How to Choose Your Next Neighbourhood

If you’re buying a new home, the neighbourhood you choose can be just as important as the choice of home. Keep in mind that you're not just buying a house, you're investing in a neighbourhood. The two are synonymous so you need to be extra careful in choosing the area you'll be living in. So, how do you choose the right neighbourhood?

Factors to Consider When Evaluating a Neighbourhood
When evaluating a neighbourhood, you should investigate local conditions. Depending on your own particular needs and tastes, some of the following factors may be more important considerations than others:

• Style of homes
• Quality of schools
• Property values
• Traffic
• Crime rate
• Future construction
• Proximity to: Schools, Employment, Hospitals, Shopping, Public transportation, Cultural Activities (museums, concerts, theatres, etc.), Highways, Airports, Beaches, Parks, Stadiums

Neighbourhood Search Strategies
If you’re a first-time buyer with limited financial resources, it’s a wise purchasing strategy to buy a home that meets your primary needs in the best neighbourhood that fits within your price range.

You can maximise your home purchase location by incorporating some of the following strategies into your neighbourhood search:

• Look for communities that are likely to become "hot neighbourhoods" in the coming years. They can often be discovered on the periphery of the most continuously desirable areas.
• Look for a home in a good neighbourhood that is a bit farther out of the city. If commuting is a concern, purchase a home that is close to public transportation.
• Look at the neighbourhood demand by asking us whether multiple offers are being made, whether the gap between the list price and sale price is decreasing, and whether there is active community involvement. You can also drive around neighbourhoods and see how many "sold" signs there are in a particular area.
• Look into purchasing a condominium or co-op, rather than a house, in a desirable neighbourhood. This way, you still may be able to purchase in a prime area that you otherwise could not afford.

Bedroom Makeover with Feng Shui

Feng shui is an ancient and wise approach to the way our environment affects us. The way we feel and the way we act is influenced in large part by the environment that surrounds us. Therefore, by learning how to properly organize what surrounds us, we can improve our lives, and this is what feng shui is all about.

Feng Shui literally means “the way of wind and water”. It is a way of manipulating the universal life force known as chi, so that it flows unobstructed within our bodies, homes and workplaces.

Use these feng shui tips to arrange a safe haven in your bedroom.

1- Remove the TV, computer, exercise equipment, and any other work-related materials. The bedroom is a place for sleeping, relaxing, and sexual healing and should not be cluttered with other items that destroy the good feng shui energy in your bedroom.

2- The bed should be the biggest piece of furniture in the bedroom. It should be easily approachable from both sides to balance the flow of energy. It must have two bedside tables (one on each side), and a solid headboard. Choose the mattress wisely and invest in the one that will promote the best sleep and relaxation.

To allow for a balanced feng shui energy flow under the bed, you need to have your bed at a reasonable height above the floor level. Beds that have built-in storage drawers underneath are considered bad feng shui beds because the energy needs to circulate around your body when you sleep, which is not possible if the space underneath the bed is blocked.

3- In addition to a good headboard, you always want to have a solid wall behind your bed. When you sleep under a window, your personal energy tends to get weaker in time, as it has neither proper support nor protection. You also need to make sure that the bed is not placed in line with the doors.

4- Make sure there are no heavy or sharp items hanging over your bed. Do not hang a ceiling fan, chandelier, or chimes above your head as this is also considered bad feng shui.

5- Use soft colours to achieve a good feng shui balance in your bedroom. The best colours for the bedroom are the "skin tones", pale-white to rich chocolate brown tones. Avoid rich water (blue) colours.

6- Soft, dim lights are the best for bedrooms. Use a dimmer switch to adjust the level of light in the bedroom. Candles are the best feng shui bedroom lighting, but be sure it does not emit toxic fumes or pose a risk of fire.

7- Keep all the bedroom doors closed at night. This will allow for the best and most nourishing flow of energy to strengthen your health, as well as the health of your relationship.

8- Do not have mirrors reflecting or behind your bed. Mirrors bring the energy of the feng shui element of water, and a strong feng shui water element in the bedroom attracts the energy of sorrow, which can weaken your energy when you sleep. Try to reposition the mirror or cover it with a nice fabric.

