Most people would have heard by now that as of today the Royal Canadian Mint has stopped producing the penny and will no longer distribute them to financial institutions across Canada.

It was interesting to read that there are 35 billion pennies presently in circulation and they figure it will take approximately 4 years before the pennies become obsolete.

Already I noticed signs in the windows of various retailers this past weekend...detailing how they will be dealing with pennies at the time of purchase. It wil be interesting to see how consumers will react as their purchases are rounded up or down.

To read more in the penny's last day read today's article in the National Post:

http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/02/04/canadian-penny-last-day/ 

Monday I blogged about curb appeal and staging and how important it is to showcase your home in order to sell your home quickly and for top dollar. Then ironically, yesterday at our Office meeting we had a local business owner share what her Terra Verde redesign business can do for our clients...before the sale of their home and even after the purchase of their new home.

I had the pleasure of chatting with her before her presentation. I like what she has to offer and will be seeking her services to help with my own home. Part of her services include freshening up or complete redesign of your outdoor spaces. My backyard is almost completely shaded and nothing grows in it. I look forward to her advice on how to spruce up my yard with plants that will grow despite the lack of sun. On top of that she is a colour specialist and I would like to have her in to help us decide on what colours would look nice in our main living areas. We`ve lived in our home for almost 8 years now and long overdue for a change....

What better way to recommend a company`s services than to have personally used them yourself. I am looking forward to sharing with everyone what Catherine Kennedy at Terra Verde redesign can do. As I mentioned she not only helps people improve their curb appeal and staging to sell their home...she is also a great resource to help homeowners that have moved in and just don`t know what to do with their yard in the front or the back.

For more information on Terra Verde Redesign visit her website at the following link:

Terra Verde Redesign

I finally had the opportunity to try a restaurant that was taking part in the Dine Out Vancouver Festival - Kerkis Greek Taverna on West 4th ave in Kitsilano.

My daughter and I were in Vancouver for a meeting and both had a craving for good Greek food. We've always been told Kitsilano is the place to go for Greek food. I remembered a colleague had suggested a couple places and contacted her to see which ones she recommended. Then realized why the name sounded familiar when I checked the Dine Out Vancouver site as Kerkis Greek Taverna was one of the many participating restaurants. For $18 they offered an appetizer, entree and dessert. An excellent deal since it was the same price as the many of the entrees all by themselves. Not that we were able to eat much more than the entree...if you know Greek you know just how big the portions can be. :)

Our test when it comes to a good Greek restaurant is always the tzaziki...if it's homemade and has the right mix of ingredients the restaurant will always win our vote. The Tzaziki can make or break a Greek restaurant for us....but Kerkis Greek Taverna did not disappoint. :)

If you haven't had a chance to try one of the restaurants participating in Dine Out Vancouver 2013, there's still 5 nights left.
Visit their website at the following link;

Dine Out Vancouver 2013

To see what Kerkis Greek Taverna has to offer visit their website for their menu and location:

Kerkis Greek Taverna 

It's hard to believe we are coming to the end of January already...Where many people are thinking of getting their home's ready to sell.

One of the most important things you can do to get your home ready is to ensure you not only stage your home for potential Buyers to fall in love with, but to set the curb appeal for the very best first impressions. 

I came across a great article with a lot of really good tips on how to stage your home and boost your curb appeal. From curb appeal, to having a clean and de-cluttered home...every little bit helps to get your home SOLD fast and for a good price.

Click on the following link to read the article:

Curb Appeal and Staging

If you would like a home evaluation where we can help to make suggestions on how to stage your home, give us a call today...we'd be happy to help!

Once again another reason we are proud to be Fraser Valley Realtors...Our Fraser Valley Real Estate Board has donated on behalf of all it's members, $18,500 to the local food banks divided between all of the communities that our board supports.

To read more click on the following link:

It's important to support our local food banks year round and not just during the holidays. Unfortunately there is and always will be a need and every little bit that we can do to help will make a difference.

Fraser Valley Food Banks

 

Recently I noticed the air in my tire was a bit low. It had been a long time since I had to deal with putting air in my tire and I had forgotten that most gas stations now charge a fee to use the air and water pumps. It is totally absurd that this has become the norm. I absolutely despise this and think the use of air and water should be a complementary service at gas stations. That being said if I must pay I would rather it go to a good cause then into the pockets of big oil corporations. I may be a little extreme in my thinking but this is truly how I feel. So you will appreciate my surprise and willingness to pay when I tell you about this super awesome partnership Husky Energy has with Habitat for Humanity. When I pulled up to the pump behind the Cloverdale Husky Mohawk gas station on 176th and #10 Hwy and jumped out to see what ridiculous fee they were charging I noticed the sign on the pump that said ....

Husky Energy Proudly Supports Habitat for Humanity. I think every gas station should be doing something like this. It made feeding the machine my money easier knowing it was going to a good cause.

Tells us what you think about gas stations charging a fee for water and air. Also how do you feel about Husky partnering up with this worthy cause?... 

You can check out more info at http://www.habitatwk.ca/news_husky.html

Kara

Today is supposed to be the most depressing day of the year...Blue Monday.

Believe it or not a Doctor actually created this Blue Monday by working out a formula. His formula was based on 6 factors - weather, debt, time since Christmas, time since failing new year's resolutions, low motivation the need to take action.

Dr. Cliff Arnall calculated Blue Monday to happen in the 3rd week of January.

http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/1317762--today-is-blue-monday-its-creator-offers-three-keys-to-happiness

I don't tend to get down too often...but I know I could use some heat and sunshine just about now! :) How about you?

A couple days ago I blogged about Dine out Vancouver starting their festival yesterday and completely forgot about White Rock's very own food festival "Bite of the Rock". 

It's another great opportunity for people living south of the Fraser in the Valley, instead of heading to Vancouver they can try some of the fabulous restaurants in White Rock. The festival started this past Monday January 14th and runs through February 10th, there will be select White Rock restaurants offering 3 course meals for $15, $25, $35 or $45. Many of which are also offering entertainment.

This is the 7th annual Bite of the Rock and promises to be an excellent opportunity to try a new restaurant or an old favourite for very reasonable prices. 

For details on participating restaurants and their menus visit Bite of the Rock's website.