WINTER HOME ENERGY SAVINGS TIP #14

TIPS TO SELL YOUR HOME FASTER AND AT A BETTER PRICE

WINTER HOME ENERGY SAVINGS TIP #13

PLANNING A HOLIDAY IN 2019? HOW ABOUT VISITING EDMONTON?

If you are planning a holiday this year, you just might want to consider Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Edmontonis the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city anchors the north end of what Statistics Canada defines as the "Calgary–Edmonton Corridor".

 

The city had a population of 932,546 in 2016, making it Alberta's second-largest city and Canada's fifth-largest municipality. Also in 2016, Edmonton had a metropolitan population of 1,321,426, making it the sixth-largest census metropolitan area (CMA) in Canada. Edmonton is North America's northernmost metropolitan area with a population over one million. A resident of Edmonton is known as an Edmontonian.

 

Edmonton's historic growth has been facilitated through the absorption of five adjacent urban municipalities (Strathcona, North Edmonton, West Edmonton, Beverly and Jasper Place) in addition to a series of annexations through 1982, and the annexation of 8,260 ha (82.6 km²) of land from Leduc County and the city of Beaumont on January 1, 2019.  Known as the "Gateway to the North", the city is a staging point for large-scale oil sands projects occurring in northern Alberta and large-scale diamond mining operations in the Northwest Territories.

 

Edmonton is a cultural, governmental and educational centre. It hosts a year-round slate of festivals, reflected in the nickname "Canada's Festival City". It is home to North America's largest mall, West Edmonton Mall (the world's largest mall from 1981 until 2004), and Fort Edmonton Park, Canada's largest living history museum.

 Edmonton also boasts some pretty impressive cultural museums, not the least of which is
The Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village. This is an open-air museum telling the story of Ukrainian settlement in east central Alberta from 1892 to 1930. The Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village is an open-air museum telling the story of Ukrainian settlement in east central Alberta from 1892 to 1930. It's located on Hwy 16, 50km East Of Edmonton.

Another spectacular wonder is Elk Island National Park. This is a national park in Canada that played an important part in the conservation of the American bison. The park is administered by the Parks Canada Agency. This "island of conservation" is located 35 km east of Edmonton, Alberta along the Yellowhead Highway, which goes through the park. It is Canada's 8th smallest in area but largest fully enclosed national park, with an area of 194 square kilometres. In this park, you will find two species of Buffalo, many birds and other wild animals. Plenty of trails, boating opportunities and picnic areas await you. It is well worth a visit if you have never been to Alberta before.

Edmonton is also a culturally diverse city. Several ethic groups call this city home and you can find many events, festivals and other attractions throughout the year celebrating the many and varied ethic communities. 

Edmonton is also affordable in terms of rental homes, apartments and more and if you are looking to buy a home, Edmonton offers a huge array of homes at all price levels to suit almost any budget. Finally, Edmonton is one of the more desirable cities to live in as the cost of living is much lower here than other parts of Canada. Low gas prices, affordable shopping and no Provincial sales tax make this an ideal place to be. Alberta also has a moderate income tax which allows you to earn more and pay less in taxes.

Whether you wish to live in Alberta or simply visit, you will find a trip to this beautiful city well worth it and you will make many friends and many more memories. So, come and visit Edmonton this year! You won't be disappointed.

To learn more about Edmonton, Alberta, visit the official tourist site https://exploreedmonton.com/.

WINTER HOME ENERGY SAVINGS TIP #12

THE COST ACROSS TIME

SOME HIGHLIGHTS:

• With interest rates still around 4.5%, now is a great time to look back at where rates have been over the last 40 years.

• Rates are projected to climb to 5.0% by this time next year according to Freddie Mac.

• The impact your interest rate makes on your monthly mortgage cost is significant!

• Lock in a low rate now while you can!

WANT TO AVOID HOME IMPROVEMENT BLUNDERS? FOLLOW THESE 3 TIPS (INCLUDING USING VR)

If you want proof of how carefully you need to weigh the alternatives before making upgrades to your home, you have only to look at the Florida couple who last year painted their house as an homage to the artist Vincent Van Gogh’s famous canvas, “The Starry Night.” It wasn’t just that it was an odd choice for an exterior – it was that the city of Mount Dora took them to court over it.

“Graffiti,” the city calls it. “First Amendment!” counters homeowner Lubek Jastrzebski, an immigrant from Communist-era Poland, who argues that the city code didn’t address house colors or aesthetics.

Yes, that’s an extreme example of unintended consequences. Though the homeowners would wind up off the hook legally, anyone now contemplating shelling out significant money on home improvements should read on for tips on avoiding costly missteps.

• Don’t paint your house brown either. Since most people have it in the back of their minds that they’ll eventually want to attract buyers, Zillow.com just concluded that medium brown and taupe were the worst exterior color choices in terms of resale value.

Both depressed the sale price by $1,970 compared to homes painted white. “Greige,” on the other hand – a combination of gray and beige – was the big winner, fetching $3,496 more than its drab brown counterparts.

• Tech is your friend. It was two years ago that a noted design guru had this to say to the New York Times about online virtual reality, augmented reality, and 3D rendering tools: “It’s definitely the wave of the future, because it allows the general population to make design decisions without feeling hesitant or insecure,” says Khoi Vo, a professor and the chair of the department of interior design at Savannah College of Art and Design.

With programs like Room Sketcher, you can play architect by creating your own floor plan, furnishing the space, and then visualizing your work in 3D.

But say what you’re interested in is boosting your home’s all-important curb appeal with a roof upgrade. The Virtual Home Remodeler from GAF (gaf.com), North America’s largest roofing manufacturer, lets you experiment with different looks by either downloading a photo of your own home or choosing from among the many styles pictured on the website.

“It’s an easy way to see what would look best with your home,” says Paul Dellanno, assistant marketing manager at GAF. “Because what may work for a ranch-style house may not work for a Tudor.”

Once you’ve picked a house style, the process continues. Do you prefer the Antique Slate color shingles from the company’s Camelot Shingle line that you clicked on, for example, or the Golden Prairie color ones from the Glenwood Shingle line?

• Be wary of fads. “It looked like Darth Vader has moved in,” is how a writer for Realty.com describes the latest trend of painting houses black in her Brooklyn, New York, neighborhood.

Word to the wise: The classics are classic for a reason.

WINTER HOME ENERGY SAVINGS TIP #11