9- Open the windows often to keep the air fresh and full of oxygen. You cannot have good feng shui in your bedroom if the air you breathe in is stale and full of pollutants.

10- Plants in the bedroom are not good feng shui, unless your bedroom is fairly large and the plants are located far from the bed.
A comfortable bedroom promotes a harmonious flow of nourishing and sensual energy, which excites and calms you at the same time. Creating a balanced and comfortable bedroom is one of the most important things you can do in your home.

How to Make Your Garage Sale Fun and Profitable

Rather than discarding what you no longer use or want, you can hold a yard or garage sale to clear clutter and earn some extra cash. A garage sale can be a profitable and fun way to make sure items you no longer use or want are reused. Holding a garage sale is easy to do, and all it takes is some time, a few organizational skills, and some marketing, and you will be on your way to turning your junk into cash.

The following are some tried-and-true tips for a successful garage sale:

1. Planning
The success of your garage sale depends on how well you organize for this big event. You should prepare yourself several weeks in advance, as you have to sort, clean, test, repair, label and count all items included in the sale. Choose a date that will not conflict with holidays. The weekends are a better choice than weekdays because more people are likely to show up. You should also consult your real estate agent about any pertinent bylaws from your municipality as certain cities control the number and length of garage sales in their area. Ask neighbours if they want to take part in a neighbourhood sale, as this will give your sale a party atmosphere, which will draw larger crowds.

2. Items for Sale
You should display and sell practical household goods, bicycles, children’s toys, clothes, sports equipment and garden tools in your garage sale. All items should be clean, polished, and in good repair. Remember to limit yourself to the sale of used personal items; otherwise, you'll need a permit and GST/PST registration numbers if you are selling new items.

3. Advertising
As the big day approaches, promote your event effectively to attract as many people as possible. Put up posters in your neighbourhood to promote your event and write your address in big letters, and don't forget to include the date and time of your garage sale. Make sure that the poster is legible from 10 to 15 metres away. You could also place a classified ad in your neighbourhood newspaper, distribute flyers to your neighbours, and get your family and friends to help spread the word about your garage sale.

4. Displaying Your Items
Before your event begins, ensure that you display your items attractively in neat and clean surroundings. Place things in categories, as it will look more attractive. Place the more desirable items toward the back so browsers can notice other merchandise on their way to the best items.

5. The Big Day
On the day of your garage sale, put up a big poster with balloons at the end of your street as well as the busiest intersection near your house to attract and direct people. Be ready early because the real garage sale pros tend to be early birds. Mark the price of articles and leave some room for bargaining. Don't be too rigid about the prices because you are having fun while cleaning out your house and garage. Make sure you have change, bags, boxes and tissue paper for fragile items and remember to have an extension cord and batteries to test that certain items are in working order. Use your garage sale as an opportunity to mingle with the neighbours and create a sense of community. Be creative and have fun! Mark the season of spring as your time to clean up your house and discard items that are cluttering the garage and house. Throwing a garage sale will help you do just that while having fun and enjoying a sunny afternoon.

How to Maintain Good Credit

In today’s society, credit is our gateway to purchasing big-ticket items like a home, cars, electronics, and many other daily needs. When you buy something on credit, you are responsible for repaying it under the contract with the lender. If you do not pay the debt according to the terms and agreement, your credit score will be affected. When you have bad credit, you will be denied financing up to 90% of the time because the lender looks at you as a serious risk, which is not good.
 
So, how do you build and maintain good credit?
 
Establish chequing and savings bank accounts
This is the basic step necessary to build credit. Lenders see bank accounts as signs of stability. Opening a chequing and savings account is one of the few things young people can do to start building a financial history. While you can't get a credit card in your own name until you're 18, many banks have no problem letting you open an account.
 
Always pay your bills on time
This is one of the major factors that keeps people from increasing their credit score. When you make a late payment, the lender will mark your credit and this will substantially affect your credit score. Some people do not listen to this and charge more than they can afford. They get caught in a trap that they can never get themselves out of because they can barely afford to pay the payments.
 
Check your credit report regularly
Your credit report is available to you at little or no charge from major credit reporting agencies like TransUnion or Equifax.
 
