Home Care

This beautiful summer is slowly turning into a crisp fall, complete with frosty mornings and golden leaves. Stores are rolling out Halloween decor and pumpkin inspired treats, and back to school is in full swing. While you pack away your summer dresses to make room for sweaters, also start thinking of how you can prepare your backyard for autumn.

There are a number of things you should be doing before the snow hits in order to prepare your backyard for autumn and winter. What’s the light at the end of the tunnel as far as cleaning and preparing is concerned? After doing the following things your backyard will be ready for one final hurrah while the weather holds up!

First off, take care of outside structures such as children’s play places, tree

Calgary is a great city for so many reasons. The people here are hardworking and kind, and the city itself is clean and welcoming. Most importantly--especially to those of us in the real estate industry--the location is incredible. After all, you know what they say: location is everything.

Nestled right between the prairies and the mountains, Calgary is ideal if you like beautiful views and experiencing all four seasons. Another perk of this city's location is that it remains relatively untouched by natural disasters. It is too close to the mountains to get tornadoes, and too far from the sea to get hurricanes. It is not significantly affected by earthquakes, and is not in a hot bed for forest fires. Albeit a little too much snow some winters, Calgary

Imagine this: Your backyard lawn is freshly cut, making the air smell like summers from your childhood. The flower beds have been pruned and watered, and a bouquet of blossoms are on the kitchen table . The fence has a fresh coat of paint and looks brand new, the perfect backdrop for an evening out on the deck. Speaking of the deck, it's new; you finally got around to replacing it after all these years. A cold drink is in your hand and you are surrounded by loved ones. The summer has only just begun and yet you are already finished your summer to-do list. How glorious!

Does that sound incredible? We would sure like to be relaxing on that deck alongside you! It may seem unrealistic; after all, summer always tends to be more busy than relaxing, and

The first thing prospective buyers will notice about your home for sale is its curb appeal.

Curb appeal is all about making a great first impression. A home with great curb appeal can stop traffic. It can entice people to look a little more closely at the “For Sale” sign on the front lawn. It is what gets potential buyers out of their vehicles and onto your property.

Even the plainest properties can be eye-catching; it’s all about staging. Try these simple, cost-effective ways to give your curb appeal a boost during the listing of your home.

Make your front door a statement piece. Install a beautiful wood door, or paint the existing one a fun colour. If you don’t want to change the door itself, consider dressing it up with a seasonal

Tiny houses are all the rage right now, with people living in little spaces no bigger than the bed of a pick up truck. To save money many people are turning to smaller and smaller properties to live small while they pay of student loans, save up for a new vehicle, put extra money towards their retirement fund, etc. While many people cannot imagine living that way, most who do swear by it.

Living small has a lot of benefits, but you have to do it effectively or it will feel like you’re living in a hoarders closet. You don’t want to feel claustrophobic. So, if you are living in a small space, how can you maximize it to contain everything you need but still feel spacious?

1). Be frugal. Do you need five mixing bowls? No you don’t. Only keep the

It's still a little chilly outside, which means that most of us would rather be curled up inside with a warm drink instead of out in the cold. While temperatures are expected to rise soon, you can never be too weary when it comes to weather in Calgary, Alberta. Our friendly groundhog Phil may have promised winter was at it's end, but that does not mean our toes will be thawing anytime soon. For now, we're going to keep our sweaters on.

During cold winters a fun pastime is scrolling through Pinterest, dreaming of all the fun projects you can do once it is warm enough outside. This is especially true when it comes to home renovations, which most people tend to complete during the summer months before a big freeze. After all, most home renovations

Scientists around the world may not agree on everything, but the one thing they are sure of is that we need to make significant changes if we want this planet to sustain human life in the future. For years now we have been warned of climate change, a nasty side effect of human's ecological footprint on this earth. While some people say we are already doomed, the reality is that we have the power to help this planet thrive so long as we are willing to act now.

Owning a home has a big ecological footprint. The space your home sits on is no longer a natural habitat, the structure itself is built of cut down trees and products that will not biodegrade, oil and gas are needed to keep the space warm during the cold winter months, water is used to wash

Home insurance in Calgary, Alberta is one of those things that is extremely misunderstood, but extremely important to understand. Why? Because it is not finite. It will need to change and adapt to the value of your home so that you aren’t covering more than necessary or covering less than necessary.

Here’s the deal: your home is not insured based on what it would cost to buy it if it was up for sale again. Market value has nothing to do with home insurance. What matters is replacement value. Thus, your home is insured based on what it would cost to replace your home if it was damaged.

Home insurance is designed to cover the value of rebuilding your home the exact way it is now if the absolute worst were to happen, such as your home being burned to

Security systems have always been a way to give homeowners peace of mind whenever they are away from their property for work, school, vacation, errands, or simply sleeping. In medieval times, castles were surrounded by moats to ward off unwanted visitors. In Victorian times, bells were placed along doorways and windowsills to alert residents of arrivals. In the seventies, 'beware of dog' signs were posted and pit bulls purchased. More recently, alarm systems triggered by the opening of a secured door have been used. Today, technology companies are designing new and improved home security. 

With Christmas quickly approaching many people are preparing to leave for vacation. Along with making sure you pack enough pairs of socks and that book you’ve been meaning to read, make sure that you also prepare your home for your absence. The most important thing you need to do to keep your home safe over the holidays is to make it appear occupied and well looked after. There are a number of ways you can do this:

Leave A Light On: Leaving a light on makes it look like someone is always home. Leaving a light on all the time is not very energy efficient, though. This is why we recommend investing in a light that you can control via your smartphone to turn on and off at certain times while you are away.

Turn On The Radio: Leaving a radio on is