Sonia's Real Estate Blog

In honour of all those men and women who have given their lives serving Canadians. We will never forget you.

Happy first day of Fall! Here are some of my favourite things about this beautiful season. Hope you enjoy!

-Sonia

Starting school is an important step in your child’s life—and yours. It’s a big change. It’s exciting. It’s even a little scary. Here are 10 tips that will help you get your child ready for that first day of school.

1. Get familiar with the school. Before the first day of school, visit the school with your child so that the route, the building, and school surroundings become familiar.
2. Start the routine early. About a week or so before the start of school, begin putting your child to bed at a normal time for a school night. For a week before school starts, be sure your child then gets up, dressed, and fed like a regular school morning.
3. Practise sharing. Give your child all kinds of opportunities to be with other kids, to learn to share, wait, and take turns. That’s what school is all about.
4. Children should dress themselves. You won’t be at school to help your child get ready for the outdoors. Encourage children to practise at home putting on and taking off their own jacket, snowpants, boots, etc.
5. Dress your child accordingly. Your child is going to be active at school. Choose clothes and shoes that are comfortable and durable. Give your child outdoor clothing for all types of weather.
6. Teach the importance of listening. School means being able to listen. Kids need to understand and practise listening, things like: look at who is talking, don’t interrupt, and think about what is being said.
7. Learn at home. Include learning in your child’s everyday life. For example, a child can practise by reading package labels or weighing produce while shopping. Read to your child. Play word or counting games.
8. Develop young muscles. Give your child every opportunity to exercise and develop larger muscles by running, climbing, playing with a ball, etc. Smaller hand muscles can be strengthened with Play-Dough®, pencils, and crayons.
9. Set “at home” ground rules. Figure out priorities for after-school activities, homework, chores, TV time, and video games before the first day of school. This will allow you to agree on a schedule and avoid confrontation later on.
10. Encourage questions. Give your child the confidence to ask questions in all situations. Let your child know that it’s OK to tell the teacher if something is hard to understand.

Let’s not forget the importance of getting enough sleep and eating a healthy breakfast! Should you be looking for a new home for your family, please feel free to contact me. I would love to hear from you!

Reference: http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/abc123/eng/tips/ready.html

Curb appeal is tremendously important to keeping up the value of your home, as well as your neighbourhood. There are so many awesome ideas out there, but here are a few of my favourites:

1) Professionally landscape your yard. Depending on your budget, a lot of this you can easily do yourself. To start, the removal of dead wood, broken branches and pruning of your hedges restores the health and aesthetic appeal of your yard. If you want to stand out from your neighbours, replace a portion of your lawn with flowers. Plant perennials, use landscape stone for a lush landscape that sets your house apart. Planting flowers in raised flower beds or planter boxes, even added pots of flowers, provides a giant boost to your curb appeal.

2) Add big, bold house numbers. It’s so easy to swap out house numbers, and this one thing can make a huge impact. Echo your house style in the numbers you choose — a clean sans serif font for a modern house, aged copper for a Prairie-style home, contrast is to match your trim, etc.

3) Paint the front door. A front door that pops can be very cheering. Paint your front door a tasteful color you like and make it work. It’s all a matter of coordinating the door color with your home’s architecture and the other colors and materials on the house.

4) Add fresh porch furniture and symmetry to decor. Whether it is a set of Adirondack chairs or a cozy glider, is a must when you have a front porch that is visible from the street. Symmetry is not only pleasing to the eye, it’s also the simplest to arrange. Symmetrical compositions of light fixtures and front-door accents create welcoming entryways and boost curb appeal.

5) Repair the driveway and paths. Cement, stone and pavement all can split and crack over time. Repairing or replacing damaged areas can do wonders to freshen up your home’s street view.
Edging the driveway, installing a border adds a crisp, elegant look. Edging materials such as brick, pavers, stones or a combination to bring a boring paving driveway to life.

6) Change the hardware. Add a shiny new door knocker. Gorgeous hardware can make even the plainest door look very classy. Your Mailbox even makes a statement! If your mailbox is rusty and falling apart – consider sprucing it up or getting a new one. Other inexpensive hardware idea is to add brackets to your garage door that turn the most basic garage into an elegant one!

7) Change your lighting. The lighting on your porch may be old, outdated or even broken. A great way to update your curb appeal is to replace the porch lighting with something more modern, or unique to the architecture of your home. At this time you may even consider installing a motion detector which increases the safety to your home. Also installing lighting along your pathway leading up to your home not only increases the safety, but adds a warm and inviting welcome to your front door.

