Sonia's Real Estate Blog

I’m a big believer in bucket lists. Everyone should have goals and dreams to strive for, whether they are travelling to a new country, achieving a career goal, conquering a marathon, learning a new language, seeing their favourite band in concert or mastering a certain dish. Goals and bucket lists are what keep us going, keep us pushing to do what makes us happy and drive us to live a full and exciting life!

One of the things on my bucket list is to see the world, which I’m slowly doing, one trip at a time. I just got back from the some of the best beaches in the world, the ones that wrap around Honolulu, Hawaii. It was an amazing trip and I couldn’t have asked for anything better than spending 10 days with my family in one of the world’s most beautiful spots. And although I love Sherwood Park, I must say that getting away from the freezing cold we had here was definitely a favourable thing to do! Honolulu was +28 the entire time we were there.

We also visited Pearl Harbour, which was a very humbling and amazing experience. We toured The USS Arizona Memorial to pay our respects and also met two survivors.

With 2017 just around the corner, I would love to hear what is on YOUR bucket list. What’s one thing on that list that you want to check off in the next year? Please feel free to share! I wish you a wonderful year and hope you achieve your dreams and goals.

Warmest regards,
Sonia

I was very excited to get involved in one of the great Christmas traditions in Sherwood Park – the annual Festival of Trees hosted by Festival Place. It’s a celebration that raises money to support The Cultural Arts Foundation. It helps children and youth which is a wonderful cause. We have so many talented people in Sherwood Park and area and they need our support!

For the first time, I donated a tree and of course I put my own brand on it. With the help of my daughter Alexa, who purchased the tree and all of the ornaments, we designed the “Leopard Love Tree” and it turned out great as it was pretty east to spot! It truly was an incredible way to kick off the Christmas Season.

Sherwood Park is our home and it has also been an amazing community to do business in. I’m very fortunate for all the supportive I’ve received from people in Strathcona County, so I love giving back whenever I can. Thanks to all of the others who donated trees and wreaths and to everyone who attended this event and bid on the beautiful creations!

Warmest regards,

Sonia

Through hard work and dedication to my clients, I’ve been fortunate to receive many honours in my real estate career. While it’s not about the awards, I was truly honoured and humbled when I was notified that I have been awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from REMAX of Western Canada, after just seven years in the real estate business!

The award is very special to me because it affirms that doing what you love is the key to success. What I love the most is helping my clients obtain the best results when buying or selling a home. It’s what I’m most passionate about in my work.

When I think back at my career as a REALTOR®, I have learned so much and I’ve met so many great people, but it has absolutely breezed by. As they say, time flies when you’re having fun!

I’m very excited for this honour and to share it with my family, who is so supportive of me. I also owe a lot of gratitude to all of my clients from Sherwood Park, Strathcona County and Edmonton.

Warmest regards,
Sonia

It’s almost easy to take the freedom we have for granted in Canada today. We have freedom of speech, freedom of religion and the freedom of free thought. Everyone over the age of 18 has the right to vote and elect people who represent us. Thankfully, many Canadians have never lived in a world where it has been any other way.

It’s important to recognize those freedoms and it’s just as important to recognize the brave men and women who fought to help protect them. Since 1914, nearly 115,000 people died while representing Canada in the two World Wars, in various peacekeeping operations and in Korea and Afghanistan. Many of these people were very young, with much of their lives still ahead of them. On November 11, Remembrance Day, we have the opportunity to pay our respects to all of those who have served for the greater good.

In Sherwood Park, schools throughout the community will host ceremonies and observe a moment of silence to remember the fallen. There will also be the annual Remembrance Day service at Millennium Place on Nov. 11 starting at 10:30 a.m.

It warms my heart to see so many people in Sherwood Park who are proudly displaying their poppies in front of their heart. If we all remember the sacrifices that have been made, we can stop these tragic wars from happening again in the future.

Warmest regards,

Sonia

Whether you are a goblin or a ghoul, a princess or a pirate, I hope you all have a fun and safe Halloween this year. Sherwood Park has been transformed into a spooky village so I hope you get just a little bit scared too!

I love Halloween because it allows everyone to show their creative talent. There are so many unique costumes and decorations! I admire the hard work, dedication and creativity that go into them. I love all of the cute kids excited to both dress up and to devour all of their hard earned candy! All of my kids love Halloween, especially my daughter Eva, who is going as a little devil this year!

As much fun as it is, it’s also very important to be safe on All Hallow’s Eve. Thankfully we live in a great community and there are many ways to Trick or Treat in a safe environment. Traditional Trick or Treating is hard to beat and going door-to-door is made possible from excellent support from our local RCMP, as well as the Sherwood Park Crusaders, who will be seen all around Sherwood Park wearing their jerseys and acting as citizens on patrol. Don’t hesitate to ask a Crusader for help if you are in need of any assistance!

The Sherwood Park Mall is also once again hosting Trick or Treating on Halloween from 4 p.m. until 8 p.m. The stores in the mall have been offering this family friendly opportunity for many years and it’s an excellent way to enjoy the evening, especially if it’s chilly outside.

If you’re wanting to get properly spooked, Strathcona County will be offering a free transit shuttle from the mall to Gallery@501 on Festival Way, where there is a haunted house set up. The haunted house is $2 per person.

