February 2019

A lot of potential home buyers will base their decision on whether they want to view a home based on the outside look of it. First impressions are so important when it comes to real estate so you'll want to make your home look its best at all times. You never know when a potential home buyer may be driving past your house and decide whether or not to add yours to their list of viewings.

Curb Appeal Checklist

In order to find out whether your home passes the curb appeal test stop in front of it when you're driving home one day and take a look at it as a potential buyer would. What is your first impression of the home and would you consider scheduling a viewing based on the outside appearance?

• Is the driveway in good shape? Are there any

When it's time to bring your sweetheart flowers, Calgary offers a number of great florists to choose from. Whether you want to send your mom something special, or you just want to show your spouse you love them, visit one of these local florists and pick out a special bouquet.

Recently Calgary's Avenue Magazine checked out a few local florists that offer special savings and customer perks to keep those new blossoms coming.

Amborella Floral Studio

Some of their best customers live in the communities of Bayview, Pump Hill and Oakridge which are near Glenmore Landing where this lovely flower shop is located. Even since the store opened in this location four years ago, they've been offering flowers left from the week at half price between 3:00

There are so many great climbing and cave attractions near Calgary that it's a shame if you don't try one! There are so many great ways to get outdoors, get active and enjoy a bonding experience with family or friends.

Whether you're seeking rock climbing, caving or a ropes course, you can enjoy these things at locations like Mt. Norquay and Mt. Yamnuska or take lessons with Nakoda Lodge and Yamnuska Mountain Adventures in Canmore. Here is a look at these and more offering ropes courses, climbing and cave attractions near you.

Caving

Have you ever wanted to check out some of the unbelievable cave experiences in the area? Check out Canmore Caverns Ltd, a company that is offering a great cave experience. They'll take you to Rat's Nest Cave

Some home improvements are worth more than others. If you're a homeowner who is thinking about making home improvements in the coming months, choosing your home improvements wisely is important. These four home improvements have low ROI, and may even decrease your home's value.

Turning a Bedroom Into Something Else

Bedrooms add value to homes, so a bedroom conversion that turns a bedroom into an office space, library or recording studio can decrease the value of that home. Homeowners who want to convert their spare bedroom into another room altogether must do so carefully. No matter what the changes, it's important to ensure that someone else could use the space as a bedroom. Homeowners should be wary of making changes like building in office

Experts often say that, when a natural disaster occurs, most problems stem from a failure to prepare more than the disaster itself. Canada is subject to a number of risks, depending on location. Issues can range from flooding to earthquakes to extended isolation due to heavy snowfall. In addition, everyone has the potential to fall prey to smaller disasters like injuries around the home. To stay prepared, homeowners should research which disasters are common in their area and prepare accordingly. By setting aside some supplies in an emergency kit now, the impact of any emergency can be made far less severe. Things that should be in every household emergency kit include:

Food and Water

In the event of certain types of emergencies, families

Although you may think it's a silly question, a lot of people believe in haunted houses and say that they have seen evidence of other beings living with them. Whether you're a believer or not, this may be something to take into consideration when you're selling a home. If you do believe that a house can be haunted, it's something you may have to take into account if you find the home of your dreams! There may be other types of beings inhabiting the property that aren't in human form!

Realtor.com has just released the results of their 2013 Haunted House Report and the results were very interesting. It turns out that approximately 35% of the respondents have lived in a house that they believe was haunted.

How Many People Would Buy A Haunted

Understanding the different types of housing styles throughout Calgary is necessary if you want to buy a home here. There are plenty of great styles throughout from a Tudor to a more modern style. Here are some of the most iconic home styles found throughout Calgary.

Craftsman-Style Bungalow

This type of house is very much an American Style from Greene and Greene architects who called their millionaire chalets ‘bungalows'. In their heyday, bungalows were prized for artistic naturalism and exotic looks. The style is also inspired by the English Arts and Crafts movement due to the design's vernacular architecture that melds into its natural setting.

Bungalows typically nestle into the site, low and spreading, so they are aesthetically

In nearly all cases, having a smoker in the house will make it more difficult to sell. The smell of stale tobacco is difficult to remove and turns off non-smoking buyers. On top of this, there are even health concerns related to re-emission of nicotine and tar from surfaces which have previously absorbed them.

The bottom line is that, if left untreated, it will likely take longer to sell a smoker's home, and you may well have to settle for a lower price to do so.

Steps Before a Showing

Whenever you show your home, you want to present it in the best possible light. The last thing you want is the smell of smoke hitting your buyers as they enter the front door. There's several ways to combat this situation:

• Stop smoking indoors:

A bathroom renovation is a perennially popular home improvement project, no matter if it's a luxury transformation of the master bath, a functional update for a hardworking family bathroom, or a cosmetic redo of a tiny powder room. Decision-making cam be difficult though, whether it's a DIY project or you work with a professional design and construction team.

The dilemma often centers around balancing budget and design, and the necessity to assure that high style will also bring a high return on investment. A 2018 poll reported that while nearly half of Canadian homeowners contemplated renovating their homes during the year, actual spending was estimated to decrease by about seven percent from levels spent on updates during the previous year.

Finding the right insulation isn't just a smart move for responsible homeowners who want to cut down on their heating and cooling bills, it's also one of the best ways to increase the resale value of the home.

When it comes to choosing the right insulation for the home, owners need to find quality materials that can handle the constantly fluctuating temperatures. However, they also need to consider the ventilation of the home as too much insulation can potentially interfere with the airflow. Learn more about how to strike the right balance.

Get an Energy Audit

The first step for a homeowner is to order an energy audit to see where they may be losing warm or cool air from the home. Most homeowners will only get this done if they notice the