Real Estate Blog - Seasonal Holidays

Home Safety During Summer Holidays

Summertime is the season for adventures. It is the time for booking that extra day off, gathering your loved ones, packing up the car, and leaving the city in your dust. As much as we love Calgary, sometimes a change of scenery is exactly what the doctor ordered.

While leaving it all behind to embark on a wild adventure is exciting, you can not completely negate your responsibilities back here. After all, the safety of your property lies in the gentle embrace of a little foresight. Studies have proven time and time again that homes are most vulnerable when their owners are away. Without you there regularly to keep an eye on things, lots has the potential to happen.

So, how can you keep your property safe while you’re away?

It’s not all about…

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Stampede Fun Facts

Stampede season is in full swing! We hope that the rain has not dampened your spirits at all and that you take time to celebrate and go have fun. Nothing kicks off a great summer in YYC quite like the Stampede. By now, most people know the basics about the Stampede: it’s called the largest outdoor show on earth, there is a rodeo where you can win big money, the midway is full of quirky food, etc.. However, here are some interesting facts about the Calgary Stampede that you may not know:

Crash Landing: “During the 1919 Stampede, the revelers of Calgary had their midway fun suddenly interrupted by the expected emergency landing of a Curtis Jenny biplane on top of the midway carousel” (Flight Network). Luckily no one was injured and the show went on…

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Happy Summer Solstice!

Happy Summer Solstice, Calgary!

What is summer solstice? This year it falls on Sunday, June 20th. It marks the official start of the summer. National Geographic writes, "solstices occur because Earth’s axis of rotation is tilted about 23.4 degrees relative to Earth's orbit around the sun. This tilt is what drives our planet's seasons, as the Northern and Southern Hemispheres get unequal amounts of sunlight over the course of a year. From March to September, the Northern Hemisphere is tilted more toward the sun, driving its spring and summer. From September to March, the Northern Hemisphere is tilted away, so it feels autumn and winter. The Southern Hemisphere's seasons are reversed."

Throughout history different places and cultures have marked the…

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Thunderstorm Safety

In Calgary it typically rains the most during the month of June, and this year has been no different. The rain is a welcome alternative to the snow, and a refreshing way for spring to flow into summer. The rain makes the grass a little greener, the flowers bloom, the crops flourish and the worms happy. As long as the river doesn't rise as much as it did in 2013, we will be happy!

This weekend Calgary is expected to be hit with classic summertime thunderstorms, and you need to be prepared for the downpour. While we do appreciate the moisture, storms have the potential to cause numerous problems that you need to be prepared for. 

The most common negative outcome of a thunderstorm is a power outage. When this happens, you need to be prepared.…

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Easter at Home

Happy Easter Long Weekend!

This weekend may not feel like a long weekend since most of us have been stuck at home due to COVID-19 social distancing protocals, but Easter is definitely still worth celebrating! This is a holiday that represents new life and springtime, two things we could use these days. Here are some creative ways you can celebrate Easter from home this year:

1.  Attend Church from Home: "Many churches have now made their services available online, either through a live stream or through a recorded podcast. If your own place of worship doesn’t have streaming capabilities, 'visit' another church instead. Furthermore, you may not be passing around the offering plate at church, but consider making an Easter-inspired donation to an…

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Staycation Ideas for Spring Break

Spring Break is next week for many students in the Calgary public school system. While some have already been working from home as they attend school virtually, starting next week children everywhere are going to have a lot more free time on their hands! Since traveling somewhere exotic for Spring break is not an option this year, we've rounded up some Staycation ideas for your kids this spring break. Read on for details!

DIY Olympics: Each day of spring break have a different competition for your kids to compete in. Events can range from an obstacle course in the house to a puzzle competition. Craft little medals for them and then do a big winners banquet of their favourite treats and meal at the end of the week. This will give them something to…

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The History of Daylight Savings

Daylight Savings is this weekend, and we are springing forward! We may be losing an hour of sleep, but it means we’re one hour closer to spring blossoms and summer nights.

While most clocks will automatically spring forward these days, be sure to check items such as kitchen appliances and older vehicles. It’s always worth the small inconvenience to figure out how to change the time on these clocks—don’t be one of those people who leave it until autumn when we gain the hour back.

Why do we practice daylight savings? The main reason is to conserve energy. By setting our clocks ahead we gain more daylight hours in the spring and summer, which means less artificial light is needed during waking hours. To offset this adjustment, we lose an hour of…

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At Home Valentine's Date

Valentine's Day is this weekend and is worth taking a moment to celebrate, no matter what your situation is. The last year has been incredibly draining as we have been part of a collective grieving; a grieving of loss of life, plans, jobs, opportunities, and what we always considered 'normal.' So whether you're spending this Valentine's Day alone, with a partner, or with a cohort, take time to celebrate love. There is much to be thankful for, and there is love in this world for everyone. 

Here are some ideas for celebrating Valentine's Day at home, depending on your situation:

For the Solo Valentine: If you're spending this Sunday alone, take time to bask in a day or evening of self care. Order in your favorite meal from a local restaurant,…

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Getting Back to Work After Holidays

Sweet, sweet winter break is ending for most Calgarians as offices open back up and email auto-responses turn off. Whether you did way too much during the break or nothing at all, it can be hard to get back into the swing of things. For those of you who are already back at work, we imagine this week was rough. It is not an easy transition to make, but here are some tips:

1. Plan for your first day back to work. Pack a lunch, make sure your bags are ready to go, clothes are laid out. Shower the night before, make a checklist of things to do in the morning, ensure your car has gas or your at home workspace is tidy. Do what you can to make the mornings easier!
2. Make sure you get lots of sleep. Sleep is essential in giving your brain the rest it…

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Goals for 2021 You Can Accomplish

After a tremendously difficult year, many people feel as though they're barely managing to crawl into the new year. If there has ever been a year where "new year, new me" seems applicable, it's this one. As 2020 comes to an end, many people find themselves self isolating at home, likely wearing yesterdays sweater and still picking through Christmas leftovers. The glimmer on the horizon? A new year. A fresh start. 

Before you begin goal setting for 2021, we want to encourage you to take a moment to pause. Acknowledge the tremendous effort and strength it took to accomplish what you did this past year, and give yourself grace for the items on your to-do list that you never got to. As the year comes to a close you're likely to begin seeing posts about…

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