Markham Real Estate Today with Asif Khan

Great ideas for remodeling a child’s bathroom.

If you’re in the market for a makeover in the kids’ bathroom, there are some great themes that you can adopt to bring some fun into bath time. No longer do you need to be satisfied with a simple paint job and coordinating linens. With a bit of ima gination, you can create a whole new world beyond the bathroom door.

THE JUNGLE

A jungle theme is the perfect scenario for a bathroom that’s used for children. Indoor/Outdoor carpeting that resembles turf will set the tone from the first step, with a backdrop of buttercream colored walls.

Linens should be chosen that contain a mixture of varied shades of green and bright jungle colors. If designer linens can be obtained that capture jungle scenes or animals on some of them, these would also work very well with the general scheme.

Turn your bathtub into a work of art by painting jungle grass and flowers on the outside, with an occasional bug or jungle bird peeking through. This can be done professionally, or you can do it yourself if you have a lot of artistic talent. Just be sure to use paint that will work on the tub surface, whether it’s porcelain or plastic. You might also check with a paint consultant for advice on the proper paint sealer.

The bath mat should be an extension of the tub – greens with jungle flowers and creatures. Try to get a slightly different shade of green from the carpet, so that they’ll blend and serve as a complement to each other.

If the size of the bathroom isn’t too restrictive, consider tucking a palm tree into one of the corners. Hanging plants also make a nice presentation, as do plants that sit upon ledges in the upper portion of the room. These can be real or artificial, but green plants – especially tropicals – do well in bathrooms as a result of the warm moisture that the room often contains after hot baths or showers.

The wastebasket, soap dish and other decorator items should be of a lighter color – perhaps with a buttercream background to match the walls – and depict various jungle creatures, such as lizards, leopards or monkeys.

Bamboo shelving for the linens would be a great addition to the room’s theme.

UNDERSEA ADVENTURE

The Bathroom is ideal for creating an undersea motif, since the room itself is based upon a central water theme. Since there are many shades of sea water, ranging from bright aquamarine to brilliant blue, the color scheme can be adjusted to reflect your personal preference.

The carpeting should be of an indoor/outdoor variety, since this is much more durable and can handle moisture better than other styles. Choose a nice sand color – representing the ocean shore – complemented by a deep blue bath mat with starfish, coral, sea grass or any other oceanic depictions that are available. A sand color background (to match the carpeting) would also work well, provided that the edging is done in blue so that the bath mat is well defined.

Sky blue walls with a sun border at the top provide the perfect background for your water world. If you’ve chosen to work with aquamarine shades, you’ll do better using an eggshell color for the walls with a sky border (there are many variations on this particular border theme).

The outside of the tub can be decorated with an underwater scene, such as bright blue water with dolphins, whales, sea grass, crabs, colorful coral and so on. Tropical fish would be a great addition to this kind of scene, since many of them are brightly colored. Be sure to cover the entire outer surface of the tub, unless you choose to show a glimpse of the ocean life as well as dolphins or whales jumping in and out of the water above it. For that scenario, you’ll need to leave plenty of room at the top for these underwater acrobats.

The trashcan, soap dish and other decorator items – including toothbrushes – should depict specific scenes, such as dolphins or whales, as an extension of the bathtub scene. Dishes of seashells, along with natural sponges, will add to this type of décor.

Coral tinted linens will round this out quite nicely. These can be blended with sand colored linens to match the carpeting and join with the decorator items to serve as an extension of the bathtub area.

AT THE ZOO

Rich brown carpeting will create a beautiful foundation for the zoo theme, because of its warm earthy tone. Again, carpeting of an indoor/outdoor variety is best for the bathroom, due to its ability to withstand moisture and humidity better than other carpeting styles.

The bathtub scene should depict a cage with playful monkeys or chimps, with a similarly themed bath mat. Try to avoid a dark colored bath mat, which wouldn’t blend well with the dark carpeting. Lighter colors should be used – even a yellow bath mat with pictures of bananas.

Walls should be done in tan, which will blend better with the earthy carpet than a typical eggshell color. A top border containing zebras, giraffes or lions would be a nice complement to the monkeys on the tub.

Decorator items can best express the zoo theme by choosing a variety of animals – such as giraffes, elephants, seals or ostriches. You can even order a bathroom plunger that’s decorated as a zoo animal. Keep in mind that the decorator items in a room serve to tie all of the other items into the central theme.

A combination of zebra striped linens and white linens can be used to round out the general motif. If those aren’t available, you can also use a mixture of dark brown and tan linens as an extension of the floor and walls.

Of course, each of these themes (and others) can be adjusted to families who have children that are all of one gender. Otherwise, generic motifs – such as those listed – are best for mixed groups.

