Edmonton Real Estate Blog

The shopping season is upon us and for this last week of October we at Team Leading Edge have decided to gather the best new tech toys you must have for your Edmonton home.

Since technology will now always be integrated with our modern homes it is best to know whats new in the market and how it could help us live more comfortably.

Below are the top 5 gadgets we handpicked just for you!

1. Philips  Hue – Personal Wireless Lighting | $199.97
   This light-weight toy (pun intended) is one for the books. Although Philips may not be the first to use this technology, they surely are the one to take advantage of it.

   This one is pretty slick as it allows you to control the lighting ambiance of your home through your tablet or smartphone. You can create lighting scenes and other cool stuff with it! It has also garnered Forbes Product of the Year in 2012

2. LG’s Home Chat | Price N/A
   For the love of beer, this is the future of smart home appliances! This technology allows you to communicate with your appliances via your smartphone. You will know how many beers you have in stock by asking the fridge, you may also order your washer and bot cleaner to start doing their work minutes or hours before you arrive home!

   As I have said before, automation is the key—for the lazy 😉

3. Chamberlain MyQ Garage | $129
   James Bond would use one of these. Using the power of geo-fencing technology to detect if the owner is near the driveway, Chamberlain MyQ Garage would automatically open the garage door and once the car is inside, closes it spontaneously.

   You can also monitor the status of your garage door (open/close) wherever you are in the world through an app in your smart phone. This comes pretty handy when you’re always away and fighting bad guys from the opposite side of the world.

4. iPad Commode Caddy | $99.95
   Let’s throw in something bizarre in this list. Introducing the iPad Commode Caddy! It’s a bathroom stand that holds your iPad and roll of toilet paper at the same time! Genius! This would definitely come in handy for those people who browse their iPads while taking a morning potty.

   The 10” goose-neck gives users the ability to position the iPad either in landscape or portrait mode!

5. Sleep Number x12 Bed | $8,000
   A must-have for all those who can’t sleep properly and have $8,000 to spare! This bed is so futuristic that it provides the users a SleepIQ score to let them know what their optimum sleep number is. Aside from that, it also tracks heart, breathing and movement rate! If that’s not enough, it would also provide a quality assessment of your sleep.

   For those people who snore (I don’t snore, I think), this bed would automatically raise the head of whoever is snoring. It also has a timer setting, in-bed massage and for aesthetic purposes, an under bed lighting. Tony Stark, anyone?

“Death, taxes and childbirth! There’s never any convenient time for any of them.” -Margaret Mitchell, Gone with the Wind

True enough, majority of the people all over the world dread paying taxes, but we can’t do anything about it since it helps our society move forward. With that in mind, let us take a look at the taxes related to Edmonton’s real estate without messing with the figures.

Property taxes in Edmonton are pro-rated so the buyer and the seller only pays a specific amount of tax based from their ownership of the house. Home buyers’ tax liability period starts from the move-in date.

Edmonton.ca provides a comprehensive report on the basics of Property Assessment, Tax Facts, Property Verification and Tax Assistant, which is quite a helpful resource. Just to skim through Property Assessment, it is important to remember that city mails out property assessment notices in early January to all homeowners within the City of Edmonton. This process gives you the opportunity to (1) review your property’s assessed value, (2) obtain more information if you have questions or concerns about your updated market value assessment and (3) plan ahead for your property tax payment.

According to the site, in order to ensure that all homeowners have a fair and correct property assessment, the city employs a dedicated team of assessors. Read more about property assessment here.

The Edmonton Journal on the other hand recently published the 2014 property tax assessment changes with a fully interactive map showing the major changes by neighborhood.

We don’t need the ‘Nights Watch’ to remind us that winter is coming. As Serge puts it “I would just like to indulge for a moment and think of Edmonton with more than 2 seasons – winter and construction season.”

Since almost everybody now is in the winter state of mind, we at Team Leading Edge would just like to conduct a friendly reminder to those who have yet to prep their homes for winter. Winter is no laughing matter so better take this seriously if you would like to experience another awesome holiday.

LEAKS!

Leaks have a special place in our hearts so it is but appropriate to put it first on this list. Leaks can make your life miserable so checking it should be on the top of your priority list!

10 to 15 percent of your hard earned money would be wasted if you have an improperly sealed home. The most effective way avoid this wasteful consumption of energy is through caulking and weather stripping. Doors and windows are the main culprit for leaks, do a thorough inspection on all your doors and windows and caulk all holes you see to prevent heat from escaping.

MAINTENANCE!

