Do you know how great investors are distinguished against average people?
They are the ones who grab an opportunity fast whenever it presents itself.
Okay, wait, let me rephrase that. They’re the ones who POUNCE to every bit of opportunity that life presents!
That’s much better.
To elaborate further, great investors are the kind of people who make their own luck. They don’t wish for luck. One of the best books I’ve ever read is “The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason”. There were four quotes mentioned in that book relating to luck that I would like to share with you. First, “Good luck waits to come to that man who accepts opportunity”, second, “To attract good luck to oneself, it is necessary to take advantage of opportunities” third, “Good luck can be enticed by accepting opportunity” and lastly, “Men of action are favored by the Goddess of Good Luck”.
Although the book was written ages ago, the quotes still apply to this day and as I see it, it will persist for as long as there are human existence that strive to achieve a greater sense of being. I’m striving to achieve a good life and if you do as well, then its best that you too take the quotes to heart as it may guide you in your own journey.
A great opportunity is in front of you right now. Take the CanoraExperience. This 4 bedroom half duplex bungalow is currently in the market. Given the economic rise of Alberta this year, this kind of real estate property would come ever so rare.
At $274, 900, this 969 sq ft piece of opportunity can and should be your next home or investment. Analyze the data, crunch the numbers, do your due diligence, I assure you all of it would point to same conclusion. To put it simple terms; this will bring the best bang for your buck.
Check out the photos below and see for yourself how this opportunity could change your life.
Selling a home is no easy task that is why there are Realtors such as our team, but don’t think of it as a deterrent. The point that you are reading this article suggest that you would like to do something on your end to make the selling process as fast and efficient as possible, which is great! Below are 5 incredibly easy ways for you to help your Realtor market your home and create more value for your priced possession. Follow it and you’re going to be smiling your way to the bank.
Ceramic Wall Tiles
CHOOSE NATURAL: Materials such as granite, ceramic tiles and even hardwood create more value than synthetic materials such as acrylics. When renovating kitchen floors, chose wood over linoleum as it will look classier to home buyers than the latter.
Laminated products offer additional value for wall-to-wall renos. Keep the carpets well maintained as it is one of the very first things home buyers see. You wouldn’t want potential buyers to think they’ll spend tons of money just to replace the carpet, wouldn’t you?
KEEP THE PAINT FRESH: Keeping a fresh coat of paint in the master bedroom, kitchen and other parts of the house will go a long way. It is the most cost effective way to add that buzz to your home.Stay clean and neutral with taupe, brown and off-white colors. Neutral shades is key as bright colors would tend to do more harm in the selling process than good. Lastly, stay off dark colors as it tends to create an effect which makes a room smaller than it really is.
BE ENERGY EFFICIENT: Nothing beats having low electrical bills. You experience it yourself every time the bill comes. An energy efficient house is a very marketable piece of real estate especially now that almost everybody is budget conscious. There are low cost solar panels and rain catchment systems now out in the market that you could take advantage off. You may even ask your local utility company to show how to truly maximize home energy efficiency. Majority of the energy providers do it for free.
STORAGE GALORE: The more storage you have in your home, the better. Home buyers nowadays prefer a generous amount of attic and closet space. Having space is very important, especially if the potential buyer/s have a lot of equipment’s, i.e. snow blower, bicycles, lawn mower. In this kind of scenario, an over sized garage would really come in handy. His and hers walk-in closet in the master suite would be synonymous to additional dollars in your pocket.
LAST BUT NOT LEAST, MAINTENANCE: Hold off the lavish home upgrades and focus on the basics first. Fixing the small things such as leaks, leaky windows, insulating the attic, inspecting the septic system and weeding the flower beds go very long way towards creating value. These small repairs could cost you a hundred dollars but it may create additional zeros to your selling price.
After a hardcore Monday work, time for you to catch some breath and recoup before blazing again through the rest of the week. If you have already subscribed to our blog (great for you!), you might have already noticed that we here at Team Leading Edge always mix up our articles and this time we wanted to feature something funny. I figured nothing is funnier than seeing a home that have failed in some engineering or architectural way-or basically a photo that sums up loss of common sense. I don’t want to be mean but being in the real estate industry myself, I have seen a fair share of failed home designs and it always cracks me up. Too bad I wasn’t able to take photos of the failed home designs that I saw when I was doing site visits!
Now lucky for you I have done the leg work and filtered the worst, funny and crazy home designs around. Check out the list below to see Failed Home Designs.
WRONG ERECTION. I don’t know if the owners are one of those “fertility” believers but, really, this is just wrong.But, Austin Powers like it.
