landscape Architect from HGTV providing a curb appeal makeover of your home including some much needed lawn maintenance equipment from Black & Decker! Wow, there is a lucky participant out there!

We are all anxiously awaiting the notice of the Grand Prize winner, as this contest was national through CENTURY21 Canada, our winner could be from Halifax or from Vancouver or anywhere in between ... Winnipeg maybe? It would be nice if the lucky winner was in Winnipeg wouldn't it?

Thanks to everyone who came out and visited Nikki and myself at our Open Houses last weekend, and here's hoping for a local winner! We'll keep you posted!

Realtors Work for YOU

cathy.burgess@century21.ca — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

In a recent letter by a noted Winnipeg Lawyer, he spoke of the difference in working with a real estate agent and going it on your own. There are many on both sides of this debate, those who will say that doing it on their own is the only way to do it, and then we have those who would only use the services of a licensed real estate agent. When dealing in a private situation, your contact is with your lawyer, and the lawyer charges by the hour, by the phone call, for every fax or phone call, every stamp, photocopy and envelope. There is a lot of legwork involved with the sale process, this is where your real estate agent comes into play. Not only does your real estate agent have neighbourhood stats on purchases and sales, they also do all the legwork for you from assisting with financing, being present for home inspections, negotiating your Offer to Purchase for your best interests, and ensuring all documentation is in place for your legal representation to complete the sale/purchase. It is a well known thought that real estate agents put a huge commission in their pockets, that is untrue. Your Agent pays for all your advertising (print, social media, internet, WREN, company websites, personal websites), looks after the condo documentation needed for every condo transaction, generally a couple of hundred dollars for the documents, photocopying, faxing and many, many phone calls. They also keep track of your Offer, as to when financing has to be approved and/or when home inspections must be completed. A Realtor's day doesn't end at 5 pm, they are available to their clients, morning, afternoon and evening, always available to answer any of your questions or to guide you through the process.

So there is still the dilema, go private or use an Agent? Let's take all the second guessing out of your real estate transaction, your Realtor works for YOU, from beginning to end. And of course CENTURY21 is your only Real Estate connection to Air Miles Reward Miles ... Air Miles and Cathy & Nikki Burgess, YourMotherDaughterTeam.com at CENTURY21 Carrie.com, now that's a great reward!

Get Your Family on the Move

cathy.burgess@century21.ca — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

We are proud to annouce a great addition to our Client Benefit program ....

The new "Cathy & Nikki Burgess, YourMotherDaughterTeam.com" trailer is available (schedule permitting) to get your family on the move. Ask us today how you can get your family moving with us and remember Century21 is your only real estate connection to AirMiles!