Royal Bank of Canada (RY-T53.51-0.58-1.07%) chief Gordon Nixon says he is “incredibly positive” about the outlook for the Canadian economy despite the problems bubbling up around the globe.

“The next number of years is going to be a difficult period for the world,” the chief executive officer told a Bloomberg conference in Toronto. However Canada “is incredibly well positioned” because of its fiscal flexibility, its low tax rate, natural resources, strong financial sector and growing industrial sector.

“We have ability to really buck the trend” of what is going on elsewhere, he said, particularly because the country is less reliant on the United States than it was in the past.

Mr. Nixon said he is not concerned about a housing bubble that may burst.

“We feel pretty good about the housing market,” he said, noting that Vancouver's condo market is not representative of the entire national housing market. RBC also has relatively little exposure to the condo market, he added.

There are pockets of vulnerability, but over all, the bank is comfortable with its mortgage lending, Mr. Nixon said. The only worry would be a “shock from a significant increase in interest rates over a short period of time,” he said.

Indeed, Mr. Nixon said he would “like to see the rhetoric [about a housing bubble] come down a little bit.”

Mr. Nixon said RBC, which has been more cautious about overseas acquisitions than many of its competitors, will remain that way. It will look at “strategic, tactical” acquisitions, but only ones that can present a reasonable rate of return.

All banks are looking to more capital growth in the current uncertain environment, so the buying action that took place from 2000 to 2008 will not be repeated for some time, he said.

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From his office, the chief executive officer of real estate developer Diamondcorp looks south toward the towers of the Toronto skyline. But what Stephen Diamond sees is the extended expanse of tree tops between his office and the downtown core.

The houses beneath those trees are the reason the developer is comfortable making big bets on the city’s condo market. Unlike downtown Tokyo or London or New York, Toronto has a plethora of single-family homes in its core, he points out.

So although it is true that there are more condos under construction in Toronto than anywhere else in North America, he doesn’t see it as worrisome: It’s just the next phase of the city’s development.

His view sets him apart as fears grow about the health of the condo market in Canada’s most populous city, where developers are building at a record pace. But Mr. Diamond is confident enough that he has raised a new $130-million fund that will be used to build more condos.

“From an urban fabric point of view, Toronto is unique in the world,” Mr. Diamond said in an interview. “It’s one of the few cities that has both a very healthy core and low-rise single-family homes almost within walking distance of the core.”

He believes that what is occurring is a necessary switch from building outward to building upward. “We’re not supplying too many units, we’re supplying them in a different form,” he said in an interview.

More than 6,000 newly built condos sold in Toronto in the first quarter, the highest number ever for the January-to-March period, research firm Urbanation said Monday. But the average number of sales per project was down, as builders unveil more new projects every week. There were 338 active condo projects in Toronto in the first quarter, a record high.

Urbanation has identified the rising amount of unsold condo units as a factor that could derail the market. There were 15,554 unsold units at the end of 2011 – 27 per cent more than a year earlier.

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty recently suggested that developers in Toronto are prepared to build until sales evaporate, a scenario that he said could lead to a condo market crash.

Twelve years ago, most of the new housing in Toronto was low-rise homes. Now most of it is high-rise towers. Construction of single homes is at all-time lows.

Immigration trends suggest that the Toronto census metropolitan area will need between 42,500 and 52,000 new dwellings a year. Only 28,500 were delivered last year, Mr. Diamond noted. Vacancy rates remain low.

“Every market is cyclical,” he said. “But Toronto has a great, great future. Unless something that emerges that’s going to throw this city completely off base, we have a lot of confidence.”

Mr. Diamond (whose father was A.E. Diamond, a founder and the first chairman and CEO of Cadillac Fairview) was a municipal and planning lawyer for most of his career.

He has spent the past three years investing Diamondcorp’s first real estate investment fund, which raised $70-million from RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust, Sterling Silver Development Corp. and the Diamond family’s venture capital firm. It produced about 2,500 condo units in seven projects.

Mr. Diamond said all levels of government should change tax incentives and development fees to encourage the construction of larger condo units, such as three-bedrooms, rather than the smaller units that are dominating the current developments.

“If we did that, then I don’t think there’s any bubble in the city of Toronto at all, because we need to accommodate the population,” he said.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/economy/housing/busy-builders-unfazed-by-talk-of-toronto-condo-bubble/article2425295/

First the bad news: if you neglect spring lawn care (and related concerns pertaining to your mower), you could end up paying for it the rest of the year. Now the good news: spring lawn care doesn't entail nearly the amount of work that you'll have to invest in mowing alone throughout the summer months.

In fact, most of you will need to implement only about half of the following ten tips for spring lawn care, depending upon your own unique circumstances. Furthermore, I point out in a few instances below that the task in question is better performed as part of your fall lawn care,  if you can wait that long.

