It began with a couple looking to relocate but didn't find what they were looking after viewing several homes. As the saying goes, "things happen for a reason." They broke up and a short time later, had to sell the home they lived in.This story is just one thing to be cautionary about when living together and real estate is involved. Luckily, the house sold and in the end, all parties signed and moved on with their individual lives. 01/03/2023

There are just some clients that make a mark on you and this couple who lived in their home for 40 years in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia and will forever be one of my favourites.They called me to view a condo in Dartmouth I had listed and after picking them up, discovered in the conversation that they had listed their property the year prior with another agent and it didn't sell.After viewing the condo, they invited me into their home to give them ideas of what they can do to improve their chance to sell in a very strong buyer's market.The video tells the story but in short, the journey was a lot of work for us both but successfully sold quickly. They were moved into their condo purchase within a couple of months. 12/29/2022

I've had the privilege of helping some pretty great people get where they want to go. This video, I share a a story of a really great young couple just starting out. They first contacted me one year prior to actively buying to set up a plan and five years later, they have increased their home's value by more than $300,000 with work, dedication and really great choices in improvements... all paid with cash! Amazing! Now a family of four and set for the rest of their lives. I'm so incredibly thankful for this experience and journey they invited me on.  12/28/2022

The market here in Halifax, Nova Scotia has continued its pattern as with previous months this year so I thought it would be interesting to see how this market compared to 2015. It was a strong Buyer's market and the surprise was how the median value for condos was higher than single family homes. It's no longer the case because we have a lot more condos that were built since. The increase in median values was a surprise too! Where else can you make $300,000 return on investment in just 7 years than real estate??!! 12/05/2022

Moving can be an expensive ordeal. Costs can add up fast and cause stress when money gets tight. Start preparing early. Before you begin, make a moving checklist that you can follow and adjust as needed while planning your move. Learn to move more affordably with some of these budget-conscious guidelines, even if you are going a distance.DeclutterMake it a family project, or get friends to help you sort through small and big items. Decide what to discard, donate, or sell. Garage sales, online apps, and social media are some avenues to merchandise your unwanted wares. Otherwise, you can arrange for pick up or take items to your township’s disposal system. You may also contact a charitable organization that can use your items.Use Household Items as Packing MaterialsWhy buy expensive bubbl... 12/01/2022

I love hot water baseboard heat and in Nova Scotia, you'll find many homes here that have it. It's an efficient heat and before the price of oil jumped, it used to be economical. Electric baseboard heat is still the most expensive and provides a dry heat so for some, they'll need to get humidifiers and/or install ductless heatpumps.On to hot water baseboard heating; it's a wonderful warm heat unlike electric  but there are some things you need to know; especially if you want to travel in Winter time.This short video provides a basic understanding so you'll need to call a professional if you want to know specific information about your case scenario.   11/20/2022

If you do not live in a warm, tropical climate, the fall months are the best time to get your home ready for freezing temperatures, snowstorms, and icy conditions that lie ahead in the wintertime. Without the proper care and adherence to a maintenance routine, your living space and appliances are prone to damage that can lead to considerable costs for repair and high energy bills.Protect your home and property by reserving some autumn weekends to check the interior and exterior space for proper drainage, protection from winds, and insulation from the cold. You also want to ascertain that all your heating appliances are in tip-top shape. Here is a checklist to help you get through your maintenance schedule in time for the onset of old man winter.INSULATE PIPES. Pipes that run along unhea... 11/14/2022

We all know our world is full of germs, but it’s likely you don’t really know what’s hanging out on your electronic devices. In fact, you probably don’t want to know. These devices carry and spread germs like nobody’s business, so it’s time to get scrubbing. Below, we give you safe and effective ways to clean the various gadgets you use in and around your home every day.Cleaning Supplies Microfiber cloths Cotton swabs Distilled water Isopropyl alcohol Dish soap Compressed air  Tablets And SmartphonesLike everyone else, you’ve probably taken your tablet or phone into the bathroom with you. No need to be embarrassed. You need something to do while in there, right? Unfortunately, it’s these trips to the bathroom that leave your gadgets filthy – like get-you-sick filthy. To deep-clean your ... 11/02/2022

Painting can be a great way to customize your house and make it into a home. Whether you’re just adding a splash of color or redoing entire rooms to match your favorites, a fresh coat of paint is a great way to take a home that you bought and really make it yours. Unfortunately, not everyone is great at picking the best colors for their home. After some unfortunate paint jobs, some homeowners may even wonder why they were allowed to go near a paint store at all. This doesn’t have to be the case, however.There are a number of things that you can do to find paint colors that better match your home. You can pick up paint swatches, get some small cans to test in different colors, or even use software to see how different colors will look in your rooms. The big thing is making sure that you ... 10/27/2022

You’re a homeowner now, you can kiss bland uniformity goodbye the moment you turn your apartment keys over to your now-former landlord. The world is your canvas — at least, that part of the world that you now are obligated to pay a monthly mortgage payment on — and you’re the artist that’ll mold it into a shape that tantalizes and delights the senses.You may have big dreams for that new home but cool your jets. This is a time for careful consideration, not for hastily scribbled modern design notes on cocktail napkins. Although there are certain changes you can make that will update or upgrade your new home, there are others that can potentially devastate its value. This is no small thing.If you thought that ugly entryway light fixture was a real turn-off, just read on to learn about thi... 10/24/2022

Smart home devices give homeowners a lot of control over the way that their homes function, allowing things like lighting control, home security, and even home automation to be as simple as interacting with an app or using voice controls. Depending on the devices used, you can save money and gain greater peace of mind while also having a bit of fun with your home. One thing that isn’t fun, though, is all the work that is sometimes required to set everything up and get it all working together on the same network.The problem is that there are a number of different manufacturers of smart devices, and until recently, they have largely created their own ecosystems. Sure, they all work with Alexa or Google Home, but in order to set them up you have to use the manufacturer’s preferred app and ... 10/20/2022

