Remaining objective can be a difficult task when viewing an open house. It is easy to fall in love with a home’s appearance, blind to problems that may make it unsuitable. While aesthetics can be an important consideration, it is necessary to look beyond window-dressing.

Aqualified home inspector should be hired before purchasing a home, but there are areas that consumers can examine on their own. This will shorten your list of potential homes and reduce the likelihood that a home inspector will reject it as unsafe or unsuitable. Here are some considerations and common problem areas to look for when touring an open house:

General Upkeep

Much can be surmised from the general state of the home. Is the home clean? Are lawns left uncut? Are the walls chipped and in need of paint? If smaller chores have been ignored it may be an indication of a broader disregard for home maintenance.

Water Leaks

Check ceilings and drywall for stains, bulges and other signs of water damage. Water that works its way inside via a leaky roof or a cracked foundation can rot wood, create mildew and mold, destroy possessions and can be expensive to repair.

Does it Work?

Test lights, faucets, the heater, air conditioning, major appliances (that are to be included with the home) – even flush the toilets to ensure everything is working as it should.

Floors

As you walk across the floors be aware of spongy (soft or springy) sections. Excessive squeaking and uneven, bumpy floors may also be indicative of expensive forthcoming repairs.

Doors & Windows

Check that doors and windows fit snugly in their jambs and operate smoothly. Look for flaked paint and loose caulking. If the wood around windows and doors is not protected from moisture, it can rot away. Feel for drafts in these areas too.

Poor Drainage

On a wet day walk around the yard and look for areas where water collects. This can be an especially bad sign if there are soggy areas near the home’s foundation.

Grout & Caulking

If the grout and caulking around bathroom and kitchen tiles is loose and crumbly, there is a good chance that water is finding its way into the wall or under the floor.

Structural

Although this is definitely an area where you want the services of a qualified home inspector, you can get an idea about possible structural problems if you see deep cracks in the foundations or loose mortar and bricks.

Miscellaneous Concerns

Naturally, one the most important factors will be determining if the house suits your family’s needs. If you do not want to replace all of your furniture, make sure it will fit into the rooms of the new house. This is difficult to do by eye, so be sure to bring a measuring tape. Also, take note of storage space. If you are moving from a home with large closets and a shed, make sure your new house is able to store an equivalent amount of belongings.

Cooler winter temperatures and shorter daylight hours naturally limit the time we spend outside. Current interior design trends use nature punctuated with colour as a theme to rescue us from cabin fever. Here are some of this season’s ‘outdoor-in’ design essentials:

– Wreaths and Garlands: Made from traditional pine or more contemporary bay leaves, eucalyptus or holly. Live or faux, they are interwoven with brightly contrasting citrus fruits, pomegranates or berries for the most natural look. Glass-like beads and solid spherical ornaments in a shock of intense colour are also featured this season. Look for wreath stands to showcase your wreath at adjustable heights. Garlands look best along mantles, doorframes, windowsills and banisters, snaked among candles on tabletop centrepieces, and as trimming atop tall furniture like bookcases, wardrobes and entertainment credenzas.

– Trees and Topiaries: Like wreaths and garlands, trees and topiaries combine the same natural elements interwoven with vivid colours whether live or faux. This season, you can also find them made entirely of a single material, such as glass-like beads, holly berries, tinsel, or round ornaments, in either a uniform tone or a bouquet of colours. Available in a variety of sizes, they can be brilliantly illuminated with lights and garland, or they can sparkle alone with a pre-treatment designed to imitate frost, ice or dew.

– Faux Fire: Indoors or out, there’s nothing quite like sitting around a fire to add ambiance to quality time spent enjoying family and friends. It’s no surprise then, that sales of electric fireplaces are red-hot this season. They provide the romance and warmth of a traditional gas or wood burning fire without the requisite venting or gas lines, and at a fraction of the cost. Plug them into a standard 120-volt outlet to heat the room, or turn the heat off and appreciate the flame effect alone, complete with glowing embers! Electric fireplaces can be purchased as an insert for existing fireplaces or as a stand-alone piece with a mantle surround. Mantles are available in a variety of styles, colours and wood materials to suit a variety of personal tastes.

– Finishing Touches: Just as the snow sparkles outside, so too do those finishing touches. From decorative ornaments, to picture frames, to napkin rings, to cardholders, to candles and candleholders…think jeweled. If those finishing touches aren’t bejeweled with faux gemstones, then they glitter with the imitation effect of frost or ice.

Don’t Wait To List!

Once your home is updated with the winter season’s latest design essentials, it is most visually appealing to prospective buyers. Serious homebuyers are indeed active through the holidays and into the early months of the New Year. This means minimal disruption for you and your family and viewings from truly qualified prospects. Please contact me for more information about listing during the winter season.