Spring Lawn Care Tip #1: Raking

Raking will be your first task of spring lawn care. Okay, I can hear the groans coming from all lands near and far, wherever grassy carpets are cultivated: "But we already raked leaves in the fall!" Sorry, but raking is for more than just removing leaves: it's for controlling thatch, too. A thatch build-up of more than 1/2 inch is considered excessive.

Thatch is the reason why I recommend that, when you rake leaves in the fall, you make the effort to rake deeply. Don't just skim the surface, so as to remove the leaves. A deep raking will remove thatch, too, allowing you to kill two birds with one stone. Even if you followed this advice in fall, I still recommend a spring raking: it will remove grass blades that died over the winter -- dead blades that are just waiting to become thatch!

But there's often another good reason for a spring raking. As you survey your lawn in spring, see if there are any matted patches, in which the grass blades are all stuck together. This can be caused by a disease known as "snow mold." New grass may have difficulty penetrating these matted patches. But a light raking will be sufficient to solve this problem.

Just when you should perform any of these spring lawn care tasks will depend upon the climate of your own region. But Mother Nature provides palpable cues in some cases. For instance, when you're pretty sure the snow season (if you have one) is over in your region, begin raking. Applying preemergent herbicides (see Tip #6) should be done sometime between the time the local forsythia bushes stop blooming and the time the local lilac bushes begin blooming.

Spring Lawn Care Tip #2: Check for Compaction

If your lawn is subjected to high levels of traffic year after year, it may eventually start to show signs of decline. In such cases, your lawn is probably suffering from compaction.  For instance, the presence of moss plants signals compaction (among other things).

Lawn aeration  is the remedy for compaction. The good news is that lawn aerators can be rented at your local rental center. The bad news is that the experts recommend postponing lawn aeration until fall. But if, during your "spring lawn checkup," you become aware of compaction, at least you can plan on setting aside some time in the fall to take care of it.

Spring Lawn Care Tip #3: Liming

Besides compaction, the presence of moss plants also signals acidity. But grass likes a neutral soil pH. You can solve this problem by liming your soil. But don't expect a quick fix: the effects of liming are slow to take place.

But first send a soil sample to your local county extension to determine the extent of your soil's acidity. The county extension will also be able to advise you on how much lime per square foot you'll need. Apply the lime using a lawn spreader.

But if your lawn has been doing fine and shows no signs of suffering from acidity, don't apply lime. Liming is only a corrective measure, not a preventive measure. A soil that is too alkaline will also cause your lawn problems, so too much lime is as bad as not enough.

Spring Lawn Care Tip #4: Overseeding

Is your lawn riddled with bare patches due to dog spots,  heavy traffic or neglect? If so, you may need to apply grass seed to fill in those bare patches. This solution is known as "overseeding lawns".  Apply a slow-release nitrogen fertilizer when you overseed. Five weeks after the grass germinates, apply a quick-release nitrogen fertilizer.

However, spring isn't the very best time for overseeding lawns. Fall is the preferred time, when the new grass won't have to compete with crabgrass (see Page 2), which is killed off by autumn frosts. So postpone overseeding until fall, unless your situation is dire.

Spring Lawn Care Tip #5: Fertilizing

Lawns can be fertilized organically by using compost and mulching mowers.  But for those who prefer chemical fertilizers, Scotts provides a lawn fertilizing schedule. Many experts, however, recommend a lighter feeding in spring and a heavier one in late fall for  cool-season grasses. Too much fertilizer in spring can lead to disease and weed problems. And if you have, indeed, already fertilized in late fall, your lawn is still "digesting" that fertilizer in spring.

In addition to the above tasks of spring lawn care, don't forget weed control and making sure your mower is ready for the mowing season. For those who prefer weed-free lawns, spring grass care is as much about weed prevention as it is about fostering healthy lawn growth. Novices to spring grass care are often surprised to learn that not all lawn weeds are battled in the same manner. Depending upon whether a weed is an annual or a perennial, you will use a preemergent herbicide or a postemergent herbicide against it.

Spring Grass Care Tip #6: Applying Preemergent Herbicides

If you know that you have a problem with the annual weed, crabgrass, then fertilization in spring should go hand in hand with the application of preemergent herbicides. As their name suggests, preemergent herbicides address weed control not "after the fact," but before their seedlings can even emerge. Preemergent herbicides accomplish this by forming something of a "shield" that inhibits seed germination. Don't undertake the core aeration task discussed,after applying preemergent herbicides: to do so would be to "puncture" this shield, thereby decreasing its effectiveness.

