IXACT Feeds

There are many reasons why the air quality in your home may not be at its best. A faulty furnace or an aged carpet are just two potential culprits. Until you get those issues addressed, how can you make your indoor air healthier – today?
Here are some ideas:

Check the furnace filter. This is one of the most overlooked maintenance items in the home. Any furnace repair person can tell you stories about filters they’ve seen caked in dust. Make sure those aren’t yours. Air passes through those filters before circulating throughout your home. Replacing a filter takes less than five minutes.

Clean the drains. Drains are a surprisingly common source of smells in the home. Most people only clean them when they’re clogged, but they should be flushed thoroughly with a good-quality cleaner at least once a season.

Turn on the bathroom fan. Not only do bathroom fans remove smells, they also reduce moisture build-up. About 50% of air pollutants originate from some type of moisture. Mould is the worst of these pollutants. Professionals recommend you keep your bathroom fan on for at least 30 minutes after a shower.

Clean your doormat. Even if your doormat doesn’t smell, it can be a source of air pollutants. When people wipe their shoes, they transfer outside ground pollutants from their shoes to your mat.

Of course, you can always open a window. That’s the most popular and easiest way to freshen the air, and it works.

When the time comes to sell your house, you’ll want to determine roughly how much you can expect to net after the sale. To figure that out, you’ll not only need to know how much your house will likely sell for, but also the selling costs you are likely to incur in the process.
The costs of selling vary depending on a number of factors. Here’s a general rundown of what to consider:

• Repairs. You will want your house to look its best to buyers. That may require you to get any needed repairs done before listing. You don’t want a buyer to see a dent in the wall or a dripping faucet.
• Renovations. It might make sense to get a few improvements done to make the house more attractive. For example, you may want to replace old and worn kitchen countertops.
• Legal fees. Selling a house requires a lot of legal work. You’ll need a good real estate lawyer to take care of that for you.
• Commissions. This is usually calculated as a percentage of the sale price.
• Moving costs. Once you sell, you’ll obviously need to move! So, factoring in this expense is a smart idea.

Although this may seem like a long list, selling costs are fairly easy to estimate. Once you have that number, it’s easy to calculate how much money you’ll have available to put towards your next home.

Recently, researchers discovered that the lighting in your home can have a much greater impact on your health and well-being than originally thought. Better lighting can boost your energy, help you sleep better, and even enhance healing.
So, it pays to make sure the lighting in your home has a positive impact on the health of your family.

Start by enhancing sources of natural light, such as windows and skylights. Study each room of your home and replace as much of the artificial light as possible with sunlight. For example, reposition a favourite reading chair next to a window.

Consider dimming the lighting in your home during the evenings. If your home is very bright when it’s dark outside, it can affect your body’s natural rhythms, resulting in disturbed sleep.

Avoid over-lighting, which is common in rooms where there are few windows. Over time, excessive light can cause headaches and even mood changes. Lighting that is sufficient to see everything clearly is all you need.

There’s a famous saying in the real estate business: “Location, location, location”. It simply means that where your home is located – your community – is just as important to potential buyers as the features of the property itself.
Sellers often make the mistake of creating a long list of home features while ignoring community features. They tout the spacious kitchen, and the newly renovated bathrooms, but say little about the area.

So, when you’re ready to sell your home, sit down and create two lists: home features and community features. Buyers want to know both.

On the community features list, include:

• Locations of schools and daycares.
• Major retailers and shopping areas.
• Proximity to major commuting routes.
• Theatres, night clubs and other entertainment.
• Rinks, gyms and other sporting facilities.
• Green space, walking trails, and ponds.

When buyers have their eyes on two properties which are comparable in features, the community is often the deciding factor.

This is a good time to visually check of all your utilities, fixtures and appliances to make sure they are not using expensive energy and resources inefficiently.
Start with the faucets. Ensure they don’t drip when closed. If they do, replace the washers (or in the case of washerless units, the valve cartridges).

Next, check that your toilets don’t leak. To check for leaks, pour coloured liquid bowl cleaner into the tank, then wait several hours to see if it appears in the bowl without flushing. If it does, you likely have a leak, and may need to replace the stopper in the bottom of the tank.

Then, make sure your hot water tank and/or pipes are not sweating. While you’re at it, consider turning down the tank thermostat by a couple of degrees – chances are you won’t notice a difference, except hopefully on your energy bill.

Finally, check that windows and doors are not drafty. If they are, consider caulking, repairing or replacing them.

When it comes to “staging” your home for sale – which basically means ensuring it looks clean and uncluttered – you probably already know the basics: clean the counters, vacuum the floors, mow the lawn, etc.
But there are also some less obvious home staging tips that can help to sell your property faster and for a higher price. Here are a few examples.

The Kitchen
Obvious: The stove, sinks and countertops should be spotless.
Not-so-obvious: The contents of your cabinets and refrigerator should be facing forward.

The Bathrooms
Obvious: They should be clean and uncluttered. Have fresh towels hanging neatly on the rack. (Create the “hotel bathroom” look.)
Not-so-obvious: All towels should match. Ensure toilet lids are closed.