Fall is a feast for the eyes with red, gold and bronze hues. While enjoying the trees in their tawny splendour, consider these simple tips to prepare your garden for the upcoming winter.

Grass
Although a carpet of leaves is part of autumn’s glory, don’t let them sit too long. Rake them frequently as grass needs oxygen and sunlight for proper growth.  This is also the time to seed your grass for a thick lush lawn in the spring, and to keep pesky weeds out.

Leaves
Put leaves to work! Small leaves from birch, beech and silver maple trees (or shredded larger leaves) spread under shrubs and over soil will degrade into mineral nutrients and worms will turn them into fertilizer.

Pruning/Re-arranging Plants
Pruning in the fall is important. With leaves cleared you have a better view of your plants. Cut off dead and diseased branches. Remove diseased leaves from under roses (blackspot) and dispose of in the garbage (not your compost heap) or they’ll re-infect plants the following spring. If you decide to re-arrange plants or shrubs, move them while the earth is still warm so that the roots can take hold.  Protect delicate shrubs with burlap.

Bulbs
If you want to see crocus, tulips and daffodils peeping through the soil in spring, now is the time to start planting.  Buy the very best quality bulbs and you will be rewarded with showy blooms in the spring. Check with a local horticulturalist for native bulb options and ideal planting conditions.

Container Gardening
Fill your balcony or patio containers with fall flowers.  Picture a pot filled with Vanilla Butterfly (marguerite daisy), with a background of Orange Sedge – this olive green grass turns orange in cool weather, finally fading to bronze.  Want an instant conversation piece?  Plant ornamental Kale (winter cabbage) in your container:  its quirky look is an attention-getter.

Every season has its beauty, but a Canadian fall is spectacular – enjoy!

Get your kids and your home ready for the hectic back to school season with these easy organizing tips.

By Kelly Potter ¦ Style at Home Magazine

As the summer comes to an end, the fall brings a season filled with packed lunches, rushed mornings and a house in disarray. It’s that time of year again, when the kids head back to school.

Wendy Hollick is a proud recipient of the 2011 Professional Organizers in Canada Ambassador Award and owner of Neat Spaces where she offers clients professional organizing help. Wendy is also a mom of three kids, so she knows a thing or two about the back to school rush!

Keeping the house organized once the kids are back in school can be difficult. According to Wendy, keeping things simple, getting the kids involved and organizing one room at time are helpful approaches to organizing during the back to school months. “Rooms that need the most attention are the bedrooms, bathrooms, homework area and the kitchen,” says Wendy. Here are some practical back to school organizing tips for each of these rooms:

Back to school organizing tips

Kids’ bedrooms

Wendy says the bedroom is a place of rest and that toys should be limited here. “Getting the kids involved and giving them the tools to become responsible is essential to keeping their rooms organized, “ she says. Large hooks on the back of the bedroom doors are a great idea for the kids to easily throw their hoodies, baseball caps, etc. Having shelves is another simple way for the kids to store their belongings. Wendy suggests big open shelves so that they can put their books, trophies and pictures on display, while staying organized. “Once the stuff is off the floor, it’s not clutter,” she says.

According to Wendy, clothing tends to be the biggest issue in the kids’ bedrooms once they go back to school. She suggests purchasing an affordable clothing organizer or getting a customized one put in. Keeping the clothes off the floor by having ample hanging space is essential. It’s also important to keep the hangers all one colour to bring a sense of simplicity and organization to the room, she says.

Bathrooms

If more than one child needs to use the bathroom in the morning, things can be hectic. Wendy suggests making a schedule for the kids to have their showers/baths to avoid fighting over time in the bathroom. “Older children prefer to have their showers in the morning, so the younger children can be scheduled before bedtime,” Wendy says. “Schedule a time that makes sense.” Assigning a specific colour of towel to each child will also eliminate bickering over whose towel is whose and reduce laundry loads.

In order to have clutter-free counters, Wendy suggests installing pullout drawers in the cabinets for an easy storage idea and to help the kids see what is in the back of the cabinets. According to Wendy, using the wall space is essential. She says using small decorative shelves and wall organizers for towels, shampoo, soap, etc. will provide extra space. Hooks on the back of the bathroom doors are a great solution for hanging towels and housecoats.

Wendy says that Mom should get the kids involved in organizing the bathroom by assigning the children plastic caddies for their personal items. They can bring their stuff back to their rooms and back again when needed. Having small, colour-coded bins for their stuff in the bathroom also helps each child be responsible for their own items and keeps the counters clear.

Homework area

Setting up a homework area will help the kids  stay organized and keep school papers confined to one area. Wendy  suggests setting up a small area in the kitchen. “Kids tend to  gravitate towards the kitchen after school, so setting up an area for  them to do their homework there is ideal. They don’t need fancy, they  just need practical,” she says. Having everything they need at their  workstation, such as pens, pencils, magazine files and calculators will  eliminate wandering and help them focus.