Crabgrass begins its assault on lawns in spring, when its seeds germinate. In fact, my suggestion on Page 1 that overseeding be carried out in autumn, rather than spring, is based in part on the threat posed by a spring crabgrass invasion. "So why not just begin by killing the crabgrass  first with a preemergent herbicide?" perhaps you ask. Well, the trouble is that most preemergent herbicides work against not only weed seeds, but grass seeds, as well!

You can appreciate the dilemma here. Overseeding is incompatible with the application of most preemergent herbicides. Yet, faced with competition from crabgrass in spring, you may find it difficult to establish your new grass. So while it's still possible to overseed in spring, it's simply easier to do so in fall. There will be no competition from crabgrass then, because the fall frosts kill off crabgrass.

If you must overseed in the spring, look for a product called, "Tupersan." Unlike other preemergent herbicides, Tupersan will not damage germinating lawn grass seed. But if you're committed to staying away from chemicals altogether in your spring grass care, postpone overseeding till fall.

Spring Grass Care Tip #7: Applying Postemergent Herbicides -- Or Pulling Weeds

Keep an eye out for the emergence of the perennial weed, dandelion during the spring season, unless you find the presence of their cheerful yellow flowers in your lawn desirable. At the very least, you'll want to snap off their flower stems before they produce seed. If you're more ambitious, you can dig them out by the roots. Spraying dandelion weeds  with postemergent herbicides is more effective in fall than in spring. If you do choose to spray, select an herbicide for broadleaf weeds. 

If you prefer weed control without chemicals and have consistently practiced organic landscaping, you can harvest these "weeds" as dandelion greens and eat them!

Besides proper spring grass care, there's more you need to do to get ready for a summer filled with lawn mowing. But your preparation for the summer lawn mowing season doesn't end with the spring grass.  No other power equipment is as intimately associated with and essential to landscaping as is the lawn mower. You need to have a lawn mower that will consistently get the job done without any hassles throughout the lawn mowing season. And you should also know how to use the lawn mower to your best advantage. Consequently, the final three of my ten tips focus on caring for, selecting and using lawn mowers.

Tip #8: Tuning Up Existing Lawn Mowers

Mowing the lawn all summer can be tiring enough, right? Why make it more difficult on yourself by putting up with a lawn mower that doesn't start up immediately? When a lawn mower is stubborn about starting up, that can be a sign that it needs a tuneup. Although it’s often possible to get by without one, it is recommended that you have a lawn mower tuneup each year. Don't put it off till summer or pay someone else to do it. Learn how to tune up a lawn mower yourself using the following resource and have your machine ready to go for summer: 

How to lawn Tune up Lawn Mowers?

Tip #9: Buying a New Lawn Mower

Or perhaps you're fed up with your old lawn mower? Time for a change? This Q&A resource for consumers will help you decide on which type of lawn mower is best for you: 

The Best Lawn Mowers

Tip #10: Reviewing Lawn Mowing Strategies

"What's there to know about lawn mowing?" perhaps you ask. "You just push the lawn mower and it cuts the grass, right?" At the most basic level, Yes. And if lawn mowing is merely a mindless chore that you perform to satisfy other people (and you really don't care much about the health of your lawn), then you needn't know any more about it.

However, if you do care about the health of your lawn, there's a bit more to lawn mowing than just keeping your grass short enough to prevent the neighborhood from thinking your house has been abandonned! Spring is a good time to learn (or review) lawn mowing strategies -- before it becomes so hot outside that it's hard to think! 

http://landscaping.about.com/od/lawns/a/spring_lawns.htm

Toronto’s housing market continues to be red hot, bucking the trend in other parts of the country.

The country’s largest city had 10,350 transactions in April, an 18% jump from a year ago, according to the Toronto Real Estate Board. Prices also continue to climb with the average transaction price reaching $517,556, an 8.5% jump from a year ago.

Toronto’s numbers come a day after Vancouver —the country’s most expensive market — showed it was suffering from sluggish sales. April sales in Vancouver area were down 12.3% from a year ago and 2.6% from March 2012. It was the worst April since 2001 but prices do continue to hold in British Columbia’s largest city with Vancouver’s benchmark price in April up 3.7% from a year ago to $683,800.

In Toronto, the single detached segment of the market appears to be the strongest with sales up 22% in April from a year earlier.

“Interest in single-detached homes has been very high, both in the City of Toronto and surrounding regions. Growth in single-detached listings has not kept up with demand, which means competition between buyers in this market segment increased. With this in mind, it was no surprise that the strongest annual price increase was also experienced in the single-detached segment,” said Richard Silver, TREB president.

The board noted with a larger supply in the condominium apartment segment, price increases were a more moderate 4%.

The board emphasized mortgage rates, still not far off the all-time low hit earlier this year, are driving the market.