Your Bedroom
Obvious: Make the bed neatly. Check that the closet is organized and uncluttered. (If your closet is bulging with clothes, put some in storage.)
Not-so-obvious: Don’t leave any clothes out. Even clean clothes neatly folded in a hamper can seem untidy to some people.

The Kids’ Bedrooms
Obvious: They need to be clean and uncluttered. (Good luck!)
Not-so-obvious: Arrange stuffed animals, games and other toys like an attractive display in a toy store. It’s okay to have a toy, like a racetrack, out of the box. Just make sure it’s completely put together.

What kind of stool is most likely to keep you from toppling over when you sit on it? Of course, two-legged stools won’t even stand on their own. Three-legged stools are okay, but still unstable. Four-legged stools are rock solid.
What does this have to do with shopping for a new home?

Well, if you want to find the right home quickly and for the best price, you need to have four things in place – the four legs of the stool. They will help ensure the experience goes smoothly.

The first leg is your wish list. You need to have a clear picture of the type of home you want. How many bedrooms? A large deck? Don’t forget about the community. Do you need to be close to major highways for ease of commuting?

The second leg is a pre-approved mortgage. Getting the financing handled upfront takes the guesswork out of what you can afford. And, sellers are more likely to take any offers you make more seriously.

The third leg is realistic expectations. Of homes that sell, 99% sell at or near their current market values. That doesn’t mean you can’t find a good deal. It does mean you’re unlikely to find a “steal”. Fortunately, there are likely several wonderful properties available within your price range.

The final leg of the stool is a great real estate professional. Choosing the right real estate professional is crucial to making your home shopping experience less stressful and more productive.

So, when you’re hunting for a new home, make sure you start with a stable “four-legged stool”. It will dramatically increase your chances of finding a home that fits your needs and budget.

Need help with that? Call today.

You’re standing by your window admiring the view. Then you notice it. Moisture has built up around the edges of the glass. Should you worry?
It all depends on the reason for the build up.

Assuming you have traditional double-pane glass in your windows, there are a few things to look for if you notice moisture.

Often, moisture at the bottom of your windows is simply caused by too much humidity in your indoor air. If that’s the case, simply adjust your humidifier.

If the moisture is on the outside of the window, typically there’s also no problem with the window itself. It may have rained recently, or the outside humidity may have spiked causing the accumulation. Generally, there’s no reason for concern.

However, if the moisture is in between the two panes of glass, the seal has broken and surrounding air – along with its water content – has made its way in. This disrupts the thermal barrier of the window, reducing its energy efficiency. In fact, the glass might feel noticeably colder than your other windows on chilly days. In that case, you’ll need to replace the pane.

Similarly, if the moisture is coming in through only one spot – the bottom right corner for example – then you might have a leak. If you have a wood frame or sill, you may also notice a growing water stain. It’s important to get leaks fixed quickly. There may be water damage occurring within the frame that you cannot see.

You turn on the television and watch a news story about housing prices going down. Then you read an article about the housing market on the upswing again.

It’s a little like being on a roller-coaster ride!

Unfortunately, the ride isn’t much fun if you’re thinking of buying or selling a home. In fact, it can be very confusing and frustrating. You just don’t know if “now” is the right time to make a move.

In reality, the housing market has been fluctuating for decades. Yet, people sell their homes every day for good prices, and just as many people get into their next dream home affordably.

When you hear news of market fluctuations, there are two important things to consider.

First, a lot of media information about the housing market is national, or at least regional. If the housing market is trending up or down nationally, remember that it doesn’t necessarily mean that your LOCAL market is doing the same. In fact, it’s entirely possible for housing prices to be rising in your neighbourhood, while they are falling nationally, and vice versa.

Second, if you’re selling your current property while buying another home, then the net effect of market fluctuations may cancel out. Say, for example, that the local market is on the upswing. You’ll probably be able to sell your current home for a good price. However, the home you purchase will likely also be priced to reflect the upswing. The same holds true when the market is down.

All that being said, there are some circumstances in which you need to consider market fluctuations when deciding whether or not to make a move. Call today for more information.

Fast forward a few years and imagine that your kids have grown up. They’ve come back to the “old neighborhood” to reminisce. What will they remember? The playground where they hung out with their friends? The quiet cul-de-sac where they learned to ride their bikes? The park where they picnicked and flew kites?
Lasting memories are built in neighborhoods where amenities match lifestyles. When shopping for a new home, evaluate a prospective new neighborhood against the following 3 E’s:

Education: What resources are available in the neighborhood to help with your child’s education? Are there schools and other services, such as libraries or art studios? How do they rate?

Environment: Is it safe? Do your kids need to cross busy streets to go to parks or to school? Are there other families with kids the same age?

Entertainment: Swimmers need pools and soccer players need a field. Are the right facilities, programs, and leagues available for your kids? Where will you play as a family?

Keep the 3 E’s in mind when choosing your next neighborhood. You’ll start a lifetime of wonderful memories for you – and your kids.