8) Wash your House and Refresh the Paint. Before you scrape any paint or plant more azaleas, wash the dirt, mildew, and general grunge off the outside of your house. You would be surprised as to washing a house can add tremendous value to your home. The most commonly offered curb appeal advice from real estate pros and appraisers is to give the exterior of your home a good paint job. Buyers will instantly notice it, and appraisers will value it.
Consider hiring a professional- getting quotes if it’s a large job. Even refreshing the trims make a huge difference!

9) Regard your roof. The condition of your roof is one of the first things buyers notice and appraisers assess. Missing, curled, or faded shingles add nothing to the look or value of your house. If your neighbors have maintained or replaced their roofs, yours will look especially shabby. You can pay for roof repairs now, or pay for them later in a lower appraisal; appraisers will mark down the value by the cost of the repair. While you are looking at your roof check out the condition of your gutters and eavestroughs, cleaning and checking for any damages.

10) Windows speak volume. If your windows have seen better days, replacing them with up-to-date energy efficient, double pane windows can significantly reduce your heating and cooling bills while adding value and curb appeal to your home.

Some of these things may be more costly than you imagined, but they can have a huge impact on your sales price. Some are simple inexpensive yet can make an impact! If you are wondering which items should be updated, ask a friend to drive to the house and tell you the first thing they think of when they pull up. This will give you an honest assessment and a starting point for your work. If you would like to know how much your home is worth, feel free to call me for a complimentary Market Evaluation. Thank you!

Like many firsts, diving into real estate can be daunting. Whether you are buying or selling there are many processes to consider in order to get the best results. You are ready to make that big step into ownership and your wish list is ready! I would like to share these great tips for first-time home buyers and sellers along with some great questions to ask!

Advice for Buyers

1. The very first thing you need to do in the home-buying process is to sit down with a lender and get pre-approved. This should be done before you start touring any homes.
2. Prepare a list of must haves and stock with it!
3. Remember that you are not just buying the house, but the neighborhood too. Spend some time in the area and see if it offers some of the lifestyle conveniences you’ll need.
4. Don’t see to many houses in one day. You’ll feel overwhelmed and confused after touring several homes. As a practice, good real estate agents will normally limit you to four or five and then let those digest with you before reassessing the search.
5. It’s a great idea to take detailed notes and even take a few photos to help you remember. Too many homes in a short period of time will run together in your mind and you may not remember which kitchen or which master bedroom belonged to which house.
6. As tempted as you may be to max out your budget, try your best no to. Just because your bank approved you for a higher amount, doesn’t mean you have to spend it all. Why? Because you have to pay it all back. You don’t want to go into a first home maxed out.

Advice for Sellers

7. List your home at the right price from the start. Homes that enter the market overpriced usually sit for a long time before receiving any offers. If you want to be competitive and sell quickly, a comparative analysis to determine the right price is essential.
8. Be flexible! When you make homebuyers jump through the hoops to see your house, you’ll turn them off and they’ll move on to the next house. Try your best to accommodate every tour request. You never know which appointment will being an offer.
9. Buyers tour homes with four out of five of their senses: sight, sound, smell and touch. Bad smells in a house can turn off buyers immediately. Be sure to neutralize your home of any bad pet or smoke odors before opening your doors to potential buyers. Even before viewings any strong cooking smells can affect your viewing.
10. Staging your home is super important as well as removing clutter. I recommend removing two-thirds of your personal belongings and furniture for the best staging. Use your garage or storage facility to store your belongings for the time being. Open curtains or drapes to allow maximum natural light in. Move furniture out of walkways and away from windows so the room will feel larger. If your home has dark paint, it’s worthwhile to repaint with a light neutral paint color.

Questions to Ask

• How much are the taxes?

• What are the local schools in the area?

• If buying a condo, how much are the fees? What do they include? How many parking spaces are included?

• Does the home come with a warranty? Can you have this written into the offer?

• If buying in a HOA subdivision, do they permit you to rent out your property?

• How close is the nearest hospital, police station and firehouse?

• How old is the roof and windows?

• Can you see the homeowner and community disclosures prior to making an offer?

In the end, getting the right professional help when looking to buy or sell a home is so important. I consistently demonstrate a true commitment to my clients, making them my #1 priority. I consider Real Estate my lifestyle rather than just a career, and make myself available 7 days a week to all my clients. I am able to succeed in the industry so well because I have mastered the art of working hard, putting my clients first, always going above and beyond for others.  Contact me anytime, I would love to hear from you!

Easter dinner has always been a wonderful time to spend with my family and enjoy our table with joyful spring colors and items of great discussion. Here are some simple fun Easter projects that the kids can do with you, perfect for your Easter décor and sure to be a great hit at the dinner table.

“Egg-speriment” with Easter egg planters!

