Some great fall gardening tips from Art's Nursery in Port Kells. One of 2 garden centres I get all my flowers from year round!

http://www.artsnursery.com/blog/october-2012-in-your-garden#.UId6DMXA818

It's that time of year again, summer is over and now that fall is here the weather is starting to change. It won't be long before the days are cool enough to need to start up the furnace for the 1st time in months. Which makes it a perfect time to be sure that it will actually start up by getting it cleaned. While you are getting your furnace cleaned it might be a good idea to have your gutters and roof cleaned too before the rain begins. 

The CMHC (Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation) website offers great real estate tips and the following link offers tips on regular home maintenance:

http://www.cmhc.ca/en/co/maho/gemare/gemare_003.cfm

Insurance

Smoke and Co2 detectors should be one on each floor and if possible one in each bedroom check batteries 2 year at daylight savings time

Turn off and unplug small appliances

Do not overload outlets check appliances cord for fraying or exposed wires

Have a fire extinguisher

Plan and practice fire escape

As of October 1, 2011 Surrey started to participate but there are various locations throughout BC  to recylce old carbon monoxide and smoke detectors
http://www.productcare.org/Smoke-and-CO-Alarm-Depots 

Surrey campaign
http://www.canada.com/Fire+chiefs+hail+smoke+alarm+initiative/6364233/story.html

When working with Buyers it is our job to help them every step of the way. One of the most important pieces of advice we can give are the following 8 tips to keep in mind between getting your mortgaged approved and completion when your mortgage is funded.

https://www.balancerealestategroup.com/Thingstorememberwhenconsideringthepurchaseofanewhome.ubr

We have blogged before about the importance of not only getting a home inspection done but ensuring you have hired a good quality inspector. One of the most important reasons for having a home inspection is to ensure there aren`t any water issues in the home. From a leaking roof to a leaky faucet, water issues when discovered can prove to be costly.

Asking the right questions is important. The following article discusses some of the things you should be looking for.

http://www.moneyville.ca/article/1242615--good-home-inspections-find-water-problems

When looking to buy your next Home, give us a call and we will be sure to recommend good quality Home Inspectors that have served our clients well in the past.

September is here and the kids are back to school. With summer being over many people are considering selling their home in the fall market. The activity in the market has started picking up, but before you decide to put your home on the market there are a few things you need to consider.

Take a look at the tips we offer on how to get started:

https://www.balancerealestategroup.com/GettheStraightFactsAboutWhatCanMakeorBreaktheSaleofYourHome.ubr

Whether you are a 1st time buyer or just need a refresher on how the process works, we can help you get started. We have some great professionals that we work with to help you every step of the way. The 1st step is to start with mortgage advice. Mortgage professionals can offer the best advice but there's also some great information on the CMHC website to help get  you started. 

The Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation was brought into effect with the National Housing Act in 1944 and has been helping people become homeowners ever since.

To help you with your household budget when considering the purchase of a new home they have even set up a budget calculator.

http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/co/buho/buho_011.cfm

Now that summer is half over, we are seeing buyers back out there looking to buy before kisd are back in school. People thinking of selling are also getting their home ready to sell in the fall market.

Visit the following link for some great tips on improvements you can make to your home if you are considering selling sometime within the next year.

https://www.balancerealestategroup.com/Homeimprovementprojects.ubr

The 1st tip is probably the one I recommend the most. If you do nothing else, the best improvement is usually just paint...Simply refreshing the walls and fixing any spots that need repair. Or, painting appealing neutral colours that will showcase well in pictures. That may be all you need to do to your home to get it ready, then to pack away as much as possible. Less is always more! Stage your home to look like a show home and you will get your home SOLD!

I came across a great article on how to keep your garden looking wonderful throughout the summer! I usually have a beautiful garden out front of my house, but this year we have been so busy between work and home that my poor garden has been neglected. These tips will help my couple hanging baskets.

There are some great tips on what to do to spruce things up and how much to water or not over water parts of your garden. 

 http://www.househunting.ca/Homes-and-Gardens/keep+your+garden+looking+great+summer/6862796/story.html

Growing up in Malton, Ontario I always lived next door to an Italian family. At the time Malton which is part of Mississauga had a large Italian population. Which was always a good thing for me, every one of my friends just about were Italian and they all had Italian Mama's that knew how to cook! Every one of those Mama's would tell me to "Mangia, mangia" whenever I was over because I was so skinny and they wanted to fatten me up. Who was I to disagree...:) Like any growing child it didn't matter if I had just finished eating at my house, I always ate again when I was offered. I didn't want to hurt their feelings....I didn't want to be rude. :)

That is where my love for Italian food began and it has taken me years to even master making a good tomato sauce. 

So this past weekend when we asked our eldest where she would like to go for dinner and she asked for Italian, my husband finally agreed we needed to venture in to Vancouver to eat. We asked a few friends where they recommended and had some great suggestions. But in the end went where our Italian friends highly recommended...."Poor Italian Ristorante" on E 1st ave in Vancouver.

I have been trying to get my husband to go into the big city for a while for a bite to eat, but he always thought of it as too far. Even with the ridiculous traffic going across the Port Mann, it really wasn't much more time than if we had of ventured into White Rock on the strip.

We weren't disappointed either, the food was delicious!!! The service was just as good, very attentive and the atmosphere was inviting. We will definitely be going back and soon I am sure as our eldest has already asked to go there for her birthday in August.

Next time you are looking for a little taste of Italy check out Poor Italian Ristorante, you will not be disappointed!

Visit their website to see what their menu has to offer:


https://www.pooritalian.com/

Thanks to one of my clients for sharing.

If you have been thinking about renovating your kitchen or bathroom. Emco is having a Side walk sale today at their South Surrey location. They are located at the corner of King George Blvd & 24th ave.
2412 King George Blvd Surrey (604) 535-2412

Lots of great deals. Sale runs from 9am-3pm today only!

Take a look at their website to see some of the things they have to offer

 http://www.emcoltd.com/

Need I say more....as the world watches the London Olympics for the next few weeks. Sitting here watching the opening ceremonies with my family. Watching the history of Britain being told through the ceremonies. The ceremonies so far are amazing, every country seems to out do the last. What I am sure has become a family tradition for many, has become our family tradition to watch the opening and closing ceremonies...as well as many of the events in between.

Football (what North Americans call soccer) will be the main event seen in our home. But we will likely catch many of the other events as we wind down from our work each day. Swimming and rowing have always been favourites to watch as well.

We are looking forward to watching all of our Canadian athletes as proud Canadians and cheering them on. From the 2010 Olympics "We Believe Canada, we believe!"

For a schedule of the events visit the following link: http://www.london2012.com/schedule-and-results/