“Monthly mortgage payments remain affordable for home buyers in the Greater Toronto Area. While interest rates are generally expected to increase over the next two years, the extent and timing of rate hikes has been thrown into question by slower than expected economic growth in the first quarter of this year. On net, borrowing costs are expected to remain a positive factor influencing home sales through 2012,” said Jason Mercer, senior manager of market analysis for the board.

http://business.financialpost.com/2012/05/03/toronto-home-sales-jump-in-april-prices-continue-climb/

It's no secret that it's a buyer's market right now. 

While a few cities like Seattle and Austin are currently experiencing relatively strong growth, most housing markets are still struggling to recover from the 2008 collapse. But as energy costs have risen steadily over the last decade--with no end in sight-- making a home more energy efficient could give sellers an edge. However, many of these upgrades aren't cheap, and experts say not all the green improvements are worth the added expense. 

Where Does Your Money Go?

According to Energy Star, the average American family spends approximately $2,200 per year on utilities. But where does all that money go? Heating costs account for the largest chunk of the pie, encompassing 29% of total utilities expenses. Air conditioning costs account for 17%, water heating eats up 14%, and appliances (such as the refrigerator, washer, and dryer) account for 13%. The remainder is spent on electric appliances, such as the TV, computer, and lighting.

Practical Energy Upgrades

Homeowners looking to save money should focus their efforts on the areas that use up the most utility dollars, mainly upgrades that affect heating and cooling costs. An added bonus is that sometimes these upgrades will also improve the value of your home. 

1. Upgrade to a New Furnace "Energy efficient furnaces are a very attractive item for energy savings and for resale," says Linda Barnwell, a certified ecobroker with Keller Williams. "Airtight homes that are caulked well and have a roof in good condition really help with the savings and for resale. These upgrades are all worthwhile, and they're features that buyers are looking for too."

Since heating makes up the biggest chunk of your energy expenditures, it makes sense that upgrading here will make the most impact on reducing utility costs. Energy Star rated furnaces are reportedly 16% more efficient on average, and will save an average of $96 per year in energy costs. 

Although a new furnace won't necessarily increase your home's value, experts say the upgrade could make your home more appealing to potential buyers. Installing a new furnace isn't cheap, and you should expect to spend $5,000 to $8,000. Experts advise shopping around and getting several quotes. You can also save money by purchasing your furnace directly from the manufacturer and then hiring a good contractor to install it for you--this skips adding the contractor's markup on the furnace.

It's important to keep in mind that although a new furnace won't add to your resale value, it will make it more appealing to buyers. If you're trying to sell your home with a furnace that's 20 or 30 years old, most buyers will insist it be replaced before they move in, or they'll ask for additional money off the sale price so they can replace it themselves. Putting in a new furnace might lead to a quicker sale, which save several months of mortgage payments and reduces the amount of time the house sits on the market.

 2. Invest in Windows "Windows are incredibly important, especially in homes that are $200,000 and higher," says Barnwell. "If the windows are updated, it's not only a big plus for the owners on their energy bills, but it also makes resale a bit easier." 

According to the California Energy Commission, windows and doors that are old or not sealed correctly can lose up to 30% of your energy dollars. Although windows can be a great investment, they're an expensive upgrade. The costs depend on a number of factors, including the type and how many windows will be installed. Experts recommend planning to spend $10,000 to $40,000 or more. 

Even if you spend $30,000 on new windows, you're not adding $30,000 to the value of your home. You will, however, get more back than you will with a furnace upgrade. You can recoup 65% or more of your investment with new windows, according to reports, and just like with a furnace, new windows will definitely make your home more appealing to potential buyers. 

3. Seal and Caulk Cracks  Sealing cracks and caulking doors and windows is likely the most unglamorous DIY home maintenance project you can do, but it is an easy way to reduce your energy costs. 

Potential buyers likely won't notice these improvement unless you point them out, and to make matters worse, it does nothing to enhance your home's beauty, usability, or value. So, why do it at all? This simple home improvement idea can shave 10% or more off your utility bills and you'll likely spend $20 or less on supplies, making it one of the cheapest ways to start saving significantly on your heating and cooling costs. With that said, if you have serious buyers, the fact that you've sealed and caulked doors and windows will be noticed by the home inspector, and it will be a small point in the home's favor that this project is already finished

4. Ditch the Fridge Other than your heating and cooling system, your refrigerator is often the biggest energy hog, using up 14% or more of your home's energy, mainly because it's constantly running. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, about 26% of Americans have two or more refrigerators in constant use. Even worse, one of these refrigerators is often an older model, which is far less efficient than today's energy-saving refrigerators. You can quickly save money on energy costs by unplugging the extra refrigerator, and only plugging it in when you need to chill drinks or food for a party or other special occasion. 

