Thinking of buying a home with a suite and renting it out? This can be a great idea to not only offset the cost of home expenses but can also potentially help with qualifying for a mortgage. However, it's essential to understand the intricacies and responsibilities that come with a suite. Here are some considerations, from financial implications to legal responsibility to being a landlord.
Spring is the perfect time of year for change and making improvements to your home — something that is especially important if you have plans to move. Making the most of this valuable asset is the best way to ensure you get the best returns and are able to move into your next dream home with ease.
While there are extensive (and expensive) renovations that you can undertake, there are also a number of simple smaller changes that will make a tremendous difference to your property. We’ve recently talked about exterior changes in the form of curb appeal, and now we’re going to look at some of the interior changes where you can Do It Yourself.
First impressions count, especially if you are looking to sell your home. We know buyers are guided by emotions, and so much of this can be influenced by what they see before they’ve even stepped foot in your property. Because the exterior of your property is the first thing anyone will notice about your home, it’s important to take the time to showcase your property in the best light!
But curb appeal isn’t just about selling your property — it’s a long term investment that can make a property a more enjoyable place to live, as well as raising the value and appeal of your neighbourhood. It can also often be an inexpensive and relatively simple cosmetic makeover that still has a marked effect on the look and feel of a property, ensuring you create a meaningful and lasting first impression on visitors and prospective buyers.
Selling your property and getting the best return possible is all about appealing to prospective buyers. And a big part of that appeal comes from how you present your home; it’s about showcasing its potential and qualities in the best light possible, ensuring you make the right impression.
This is where staging comes in. Professional staging will usually involve arranging furniture, decorations, and other design elements in a way that is designed to appeal to prospective buyers. Professional staging is an expense, albeit one that will often pay off in terms of increasing the sale value of your home.
However depending on the budget, and your aims and expectations, it may be beneficial to either go the professional route, or to take a more hands on DIY approach. But no matter how you go about it, there are a wide range of benefits when it comes to staging your home for sale, which we’re going to take a look at now.
We’re all spending a lot more time in our homes these days, meaning it’s never been more important to make sure you’ve got your home environment just right for you.
In lieu of being able to do any more involved changes that involve builders and tradesmen and lots of supplies, we’re going to take a look at some of the ways you can give your home a makeover while physical distancing measures are in place. Implement these for you personally to enjoy, or as a precursor to setting up to sell.
As spring comes into full bloom, and we start to look ahead to those glorious summer days of picnics and barbecues, there is no better time to get out into your garden and get in touch with nature than in your own backyard.
Gardening and landscaping aren’t just for the green-thumbed experts, it’s a great way for anyone to make their home a brighter, cleaner, and friendlier place. And to have some fun in the process!
We’re going to share 4 ways and reasons in which we believe gardening and landscaping can improve your home.
Homeowners typically don't think about being a first-time home seller until they decide to buy a new home. Whe the need to move arises because of work, a growing family, or other situations, most of the focus is usually on buying a new house.
But when you stop to think about it, as soon as you need to sell in order to buy a new home, you've become a first-time home seller. Plus, most first-time homeowners don't realize how different selling a home is from buying a home. The process can be daunting and complicated, especially if you don't have a real estate agent on board right from the start.
To help you get a better idea of what to expect, and as a partner to our first-time home buyers guide, we've collected a series of steps and tips that will hopefully make the process of selling your home a little easier.
Often known as "in-law suites" or "granny suites", secondary suites have long been used to house family members in an independent space that's still close at hand. A simple one-bedroom suite can be comfortable and private accommodation for teenagers, university students, or seniors. Aside from benefiting family, secondary suites can provide additional income in the form of rentals, or be converted into a home office or business.
So how do you know if adding a suite to your property is the right move, and how do you get started?
Safe disposal of human waste is a concern of any town or city. Wastewater can contain dangerous pathogens like bacteria and viruses (such as hepatitis, salmonella, E. coli, and cholera), and elements like nitrogen and phosphates which can harm wildlife and local water quality.
Municipal sewer systems and water treatment facilities have a number of ways to counteract these dangers, but what about houses that are off the sewage grid? In the Greater Victoria area, houses without sewer service typically have a septic tank system on their property — which the homeowners are responsible for.
In this post I'll be going over the general workings of a septic tank system, and what you as a homeowner might need to know to keep your tank safe and maintained.
When it's time to move, it always feels like there's a million things to do and not enough time to keep track of them, much less get them done. But if you start the process early enough, keep yourself organized, and have a checklist of items to follow, the process becomes much less overwhelming.
Here is a list of important items to cover before and during a move, including links to change of address forms and tips on how to pack.
