Buying a home is a top to bottom affair. You should pay close attention to every aspect of a home when you’re looking around, including the basement. Whether a basement is renovated, not renovated, or a separate apartment, be sure to inspect any prospective home for these four signs of larger problems. Doing so could save you from buying a home under false pretences, or having to foot a bills for thousands, possibly tens of thousands, in repairs.

1. Mold

Leaving a distinctive smell and a noticeable black hue on walls, floors, and ceilings, mold is not only expensive to remove, but dangerous for you and your family. Mold only grows in environments that are perfect for their growth, which is generally dark, cool, and humid spaces. Since Edmonton is…

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Plenty of sites have a lot of advice on how to properly sell your home, including this very one. You can find tips and tricks on almost any aspect of the buying or selling process. But when you’re selling a home, there are really only three absolutely essential things you need to do to your home, and that’s declutter, depersonalize, and clean, clean, clean. Here’s what to do in each of those steps to ensure your home looks its absolute best for when your real estate agent starts showing it to potential buyers.

1. Declutter

The first thing you need to do when you are going to sell your home is get rid of the clutter. This simply cannot be emphasized enough. Cluttered rooms, especially in a buyer’s market, are a great way to send people out the door…

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So you’ve bought a new home. The mortgage is signed. The papers are all filed away. All that’s left is the big move, for which you’ll need professional movers. If you’re looking for movers, be sure to consider these tips. By doing so, you can get a moving company that will make your move faster and more successful.

1. Get an In-Home Estimate

Moving companies that don’t offer in-home estimates are often on the cheaper and less careful end of the moving company spectrum. Those who do their job seriously and professionally will want to see the space before they agree to the job, and will often offer a free estimate service just to make sure their pricing is correct. It’s best to get a few estimates from different moving companies, all conducted…

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Home auctions are becoming an increasingly popular way to sell homes quickly, but they rarely get the expected results for home sellers. Here are just a few reasons why a home auction may not be the best option for your home sale, no matter your time frame for selling your home, and how to sell your home quickly without resorting to the auction block.

1. Auctions are Alienating

Home auctions are high-pressure situations for everyone involved, from the sellers to the buyers. It’s intentionally made that way to drum up competing bids, but some people are simply better and more experienced at auctions. But a more experienced auction buyer isn’t necessarily the one with the best deal. In fact, many people who go to auctions looking for homes end up not…

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Managing properties, whether it’s your own or you’ve decided to become a professional property manager, is a complicated endeavour. Many professionals make it look easy, but it’s much harder than it looks. That’s why you’ll need all the advice you can get. If you’re thinking of becoming a property manager, or have just started, here are some tips to make sure you do everything right.

1. Watch Out for Fakes

Many property managers are also responsible for finding tenants. This can be one of the most challenging jobs for a number of reasons, from people lying in their interviews to providing fake references. If you’re going to be a successful property manager or landlord, you need to learn how to sort through the genuinely interested and those…

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Edmonton has made some changes to the rules regarding secondary suites, meaning many more homeowners can rent out their property for extra cash every month. It’s an excellent way to get a secondary income or pay down your mortgage, but doing so means you’ll have to be a secondary suite landlord. Here are some tips for secondary suite landlords that can make your rental situation easier and more profitable.

1. Figure Out the Taxes

Before you even consider renting out a secondary suite, be sure to figure out if it will be profitable. Be sure to research taxation at every level to see how much you’ll end up making at the end of the year. In general, renting a secondary suite is very profitable, but it is unique for every situation. Once you’ve figured…

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Going green is an excellent idea, not just for the environment, but for your wallet. By reducing the amount of resources you use on a regular basis, you can save money on your monthly bills, especially with your utility costs. Here are just a few simple projects you can do to make your home greener, and save some green yourself along the way.

1. Consider Renewable Energy

For some reason, many people think that solar panels are unsightly, but they will be the paneling of the future. Most homes are sure to have it as renewable energy becomes more common, and more necessary. You can get ahead of the curve by installing solar panels on your home now. In the summer sun, these panels can help you save a lot of money. With enough of them, you could even…

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Mortgages are complicated, almost excessively so, but you need to be careful when applying and shopping around for one. If you are looking for a mortgage, be sure to look out for these common mistakes. Each one can result in you getting a worse mortgage, or no mortgage at all.

1. Credit Checks: Too Few or Too Many

Credit is a curious thing. Naturally, you’ll need to know your credit score. It tells you what kinds of mortgages you can expect, and which ones are far below or above you. But checking your credit score too much can also affect it. Essentially, the logic is that if multiple banking institutions are checking your credit score, you are in over your head. Of course, this could also mean that you’re just being thorough in your search for a…

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Edmonton is said to have two seasons: winter and construction. Other places around this world make this joke as well, but here, it’s true. The winter cold brings a lot of different kinds of work to a halt, with freezing temperatures and frozen ground making many projects more difficult or simply impossible. The same is true for our homes and many renovations are best done in the summer, when it’s okay to leave something uninsulated or dig without worry of bending your shovel. And since fall is right around the corner, here are a few renovations you can get done before the winter cold sets in.

1. Get a New Driveway

There’s a reason people don’t pour concrete in the winter: it doesn’t set properly and the cold will make it crack almost instantly.…

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Real estate markets. Upcoming projects in the area. Gentrification or downward economic spirals in the neighbourhood. Much of the things that affect your home’s worth are out of your hands. But you do have control over some very key aspects of your home’s worth and saleability. Here are some of the most important factors over which you have control, and how to maximize them to your benefit when selling a home.

1. Availability

Meeting people for showings is a key part of selling a home. After all, if they can’t see it, then they will probably not buy it. Being available is an important part of selling a home, and one scenario where a real estate agent can help you in spades. Real estate professionals make it their business to be available , and they…

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Data is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed accurate by the REALTORS® Association of Edmonton. Copyright 2023 by the REALTORS® Association of Edmonton. All rights reserved.

Listing information last updated on March 26th, 2023 at 2:16pm CDT.