Having a finished basement is a great addition for just about any house. It can give you a place to relax, a play area for your children, or even additional bedroom space if you need it. Some people even use basement areas to create fully furnished workshops, craft rooms, and other furnished DIY areas so they’ll have comfortable places for hobbies and keep DIY clutter out of the main house areas. The possibilities of a finished basement are limited only by your imagination.With that said, finishing or remodeling a basement area can be a big undertaking. There are ways to keep it from becoming overwhelming, though, as well as things that you can do to avoid potential problems down the line. While the specifics of your basement project will depend on where you live and how you’re designin... 08/08/2022

When COVID-19 emerged, a lot of employers realized the advantage of allowing at least some employees to work from home. Not only can it act as a benefit for employees, but it can also help to reduce the cost of stocking and maintaining a physical office space. As a result, the number of people working in home offices has increased significantly over the last few years. This trend will likely continue as well, since companies are realizing that many employees like a work-from-home option and are actively seeking out WFH positions.While there are definite advantages to this, it does bring up one potential problem: If your home wasn’t designed with a home office in mind, where are you going to put it? While some people solve this problem by just sticking a desk in the living room or bedroo... 08/04/2022

DIY waste can be a real concern, since depending on the project there might be a lot of waste produced. Given the nature of the materials involved with most DIY projects, you shouldn’t just throw away everything that you didn’t use in your project. Here are some things to think about regarding how you can reduce the amount of waste that your DIY projects produce and what you can do with those waste materials that are produced. By changing the way that you think about DIY waste, you can change the way that you approach projects, and maybe even save some money in the process.Planning Away WasteOne of the first things you should do when trying to reduce your DIY waste is to stop for a moment and rethink your measurements and calculations. If the project involves wood or other materials tha... 08/01/2022

June 23, 2022 - CMP (Mortgage Broker News)StatsCan on the national impact of Halifax housing activityJune 23, 2022 - Toronto StarYour garden’s early summer to-do listJune 23, 2022 – Living RoomCredit scores: What are they and what affects them?June 23, 2022 - Financial PostPriced out of the market? Here are seven tips to help achieve your homeownership dreamJune 21, 2022 - National PostHOLMES: Identify red flags before you buyJune 20, 2022 – The RecordFeds launch new loan program to green up your homeJune 20, 2022 - BNN BloombergHousing woes, higher rates present big challenges for divorcing couplesJune 20, 2022 - CBC NewsSmall backyard homes could offer both housing and climate reliefJune 17, 2022 - CBC N.S.Nova Scotia able to welcome hundreds more immigrants this yearJune 17, 2022 - G... 07/08/2022

At first, the thought of buying a home without having taken a tour to see it in person might seem like an odd choice. When it comes down to it, though, there are actually a few different scenarios in which making an offer on a home that you haven’t toured might seem like a good idea. You might be buying a home in a new part of the country that you’re currently not in and hope to have the property secured before you move, or it might be a home that’s getting a lot of attention and you want to get an offer in quickly. You might even be considering skipping the tour due to lingering concerns about the pandemic, or for other equally valid reasons.While there are definitely good reasons to skip out on a tour, doing so can be a bad idea, maybe not even for the reasons that you think. Let’s ta... 04/25/2022

Finding the right loan to meet your needs can be one of the hardest parts of buying a new home. There are a number of mortgage options out there, and if you choose one that isn’t really ideal for your situation, then you might end up paying a lot more for it in the long run. With so many options, though, how do you know that you’re getting the best loan to match your situation?It might take a little bit of homework, but there are actually a few different ways to sort through potential loans to find the best one for you. A lot of things can affect the loans that are available to you, including where you live, what your credit history looks like, and even the state of the economy. With that said, here are a few things that you should keep in mind when shopping around for loans to help ens... 04/21/2022

When you don’t have a lot of space or open ground around your home, planting a garden might seem impossible. After all, plants need room to grow and soil to grow in, don’t they? While this is true, there is more than one way to get a garden growing. If you have limited outdoor space or don’t have room for a large garden plot, one option is to set up a vertical garden instead.While not every garden plant is feasible for a vertical garden, you might be surprised at all of the things that you can grow vertically. Of course, you’ll first have to get your vertical garden set up and ready for spring planting. You have a lot of options with how you do this, so let’s take a moment to cover the essentials of what your vertical garden should have.Choosing a Garden LocationThe first thing that you... 04/14/2022

What a crazy time! The stats for days on market time this year over last year demonstrates the demand in the marketplace just by seeing the striking decline in the extremes.  It explains in the increase in values above asking and the strong seller's market that is happening here in Halifax, NS.The follow image shows a summary of the first quarter of 2022. Please feel free to reach out if you'd like to see specific stats to your particular area of the city; they're all different. 04/02/2022

What a crazy time! The stats for days on market time this year over last year demonstrates the demand in the marketplace just by seeing the striking decline in the extremes.  It explains in the increase in values above asking and the strong seller's market that is happening here in Halifax, NS.The follow image shows a summary of the first quarter of 2022. Please feel free to reach out if you'd like to see specific stats to your particular area of the city; they're all different. 04/02/2022

HIGHLIGHTED ARTICLE March 28, 2022 – CMP Nova Scotia special developments to add more than 22,000 new homes CONSUMER NEWS March 31, 2022 – Living Room Find your light series: Living rooms March 29, 2022 – Financial Post CHOI: How to invest in real estate when you can't afford a huge down payment March 29, 2022 – Inhabitat This net-zero house is full of possibilities for the future March 28, 2022 – Inhabitat You will love this adorable and sustainable cottage kitchen March 25, 2022 – CREA Café Cost-effective exterior renovations that could help sell a home March 24,2022 – Living Room What’s the storey? All about vertical additions March 23, 2022 – Living Room Inheriting a home: What you should know March 22, 2022 – Living Room Design through the decades: Basement edition March 18, 2022 –... 04/01/2022

