Real Estate Blog - Home Care

Loving on Your Home

They say there is nothing quite like home-sweet-home, and they're right. Our homes are where our families grow, our treasured possessions are kept, our pictures are on the wall and our memories are made. When we're not at home, we crave our bed and miss knowing just how much to turn the tap to get the perfect temperature of water. Our homes are deeply personal, a major part of our lives. 

Perhaps we're getting sentimental. After all, Valentine's Day is just one week away. However, we are firm believers in the importance of a home, not only because so many people are not fortunate enough to have one, but because homes do play a major role in our lives. 

We love our home! But do we always treat it with love? No. Sometimes we let it fall into…

1190 Views, 0 Comments

The Great Thaw

Spring is officially here, and judging by weather forecasts, it may be around to stay. This means that Calgary is entering into a phase known as ‘The Great Thaw.’ The Great Thaw is that time of year when month-old piles of frozen snow begin to melt, when foundations begin to settle back in and when the trees start to stretch their limbs. Calgary is getting ready to say goodbye to another long winter and to welcome a fresh spring.

The Great Thaw is a beautiful, exciting time of year. Calgary’s colour palette turns back from grey to green. Outdoor sporting events, BBQ’s, evening walks and blooming flower beds are on the horizon. However, The Great Thaw also comes with its own unique set of challenges. At the foremost of these challenges is the effects it…

1351 Views, 0 Comments

Home Care During the Holidays

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 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 not only…

942 Views, 0 Comments

Protecting Your Home From The Frost

There is something in the air. It bites at your cheeks and makes your nose run. It clings to your car and has turned golden fall leaves crunchy and brown. It has frozen your windows shut and has usurped your garden. The frost has arrived. It is in full force, making up for the lack of fluffy white snow. It may not look quite like winter, but it definitely is starting to feel like winter.

Monitor your home’s water systems. Water systems that are not properly winterized can do incredible damage, such as cracking your pipes, blocking flow and ruining any filtration systems. Turn off all outdoor water taps and make sure they are properly sealed for winter. Make sure that faucets indoors are all used frequently: run the hot water for a minute to clear away…

1073 Views, 0 Comments

De-Cluttering

Many people have tuned in to watch TLC’s “Hoarding: Buried Alive.” We watch the show in complete astonishment at the clutter people live in. We watch the show all high and mighty, as if we have never held onto something a little longer than necessary. What is that saying about shaming the sliver in someones eye when a plank sticks out of your own?

The reality is, it has become nearly impossible to completely reject a life of consumerism when we are socialized to be materialistic beings. All of us have gone through periods where we have had way too much stuff. Whether you should be on “Hoarding: Buried Alive,” or you have subscribed to a life of minimalism, everyone has things that they don’t need. Some of us have things that we don’t even want.

What…

1088 Views, 0 Comments

Spring Cleaning Tips

Spring is in the air! This week the weather has been absolutely gorgeous, and all of us here at Team Ken Richter sincerely hope it lasts. Spring in March is such a treat, and we are basking in every single glorious moment. Soon the brown grass and empty trees will become green once more, and as the flowers bloom so will the real estate market.

The spring is always a popular time for people to sell their homes because the weather is much more amiable and has everyone looking for something fresh! With sunshine pouring in the windows of your home, a flowery breeze dancing through the rooms, and the walkway clear of snow, buyers will automatically associate your home with everything lovely about the spring. However, your house will not go from chilly and…

748 Views, 0 Comments

Snow Removal Tips

As a naïve child you once crossed your fingers and hoped with all of your might that it would snow during the Christmas season. You would stand at the window, enchanted by the fluffy flakes as they settled on your front lawn. Your father would come up behind you and grunt, shaking his head. What could possibly be wrong? It was the most beautiful time of the year.

Now that you are an adult, you know exactly what your father was so disgruntled about: snow means shoveling, and shoveling means numb fingers and a runny nose.

Snow is undoubtedly beautiful, and if you live in Calgary, you likely do not completely dislike it. After all, what is a Calgary winter without loads, and loads of snow? However, despite its beauty, snow can become a major pain to…

914 Views, 0 Comments

De-Cluttering Your Home

Nothing is more daunting than staring at a massive pile of stuff—stuff that you don’t even remember owning, let alone allowing to fill up your entire closet. There is that shag rug from your aunt that you tucked away three Christmases ago to avoid ever having to display. And look, over there is a pile of junk mail that you were waiting to recycle… last spring. Do you think you’d miss that box of clothes you haven’t worn in ten years if you gave it away? Probably not.

It is time. Time to set aside a Saturday, snap on some rubber gloves, and de-clutter!

The problem with clutter is that it builds up gradually—you don’t even notice it until it’s a major problem. That is why it is best to tackle it right away! Don’t let it build up and steal an entire…

933 Views, 0 Comments

Getting Rid Of Leaves

Autumn has arrived, and so has everything that we love about the Fall! Cozy Scarves, sweaters, crunchy leaves, Halloween costumes, jack-o-lanterns, pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin pies, pumpkin candles, pumpkin treats—pumpkin everything, essentially.

What was your favourite thing to do in the Fall when you were a child? For most people it was jumping in a big pile of crunchy leaves and laughing the day away. Perhaps nowadays those leaves are much less enchanting than they were before. Perhaps, for some of you, those leaves are just a total hassle. If this is the case for you, we have a plan!

While the leaves are beautiful, they are bad for your lawn because they trap snow, disabling the water from going into your grass and soil—the place it needs to…

1174 Views, 0 Comments