Having a mouse in the house can be a real pain. The little thing runs around, gets into everything, and generally causes chaos. And that’s just one little mouse. What happens when you have a much larger animal, or a nest of animals, in a harder-to-control area like a chimney?Unfortunately, unwanted animals in chimneys are a pretty common problem for homeowners, especially if the chimney isn’t used often. Some are difficult to evict because they’re very dug in once you notice them, others because there are specific laws about how and when they can be removed.What Kinds of Animals Enter Chimneys?When it comes to chimneys, there are a whole host of creatures that might come inside. Generally, you’re going to encounter animals that aren’t terribly afraid of people and that are either very g... 10/17/2022

We all know the old song and dance: insulate and weatherproof your home to maximize your utility dollars. Filling all the gaps and keeping all the climate-controlled air where it should be is a huge part of creating a home that’s not only comfortable but efficient. Or so we’ve been told. The truth is that there’s another step in the process that many homeowners are overlooking, and it’s both easy to install and inexpensive: a special kind of foil called a radiant barrier.What are Radiant Barriers?Radiant barriers aren’t much to look at. In fact, they pretty much just look like really heavy foil like you’d use on your grill or on top of a casserole dish. But they make up for looks in performance. According to Energy.gov, a website produced by the US Department of Energy, radiant barriers... 10/06/2022

We all knew the market was shifting because we could "feel" it. When looking at the data monthly, the pattern of the most common factors such as, number of sales, days on market, median price, were looking similar to the first and second quarter of 2022. Then taking a look at the year-to-date date for the third quarter, it shows just why it was different.Download the reports here.    10/04/2022

Buying a home can be full of difficult decisions, and as housing prices climb, maybe even more difficult for financial planning. For people looking for a different way to help pay for their mortgage every month, choosing a home with an attached rental unit might just provide the monthly bump that makes that payment a little easier to accomplish.What Is an Attached Rental Unit?An attached rental unit formally called an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU), is typically a smaller living space adjacent to the main home. It might be a tiny house in the backyard or something more like self-contained mother-in-law quarters attached to the house. It can even be a small apartment over the garage. There aren’t a lot of rules about what an ADU has to be, except that it should be fully autonomous.The rea... 10/03/2022

There are a number of unpleasant smells that can occur in your home. Sometimes they’re temporary bouts of unpleasantness, and other times they stick around. A lot of smells and odors can seem manageable since even lingering mustiness or other odors can kind of fade over time as you get used to them. Unfortunately, just because you’ve gone somewhat “nose blind” to those smells doesn’t mean that other people have, and that can be a major problem if you’re listing your home for sale.If you’re trying to entice people to be interested in your home, you need to make sure that the first thing they smell when walking in the door isn’t some awful smell that you’ve just gotten used to. Unfortunately, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution to bringing the smell of your home around to work to you... 09/28/2022

HIGHLIGHTED ARTICLE September 14, 2022 - StoreysPandemic home buyers did not panic buy, Canadian survey findsSeptember 1, 2022 – Living RoomHome renovations that could be worth doing before selling CONSUMER NEWS September 1, 2022 - Globe and MailExpensive house? Get it to help pay for itselfSeptember 15, 2022 – Living RoomUpcoming fall décor trends for your homeSeptember 14, 2022 - CBC N.S.Nova Scotia Power defends pace of going green at rate increase hearingSeptember 14, 2022 - Canadian Mortgage ProfessionalShould the mortgage stress test be changed?September 14, 2022 - StoreysAs rates go up, is a variable or fixed-rate mortgage better?September 13, 2022 - HuddleN.S.’s tiny home industry is growing but the path to ownership is unclearSeptember 13, 2022 – Living RoomWhere Canadians are ... 09/28/2022

Growing a garden is the ultimate act of faith. After all, you never know if your plants will thrive or if they will cease to be long before reaching their full potential. Hopefully, with diligent care, and a little luck, your plants will grow big, strong, and glorious. When it comes to growing climbing plants (often referred to as “vines,” “climbers,” or “lianas”), two of the most important parts of their success are having the right kinds of things to climb and the right help to get started on their way up. What Is a Climbing Plant? The term “climbing plant” is kind of a giant catch-all term that includes a range of plants with long, flexible stems, and some mechanism that allows them to reach great heights in their native environments. However, some climbing plants will also just bec... 09/22/2022

Your home’s HVAC system works hard throughout the year. Unfortunately, this can cause it to experience problems over time, often at a time when you’d really rather it not fail on you. This is why yearly maintenance and inspections are recommended since a little bit of attention now can save you many problems (and money) later on.There’s more that you can do to help your HVAC system stay in good working order than just having it inspected and maintained, though. One of the big things that you can do to help keeps your ductwork clean. This helps to prevent blocked airflow, keeps dust and other particles from being recirculated into the air, and overall reduces the strain on your HVAC unit as it tries to push air through the entire ductwork system. If you’ve never cleaned your ductwork bef... 09/20/2022

When natural disasters hit, the effects are typically much more significant than you might first suspect. Sure, there is the immediate impact and potentially some damage resulting directly from that, but in most cases, there is also a significant amount of clean-up and recovery that’s required afterward. This is especially true in instances of flooding where it can take weeks if not months or longer to get everything dried out and cleaned up.So what should you do if your home is hit by flood waters? There are a lot of potential answers to this question, depending in large part on how severe the flooding was where you live. After all, getting some water in your house or basement is a much different situation than heavy flooding that damaged your foundation or broke windows and damaged wa... 09/12/2022