Category: General

Know the risk of owning a dryer – they cause 42 fires a day

Many homeowners don’t realize the clothes dryer is one of the most dangerous appliances in the home.  Across North America, dryers cause approximately 15,500 home structure fires annually – an average 42 fires every day. This results in 29 deaths and approximately 400 injuries. Annual property damage is valued at nearly $200 million.  Many of…
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Can you live a clutter-free life? It’s not easy

Do you ever dream of a clutter-free home where you’ve turned your back on the “evils” of consumerism for the freedom of minimalism?  You would not be alone if this is your idea of nirvana. When selling your home, an experienced agent should always advise you to depersonalise and declutter – a strategy that creates…
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Five tips to help your lawn survive winter

As the darker days descend, preparing your lawn for winter requires a very different strategy to the once-a-week mow and lavish watering in summer. Homeowners and keen gardeners alike can make some basic mistakes or omissions with their lawns that will put it under stress during winter.  Right now, it’s important to aerate and dethatch…
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Five tips to make your rooms feel bigger when selling

One of the most important skills when selling your home is the art of furnishing to enhance the impression of space, purpose and natural light. Buyers love the idea of having lots of space, but you also need to arrange your furniture so each room has an obvious purpose.  It’s underwhelming to walk into a…
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Carney promises faster, cheaper homes

In a move designed to tackle housing affordability, Prime Minister Mark Carney has launched a new, multi-billion-dollar agency, Build Canada Homes, to increase the supply of affordable family properties. Build Canada Homes will directly intervene in the housing market by partnering with the private sector. The new strategy aims to increase the supply of affordable…
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Market recovery hits turbulence despite positive outlook

With the strongest September sales numbers for four years, the real estate market has started its fall season with a sense of optimism.  While many headlines have pointed to deals dipping 1.7% compared with August, the reality is that our market is susceptible to the occasional surprise. Lower sales numbers were recorded in the key…
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Seven ways sellers can strike their best deal in today’s market

Our real estate market is entering its next phase with cautious optimism, driven by factors such as cooling interest rates, strong supply and deal numbers in the past three months that have been the best for four years. Yet, the recovery is not uniform with regional differences and lingering affordability concerns influencing buyer behaviour.  The…
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What’s the difference between an agent appraisal and formal valuation?

When you decide to sell your most valuable asset, the first question is always: “What is my home really worth?” Most sellers start by checking online estimators or looking at municipal tax assessments. But if you’re serious about maximising your sale price, you have two distinct ways to value your property – and both are…
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Seven tips for styling your shed before selling

In this winter market, Canadian sellers have got to become so competitive to attract buyers that many in the mid-tier and luxury segments are investing in styling their homes to make a big impression. Even an average four-bedroom family home can comfortably cost $5,000 or more to style. Most of the cost is from renting…
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Easy way to remove grease from kitchen cabinets

When preparing your home for sale, there’s probably no more important focal point than the bathrooms and the kitchen. Sometimes, a little regrouting around the taps works wonders from an aesthetic perspective. Transparent and white silicone will often turn black with continued exposure to water. If you attempt to do the job yourself, don’t neglect…
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