To keep your heating system at 110% performance, equipment maintenance is the most important thing to do. Failure to check your heating and cooling systems from dirt would result in an under-performance and might possibly ruin your equipment.

A licensed contractor would be your best friend in time of need so it’s best to schedule a fall check-up with him.

HEATING!

Okay, we want to emphasize the importance of your heating system come winter time. DO NOT let October pass without checking and making sure that the heating system is working to its fullest.

Test run the heating system by cranking the thermostat to 80 degrees, this should turn the furnace on and let warm air circulate within minutes. If and when this doesn’t happen, you can try to check where the problem is coming from through your gas furnace troubleshooting guidelines (I do hope your furnace came with that). If you wouldn’t want to fix it yourself, a gas furnace technician would be your best bet in fixing the problem.

THE PIPES!

If you’re from Edmonton, busted pipes in winter isn’t a ‘new’ thing, still, this doesn’t mean you have to let it happen this coming winter! Nope! Nope! Nope!

Having your pipes burst would surely cause huge household damage, the best way to prevent that is through pads. Cover exposed pipes in unheated areas like the attic and basement with tubular pipe insulation sleeves. Cover every inch of exposed pipe including joints and bends, once done, duct tape would be enough to help you seal the seams.

THE WINTER STORM!

It’s better to be safe than sorry. That would prove to be a lifesaver in case of a winter storm. Rule of thumb, always have an emergency kit that’s fully-stocked ready. The emergency kit must consist of warm clothes, blankets, water, non-perishable food, battery-powered radio (yup, don’t rely on your iPhone!), meds, pet food and of course a first aid kit. Three to five days worth of stock would be perfect in this kind of emergencies.

So, there you have it, simple reminders to get you prepared for winter. Following these won’t consume much of your precious time, do it now. Carpe Diem!

Check out our new and improved MLS real estate listings for the best winter ready home for sale in Edmonton.

Thinking of adding more value to your home or you just want it to simply look awesomely good? We got the good stuff for you! Team Leading Edge gathered the 5 simple tips and tricks to help you execute your home reno perfectly.

THINK AHEAD OF TIME

Knowing what you want and deciding what you need to do a head of time will help you avoid those excruciating delays-time is gold my friend!

Having planned ahead would also help your bottom line. You’ll know what the cost would be and can make those necessary adjustments in your cash flow as to not impact your other expenses, in other words, budget!

INFORMATION IS POWER

Home renovation does have the possibility of ending up in a mess and giving you and your family headaches due to the potential inconveniences that it poses. A simple way to avoid this is to inform your family of all the reno plans, from the top to the bottom and preparing them for it. With simple preparations, the whole family can adjust their schedules to accommodate the renovation process. Reno work might start from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, so you may want to bring the kids back home after 5 or since the living area might be a bit dusty, you may want to take your family out for dinner.

REMEMBER THE FILTER

As we have said, the reno work could be dusty so it is best to check and change the air filters during and after the whole work. Worst case scenario would be having the HVAC system damaged because of the heavy dust particles. Avoid this costly mistake by simply changing the filters.

IF YOU’RE DOING THE KITCHEN

If you still don’t know, improving the kitchen is one of the most cost effective way to drive up the value of your home once you are ready to sell. Replacing the kitchen counter top can be the most affordable and be made in a short span of time.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST, KNOW YOUR CONTRACTOR

Unless, you’re a contractor yourself (which is cool) you may want to double check on the background of your chosen contractor. Don’t just be impressed because the contractor was referred to you by your friend, do your own research and try to find out the contractors previous projects-this will give you a snapshot of he’s quality of work.

It’s a manic Monday once again in Edmonton and I just had a fill of my cappuccino so let’s start our week right and bright with some home improvement ideas!

There’s a saying that the fastest way to a mans heart is through his stomach (I approve!) so its best to focus our attention to the kitchen. Ladies, moms and girlfriends we did the leg work for you and compiled the list of great kitchen inspirations available in the world wide web. Prepare to stimulate your visual senses with the compilation below–and don’t forget to let us know what you think in the comment section!

1. Small Space Kitchen Design Suggestions: It’s all about maximizing space. In this piece, HGTV provides superb tips and tricks to put into great use all the nooks and cranny of your kitchen. Read more here.

2. SieMatic’s Sliding Drawer System: Kitchens.com showcases SieMatics new product line for the beloved Kitchen drawer. Mr. and Mrs. Smith would love this one. According to the article, “Thanks to the outstanding versatility of the SieMatic system, drawers can be subdivided and accessorized more individually than ever before.” Read more here.