Your credit report contains all your financial obligations and accounts associated with you. This is what banks, mortgage, credit card, and auto loan companies use when reviewing your application. Every transaction or purchase that you have made shows on your credit report.
 
Check your credit report for inconsistencies, incorrect information or accounts that you do not know about. If there are any corrections that need to be made, follow up with the credit bureaus.
 
Do not spend more than your credit limit 
A limit is set for you so you do not go over it. A creditor looks at you and thinks that you spend beyond your means, and instead of you trying to improve your score, you are hurting it.
 
The best way to avoid going into serious debt or financial trouble is to avoid using credit at all and use cash or your bank account instead. If you are in a situation where it is an emergency use credit, then pay it off immediately. The problem with today’s society is that we spend way more than we make, and this is what gets us all in trouble.

Build a Greenhouse for Early Spring Planting

With spring just around the corner, many homeowners have gardening on their minds. The seed catalogues are well worn from repeated flipping of pages. Seeds have been ordered, and some early bedding plants have been started. Many of us are itching to get outside and start seeding the garden, but it is too early. The days are warming but the nights remain too cold to allow seedlings to survive.

One way out of this dilemma is to build your own portable greenhouse. A simple greenhouse can consists of some wooden frames that are bolted together and assembled in the garden. The greenhouse can be easily dismantled and folded flat for storage. It can be built to any size specifications, depending on your needs. Many home-depot stores sell some preassembled DIY kit that can be put together easily in one afternoon at very reasonable prices.

The floorless greenhouse allows light and heat to enter, but prevents some of the heat from escaping. Thus, the temperature inside the greenhouse increases during the day. The soil over which the greenhouse is placed stores some of this heat. During the night, when the outside temperature is cold, the heat gradually escapes from the soil but the greenhouse holds enough of this heat to prevent frost from damaging the plants inside.

The system works well if the air temperature is not too cold, though additional frost protection can be achieved by using internal and external curtains.

The greenhouse can be set over the garden area in the early spring (March). For best results, the garden should be located in an area that receives full sunlight. As the air temperature builds up inside, any snow covering will melt and the ground will begin to warm. By mid to late March it is often possible to seed directly into the soil "floor" of the greenhouse. Only plants that tolerate a cool growing season, can be seeded early. Warm-season crops such as require much more warmth that this greenhouse can provide.

As the days become warmer, too much heat may build up inside the greenhouse. It is very important not to let this happen, or you might lose your crop. The simplest solution is to leave the greenhouse door partly open to provide ventilation. When the days become quite hot, remove the greenhouse. In September it can be taken out again and placed over the garden patch to extend the growing season.

 

Protecting Your Privacy While Your Home is On the Market

Many people will likely spend considerable time browsing your home while it is on the market. If you are living in the home while it is for sale, your personal things will be on show too, and potential buyers might look through drawers and other items that are inside your home. Your privacy and security may become an issue when showing your home, so it is important to consider all your options before you welcome someone into your home.

For many individuals, protecting their privacy is very important, while others are simply concerned that buyers will make assumptions about them and judge them, rather than simply judging their home. However, the importance of protecting your privacy is the same, and that goes for anything personal, from financial information, such as cheque books, to bank statements and personal letters.

Protect your documents
Keep in mind that a potential buyer may open cabinets or drawers—this is not considered snooping. Buyers can innocently tug on a drawer to inspect its construction or depth and find important documents that you might not intend for anyone to see.

Don't leave mail where anybody can find it
Many sellers make the mistake of leaving piles of opened mail neatly stacked on the kitchen counter or somewhere else in the home. By leaving your correspondence out on the table, a potential buyer can find out about your credit card debt, whether you have filed for bankruptcy, and other private information that you probably don't want the buyer to be aware of. Not only is this an invasion of your privacy, but it can also change the offers that you receive from buyers. If you have a stack of mail from a collection agency, the buyer will know you are desperate to make a sale and will likely propose far under the list price.

Remove personal effects from your walls
From diplomas and religious artifacts to wedding certificates and personal photos, don't provide buyers with any personal information about yourself or your family. De-personalizing is also an important move to make when staging your home for sale anyway, so you can actually accomplish two things by removing the personal effects from your home.

Don't leave your computer up and running during showings
Gaining personal information from your computer takes only minutes for a professional hacker or thief, so be proactive and turn your computer off before potential buyers arrive.

