Real Estate Blog - June, 2015

General Fire Safety For Your Home

It’s probably been a while since you’ve considered a fire plan for your home, or maybe you have one but it’s not something you go through regularly with your family. Here are some quick tips for home fire safety, and your home fire plan.

Close all doors at night. There is a trend amongst new parents to come up with all these little life hacks to make parenting easier. One such thing is the little patch of fabric on elastics that goes over the door latch so you can slide silently in and out of the baby’s room during naps. An open or unfastened door allows a fire to spread more quickly and will speed the rate at which smoke can gather in a space. Closed doors buy you time to escape or be rescued.

Have a rope ladder. Every room should have one to allow…

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Home Owners Insurance

Buying a home is a huge investment, likely the biggest you will ever make, and it’s important that you protect that investment with the right insurance. There are comprehensive home owners insurance policies that cover all the basics, but depending on where you live you may need additional riders.

Riders

A Rider is a term that refers to an add-on insurance policy. Most whole-home insurance policies don’t protect against things like natural disasters. If you live in an area that is prone to flooding, you’ll definitely need to buy a rider to cover that threat.

Shopping

Just like auto insurance or life insurance, it’s not wise to go with the first name in the phone book. It’s important that you do your research and compare prices to ensure you…

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Simple Home Improvements

There are some minor projects you can take on in your home that can have a big impact. Not only are most of these things easy do-it-yourself projects, but some of them are really inexpensive, and you can get creative when sourcing your materials to save even more money.

Projects

• Upgrade your trim
• Paint your cabinetry for an updated look
• Create built-in shelving
• Paint
• Replace cabinet hardware
• Create a garden

Find Out How To Do It

You can find very useful tutorials online to show you how to do a variety of projects, and exactly what you will need to purchase to get it done. Another option is to go to your local hardware store and talk to one of their experts. Many hardware stores offer hands-on tutorials or classes to help…

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Pricing Your Home

The price you list your home at is important and there are many things to consider when setting this price – not just the overall value of the home.

Although it may be tempting to list your price at the maximum value, this may not be the best way to entice potential buyers. On top of what the home is worth, you have to consider the current state of the rea estate market. Is it moving fast or has it slowed down recently? Choosing the right initial list price can make a big difference when it comes to landing a fast sale.

Another important consideration is that you have to allow for wiggle room. Potential buyers are anticipating that they won’t be paying the list price for your property. They intend to negotiate and knock the price down, somewhat. You…

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Building Trends in Edmonton

For the most part, Edmonton is quite fond of gated communities, and as new construction goes up, it is maintaining that same trend. The biggest difference you’ll notice amongst new construction these days, is that building trends in Edmonton are taking on a whole new feel by utilizing more vertical space.

Vertical Space?

Yes, exactly. Home builders are building up rather than out these days. It’s becoming more common to see three-story homes, plus basements, as opposed to traditional two-story homes. Two story homes are still popular but you see them a lot more in areas where space isn’t an issue. These would include areas that have room for estate homes. Building trends in Edmonton right now are about making the most out of less space.

Howdy…

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Painting your home

Painting your home is an easy and relatively inexpensive way to update your décor. There are right and wrong ways to go about it, and good and buy purchasing decisions. Here is a quick guide for painting your home.

Do your research

There are dozens of different paint manufacturers out there, many of which offer great products. You’ll need to do your research to determine what type of finish you want, and whether you should go with an all-in-one paint or purchase a separate primer.

Get samples

Once you decide on a colour scheme, it’s a good idea to get sample-size cans of each of the colours and test them out on your walls. Most places offer sample cans free of charge, or for a minimal fee. If you are going to paint your walls, it’s also a good…

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Finding Reliable Tenants

Having one or many investment properties can be a lot of work – and it’s a lot if responsibility too. One of the ways you can make it all more manageable is by choosing responsible and reliable tenants. Damage deposits aside, you want people who are going to respect your property and care for it – not to mention pay their bills on time and not hassle the neighbours.

Screen them

Although requesting a credit check may be a step too far, and will very likely limit the pool of people interested in renting from you, asking for information like their employment history and the contact information for previous landlords is entirely reasonable. Call all their references, including their place of employment to ensure they are indeed employed there. In order…

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About Condo Fees

You may be curious about condo fees and what they are used for, especially if you are considering purchasing a condominium for yourself. Here is what to expect.

The fees

The amount you pay in fees will vary from condo to condo, depending on the condo board and how the fees are structured. For condos with lower fees, say below $300 per month, those fees will likely only cover things like reserve find contributions and management fees – perhaps a few other small items. For fees ranging upwards of $400 and even as high as $500, they likely include most or all of your utilities, on top of reserve fund contributions, management fees and the like.

What’s the reserve fund?

The reserve fund is money that is allocated for projects that may affect the…

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Interest in Beaumont Real Estate on the Rise

Beaumont is a beautiful, yet quaint town located just outside of Edmonton. The area has just the right amount of proximity to neighbouring communities, including Leduc, and even the International Airport, without getting too big itself – although that could change. Beaumont real estate is getting more desirable.

In just three short years (2011-2014) the town saw an increase in population of over 2000 residents, and it’s attracting the attention of some businesses too. Beaumont real estate is relatively comparative with the area, but its picturesque community and involved residents makes it a much more closely knit place to call home. Perhaps one challenge the town has seen has been having to play catch-up to the very quick population jump. As any town…

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Salary and Affordability

Its sort of a funny thing, when you sit down with a mortgage broker and they break your life down into numbers and percentages. How risky are you? How much debt do you have? And, most importantly, how much money do you make?

If you have ever been on the receiving end of a pre-approval that seemed astronomical to you – and you aren’t alone – then you may find this information interesting. So you have a down payment saved up, and you’re on top of your debts, on you make a moderately good income – does that mean you can afford a $300 000 home? Certainly not! Right? Usually mortgage mathematics only take a few expenses into account, and these are often guestimates (such as future utilities), and it can get more complicated. If you and your spouse apply for…

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