Five reasons why it’s a good idea to repaint

Repainting the interior of your home is never a small task. The interruption to the household can be substantial. It’s not just the fact you have to move furniture and put down drop-sheets to protect against paint drips, but the fumes tend to stick around for a few days. Repainting is often an important step…
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A great agent is essential as market discounts rise

The importance of your relationship with your agent should never be underestimated – they can make or break a successful buying or selling experience. You want to have confidence they’re on your team and invested in making the best deal possible on your behalf. An experienced, quality agent will help protect you from a few…
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Can you join the ‘Buy It For Life’ movement?

Buying furnishings is an exciting moment when you’ve just purchased your first home. The idea you’re creating a haven of your very own is a chapter of life that few of us forget. Your selection of furniture is often dictated by the available budget, of course.  Having just achieved the milestone of owning your first…
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What are the risks if you buy before selling your home?

“Should I sell my property before buying my next dream home?” It’s one of the most common questions a real estate agent is asked by owners. There’s no right or wrong answer, of course. The process of whether to buy or sell first is often dictated by circumstances, your financial position, risk threshold and local…
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Everyday items you simply can’t recycle

Do you ever stand in the middle of the kitchen, stretching out crumpled plastic film that’s been used for food packaging to see if you can recycle it? As much as we all want to “save the planet”, it’s not always easy.  Sometimes, the packaging is clearly marked as recyclable, other times not so much.…
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If gardening is a chore, embrace chaos theory

Conventional thinking suggests we all love a neat and tidy garden – flowerbeds are organised and weed-free, hedges clipped, roses in bloom and trees shaped to perfection. When selling your home, this is the perfect philosophy to attract the greatest number of potential buyers. Of course, it’s not the only approach to gardening.  An increasing…
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Does your interior design need a little lift?

Summer is a great time to enjoy the outdoors, and it’s also an opportune moment to assess how you feel about the interior of your home – is it really “doing it” for you? Is it time to step it up a notch? Interior design fashions come and go, and so it’s easy to think…
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Six simple strategies to maximise rental income

With rental markets easing in many parts of Canada, investors cannot assume they’ll easily find a great tenant and the rental income will keep rolling in. Perhaps that’s true for some, but most investors need to work a little harder to find good and loyal tenants who’ll respect the property. A rental house or apartment…
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Six surprises first-time owners find with their new homes

The day you own your first home is joyous – finally you’re on the property ladder with a place of your very own and the opportunity to build your wealth. And after probably saving for years for your deposit, there should be no small measure of delighted relief that you’ve achieved your goal. Of course,…
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Recovery powers up but some cities struggle

Is Canada’s real estate market really diverging into two separate camps – the urban centres that are supply-constrained and in high demand, and cities with too much to sell and too few buyers? Sitting in this latter camp are Toronto and Vancouver, which are our most expensive cities but suffering from oversupply and constrained spending…
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