This afternoon the Provincial Government released a budget that included newly created Deed Transfer Taxes and increased Property Taxes for out-of-province buyers and owners.Deed Transfer Tax: Effective April 1, 2022 the province will implement a Deed Transfer Tax of 5 per cent of the value of residential real property purchased by a non-resident of Nova Scotia. The tax will not apply to a transaction where the Agreement of Purchase and Sale was entered into prior to April 1, 2022. An exemption from the tax will be in place for non-resident purchasers who move to the province within 6 months of the closing date of the transaction.Nova Scotia Non-Resident Property Tax: Effective for the 2022-23 fiscal year, the province will implement a Property Tax of $2.00 per $100 of assessed value on... 03/29/2022

Cottage-style kitchens are an increasingly popular option when it comes to creating an attractive yet functional kitchen layout. These cottage kitchens usually rely on an open layout so that everything is easily accessible regardless of what you need. In lieu of bulky cabinets and endless drawers, these kitchens make heavy use of open shelving and pegboards to hold everything. It can be a very attractive look for your kitchen and a pretty functional layout as well, but if you’re not careful, it’s also an invitation for chaos.The ugly truth is that cabinets and drawers became popular because they keep all of the clutter and disarray hidden safely away and add a bit of built-in organization to the pandemonium of kitchen layouts. Do away with most of the cabinets, and all that clutter is l... 03/21/2022

​There are a few design trends dating your home and even though you may love them, consider the change so you can take full advantage of the sale of your home this year. Affordability matters in today's marketplace so keep an eye on the values of surrounding home and how much you'll see on the return on your investment before embarking on any major changes.This video will also provide you with easy design solutions that will help you update your home. This video is for anyone wanting and looking for elements that should be swapped out in their home for a modernized updated look! It covers interior design paint trends, bathroom trends, furniture trends, tile and flooring trends, and home decor trends! 03/15/2022

Having pets can enrich your life in a number of ways and can even improve your overall mental health and wellbeing. Unfortunately, not every home is really set up for pets. By making some improvements to your home and its layout, you can make it much more pet friendly, and help keep your furry (or scaly or feathery) friends safe and happy as you spend your time together.Exactly how do you go about making your home more pet friendly, though? There are a few things you’ll need to consider, including the type of pet you have, its indoor/outdoor habits, and its size. While many of these things are specific to your individual pet, there are some more general changes that you can make to help make your home more pet friendly as well.Update Your InteriorsIf you’ve got an older house, you might... 03/14/2022

Housing prices continue to climb, inventories continue to remain low, demand for housing is intense, and there’s absolutely no relief in sight. It’s a hard time to be a homebuyer right now! Despite that, you can still find a house that you’ll love; it may just take a little extra polish and shine as you head into your home buying adventure. Cash is still king, but you can be more competitive by putting your best foot forward with your offers.Here are our best tips for buyers trying to secure a home in this busy and tight market.Bring a Pre-Approval Letter From Your LenderIt’s one thing to think you’ll be approved for a loan, and yet another to know it. In today’s competitive market, your seller doesn’t want to wonder; they want to be certain that the contract they sign is one that will ... 02/18/2022

When it comes to remodeling, some changes that you make to your home are going to net you a big return on your investment. Sometimes this return comes in the form of an increase to the overall value of your property, while sometimes the return is more in the form of your enjoyment and the overall usefulness that your home has for you. Either way, there’s a definite positive side to your remodeling project that you’ll reap the rewards from for years to come. With some other projects, though… well, let’s just say that they seemed like a good idea at the time.If you’re considering remodeling your home, it’s important that you think about what you want to do before you start. This will help you avoid projects that just waste money or leave things worse off than they started. So how do you k... 02/14/2022

Your HVAC system works hard throughout the year to make sure that your home stays comfortable. During the chilly months of winter, it pumps hot air through the home to keep things toasty and warm. Once summer rolls around, cool air circulates to keep things from getting too hot within the home. When it’s operating at its best, you likely barely notice that it’s doing anything at all; the climate of your home remains so consistent that all of your HVAC system’s hard work just seems to happen in the background. Could it be even better, though?There are usually things that you can do to improve the efficiency of your HVAC system even more, helping it to run better while also saving you some money on your heating and cooling costs. The specifics of how you accomplish this depend largely on ... 02/10/2022

There are many more new people moving to Nova Scotia than ever before and I've noticed a misunderstanding so I'm hoping to prevent further negative reactions we natives give to people who merge with the zipper technique and not the "Nova Scotia" way. LOL! An observation I had when we had two big construction projects lately. 02/09/2022

Property Matchmaker ProgramNeed to sell but you don't where to go in this strong seller's market?Apply for the Property Matchmaker Program for Sellers! Provide property details and your home will be shared with pre-qualified buyers on the list. Only your community and property details will be shared and all buyers are vetted and financial pre-approval verified. You'll be contacted when there is a match. Easy peasy!But where to go? Put yourself on the Property Matchmaker Buyer's List and you'll be notified of a match to your criteria.  02/07/2022

Depending on where you live, this may be the time of year when you keep watching the mercury drop lower and lower as weather patterns come and go. Cold winter temperatures can be difficult for people and pets to deal with, but they can also be an issue as far as your home is concerned. Freezing pipes and faucets can be major hassles that cost a significant amount to repair, especially as they often require emergency service calls that cost extra. This is part of the reason that so much emphasis is placed on freeze prevention during the winter.One thing that can make a big difference in the freeze safety of your home is the use of frost-free faucets on your home’s exterior. As the name implies, these faucets are designed to make it much more difficult for them to freeze and potentially c... 02/03/2022