Depending on the age of your extra refrigerator, this will save an average of $400-$700 over the remaining life of the fridge. Recycling your extra fridge is a quick fix you can do for yourself to save energy. Plus, getting rid of this old appliance can help declutter your home, which will make it more appealing for buyers. Visit Earth911.com to find out where you can recycle this appliance in your area.

Tax Credits

Unfortunately, federal tax credits for common upgrades like windows and new furnaces have expired. The federal tax credits that are still applicable are for big-ticket energy upgrades such as solar panels, geothermal heat pumps, and small wind turbines. However, you might be eligible for a small tax credit depending on your state. You can find out the tax rebates your state is offering for energy-efficient upgrades through theDatabase of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency. For instance, the state of California offers residents several rebates for energy-efficient projects such as adding insulation or installing energy-efficient heating and cooling units. Many counties in California will give you a $30 rebate for upgrading to an Energy Star rated refrigerator. San Francisco offers residents a rebate based on how much their energy consumption is reduced overall. So, if you reduce your energy consumption by 15%, using a participating contractor, you'll get a $3,500 rebate. It's definitely worth it to check your own state to see if you qualify for rebates at this level.

Although it's still very much a buyers' market, you can make your home more appealing to potential buyers by making it more energy-efficient. However, many of the upgrades that make the biggest impact are also the most expensive, so you'll have to weigh carefully whether or not these upgrades make sense in your situation. Keep in mind that making small changes can also be noticed by buyers. Planting shade trees, installing compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs, using a rain barrel for your yard, and installing a programmable thermostat can help you save energy right now, and make your home greener, and more appealing, to buyers.

If a home renovation or redecorating project is on your schedule this season but you're stressed about costs, make sure you're taking advantage of some great deals and discounts available in your area. Even a few small investments for your home canincrease your home's value. Small, inexpensive home decorating projects can freshen up your living space and create a whole new ambiance. Whether you're looking to update your main living areas, repaint the entire house, or want to refurbish rooms with new furniture and decor, you don't have to spend thousands to create a new, designer-inspired look.

Here are six tips for your budget-friendly home makeover:

1. Shop the Vintage Stores

If you're looking to add a few key pieces of decor to a room on a smaller budget, head to some vintage or antique stores in your area to pick up gently used accent furniture and unique pieces of decor. These are great destinations for bargain hunters and it's unlikely that you'll find anything similar to standard items at big-box stores and home goods stores in your area. Items like upholstered chairs, framed paintings, or even some old-fashioned lamps can add some character and personality to any room.

2. Update Furniture as a DIY Project

Slip covers on sofas, new cushions on bar seats, and a fresh coat of paint on tables and desks can freshen up your furnishingswithout a heavy cash investment. Instead of replacing these key pieces of furniture with new items, set aside a couple of days to update everything and give it a new look. Sofa covers and new pillows can completely change the look of your living room without too much effort--or monetary investment. A few coats of fresh paint in a new color could be just what you need to update tables, chairs, and accent furniture around the home. New color combinations can revitalize your living space.

3. Paint Accent Walls

When you're working with a tight budget, repainting every wall inside the home (or putting up wallpaper in every room) can be expensive. Pick out just one wall in each room to decorate instead. A pop of color on a single accent wall can really freshen up the living area and even make it look bigger. Think about what colors elicit different emotions--light blue can be calming and a good match for a baby room while orange can be energizing and a good match for a fitness room. Make sure to pick out colors that complement existing decor and also liven up the space.

4. Create More Space with Mirrors

If you can't afford to shell over the cash for a room expansion, add some mirrors to different wall spaces to reflect the light. Strategically-placed mirrors can end up making a very small area seem much larger. You can use a set of tiled mirrors in a cascading pattern, or set up longer wall mirrors across an empty wall to create the illusion of more space. You can find all types of mirrors at most big-box stores and search online for mirrors that are cut in a unique design or custom-ordered.

5. Be Creative with Shelving

Hanging shelves and wall shelves can serve double duty as a piece of decor and also have functional purposes. Cascading "floating" shelves down the wall of a stairwell or on an empty wall are easy on the eyes and can also be used to display photographs and collectibles. Smaller shelving units can be valuable space savers in a small office or even in a bedroom. Larger book cases and cubicle-style shelves can help keep your living space more organized and also add some more clean lines to a room. Be creative with your use of different types of shelves to balance out a room and freshen up the space.

6. Enhance the Lighting

An expensive lighting system can completely change the look of a room, but you don't have to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars to create some special effects. A few strategically-placed lamps can add some dimension to a room and enhance the living space. Play with different types of light bulbs to get just the right amount of illumination you want for each room. Light dimmers can also help to change up the ambiance and mood in a certain area.

http://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/6-tips-budget-friendly-home-160245564.html

Spring has sprung and light streams through the windows. There’s no style to be had with every bit of winter’s grime now visible, so can cleaning be far behind?

