Edmonton Real Estate Blog

If you want to give your home more curb appeal, one great way to start is by giving the exterior a thorough cleaning. An exterior that sparkles in the sun can make a world of difference. But if you’re about to reach for a pressure washer, stop right there. Not all surfaces can handle the intense spray of a pressure washer; some, like brick, can be damaged by the wrong tools. Here you’ll find out which method is best for your home, along with more know-how you’ll need to get the job done right.

Sincerely Yours,

‘Mom’ has a big meaning for every family. A ‘mom’ can be many things: a spouse, common-law partner, sister, aunt or mother; your family’s primary or secondary wage earner; a stay-at-home parent who cares for young children and manages or co-manages your household; a small business owner; or even an empty-nester who may be financially alone.
If something happened to ‘mom’ – an accident or illness, a disability or even death — what would you do? Insurance may be the solution.
Life insurance could provide tax-free funds at a critical time to pay your mortgage or other household debts or as a source of investment income to replace mom’s income.
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Term life insurance can be a good ‘starter’ option for younger couples but gets more expensive over time and does not allow you to renew after age 75 or 80.
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Permanent life insurance stays ‘in force’ for a lifetime and the premiums are set at the time of purchase and depending on the policy acquired may never change.
If ‘mom’ is a business-owner, life insurance could be used to repay business debt or a co-owner could obtain ‘key person’ insurance on ‘mom’ and use it to buy out mom’s interest in the business.
Mortgage insurance will cover your mortgage debt. You can get mortgage insurance from your lender but the more flexible option is renewable term insurance that allows your named beneficiaries – probably ‘dad’ if mom is insured – to use the proceeds to pay off some or all of the mortgage or other pressing expenses.
Disability insurance can provide a source of income should ‘mom’ become unable to earn a living or manage your household for an extended period.
Critical illness insurance provides a lump-sum of money that can be used to pay for the replacement of ‘valuable’ services and/or the costs of medical care.
Long term care insurance pays the costs of medical and home care including respite care that allows a caregiver to take a break. It protects your family’s existing financial assets and helps ensure a surviving spouse or children will receive an undepleted estate.
Today’s “moms” can usually be found at the wheel of a minivan full of hockey skates and ballet slippers, birthday parties at local amusement centers and running a business or career all at the same time. Whether that describes one person or a combination of family members, high activity – high ‘life value’ contributors can and should be protected by insurance. Your professional advisor can help you make the right insurance choices for your family.

Feel free to contact me or visit my website for more information.

Your garage’s main function is usually to safeguard and store your car, truck or motorcycles. That can’t take place if your garage has turned into a glorified storage unit, stuffed to the rafters with boxes, toys, tools, bikes, strollers and everything else you either don’t have room for or just don’t want in the house.

Below are 6 easy to follow steps that will help you clean and organize your garage and seize control once again.

Step 1 – get everything out of the garage and sort it all into groups. Categorize it all and put everything into groups with like items. For example, toys with toys, carpentry tools with carpentry tools, yard tools with yard tools etc. Make a pile for trash, anything you don’t want that you can sell in a garage sale and items to give away.

Step 2 – Get the appropriate organizational tools and supplies. After you’ve grouped everything, decide on exactly what tools and resources will help you organize these items better.

For example,do you need shelves? If so what kind… a free standing shelving system or shelves mounted to the wall? Do you need storage bins, cabinet systems, tool chests, peg boards, hanging roof systems, hanging bike racks, hooks etc.

Step 3 – Clean garage. As soon as you empty your garage it’s important to take time to sweep out all the loose debris and remove cobwebs. You’ll appreciate your garage much more if it’s clean so make sure to sweep and dust routinely.

Step 4 – Decor. This does not mean you need to remodel your garage into pseudo-living room, however you could think about a fresh coat of paint on the walls. Next think about the floor?

Lots of people prefer to paint and seal the floor of their garage to protect it from stains and also makes cleaning easy. Transforming your wall and floor surfaces will have a enormous effect on the appearance of your garage.

Step 5 – Arrange Items For Storage. As soon as you are done with cleaning the garage (floor and walls) now’s the time for you to put everything back. Place those items that you use on regularly within easy reach.

Put items less frequently used further back in the garage or higher up on shelves or in cabinets. Putting labels on shelves, bins and boxes will make it a lot easier for you to find what you’re looking for.

