Purrfect Properties Blog

Archive for March, 2017

Home Preparedness – Is Your Home Ready for a Natural Disaster?

Tuesday, March 28th, 2017

The American Red Cross Society is always offering up helpful information on what to do with your home in a state of emergency.  I find more useful information in prevention.  An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.  While accidents happen, there is no better time than the present to start preparing your life for the just in case scenario. Whether you have just moved into a new home or are looking to reduce your risks in your current home, here are some tips to help make your investment money more safe.

Create fire escape plans and meeting places

child filing out fire escape plan Red Cross new home checklist

The official Red Cross tip is to have two ways out of your home and set two meeting places: outside your home (to connect after something like a fire) and outside your neighborhood if the area is blocked in an emergency.

My new house has three ways out on the first floor (I’m an overachiever) and an escape ladder stored upstairs in our bedroom.

Families should also think about what special circumstances your family may have, like pets or kids. For instance, if we’re stuck upstairs in a fire, it’s my job to grab the baby from the nursery while my husband quickly installs the ladder on our bedroom window.

Create your survival kit

My family used up our emergency water stores before we moved, so I’ve been buying one huge water jug with every grocery shopping trip and stockpiling them in the garage. This method is a welcome upgrade from tucking water gallons in the back corners of my kitchen cupboards or stuffing them beside my dryer. You get very creative living in a small apartment, my friend.

Check out the video above for some other ideas of items to collect, should your family face an emergency.

Identify your severe weather shelter

feet going down stairs Red Cross new home checklist

Living in apartments for most of my adult life, I’ve never had the luxury of a basement for shelter during severe weather. My new place has a small bathroom in the middle of the ground floor that we’ve agreed is the safest spot.

If you don’t have an underground shelter or basement, you should identify an interior spot (i.e. not right by an outside wall, away from windows) on the lowest floor of your home.

Update your app alert locations

Emergency App Location Monitoring Screenshots Red Cross new home checklist

 

If you have our Emergency App downloaded, update your severe weather alert preferences, including the locations you want to monitor and types of disasters. You can also see if your local emergency management professionals have local notification systems, like text message alerts, for additional safety updates in your area.

And if you download the app for the first time, here’s a handy guide to setting up those alerts.

Assess Your Fire Risks

child hand reaching for lighter Red Cross new home checklist

Finally, keep fire prevention in mind as you’re unpacking. For instance, keep flammable items at least three feet away from anything that gets hot, such as space heaters. Make sure wiring is not run under rugs. And although it may be tempting, avoid overloading outlets or extension cords. For easy reference, here’s an awesome list of things to check in your home as you’re setting up.

Upon moving into our new place, I noticed the smoke alarms throughout the house looked a bit dated, considering they were an impressive yellow color. The landlord couldn’t confirm how long they’d been there but assured us they were in working condition. Knowing smoke alarms have to be replaced every ten years, we went out and bought new smoke alarms and installed them ourselves. Expensive? Yes. Worth it? Totally.

Find a ton of more info on preventing home fires on the American Red Cross Website and an awesome collection of disaster prep info in our Emergency App

and the American Red Cross on January 26, 2017.

Will Selling Your House in Spring help you make a Better Profit?

Tuesday, March 28th, 2017

Edmonton Real Estate Market Reports for March 2017

Spring is here and so is the hot Edmonton Real Estate market.  We have the beginning of warmer and longer days as well as spring cleaning.  Mostly, we are all looking to enjoy our spring break and spring fever…  It’s also a great time for spring house sales.  Does selling in the spring help you make better profits?  Not necessarily and we’ll explain why.

You’ll basically have a 1 in 5 chance of selling in the spring and a 1 in 6 chance of selling in the fall.  So why do folks think Spring is the best time to sell?  I’m not sure, it could have something to do with the fact that REALTORS® are back from holidays and so are sellers.  Folks are looking to get their families moved before the start of the school year and with an average of 5.76 months of inventory with an average of 65 days on market, it’s the best time for families to get moving.

Don’t forget, REALTOR®  services for home buyers is free, so why would you do it on your own?

The highest compliment you can give me is a referral for your friends and family. Thank you for your referrals!

Last February (2016) we had 2,768 new listings come on the market and a total of 6,681 properties for sale.  This February 2,431new listings appeared for a total of 6,108 homes on market, at

5.76 months of inventory.

Last February (2016) a total of 919 of 6,681 homes sold in the Edmonton area.  This February 1,060 of 6,108 SOLD.  Your odds of selling have gotten better!

Average Days on Market – 65, last year we were at 56 days, compared to last year homes are selling 13.65% more slow.

Odds of Selling –17.35%,  compared to last year, your odds of selling increased by 26.30%, compared to last month 22.47% better

Average Selling Price:

     Condo Apartment: $230,661

Condo Townhouse: $348,078

Single Family Dwelling: $427,726 and the

Average selling price in the City of Edmonton is $359,468. Down 0.11% from last year and 0.75% more than last month.