Before you put your home on the market, empty out drawers, stage closets, and pack up anything personal, including medications. Disassociate yourself with your home—remind yourself that it is a house—a product to be sold on an open market that is bound to see plenty of new faces throughout the term of the selling process.

Consider renting a locker at your local bank and storing away your jewelry and other valuable items. It is better to be safe than sorry.

How to Avoid Buyer's Remorse

Buyer's remorse is an emotional response that many homebuyers experience during the course of a real estate transaction. The response can take various forms such as feelings of regret, fear, depression or anxiety. Many doubtful questions may arise: Did I buy the right house? What if I lose my job? What if home prices drop? Did I overpay? Is this really the neighbourhood I want to live in? Can I really afford the mortgage payments?

There are hundreds of questions that will run through your mind during the period leading up to closing: the day you actually become the owner of the home. Most of the questions will be simple ones that are easily answered, but sometimes doubts creep in, making you uncertain if you want to proceed with the purchase.

When you decide to buy a new home, you're forced to step outside your current comfort zone and confront the unknown. Your mind may try to compensate psychologically for feelings of uncertainty by mentally undoing the event. In other words, you may try to talk yourself out of buying your dream home. Add feelings of uncertainty to the fear of making a long-term commitment, and it's easy to understand why homebuyers can suffer from bouts of anxiety.

Here are some tips that can help you battle home buyer’s remorse:

1. Prepare yourself
The best way to cope with buyer’s remorse and minimize its destructiveness is to make sure that you are well-informed. You should find out as much as you can about the home buying process, local home prices and home mortgages.

It's a good idea to study a sample purchase agreement before you buy. Read the contract carefully to make sure that you understand it, and that it says what you think it should. If you have any questions about the purchase agreement, talk to your agent or real estate attorney.

2. Choose the right agent
In order to make sure that the purchase transaction goes smoothly, it is important that you choose the right agent to represent your interests. The right agent will be someone whose experience, knowledge and personality are trustworthy and will allow you to feel comfortable with the whole transaction. Try to find an agent who is familiar and knowledgeable about the neighbourhood and community that you plan to move into.

3. Make sure the property meets your needs
Get out that list of wants and needs you made back when you first started the home shopping process. Does the home you selected include the important features that you want? Provided that you saw a number of homes and thoroughly evaluated what each home had to offer, it’s likely that the house you’re about to buy is the best choice for you.

4. Is the price right?
Feeling certain about the price you are paying for a home is one of the most important factors that can reduce uncertainty and increase your comfort level. If your agent didn't prepare a comparative market analysis for you on the home you are buying, have him or her prepare one for you now.

5. Consider the resale value
As you look at houses in a particular area, think about what all of the houses have in common. Most neighbourhoods are usually built at the same time by the same construction company and will have similar floor plans and similar amenities (excluding possible owner upgrades). Before you consider buying the house with the most upgrades, consider whether or not you want to tackle a remodel. Don’t just consider the cost of the remodel, but also think about the amount of time and headache you can handle. No remodel goes smoothly! If a house with a newer kitchen costs $20,000 more than a house with an older kitchen, and you do not have the time to renovate, it may still be worth buying the house with the new kitchen.

6. Ask questions
No one knows the home better than the seller of the property. If you can find out the seller's motivation for selling, you might be able to negotiate a better deal on the house. Try to find out the last time service was performed on the roof, furnace, plumbing and water heating system. Asking the right questions upfront can end up saving you a lot of money in the long run.

7. Get a home inspection
Save yourself a lot of time in future litigation and renovation by bringing in a licensed, professional home inspector to inspect the home before you buy. If any major problems are found, it will steer you away from a bad decision and/or it will help you negotiate a better price at the negotiating table.

8. Review your finances
You may want to review your finances to confirm that you can afford to make the purchase. Your feelings of remorse are probably unfounded, so the more rational things you can do to put your decision into the proper perspective, the better.

9. Discuss your concerns with your agent
Your agent has seen plenty of cases of home buyer’s remorse, and he or she can help put your fears and doubts into perspective.

Remorse is a common feeling during the home-buying process. Following the above tips will help you make an educated decision and reduce any remorse you may have.