Kitchen

According to Wendy, organizing the kitchen  means removing anything that doesn’t belong there. You must remove  anything that doesn’t serve a purpose in the kitchen (e.g. paperwork,  exercise equipment). To keep the counters clear in the kitchen, Wendy  suggests using decorative bins and baskets. “If things are  ‘containerized’, they tend to stay organized,” says Wendy. Labeling the  bins is also helpful. If something is labeled, the kids are less likely  to stash the item somewhere else when they go to put something away,  says Wendy.

Wendy suggests making the kids’ lunches the night  before. “You don’t want to stress yourself out in the morning,” she  says. Having plastic Tupperware that is colour coded for each child will  help the kids know whose lunch is whose in the morning. Colour coding  each Tupperware that contains a different type of food item also helps  Mom know who ate what, and what to look for if the container goes  missing, says Wendy.

Donation bins, garbage and recycling bins  for easy disposal are also helpful for organizing the kitchen (and other  rooms), says Wendy. Separate bins make it an easy and efficient way to  sort items that you are getting rid of.
In order to maintain an  organized home during the back to school months, Wendy suggests taking  15 minutes to clean and organize at the end of each day. “Go into any  room and picture what the space looks like when it’s organized, and then  work clockwise and remove anything that does not belong within the  vision of that space,” she says.

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Keeping your home warm doesn’t come at a high price, thanks to these easy-to-do fixes. Bring on the Heat!

Elsa Satella • This Old House magazine

On average, 10 to 25 percent of a home’s heat escapes through its windows. If you’re feeling drafts, you should consider reglazing or even replacing your windows. But if you can’t because of time—or budget—first weatherstrip, then try these other temporary fixes to help beat the chill.

Plastic Film

Applied to panes with double-sided tape and sealed using the heat from a hair dryer, this inexpensive clear shrink film can allow a room to retain as much as 55 percent of its heat. In a pinch, bubble wrap makes an effective replacement; just push the bubble side of the wrap against the glass and adhere with double-sided tape.

Shown: Duck Crystal Clear Shrink Film, about $13 for two 3-packs, My Brands.

Draft Snakes

Stop cold air from creeping through windowsills with a snake. You can buy one online, or easily make one yourself by filling a tube of fabric, like an old knee sock, with dry rice.

Shown: Window and door draft stopper, about $10, Improvements

Rigid Foam

For basement and attic windows you don’t need to see out of, cover the panes with a piece of foam board glued to ⅜-inch drywall. Cut pieces to fit snugly inside the frame, press the foam side against the glass, then simply pop out when you want to let in sunlight.

Shown: Dow ½-inch polyisocyanurate rigid foam sheathing, about $12.50 per 8-4-foot panel, Lowe’s

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With a spark of imagination, holiday decorating can be inspired yet inexpensive

By Trish Sinclair, Style at Home Magazine

Whether you’re planning the Christmas party of the century, or burning the Yule log on your own, holiday decorating does not have to break the bank-or your festive spirit.
Your creativity can take you far. Try these tips and projects to make your home a holiday haven, while only spending a Dickens’ halfpenny.

1 Christmas close-outs

Check local newspapers often for special ‘close-out’ sales. Often lasting only two or three days, close-out sales are gold mines for everything from kitschy candles to bushels of tree lights, at prices lower than wholesale.

2 Festive foraging

Gather nature’s ornaments, such as pinecones, acorns and balsam fir tips from the backyard or local park. Add a touch of silver or gold spray paint to your gatherings and arrange in a glass bowl surrounded by votive candles.

3 Christmas aromatherapy

Delight houseguests with the warm scent of a mulling spice bag. Combine whole cloves, allspice, cinnamon sticks, and nutmeg with dried orange and lemon peel in a small piece of cheesecloth secured with elastic. Simmer the spice bag in a pot filled with 3-4 cups of water, and enjoy the aroma.

4 Merry memories

Gather a collection of favourite family and childhood Christmas amaryllis plant is a holiday favourite, and should be potted six weeks before Christmas to yield large, stunning blooms. Pot two or three of the festive ‘Peppermint Stick’ variety, which are white, swirled with red.

6 Christmas by candlelight

Nothing creates a festive ambiance like the glow of candles. For a dining or coffee table centrepiece, group three pillar candles of various heights in holiday colours on a ceramic or other non-flammable dish. Scatter several tea lights in small glass holders along a mantel, bookshelf or buffet table.

7 Charlie Brown-style

At half the price of big trees, one to three-foot high mini evergreen trees make adorable desktop or table decorations. Perfect for apartments and other small spaces, ‘Charlie Brown’ mini trees are available at many garden centres and Christmas tree lots.