Home Sales by Price Range: The highest percentage of properties are and have the tendency in Edmonton to sell in the $300,000-$399,999 price range, and this year 32.87% of homes have sold in this price range.

What’s new for our city is where second place is.  With the mortgage changes in October, averages for Edmonton families in loan amounts have dropped, while debts have remained the same, squeezing out both ends of the price ranges.  Last year, more folks were buying in the $400-$499,000 range, but this year it has changed.  Second position goes to the $200,000-$299,999 price range at 23.04%.  Third place is the $400,000-$499,999 and 17.81%.

Luxury Market Positioning: Only 12.89% of Edmonton homes have sold over the $500,000 price bracket.

54 Years average of price increase for the City of Edmonton is 6.73%.

Prices have decreased this year by 3.88%. A small reduction in the average market in Edmonton, in comparison to what is going on in the rest of our province.
*stats as of February 28, 2017.

Want market information about listings in your area or a free market anaylsis for your home?  Sign up here.

To download your full copy of this report – click here.

We often forget to look up! Ceilings take on a modern edge.

Monday, March 20th, 2017


As far as social design trends go, floors have become an obvious staple—just search under the hashtag #viewfromthetop or, simply, #floors. Ceilings, however, don’t get as much shine, but one person who’s offering up the oft-forgotten for new consideration is Tommy Hilfiger. The fashion designer’s Greenwich, Connecticut, home is the definition of ceiling goals, as you can see from photos in Architectural Digest’s March 2017 cover story.

Urban Homesteading in B.C.

Wednesday, March 15th, 2017


 
From backyard and rooftop gardens to community plots in parks and vacant lots, urban agriculture has become a nationwide movement, and more homeowners have taken an interest in producing their own food. For many urban homesteaders, it stems from a desire to know where their food comes from and live more sustainably.
 
Are you interested in participating? These three small-scale projects are great places to start.
 
Raising Backyard Chickens
Chickens provide a relatively inexpensive, low-maintenance way to feed your family, plus they act as complimentary fertilizer and chemical-free pest control. Before you buy baby chicks, make sure you research and follow local laws, city ordinances and homeowner association rules.
 
Taking Up Beekeeping
In the 1940s, we had five million beehives, and today, roughly half of those remain. A growing awareness of this drastic decline has led to an increase in urban beekeeping, to the tune of approximately 120,000 backyard beekeepers.  Now that bees are on the extinction list , it is of dire importance to help by planting flowers for food and knowing what a hive can look like.
 
Becoming a beekeeper starts with a lot of research, followed by choosing the right equipment and bees. Don’t want to care for an entire colony? Plant native flower and weed varieties that help encourage bee pollination and reproduction.
 
Gardening and Canning
Whether it’s a large plot or a small section, a personal garden gives you control. Plus, you can preserve fresh fruits and vegetables via the canning process. While many homesteaders use yields from their garden, others buy extra produce in its peak season. Canning veggies and fruits is a family-friendly activity that lets you enjoy seasonal produce all year long.
 
Though urban homesteading may seem intimidating at first, it’s easier to start small. The projects above can help minimize your impact on the environment and allow you to take part in your own food production.

RECA Kicks Off Fraud Prevention Month by Urging Albertans to Dig Deeper

Wednesday, March 1st, 2017


Calgary, Alberta – As this year’s Fraud Prevention Month begins, the Real Estate Council of Alberta (RECA) is urging Albertans to dig deeper when a real estate or mortgage deal seems too good to be true.

As the licensing and regulatory body for Alberta’s 15,000 real estate, mortgage brokerage and real estate appraisal professionals, RECA’s mandate includes protecting against, investigating, detecting, and suppressing mortgage fraud. RECA has extensive information and resources for consumers that can help them avoid being targets.

“Consumers have the power to protect themselves from opportunistic fraudsters,” says Christine Zwozdesky, RECA Chair. “We encourage consumers to dig deeper for more information if something sounds too good to be true.”

  • having financial difficulty related to your mortgage? Someone offering you “an easy way out”? Find out if the person offering to help you is a licensed real estate or mortgage brokerage professional. “Search for an industry professional” at www.reca.ca
  • read contracts and other documents carefully. Make sure you understand what you’re signing; if you don’t, ask questions. If you don’t like the answers – look for help or information elsewhere
  • do a web search for the names of the individuals offering to help you out. If the person you’re dealing with has a history of fraud, their old victims have likely warned the world online

Zwozdesky adds, “Part of RECA’s mandate is consumer protection, and providing Albertans with credible, independent information about mortgage fraud prevention and awareness is one way we can do that.”

Do your research, ask questions, and most of all, make sure you’re working with a licensed mortgage or real estate professional. Their extensive knowledge, experience, and training can help you avoid scams.

Mortgage fraud awareness and prevention resources for consumers are available now on RECA’s website. RECA will be participating in Fraud Prevention Month activities throughout March.

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