Time to get your mojo
SUICIDE DOOR. They took it literally. Judging from this photo, I can safely assume that if the 3rd floor is for rent, they would have extremely low tenancy rate due to this fatal flaws in the floor design.
LEANING COUSIN OF PISA. Get it? No? Shame on you.
DRA-WHERE? A big facepalm right here. Complete waste of storage space.
BACKDOOR. In some weird way, this isn’t really that much of a failure. Looking at the positive side, if you ever really really needed to use the toilet when you arrive home, you wouldn’t need to go inside the house, you can dash straight at the backdoor!
[ ]. I will just leave this one for you to think of a caption.
WRONG SIDE. Seriously. You had one job!
ECO-FRIENDLY GARAGE. They didn’t want to cut down the tree for environmental purposes. Should’ve moved the garage though. See amazing garage designs here.
MAKE ROOM FOR THE FRIDGE. Yup! Squeeze it right there. Perfect!
I know how Patrick feels
SOME MEN WOULD RELATE.
OKAY, THESE TWO DESERVE THE LAST SPOT. Plumber was just making sure that if there would be a leak, he already had it covered.Bro, just no.
Here’s hoping you won’t do the same mistakes seen here or your work may just end up in our future list! That’s about it, don’t forget to subscribe.
I love cars, Lexus LFA type of cars to be exact. The only game on my iPhone is Asphalt 8, a kickass car racing game. Cars today aren’t just simple mechanical tools used to travel from point A to point B, no, they have evolved to become an extension of one’s self. The brand, color and interior all provides subtle clues into who or what the owner is. As for me, I’m always in awe with the aesthetics of it, the status-symbol and the toys-for-the-big-boys bragging rights that it brings to the table.
This is love.
With that in mind, I wanted to know what the best garage designs look like and what I found brought tears into my eye-yes, I stared so long on the computer screen that my eyes got watery-probably you would too. Be warned, some of the images might be disturbing, as one user pointed out “some of these cars spend the night in a better room than I do!”. Couldn’t agree more [Insert sobbing emoticon here].
Condo living to the max! This sky garage is the future:
I don’t know about you but it may take sometime for me to afford one of these garage designs but hey, if there’s a will (or wheel for that matter) there’s a way, right?! Share with us your own garage design in the comment section below.
6 September-Today on our For Sale list we feature this 4+1 bedroom home in Rundle Heights, Edmonton. The house includes hardwood flooring in the living room, dining room, and bedrooms, newer stainless steel appliances in the kitchen, and renovated bathrooms just to name a few. The spacious master bedroom also features a walk-in closet and half bath. Enjoy the album below and remember to call Team Leading Edge at 780-634-8151 to view your next home!
This past few months, I’ve been contemplating on whether or not to convert the spare bedroom into my very own home office. It seem I’m always either too busy or too lazy to do it (sometimes both). I finally came around today and decided to do it already. Just like any young ordinary men in their 20’s, I have little or no clue as to the design of a home office. I knew I needed to throw in tables and chairs but wondering as to what kind exactly? This burning question led me to ask the almighty Google for answers-and I was not disappointed.
With my work function managing the online marketing campaign of the team, my job entails that I work 90% of the time in front of the computer, this could get a bit tiring and dull when done in a not-so-engaging environment a.k.a the living room. The only time my work environment change is when I go to my favorite coffee shop. Well, now it will all change because I would finally have my own little nook of an office!
With this excitement I chose to share with you the best of things I found on Google. Unsurprisingly enough, majority of the great ideas came from Pinterest where there’s a truck load of different designs ranging from the beautiful to the weird. Luckily for you I filtered it out to what I subjectively see as awesome and simply doable ones. I arranged it from simple to elegant.
1. The small but workable: We start off with this light hearted design. The simple materials used such as vintage table and chair (with a very cool pattern) makes it seem doable. The moss green wall background blends perfectly with the setup. The little add-ons too makes it more creative.
The only con that I see is that there isn’t a lot of table space or cabinets to put materials in.
Photo courtesy of McKelden Creative
2. The maximized: One thing that immediately stand out when I saw this design is the print on the floor, it creates the illusion that the room is bigger than what it really is. The deciding factor that landed this on the number 2 spot is its great use of dead space-the table barely fits! A few file holders, some motivational photos on the wall (the dollar) and plant furniture make it affordable.
The only downside that I see in this photo is the overhead light fixture, being 5’9’’ I see myself bumping my head into it 95% of the time when I stand up-it’s clever, I have to give them that.
Photo courtesy of Pink Ronnie
3. The ideal kind: As the title says, this is one of the most ideal designs in the list. Overhanging cabinets for storage, front window for natural lighting, multiple drawers for more storage and the hand painted leather desktop just makes it so sleek!
Photo courtesy of Alan Design Studio via houzz.com
4. Storage Galore: I always tried to be organized… keyword = tried. With this design, I might just be able to succeed in the endeavor. Plenty of overhead storage, side by side drawers and a generous desktop real estate all provide an environment of success, especially in my side of the business. The diamond-shaped cross laces also looks aesthetically good and utterly functional-you can pin pictures in it! I can populate it with notes in a week! Though small, the flower creates serenity, it would specially be useful in relaxing the eyes after starring long hours at the computer screen. Based on a Time Magazine article (http://time.com/3257927/you-asked-can-computers-ruin-eyes/) starring for long hours at the computer screen could ruin your eye sight so it is best to have something to look at elsewhere every few hours.
Photo courtesy of Samantha Hackradt
5. The 1%: I added this last one just for fun. I was looking for a Don Draper kind of office design but unfortunately Don Draper doesn’t work at home so this would do. This is the design I would most probably have in my late 30’s. It’s classic, elegant and most of all functional. Everything is within reach and the ladder shelves are just ingenious. The taker in this photo is the front view of what I assume is a beautiful landscape. Huge windows provide natural lighting which complements the nature-inspired theme of the room. See, even the dog like it. There are a lot of people who are working at home now but only a very few would most probably have this kind of home office design.
Photo courtesy of Rey
Here’s a bonus. Wouldn’t it look good on any kind of office? It’s functional too, aesthetically and metabolically.
Photo courtesy of Chris Carmody
So there you have it, a dose of inspiration for what would I hope to be a successful project. I wish you luck in your next home office!
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*About the author: Jake Nasol Loria is the Internet & Social Media Marketing Director of Team Leading Edge.
When Listing your home, are you leaving money on the table? Do you know where you are losing equity that should be kept?
Factors that leave money on the table are undone repairs, decorated personal choice paint colors, outdated flooring and fixtures, or unappealing curb appeal that needs work.
When you were a buyer, do you remember how you approached other people’s outdated homes or ones that were in disrepair? You walked away, unless you got a SUPER low price.
So now that the tables have turned, the buyers are using their critical eye to determine if they agree with your price based on the amount of work they feel your home requires to make it move in ready.
The buyer will deduct a higher price than it actually would cost to do these repairs or updates. They do this because of the unknown factor and also the stress and time it will take to fix your homes issues. You basically will pay them for their time and labor to do something that you could have done, or contracted and controlled the costs on.
So, you leave money on the table.
By doing your own updates and controlling costs through management of your contractors, you can KEEP money in your pocket. Your costs to update or paint, will be far less when you are in control. This will initially be an expense but in the long run your asking price will be at market value and your price will not likely be reduced, plus the carrying costs will be much less due to having a move in ready sale able home.
Don’t leave money on the table!
Keep in mind that as a home owner you should be investing 1-3% of your market value every year to do updates on the home. This will ensure that when you go to sell, you are more likely able to list for market value and not have to do major updates to become a GOOD listing.
Today’s buyers are way too educated to pay market value for a house that need 10k or 40k or more worth of work. Gone are the days when a buyer bought a house and saved up to fix it over the years. Today people want what they see on TV and they will get it. It’s either going to be your house, or your competitors. You can decide.
Source: simply irresistible interiors inc. newsletter
You hear it all the time – curb appeal is critical when selling your home, but it can be challenging to make your house stand out when it’s covered in white fluffy stuff. Still, you need to capture those buyers – and as I always say – selling your house is like dating… a pretty face will get them in the door!
Here’s 7 tips to make your home look appealing, even in the dead of winter.
Whenever possible, have the photos of your house taken on a clear, snow-free day. These are the photos that will live online for the entire time your home is on the market, and you want to be able to show buyers what your house looks like the other 9 months of the year as well.
Lights In The Snow – Make the house look fantastic at night! Once a buyer is interested, he or she will usually drive by multiple times reviewing the house himself or showing friends and family. Accent lighting will really dress up the house at night. Use up-light, low voltage lighting at the base of your landscaping and up your walkway to create wonderful light and shadow patterns. It’s very dramatic and creates an instant designer look as the lights reflect and glisten against the snow.
No Snow Photos – Many homebuyers will first experience your curb appeal via the warm glow of their computer screens or mobile device. Whenever possible, have the photos of your house taken on a clear, snow-free day. These are the photos that will live online for the entire time your home is on the market, and you want to be able to show buyers what your house looks like the other 9 months of the year as well.
Keep Shoveling – If your house is on the market – pick up that snow shovel and start plowing. You never know when a potential home buyer will be dropping by with an agent for a showing, or even just driving by – never leave for the day to go to work with snow piled up on the walkways and driveways.
Send Santa Packing – Christmas is way over folks! It’s time to lose the reindeer and those twinkle lights around every window. Let’s not distract your buyers with the Christmas spirit. If Santa and the sleigh are still on the roof or visible elsewhere, send him packing to the North Pole. The only holiday holdover you should consider is a lovely winter wreath on the front door.
Flowers Do Bloom – Take advantage of winter blooming flowers to add a pop of color. Place two flowering potted plants on either side of the door for instant impact. They should be visible from the street and help to frame your front door. Wander around your local home improvement store’s garden center, and depending on your climate, you find flowers that will bloom for you. Some winter wonders include camellias, pansies, cyclamen and Iceland poppies. If you live in a snow-free area, adding in some flower beds with these little winter miracles will do wonders for your house’s appeal.
The Front Door Color Splash – Juxtaposed against all that white snow, a freshly-painted front door will really stand out. Reds, blues and rich greens are all welcoming additions to an all-white outdoor setting.
They All Add Up – Dressing up the front porch is essential. Replace old door handles and locks with new shiny ones. It’s often much easier to replace the door handles and any brasswork than to polish them up! Install a new brass kick board at bottom of the door, add classic large house numbers and even a lovely (and dry!) welcome mat to match the style of the house. These individual items may seem obvious, but together these small, inexpensive changes and often-overlooked details give a captivating welcome.
A good investment in a renovation should increase the value of your home by at least the amount of money you spent, or close to it. A bad one doesn’t get you much of your money back. Here are some investments that have proven to return their value, or close to it:
· Low-cost improvements that make your home look better: Painting, new wallpaper, and items like new rugs and curtains help to brighten and improve the look of a home, and add value to your house if they are done close to the time of sale.
· New or improved kitchens and bathrooms: Improvements to your kitchen and bathroom seem most likely to increase the value of your home. Keep in mind that these improvements lose value over time.
· Improvements to the living room and the master bedroom: These are also good investments and will usually return most of the money you spent, if not more.
· Investments in more efficient use of energy: Oil, gas, and hydro costs continue to go up. That’s becoming more of a concern when people are looking to buy a home. You can make your home more energy efficient as an investment in its value. Some government programs help reduce the costs of these projects. Also, consider buying appliances that waste less energy.
· Keeping up with repairs. If you do a little at a time, you can avoid doing a lot of expensive repairs at the same time. A reasonable amount to spend yearly is 1% to 2% of the value of your home.
What are some renovations that don’t add much value to my home?
· Swimming pool: Make sure you want a pool before you invest in a pool. The cost of putting in one won’t show up in the price that you get when you sell a home.
· Costly appliances: Most people won’t want to pay an extra $4,000 for your home to pay for a $7,000 refrigerator instead of a $1,200 refrigerator. If you pay thousands of dollars for top-of-the-line appliances, enjoy them. You probably won’t get your money back if you sell them with your home.
· Costly landscaping: The way your home looks from the street can really help interest buyers. It’s called ‘curb appeal.’ But if you spend $30,000 in landscaping, don’t expect to get it all back. Most buyers probably won’t see or appreciate the value.
· Renovating in an area where homes are being torn down: Tear-down activity involves homes being sold, torn down, and replaced by bigger, more expensive homes. If someone is going to buy your home and tear it down, a renovation won’t return any of your money. The buyer will have no interest in the building, just in the land.
Remember: Don’t assume you will get all your money back from a renovation
The key to renovating is to keep the house in good repair and do the renovations you want to enjoy. If you think you might be selling in the near future, focus on renovations that are more likely to get your money back.
Learn more:
: information on a wide range of topics ranging from finding a contractor, to home maintenance checklists
– Resource Centre Worksheets: worksheets and checklists you can use when planning a renovation who belongs to the Canadian Home Builders’ Association
Radon is a dangerous gas you can’t see, smell, or taste. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), about one in every 15 U.S. homes have high radon levels. Because most homes in the Edmonton area are built on a clay foundation won’t don’t find radon a typical issue. Many owners don’t realize there’s a […]
Exciting News for Homeowners: New Federal Program for Adding Rental Units The federal government has introduced a new mortgage refinancing program aimed at helping homeowners create additional living spaces, such as basement apartments or garage conversions. Starting in January 2025, this insured refinancing option will make it easier to build rental units, assisting homeowners in […]
When selling your home, finding the right price can be a delicate balance. Price it too high, and you risk losing potential buyers; price it too low, and you might not realize your home's full value. The key is to find that optimal price point where your listing attracts the right buyers. Here’s a guide […]
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