Sonia's Real Estate Blog

It’s official! Summer is here! If you’re like me, you love to make the best of our fabulous summers because, as we all no, they always seem to be much too short. Here’s a top 10 list of great things to do in Sherwood Park!

This past Saturday marked the second annual Strathcona County SAFFRON (Sexual Assault) Centre Walk and Fun Run, which I was very honoured to sponsor and participate in along with my family. This Sherwood Park event was a chance for our community to come together to raise money for an excellent local organization, with all of the funding going directly to support victims of sexual assault, abuse and sexual violence, as well as their families.

This is an important cause in our community and one that I’m very proud to support. We were very thankful for the amazing weather we had on Saturday and for all the great people in our community who came out and walked and ran. They would have come out rain or shine, but it was nice to have a beautiful spring day!

Thank you to the SAFFRON Centre for hosting this event and for all the work they do for Strathcona County residents. Let’s hope that together we can help stop this horrific thing from happening to anyone!

Warm 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

Still looking for ideas to keep your family busy this summer? Here are a few awesome ideas that your family will love! Whether it’s an indoor or an outdoor activity, be sure to check these out!

Summer in Sherwood Park
http://www.strathcona.ca/departments/recreation-parks-and-culture/activities-and-schedules/

100 Things to do with kids this Summer
http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2012/05/100-things-to-do-with-kids-this-summer.html

Cooking with your kids this Summer
http://www.bettycrocker.com/how-to/tipslibrary/cooking-tips/summer-cooking-with-kids

Sherwood Park Spray Decks

Check these out along with the new Spray Park and Playground sponsored by Re/Max Elite
http://www.strathcona.ca/departments/recreation-parks-and-culture/parks-trails-sports-venues/spray-decks/

If you are looking to move before the kids get back to school, give me a call, (780) 707-6015 or send me an email soniatarabay@remax.net. I would love to help you! Happy Summer everyone!

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!