No need to panic, says Stephanie Legros, cleaning lady extraordinaire and the owner of Sort it Out Cleaning in Dartmouth, N.S. You just need to have a plan and tackle the cleaning one room at a time, working from top to bottom in each.

However, if you’re desperate for a little instant gratification, start with the windows, she says.

For small jobs, Legros has created a concoction of vinegar, a little rubbing alcohol, dish soap and water. But for big jobs with lots of windows, she swears by BonAmi. “It cleans like nobody’s business — and fast.”

For the window trim, which is often plastic and tends to turn yellow over the winter, she uses Vim, which doesn’t scratch. While you’re at it, remove the screens and soak them in the tub, then spray them clean with the shower nozzle. Once that’s done, you can open the windows and let the fresh air in.

Tackle the kitchen next. Legros says nothing works like Vim degreaser, especially for built-up grime on cabinets — even if they’re wood — and appliances. Orange tang crystals, run through one cycle, will clean the dishwasher. Clean out the fridge, and pitch all the mouldy bits in the back and conduct an audit of the freezer, tossing what’s been there too long (no need for dates, food gets a pale freezer-burn look when it’s been around too long).

Because front and back doors take a beating over the winter from salty boots and wet, dirty pets, thoroughly clean the door frame, screen door and walls on either side. Don’t forget the rubber backed mat, washing the underside as well.

For principal gathering areas — dining, living, den, and family rooms — Legros recommends moving furniture away from the walls so you can get to the baseboards and wipe them clean of dust. To remove pet odours, Legros recommends sprinkling baking soda on the carpets and then vacuuming it up. You can also add a few drops of essential oil to the baking soda first so the mixture has a fresh smell. A shallow bowl filled with white vinegar and left in the room will remove pet and food smells.

You can also air your carpets by hanging them over the porch rails. If carpets are stained, though, consider renting or buying a small portable steam machine to clean them up. The power washer can also be pressed into service — just spread the rug out on the deck, scrub it with laundry soap and water, then hose it down.

Don’t forget the furnace filters — although these usually should be replaced or washed every three months. (The 3-M Filtretes capture a good amount of dust and dirt.)

With the foundation of your home clean, you can turn your attention on fresh looks. Remove everything that suggests heat — blankets and throws, fireplace logs, dark napkins and placemats. White cotton or linen slipcovers are a sure sign that spring and summer are on the way, especially when paired with spring-hued cushions.

The same goes for the bedroom. Change the darker bed linens and comforters for pastel linen sheets, white matelasse covers, and switch those heavy drapes for light filmy sheers. In the bathroom, add fresh light lemony bath salts, soaps and candles.

INDOORS

Stephanie’s magic cleaning kit includes:

 • A lightweight powerful vacuum with reusable bags (like the small Shark which has a reusable bag and sells for about $90).

 • All-purpose concentrate for cleaning everything (a 1.5L bottle of Simple Green makes five times that when diluted with water).

 • Cream cleansers (like Vim) as degreasers for the kitchen, a cream cleanser with bleach for sinks and tubs, and floor cleaner for wood, tile, and laminate floors.

 • Comet for tiles and old tubs and toilets, as well as removing marks on linoleum.

 •  Windex and BonAmi.

 • If you have sensitivities to chemicals, try one of the new biodegradable all-natural cleaning products with essential oil fragrances (such as Mrs. Meyers Clean Day.

OUTDOORS

You’re not done yet. Cleaning windows from the outside is critical — in fact, real estate agents say that nothing makes a home feel like a million bucks like having squeaky clean windows inside and out. If you can’t reach the windows, even with a ladder, use a power washer.

Then with a corn broom, tackle the porch, wash down the porch furniture and finish up with a new coat of rust paint. (It comes in a great array of colours.) The eavestroughs need cleaning to get the leaves out so spring rainwater runs freely. If you can’t manage it, then turn to one of the multitude of neighbourhood handy guys ready to do the job cheaply.

A good strong rake is about all you need to prep the garden, says Chris Bickerstaff of Toronto-based Big Rock Landscaping. Once you get rid of the dead leaves and branches, the soil has a chance to warm up. You can follow this up with a quality black double ground mulch, which not only feeds the soil but makes plants stand out. Work it in with a pitchfork or garden trowel. Alternatively, try Beachstone — it helps drainage and doesn’t attract bugs.

If you have been cultivating a compost pile, you can add that to the garden. If you don’t, check your municipality for compost giveaway days.