Easter egg planters are a great way to add a pop of color to your Easter dining table. Get a dozen eggs and crack them at the top. Drain the contents, clean them with water, and put them back in the egg carton. (You can dip them in dye if you’d like to color them. Fill the bottom of each egg with dirt and then fill them with your favorite flowers, succulents or grass. You can place them on your table or anywhere you like. You can keep them in the carton and fill in around them with colored grass. Or, you can place them in a dish or pot of your choosing.

“Egg-citing” Easter Table Runner

Another fun idea you can do with kids is make your table runner for Easter dinner. Here is one that has a vintage look or you can paint with wild colorful colors and trim. Measure the length of your table and cut to size. Take fabric tape (a Bright color would also look great!) and hot glue in between to seal the edges. Make a bunny rabbit stencil and sponge paint directly onto the burlap (again fun colors would be beautiful!) space them apart evenly. Make adorable puffy tails out of white yarn by taking a bundle at 3” wide and tieing them in the middle and sewing them directly onto the burlap bunnies after you have allowed the paint to dry.

“Egg-sotic” Painting for your Easter eggs using Rice!

Ever liked to get that great speckled look to your Easter eggs? Get 3 or 4 small plastic containers with lids. Make sure they are small enough to fit one egg – but large enough to have the lid on. Add a couple table spoons of rice to each container and several drops of food coloring. Depending on the color and amount of rice you may need at least 8 drops. Then place the lid on top and give that container a shake to make your rice is staturated with the food coloring. Then remove the lid and place your boiled egg in the container and put back on the lid. Then give it a shake again! Careful not to shake too hard and when the coverage looks good – the speckled look is done!

“Egg-stroidinary” Placement Name Tags

These egg and nest placecards come together super fast! The supplies are easy to pick up or you may have them on hand! Alphabet stickers can make this project extra fun instead of handwriting the names Start by cutting paper into 1″ by 4″ rectangles. Using the pliers, wind pipecleaners into circles. Each pipecleaner should make two nests. Hot glue the nests onto one end of each placecard. Lay out guests’ names on each card with alphabet stickers. Cut a triangular notch into the end of each card and place a chocolate egg in each nest. In the end, these will look great at an Easter table setting and a sweet treat!

We hope these decorating ideas are “Egg-sactly” what you are looking for fun ideas to do with your family. It is great to find items around the house that can make your Easter dinner table “Egg-ceptional”! If you have other Easter decorating ideas, we would love to hear them! From Sonia’s family to yours…have a wonderful Easter!

One thing I have admired about the Irish is their magical spirit and joyful energy! St. Patrick’s Day has a way of bringing out the Irish in everyone. Whether it’s celebrating at your local pub or simply donning green to ring in the occasion, the holiday has become a fixture for all – Irish heritage notwithstanding.

Our home can also inspire St. Patrick’s Day and ring in the spring! Bright shades of green color are pleasant and fresh. Modern citrus yellow and olive shades of green color look cheerful, warm and sunny. Most of your home decorating accessories and furniture items will look great with stylish shades of green color, creating fresh, relaxing and comfortable room decor for spring.

You can use trendy green paint colors for quick and dramatic room makeover. Green colored home furnishings that you already have in your home help save money on room decorating for St Patrick’s Day and for spring decorating. Irish landscapes, shamrock symbols and St Patrick’s Day food are beautiful inspirations for choosing spring decorating colors and color combinations for your room decor.

Rearrange your green colored home furnishings, move small decorating accessories to different places, use them in a different way for creative room decorating ideas without spending extra money on green spring decorating.

You can use your home furnishings in all colors for St Patrick’s Day and for spring home decorating, adding few green accents to your home color palette.

A green ribbon on your table lamp, green throw on your bed or a green cushion on a living room sofa are simple, inexpensive and pretty spring decorating ideas that symbolize freshness, awaking of the nature and a new beginning.

If you do not have any green colored items for spring decorating, use green food, – sweet peppers, pears, apples, grapes or limes, arrange them on attractive plates, or use shallow baskets and vases, adding beautiful natural accents and aroma to your room decorating in spring.

You do not need to spend money buying new decorating accessories for St Patrick’s Day. If you are not sure how to add green color to your room decorating, St Patrick’s Day food can inspire you.

Think like an interior designer and select a perfect decorating color scheme for St Patrick’s Day or spring home decor. Every interior designer gets an inspiration from ordinary things, then creates an interior of that experience.

Reference:Lush Home/
Food Inspired Decorating

Looking to buy a home or investment property? Whether it’s your first home purchase or your 10^th, it is absolutely recommended to have a property inspection prior to closing the deal.

I know from experience that most of my clients will choose to inspect a property through the services of a qualified home inspector. As both a REALTOR® and a consumer, I could not agree more.

