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.