3. 19 Amazing Kitchen Decorating Ideas: realsimple.com shows us how to decorate the kitchen like a pro! Be your own interior designer with this one. Read more here.

4. 30 Great Kitchen Design Ideas: housebeautiful.com pieced together an artistic slideshow for those serious in taking the kitchen to a whole new level. Cali kitchen, French Fantasy Kitchen and a whole lot more funky sounding kitchen design awaits you! Click here to view it.

5. Kitchen Design Ideas: Saved the best for last! One of my favorite places to look for inspiration is Pinterest. It’s a universe of fantastic images. Here is a board of kitchen ideas that would surely be a visual overload! Browse until your heart is satisfied. View it here.

Kitchen is one of the most important places inside the house. Improving your kitchen could and would surely add to the overall value of the home literally and figuratively so don’t stop with just your plain vanilla designed kitchen. There’s thousands of possibilities on how to make your kitchen stand out and we hope the sources have above would serve as an inspiration for you.

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This article was inspired by the recent piece of CBC News, “ GO PUBLIC | TD Bank client ‘devastated’ by $17,000 mortgage penalty”. I’ve seen from my Facebook feed comments stating that this was a serious problem and that there are many individuals that have been victims of huge mortgage penalties. It’s a horrible thing to happen to anyone who would like to terminate their mortgage contract with their banks.

There’s nothing much that anyone could really do about it. There’s currently no law that regulates the standardization of mortgage penalties. If you’re thinking of paying off your mortgage early, we at Team Leading Edge have compiled a list of the major banks’ penalty calculators. We all know this isn’t the most accurate tool as there are other factors that would affect the overall result but this is just as helpful in estimating the range of the penalty that you would actually pay.

1. TD Bank:
   
2. Manulife Bank:

   

3. HSBC:

   

4. Tangerine (former ING Direct):

   

5. Scotiabank:

   

6. CIBC:

   

7. RBC Royal Bank:

   

8. Bank of Montreal:

   

9. Laurentian Bank:

   

10. National Bank of Canada:

    

Buying a home is probably one of the best things you would ever do in your lifetime. It’s fun but also a bit scary at the same time as there is more to it than just browsing the internet and viewing a couple of open houses over the weekend. Believe us, we know. We’ve been there. Speaking from experience, my fiancé and I just recently bought our condo. There’s a ton of things to consider when buying a home for the first time and here at Team Leading Edge, we always like to help people in need-people like you. We broke down to bite-sized pieces all the essential things that you need to consider. Read, absorb and digest the information as it may help guide you in taking the right path to home ownership.

1. HOME SIZE VS LOCATION: We couldn’t stress more the importance of being decisive on day 1. Before you start searching the internet for that dream home, determine first what’s more important to you, size or location?

   More often than not, you will be torn between choosing a house that has a higher selling price but is located near your favorite establishments and a house that has a lower selling price with bigger living space BUT is a bit farther out of your favorite hangout place.

   Making this choice early on in the buying process will provide you with peace of mind and help you avert “buyer’s remorse” once everything is done.

   

2. MORTGAGE QUALIFICATION: Knowing the amount of mortgage you are qualified for should be your next top priority. You may believe you are qualified to borrow $400k but the lender might determine that you’re only good for $300k. Recognizing your mortgage qualification would basically narrow down your choices of homes.

   Check out our article on how you could boost your mortgage chances.

   

3. DURATION OF HOME LOAN: Quite a number of first time homebuyers prefer 30-year home loans while others chose to stick with 15-year mortgages. 30-year home loans usually have higher interest rates than 15-year loans. The main reason behind the high interest rate is because it will take longer for the lender to recoup the money loaned to you. Since Alberta is one of the best performing regions in the country, you may see very competitive interest rates out in the market. Review each one out to find the best interest rate for you.

   

4. SPEAKING OF RATES-KNOW HOW RATE THE INVENTORY: Once you reach this stage in the process, you can be sure that you’re on the right track!

   Being prudent in the selection process would help you avoid an expensive mistake. Here’s how you could rate the inventory of the houses that you visit so you could make an informed decision at the end of the day.

• Begin with taking photos of the house numbers and facade so you could easily identify individual houses.
• Take a piece of paper with you or use your mobile device to write down notes about significant features of the house such as the floor plan, room design and colors.
• Remember to check out the neighbor’s house. Would there be any possibility that it would cause problem in the future? Is it blocking any view?
• Also take note of the neighborhood, is it conveniently located to any near establishments that might be crucial to you?
• Shortly after leaving the house, rate it between the scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the best.