When walking through a home you would love to buy, it’s hard to put aside your emotions and really ‘see’ what kind of shape it’s in. Now that you are buying, it’s time to see everything. Home inspections rarely cost more than a few hundred dollars and their service can save you from unpleasant surprises when you move in. Your offer to buy may be conditional upon a satisfactory home inspection. This is an increasingly standard condition on any resale home. If the seller doesn’t want you closely examining the home before you take possession, you have to wonder why.

Go with a qualified professional

Make sure your inspector is a member of a provincial association of home inspectors. It’s your guarantee they have the training and experience for the job. Your REALTOR® may suggest several home inspection companies to choose from. Make sure your inspector is credited to one of these Associations:

Canadian Association of Home and Property Inspectors

National Association of Certified Home Inspectors

What will they check during the inspection?

Lots of stuff. Plumbing and electrical systems, the roof, visible insulation, walls, ceilings, floors, windows and the integrity of the foundation. They check for nasty stuff like lead paint, asbestos, mold, outdated and dangerous wiring and they’ll look for evidence of pests like mice or termites. A good inspector should make you feel like you’re watching a CSI detective.

Join the inspection

There’s no better way to get familiar with your new home than being part of this checkup. If any problems are detected, you’ll see them firsthand and you’ll also learn some maintenance tips from a genuine pro.

Home inspection for a new home?

New does not equal perfect and construction quality can vary greatly from builder to builder. Repairs and corrections will probably be covered by a provincial new home warranty program, so bad news doesn’t necessarily mean it will cost you.

So, if you are looking to make your next home purchase, please give me a call. I would love to help you through the process and ensure you protect your investment.

Reference:

Alberta Real Estate

Association

Valentine’s Day is one of my favorite days of the year because it exemplifies love, friendship and passion. In my opinion, this is the real meaning of life. I am passionate about my relationships, my business, and above all my family. My family is my world!

There are several stories about who Saint Valentines was: one dates to Roman times, another from the 17th century. In both cases the tradition can be traced to a priest who married young couples in secret. Whatever the true story may be, love is a global phenomenon and Valentine’s Day is celebrated around the world in fascinating and different ways.

Here is how a few countries celebrate Valentine’s Day:

Italy
Of course in Italy, the “Day of Love” is celebrated in classic style with a spring Festival! On Valentine’s day couples get together to enjoy music, poetry and exchange gifts like the “baci perugina,” a box of small hazelnut-filled chocolate “kisses” (baci means “kiss” in Italian). This box will be accompanied with a romantic quote printed in four languages. Also, according to old tradition, the first man a girl sees that day will become her husband and they would be married within a year.

France
Paris, “The city of love” is practically the world capital of Valentine’s Day, as couples from around the globe flock here for the special day. On Valentine’s Day, lovers in France exchange letters and cards, a world-wide tradition that claims its origins in France! History says that the Duke of Orleans, Charles, wrote the first Valentine’s card, because he signed his poem as “Your Valentine”.

China
In China the equivalent of Valentine’s Day is the “Qixi Festival”, which means “The Night of Seven”, and is celebrated usually in early August, on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month. This tradition recalls an old ancestral story that has been passed from generation to generation for centuries.

Tiawan
If flowers are romantic, then Taiwan, which is world famous for its flowers, boasts the most romantic celebration in the world! And they celebrate it twice a year: February 14th and also on July 7th. Here the men are expected to give bouquets of flowers to their beloved one. According to Taiwanese tradition, the color and number of flowers will represent an important message…. red roses will represent “an only love”, ninety-nine roses will express “love forever”, and 108 roses signifies popping “The question”…”Will you marry me?”

Brazil
If you are looking for a huge party, Brazil’s Carnival is often running during all of February or March each year, coinciding with Valentine’s Day. The local equivalent to Valentine’s Day is “Dia dos enamorados” or “Lovers day” and is on June 12th. Brazilians love to exchange chocolates, flowers, cards etc… but in addition, musical performances are held throughout cities and towns, bringing together couples and families from all elements of society. Brazilians also celebrate “Saint Anthony’s Day,” which commemorates the patron saint of marriage.

Chile
Chile is known as “the land of poets”, and it is true that Chileans are really romantic too. The “Dia de San Valentin” is anticipated greatly by lovers. Chileans love to celebrate and Valentine’s Day is a special occasion for couples, who celebrate with true excitement. It’s typical to walk around the city and see decorations all around as shops, malls and streets are beautifully decorated with flowers, balloons, and heart garlands.

No matter where we live – bring Valentine’s Day into your home! Have fun with a new decorative wreath on your front door or stylish heart pillows on your sofa. Take your sweetheart out for dinner to one of our many great local restaurants. How do you celebrate Valentine’s Day? I would love to hear from you!