Most urban homeowners have bypassed grass altogether opting instead for landscape design and construction, Bickerstaff says. But if you do have a lawn, rake off the dead leaves and aerate it with a metal pronged aerator, then add grass seed. With the spring rain, you’ll end up with a thick luscious lawn.

Fertilizer also helps. But if the municipality — or you — won’t allow chemicals, go organic with something likeMilorganite (made in Milwaukee from sewage treatment waste water). It’s eco-friendly (safe for kids and pets), used by golf courses all over North America and will green your lawn like nothing else.

The following should be on your outdoor cleaning list:

 • Clean the eaves to allow rainwater to flow freely out.

 • Pressure wash bricks, windows, trim, doors, concrete, vinyl siding, driveway and deck floor.

 • For missing roof shingles, call a handyman — roofers rarely do such small jobs.

 • Clean the barbecue and check the gas tank.

 • Polish the brasses — mailbox, knocker and lamps.

 • Clean out windowboxes and urns, replenish the soil and plant with a pretty mix of bulbs and greenery.

http://www.yourhome.ca/homes/realestate/article/1170702--spring-cleaning-let-the-sun-shine-in-through-clean-windows

Buying a cottage or waterfront property can be quite different from single family residential homes. 
Make sure you have proper representation and select an expert in the field. Team Khan is affiliated with the right people to help you with your cottage property purchase. Give us a call and we will set you up with the cottage/waterfront experts. 

Have a read of this great article from the Toronto Star:

The beginning of the cottage season is a good opportunity for a reminder that recreational real estate transactions are unlike any other property dealings.

Speaking to about 1,000 real estate lawyers at a Law Society seminar earlier this month, Midland lawyer Fred Hacker pointed out that the main difference in cottage deals is the emotional fervour that surrounds the transactions. “Buyers aren’t buying a piece of real estate,” Hacker said. “They’re buying their sanctuary, their retreat, the focus of their family life, a lifestyle and the stuff of dreams.

“And sellers aren’t just disposing of real estate; they’re parting with memories, sentimental attachments, their history, and, in many cases, the best years of their lives.”

With this emotional context as a background, Hacker spelled out a number of pitfalls that distinguish cottage real estate.

Perhaps the biggest issue is whether a cottage property has proper access by public road, private road, unauthorized roads across private property or Crown land, or by the use of launch ramps or marinas for properties with water access only.

Making sure the deed describes the entire property the purchaser intends to buy is another big issue. Septic beds, wells and even all or part of the cottage itself may be located on a neighbour’s land due to historical sloppiness in marking property boundaries.

The critical need for a land survey is often overlooked. A survey will disclose whether the cottage is built entirely on the owner’s land underneath it, whether there is a shore road allowance, and whether the water frontage has decreased due to erosion or increased as a result of land fill.

“Waterfront” properties may not extend to the water’s edge, and a 66-foot shore road allowance is often owned by the municipality or a third party, with the cottage, dock or boathouse sitting on top of it. Docks or boathouses are frequently built on government-owned lake beds, usually without permits.

Previous owners may have “shored up” the water boundary to prevent erosion or to increase their lot size. Typically, the “filled lands” are not owned by the seller.

Hacker pointed out that low water levels on the Great Lakes are at a crisis point and cottage properties that once had their dock at their door now have hundreds of feet of ramps and docks as water levels recede. Cottages sitting on a bay where the water levels have dropped may see their waterfronts shrink as side lot lines are projected out towards the water, and begin to overlap each other.

As if these problems are not enough, cottagers may have to deal with contaminated soil, environmental restrictions, endangered species protection areas, development limits, aboriginal land claims, zoning bylaws, and illegal construction of cottages or septic systems without permits.

Sewage is a major issue in cottage country, and some buyers express shock when they find out that their new island cottage is not connected to municipal or any other system.

Many buyers assume that cellphone service, Internet service, land-line telephone service, cable television, garbage and snow removal, natural gas and other subdivision staples will be available at a cottage. In fact, not even hydro service is a given and electric generators or propane appliances may be necessary.

Furniture and personal effects are often sold with a cottage, but unless the offer is very well drafted, problems can arise when the agreement simply says something like “all contents as viewed.”

Hacker also noted that if buyers have a principal residence elsewhere, the cottage will be subject to capital gains tax on a sale unless title is held in the name of an owner who can legally declare it a principal residence.

Hacker’s main point was that the types of issues that are confronted in cottage country may vary from region to region, and are very different from those in urban real estate transactions.

If you’re buying or selling a cottage this year, make sure that your real estate agent, insurance broker and lawyer have a firm grasp of the complexities of recreational property transactions.

http://www.yourhome.ca/homes/newsfeatures/columnsandblogs/article/1168720--bob-aaron-buying-a-cottage-unlike-other-real-estate-transactions