All Blog Entries by Justin Havre

Homeowners trying to select the right type of flooring for their home have an important decision to make. Knowing the differences between all the different types of flooring, as well as the pros and cons of each, can help make this decision easier. Taking into account a variety of factors including durability, maintenance, appearance, environmental impact and personal preference can help ensure that the homeowner will choose a type of flooring that is right for their home.

The Value of Tile Flooring

Tile can be made from a variety of materials including stone, fired clay and glass. Tile comes in a variety of colours and can even be made to look similar to other types of flooring, like hardwood. Tile is most often installed in rooms like the

Whether you prefer the suburbs, living in the city or you're not sure what you prefer, it's important to find the right place to call home. Calgary has plenty of great suburban and urban areas to choose from. Here are a few things to consider before home shopping.

Lifestyle

Living in the downtown area provides a different type of lifestyle compared to suburban living. If you enjoy eating out, heading to the newest bars and grabbing a cup of Joe at a hot cafe, urban living may be the right choice for you. However, families tend to choose suburban living for the outdoor activities and open green space.

Of course, urban living also comes with the noise of downtown, while suburban living provides a quieter environment. Those without a vehicle

Buying a home at a bargain so you can fix it up could be the culmination of a lifelong dream, or it could be a nightmare. Though the idea of buying a home affordably and having the opportunity to make upgrades that will best suit the buyer's dream may seem like a dream come true, buyers may inadvertently purchase a money pit that offers up disaster after disaster and only succeeds in frustrating the owner. With the answers to these four questions, you will know if you are ready to buy a fixer-upper, and how to spot a good deal.

How to Ensure the Fixer Upper is a Good Investment

The best way to approach buying a fixer-upper is to look at each property individually and make a decision based on that home alone, be it in North Calgary or

When it comes to fitness, it’s important to join a gym with a positive mindset and a community that believes in progression, no matter where you start in terms of skill. If you’re looking for a new gym in Calgary, try one of these fitness centers to begin improving your health and find out if one is right for you. 

Dunnebells

First one up is actually a virtual trainer based here on Calgary. Lucy Dunne is an online personal trainer with a program/app designed to help women get strong, build healthy habits and hit their body goals surrounded by the best community out there. She is one of a kind and highly recommended for women that want to be get fit but either don't have the time or do not like gyms.

Goodlife Fitness Centre

In the

It’s that time of the year again in Calgary when the warm weather is begging you to head outside to do some yard work, some exterior work on your home and to clean out your garage. It's been a long winter and the dust has finally settled from it. With all of the beautiful weather that has arrived you'll feel great pulling the stuff out of your garage, giving it a good cleaning and organizing, and perhaps finding some items that can be used for an upcoming summer garage sale.

Take Inventory

Pull everything out and take a total inventory of what you have stored in your garage. When you actually confront pulling everything out, you can actually see for yourself what you have been hiding back in the corners of your garage that you haven't used

The right Altador Calgary home security system will vary depending on where a person lives and what they're hoping to protect. There is no way to eliminate every possible disaster, but researching the different types of systems can make it easier to determine which one will benefit you and your family the most.

The DIY Approach

Some homeowners choose not to invest in any type of formal security system. Instead, they'll take basic precautions that amount to a DIY system. Here are just a few tactics homeowners can try:

• Putting lights on timers: This simple solution is both easy to do and inexpensive. It can cast doubt on whether or not a homeowner is actually in the house, making it more difficult for criminals to target the property.

Calgary is fully of great outdoor activities including plenty of hiking trails. If you want to find the right trail for your next hiking trip, you need to know where to go. Here are a few of the best trails throughout the area.

Old Castle Lookout

Take the trail to the Castle Lookout for a view that won’t disappoint. It is a fairly easy trail at first that turns a bit more difficult towards the end. Stay with it and you will be rewarded with a view from the base of Castle Lookout, which also serves as a great place to picnic.

Nose Hill Park

Home to many different hiking trails and plenty of off-leash areas for your pets, this park is one of the best in the city. It's located off 14 Street NW and provides a great environment for those

Moving to Calgary is a big decision, especially if you're coming from another province or country. This is a very popular, growing area found in Alberta and provides a number of great features. However, before you make the move, there are a few things to consider.

Questions you should ask yourself before moving include:

• Which neighbourhoods are the best choices for you in Calgary?
• What do you value most about your current home?
• How large of a home do you need when you move?
• Where do you expect to be in five years, ten years or even fifteen years?
• Will you be working in the city or searching for a job once you arrive?
• What do you and your family enjoy for recreation?
• Are quality public or private schools important to you?

Are you in the market for a new home this spring? If so, it's a great time to purchase a property due to the low interest rates. If you're like most borrowers, however, you don't pay a lot of attention to the mortgage rates posted since you know that this may not be the exact amount you'll be paying. These posted rates do matter though and it's important that you understand why.

For informational purposes only. Always consult with a financial advisor before proceeding with any real estate transaction.

Should You Get a Variable-Rate or a Fixed-Rate Mortgage?

If you are looking for a mortgage with a variable rate, you may still have to meet the standards for the posted higher fixed rate to qualify. This is due to the fact that the Canadian

Once it’s taken root in a home, mould can be a destructive force that can slowly kill the people who live there. All homeowners should know the signs of mould growth and where to look for it in their home so they can catch it before it can become an infestation - or before they put their home on the market to sell. However, many people don’t notice the signs of mould until it’s too late. To prevent that, here are what all homeowner should be looking for and why finding mould before it can spread is so important.

How To Identify Mould

Identifying mould in a home can be tricky because it can take on so many different appearances that can often look like small, benign messes. For instance, here are some of the different shapes mould can have: