Welcome to the latest issue of my newsletter!

Keys for Buying and Selling when the Market is slow

It's a whole new world for home sellers. So, how do you make your house stand out so it will sell when sales are slow?
Curb appeal. After pricing, nothing will bring more potential buyers into your home than a house with outstanding curb appeal. Take a walk down your street with a critical eye. How does your home stack up from the outside? If it doesn't stand out from the rest then it's time to get to work.
Consider home staging. The quickest way to add value to a home for sale is a fresh coat of paint. After that, you may want to consider home staging-either do it yourself or hire an outside firm. A home staging professional will come in and take away some furnishings and rearrange others to make your home show better and to make it home more appealing to prospective buyers.

Home Improvements and Which Ones to Do

Whether you plan to sell in the near future, or just want to improve the value of your home, here is one low cost improvement you should consider.
Replace laminate kitchen countertops. This is a more expensive project than just painting, but it can dramatically improve the look of your kitchen-for less than 15 percent of the cost of gutting your kitchen and starting over. The laminates of today are available in all kind of colors and patterns, some of which resemble much more expensive solid surface materials, such as stone or tile.
Another benefit-replacing your laminate kitchen counters can be a one-day job, rather than the 8-12 weeks of disruption you can expect with a complete kitchen remodel.

An Easy Furniture Fix - Without Calling an Expert

Mask scratches in wood furniture

Although furniture refinishers would prefer to have your business, you can save hundreds of dollars by hiding scratches using one of several inexpensive methods. Pick up a putty pencil or scratch polish from the hardware store. Make sure it matches the colour of your wood finish. Apply as directed, and presto! The scratch disappears-not your money.

Monthly Trivia articles

May

Whether you celebrate Cinco de Mayo, Mother's Day or just are happy for the long weekend this month, to many people May means that summer is just around the corner. After all, it is the last full month of Spring. Summer comes next month.
May is named after Maia, the eldest of the Pleiades, the seven daughters of Atlas and Pleione in Greek mythology. She was also the mother of Hermes.
The birth flower for May is Lily of the Valley or the Hawthorn. The modern birthstone is Emerald (patience, understanding and foresight) and the traditional birthstone is Chrysoprase (secrecy and fertility).