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Have you ever driven up to a restaurant and your first impression was disappointing? Perhaps the windows looked dark and gloomy, the façade was worn and unattractive or for some other reason it just didn’t look like a tempting place to eat. It could still be a fantastic restaurant – a real gem. But, your first impression has soured…

Imagine you’re viewing a potential new home. You walk in the front door and are instantly impressed. You explore the property room by room and like what you see. Then there’s something you notice that’s not quite right. An odour. You realize that it’s likely cat dander and, now that you’ve identified it, you smell it everywhere. Suddenly the…

You would have to visit your local pharmacy or science lab to rival the number of potentially dangerous chemicals in the average home. You likely store everything from fertilizers and acidic cleaners to gasoline and corrosive drain openers. Obviously, it makes sense to ensure that everyone in your home uses and stores such items safely. For example, laundry detergent…

“Staging” your home is all about making the space in your home as appealing as possible to buyers. You may already know the basics, such as eliminating clutter. Here are some other tips that are less well known yet very effective: • Chandeliers. Surprisingly, these are one of the simplest ways to make a foyer, dining room or living…

Tis the season … but is December a good time to sell your house? You be the judge. December: A good time to sell your home? The arrival of December usually means a dip in the housing market. However, sellers shouldn’t see this as a bad time to sell their home. On the contrary, December…

The urge to garden in early spring is primal. Re-connecting with the earth is affirming, renewing, promising. Waking up the garden to a new growing season is about more than soil and seedlings…this rite of spring is a tonic to the gardener as well. A few early preparations for the spring gardening season will bring benefits…

Spring is right around the corner, and for most home owners it’s an exciting time to get your home ready. In the winter time, many portions of your home are neglected or aren’t used as often because of home owners staying inside their homes. From the interiors of your home to the exterior, getting your…

Sometimes a lick of paint and tidying up around a house might be enough to sell a property. But not always. A bit of thought into what extras you can add to your home can make all the difference to prospective buyers. http://www.thechronicleherald.ca/homesnews/579615-sweeten-the-deal

While “no shirts/no shoes/no service” might be the rule in retail, at home the “no shoes” rule means shoes are not to be worn in the home. Practically speaking, how does this rule play out? Some homeowners resort to keeping most shoes in the garage (cold, and who know what may have crawled into the…

Our next door neighbors have a wonderful 2-story home with a big bonus room over the garage turned into a kids’ playroom.  For their two elementary-school age boys, the playroom is perfect…4 to 5 months out of the year.  In the summer, it’s unbearably hot.  And in the winter, when kids need a place to…