  

5. STOP BEING FINICKY! Okay, I just had to put it in here. I’ve had quite a number of clients that had been too picky and ended up with not so good deals. Since most first time homebuyers have limited resources, it is best to be open for compromise. You may have to make some home repairs or put up with ugly decorations. The idea here is if it’s just some minor inconveniences that you could easily fix, take it.

   Ask yourself, how important is it for you to have your own home now? Or would you still continue to rent for x number of years? Stop being finicky.

Equipped with this essential knowledge, we are confident that you could and would make the right decisions. To get you started in finding your future home, Team Leading Edge provides high speed access to the finest MLS real estate listings in Edmonton. It is there that you could browse through all the available houses and condos for sale in real-time.

You may also call the team at 780-634-8151 anytime you would like to schedule a viewing of your next home.

This fall, your furnace is one of the most important features of your home that should be checked for functionality and efficiency. We gathered a few simple ‘must-do’ work that you should consider taking actions on, in order to have a warm and cozy fall season just like last year. Don’t wait for disaster to strike, act now before it’s too late.

ANNUAL MAINTENANCE: To keep the furnace in great running condition, you should always schedule an annual tune-up by a licensed technician. It’s best to do this in early fall to give you ample time to schedule any repairs that needs to be accomplished.
In order to avoid any emergency furnace repairs, maintenance work should be done regularly. Your technician should check for cracks or damage on the heat exchanger and that all safety systems are in place in order to make sure the furnace is running efficiently.

CHECK SAFETY: If you would consider doing the maintenance on your own, safety would always be the number one priority. To avoid getting electrocuted, always remember to turn off the power if you if you will be performing more than just changing the filter.

Gas leaks are one of the most serious safety issues, if you detect any gas-like odor, immediately call the fire department. You should not attempt in fixing the furnace on your own in this scenario, you will be putting not just your life, but everybody inside the house in danger.

MAKE IT EFFICIENT: Here at Team Leading Edge, we have always emphasized the need for home efficiency. We try to include little tips and tricks whenever we could and this furnace maintenance is now exemption. As we have mentioned in our previous post 5 Ways To Minimize Home Energy Consumption, installing a programmable thermostat can ensure to help you achieve optimum energy efficiency. Since gas furnaces takes up a big chunk of the electric bill during the fall and winter season, a programmable thermostat will come in handy by adjusting the heat automatically in scheduled intervals.

Investing your time in these little ‘must-do’s’ will provide great ROI in the form of home efficiency and safety. Carpe Diem!

Your house is one of the biggest investments you would ever have in your lifetime so it is but right to protect this valuable investment in the best way possible. Here at Team Leading Edge, we care not only in assisting you find a home in Edmonton but also in helping you protect against the loss of it.

Home insurance is the best form of protection against any unforeseen tragic events towards your home, here are 5 of the most important things to remember when getting home insurance.

1. AMOUNT OF COVERAGE: Any disastrous event towards the home can be well compensated by choosing the right coverage. The amount of coverage an insurance policy would get is most of the time decided by the home insurance provider, they usually require homeowners to purchase a policy that would be equal to the amount of mortgage.

   Like life insurance policies, the bigger the amount of coverage, the higher your premium would be.

   

2. VALUABLE ITEMS = EXTRA INSURANCE: There is a certain limit to your home’s insurance coverage. If you keep pricey items such as expensive paintings and jewelries, it is advisable that you purchase additional amount of coverage for this special items.

   

3. ADD SECURITY SYSTEMS: An alarm system provides two beneficial things; it would protect your family and might contribute in lowering the premium you have to pay for the insurance coverage.

   Provided that you could prove that an alarm system is regularly tracked, certain insurance providers will give you a hefty discount since they will consider you as a low-risk client.

   

4. CLAIM PROCESS: Don’t just sign on the dotted line, one of the most important things that you should keep in mind is to understand the process of claiming your coverage. Take note to double check if the contract specifies that you will get your compensation in portions or in lump-sum.

   Bottom line, understand the insurance contract and if you have doubts or questions, clarify it immediately with the insurance agent/broker until you are satisfied. If something seems off, move on to the next insurance provider.

   

5. ANNUAL CHECK-UP OF INSURANCE POLICY: As you add more features and home improvements over time that kind activity tends to create more value to your home. It is prudent to check your insurance policy every year in order to analyze if you have sufficient coverage. Schedule an annual meeting with your insurance provider to go through any revisions of your policy.

Remember, there are some things in life that are beyond your control, so being thoroughly prepared for unforeseen events is the best possible way to counter its negative impact.

Team Leading Edge can assist you in choosing the right home insurance provider in Edmonton. Call the team now at (780) 634-8151 to get you started.