Step 6 – Lastly, make some rules for yourself and family members and implement them. Rules along the lines of, “Always return the items you used back to where you got them,” needs to be put into practice at all times if you plan on keeping your garage clean and organized.

If you follow these 6 simple steps, in no time you will have a clean and well organized garage. Not only will you be able to park your car in your garage but you’ll also be able to find anything want when you need it. One more thing, don’t forget to have a garage sale to help get rid of all those unwanted items and put some cash in your pockets!

by: Walter Jensen

Source: Articlecity.com

They say you can’t make up for lost time but that’s not necessarily the case with contributions to your Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP). Canadians are allowed to carry forward unused RRSP contribution room until the age of 71. So, if you didn’t maximize your RRSP contributions in past years, you can still take advantage of the opportunity to invest more than your annual contribution limit this year, make up for shortfalls in past years and take advantage of a large tax deduction, all at the same time. Maximizing your RRSP contributions is one of the best strategies to build the retirement you deserve and dream of.

Feel free to contact me or visit my website for more information.

Every design choice in my house is dictated by budget. I’m a work-at-home freelance artist raising two children, and every room has come together using finds from thrift stores, Craigslist and even bulk trash. I frequently work on large-scale art pieces, and my office, which doubled as a guest room, was just too small. I needed more square footage.

Armed with a strict $300 makeover budget, my husband and I reconfigured some of our rooms over a weekend, turning our converted 19- by 19-foot two-car garage into an art-making haven. This called for getting creative and making do with existing furniture pieces from elsewhere in the house. The total cost of my garage makeover, including two gallons of paint and four dining chairs, was $274.23.

BEFORE: Previously we used this space, the former garage, as a TV room and catchall for toys. The whole room felt dingy and dim. My husband used to call this “the room of squalor and filth.”

The previous homeowner had converted the garage, filling in the garage door, installing carpet and lining the walls with faux wood. Since he did it himself, there’s no insulation, and the walls don’t go all the way to the floor in places, making me contend with spiders and geckos at times. The homeowner said it cost him about $600 to convert the garage a few decades ago.

AFTER: The space is now a welcoming studio where I can work on art pieces, freelance writing and photography, and host workshops and classes.

The carpet is laid directly onto a gently sloping cement foundation, which makes it interesting for lining up artwork on the walls. I painted the walls Black Suede by Behr, because I love dramatic cocoon-like spaces.

Tip: Most art studios have bright white walls, which provide extra light and help to keep the focus on the art. But black can also be a wonderful backdrop for artwork.

Source: Houzz.com

Throughout the European sovereign debt crisis, little attention has been given to the positive developments that are occurring at the corporate level. Corporate earnings have continued to rise since the market bottomed in early 2009 and most recently the companies listed on the S&P 500 have been delivering record-breaking results. Another positive development relates to the high levels of cash that companies are holding. Once the economic climate begins to clear, it is only a matter of time before corporate spending will again stimulate economic growth. Despite all the negative headlines, U.S. companies are proving their resilience. Similar performance is occurring in Canada, providing the underpinnings for improved equity performance.

Feel free to contact me or visit my website for more information.

You’ve spent a lifetime planning and building an investment portfolio designed to help fulfill your retirement dreams. Now that you’re at or nearing retirement, the time has come to look at options for drawing income out of your non-registered investments. Ideally, you’d like to do it all – that is, enjoy the active lifestyle to which you’ve become accustomed while savoring the satisfaction of knowing you’ll be leaving a meaningful legacy for your kids.

With an insured annuity, you may be able to do both

A portion of your conservative investments are used to purchase a prescribed annuity contract and a permanent life insurance policy. The annuity can generate a lifetime payment stream, that is partially taxable income and partially a return of capital, that pays the life insurance premiums and tax on the annuity. The remaining amount is used to supplement your income. At death, the life insurance proceeds provide a gift to your heirs or favourite charity.

Feel free to contact me or visit my website for more information.

Financial life planning gets to the heart of the matter by reviewing your finances in relation to the rest of your life. This process connects the disciplines of financial planning with your life in order to develop a customized plan that is best-suited to your needs, goals, and aspirations. By taking into account your current financial situation and looking at it in the context of where you’ve been, where you are now, how you got here and where you’d like to go, financial planning gets brought to life, your life – to provide you with the best possible financial plan.

Feel free to contact me or visit my website for more information.