Savour the candy and enjoy the one night a year that you can be anyone your heart desires!

Have a frightful night everyone!

There are many tools in the REALTOR’s® toolbox and over the past year, I’ve been perfecting one of the most effective new tools – online video. They say photos are worth a thousand words. Well the impact of video is even greater!

I take my videos to highlight the best features of the homes I am selling. If the kitchen is the selling feature, I’ll shoot it there and show off the best the home has to offer. If I’m hosting on open house, I’ll shoot a video to give prospective buyers a sneak peak into the home and get them excited to come and view it. Sometimes my videos involve special contests too! They’re not necessarily real estate related, but they are community related and my audience loves it!

As Sherwood Park’s Real Estate Tiger, I have always put my clients first, ensuring their homes get awesome exposure which ultimately leads to awesome results. I allow people to see my true personality in life and I do the same in my real estate videos. A key part of the videos is the human element, so I try to keep them light, fun and engaging. So far, it has worked exceptionally well! The videos I post on Facebook always get thousands of views from potential buyers who are looking for their next home. These videos have helped me connect with many future buyers already and my audience continues to grow.

Ultimately, my goal is to help my clients sell their Sherwood Park home quickly and for top dollar. Personalizing my videos is just one of the unique ways I go above and beyond my competition to help my clients in the home selling process. Please visit my Facebook page and check out my most recent videos and give me a call if you’d like a video on your home!

Warmest regards,

Sonia

It takes a lot of hard word and dedication to truly excel in the real estate world. It’s one of those professions where you are always on the clock – evenings, weekends and holidays included. But I wouldn’t trade it for the world, for one very important factor – all of my incredible clients!

This week, I am celebrating 7 wonderful years in real estate where I have consistently ranked in the Top 1% Sales, an accomplishment I could never have even dreamed of if it weren’t for the fabulous people who have supported me since Day 1. There’s nothing more satisfying to me than finding the perfect home for my clients. Knowing that I helped them find the ideal property for them to raise their families in is extremely gratifying. Obviously, I love helping my clients sell their homes for the most money too! I’m never afraid to negotiate hard for my clients. Guess that’s why they nicknamed me “Sherwood Park’s Real Estate Tiger”.

I’m so appreciative of all the kind words I hear from my clients when I run into them around Sherwood Park, at our local chamber of commerce or anywhere else in the community. That’s the food that keeps this Tiger running!

Over the past 7 years, I have learned an incredible amount and met more lovely people than I could have ever imagined. I’m excited to continue on this journey and help as many people as possible when they need me to sell their homes and find them their dream homes too.

From my heart to yours, thank you for all the continued trust and  support!

Warmest regards,

Sonia

It has been an absolute pleasure to be involved in the Food 4 Food initiative, which is now in its second year in Sherwood Park. The campaign was started by councilour Dave Anderson and how it works is Sherwood Park residents drop into Save On Foods and make a donation to the Strathcona County Food Bank. In return, each donor gets a hot dog and a pop!

I’m very excited to be one of the corporate sponsors of this event. All of the donations are staying in the Strathcona County area, which is very important to me. With the economy the way it is in Alberta, the need is high and we all need to pitch in and help out when we can.

Last year Food 4 Food brought in more than 14,000 cans of food and $1,000 in cash. We’re waiting on the final tally, but we’re hoping we beat that this year. Thank you to everyone who has come out to Save On Foods to help our cause! We appreciate every donation!

Many thanks!
Sonia

It’s that time of year again when everyone is uttering those three words nearly every child dreads: back to school. As summer holidays wrap up in Sherwood Park for another year, it’s important for everyone to be mindful of the great children of the community and take some safety precautions.

One important thing is for drivers to remember that school zones are in effect once again. While the schools have been absent of children for the past couple months, they’ll soon be crawling with kids, so stay alert. All school zones in Strathcona County have a speed limit of 30 km/h and they are in effect on school days from 8 a.m. until 9:30 a.m., then from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 a.m., and again from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Playground zones will remain in effect as well. They are also 30 km/h zones and start at 8:30 a.m. and run until one hour after sunset.

If you are dropping your child off at school, be sure to learn the school’s rules for picking up and dropping off. Also be sure to watch for crosswalks and obey all crossing guards. It’s important to remember that pedestrians have the right of way in a crosswalk.

School buses will also be back on the road and they require caution. If you see alternating flashing yellow or amber lights, that means the bus is slowing down and you should do the same. If you see a bus with a flashing red light, you must stop! Passing a school bus with its red lights on will net you a $543 fine and six demerit points. School buses use red lights and stop signs in rural areas of Strathcona County and residential estate areas.

Back to school is an exciting time for many kids (and many parents too I’m sure!) so let’s make sure it is safe for everyone!

Warmest regards,

Sonia

Sherwood Park is a blast in the summer! From spray parks to bike trails to all of the great celebrations and festivals, there is so much to do and only so much time to do it!

Summer is my favourite time in Sherwood Park and I want to kick off the season with an incredible contest! I can’t tell you what the prize is just yet (that’s the surprise!) but I can guarantee you’ll love it.

All you have to do to enter is go to my Facebook page, Like my page and comment on this post by telling me what is your favourite thing to do in Sherwood Park over the summer.

I can’t wait to hear your answers! You might give me some new ideas too!

Thanks everyone and happy summer to all!

Sonia