8 How fairy festive!

Add a twinkly, romantic effect with white fairy lights. String lights along the length of a window curtain rod to brighten a room. Arrange a strand of lights along a mantelpiece, weaving lights among Christmas cards and ornaments.

9 Deck the halls and doors …

Fallen evergreen boughs and small pieces of greenery can be collected outdoors or purchased cheaply in surplus from Christmas tree lots. Natural boughs add a traditional Christmas look and scent and they can adorn banisters, doors and mantels.

10 Fragrant fireplace

Dress up a bare hearth by decorating a small wood log with flammable, decorative, scented accents, including sheet moss, pinecones, cinnamon sticks and whole cloves. When burned, this Yule log will make a glowing fire with a festive fragrance. (Use non-toxic white glue to decorate log rather than hot glue.) See below for instructions.

Scented Yule log With this decorative, burnable Yule log, the open hearth or top of a woodstove will always look and smell festive:

Supplies: • 1 sheet moss (from florist or craft store) • small wood log • white craft glue • pine cones • cinnamon sticks • whole cloves • pot pourri (Christmas blend) • essential oils (pine, cinnamon, balsam frankincense)

Instructions: Glue the moss to the top of the log. Glue potpourri pine cones, cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, cinnamon sticks onto the moss. Sprinkle a few drops of essential oils to the moss and spices. Add a festive bow to the top of the log (to be removed before burning).

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Organizing, styling and mini-makeover ideas to transform the hub of your home

By: Margot Austin  Style at Home Magazine

Woo potential buyers with these DIY tips for the perfectly staged home.

There’s no escaping the raw power of first impressions, especially when it comes to selling your home. Each time a potential buyer walks through your front door, you want their immediate thought to be: WOW!

The key to creating the right impression is being able to envisage what potential buyers will look for in your home.  Can they see themselves living there and spending time with friends and family? Is this a space they’d love to entertain in?

Home staging is essential in helping you bring their vision to life and can make a big impact on the selling price and timeframe. Ideally, you’ll want to focus on the entire house, but depending on time and budget, your main selling rooms take priority.

Your front entrance is the introduction area buyers will see. This is where they’ll base their first impression and determine how the rest of the house is going to show. The living room is usually one of the first rooms buyers see as they go through the house. This room will determine the general style of the home whether contemporary or traditional or somewhere in between. The dining room is where buyers will enjoy meals and celebrate holidays and special occasions. The kitchen is where people spend most of their time, and when entertaining friends and family, that’s where everyone tends to gather. The family room or great room is the second area where people spend most of their time relaxing and entertaining. The master bedroom and en-suite is a special sanctuary for buyers. They want to be able to go into this room, close the door and forget about everything else. It needs to feel like the perfect escape from their hectic and busy lifestyle.

The key is to look at each room and determine how you would feel if you were a buyer standing in the doorway looking in. How does your flooring look? Buyers want to purchase a home that is move-in ready and flooring is one of the top selling features  a buyer  is looking for, so invest in your equity and replace any worn or outdated flooring.  What colour are the walls? If your house is painted in very bright or unusual colours, potential buyers may be turned off or at least feel that this is a starting point for them to negotiate on price since they will have to paint as soon as they move in. By going neutral with your colours and adding colour and texture with accessories like pillows and throws, potential buyers will be able to emotionally connect with the home and visualize living there. Does the position of your furniture show off the size of the room? Does the room feel cluttered? Does the furniture in the room tell the buyer how this room can be used? How much lighting is in each room? Properly placed furniture and lighting will show off the prime features and allow buyers to see how each room functions.

Warm brown paint, glass mosaic tile, and fresh fixtures update a drab old kitchen

Natalie Rodriguez   This Old House Magazine

With kitchens, simple does not necessarily equal streamlined. For homeowners Eduardo Perez and Moo Sirikittisup, the kitchen that came with their Atlanta condo fell short on both frills and function. Builder- grade cabinets and white laminate counters set a cheerless, monotonous tone in an open space that can be seen from the front door. And washing dishes meant looking at a worn wood cabinet, as the window didn’t line up over the sink. Opening the dishwasher blocked the oven door and vice versa. “It was a sad-looking space,” says Eduardo.

Sad-Looking Space

A bland color scheme and an awkward layout made this kitchen boring and inconvenient. So after a year—and with some DIY know-how passed down from his contractor dad—Eduardo spent two weeks removing the oak cabinets, refinishing and reinstalling them, then putting in new counters. The sink and the dishwasher swapped places, improving the room’s flow, and he added sleek new hardware and fixtures to update the space.

Beautiful Backsplash

The new faucet (Delta) is classic and functional, with a graceful shape. The priciest splurge was the colorful mosaic tile (Casa Italia, Green Mix Mosaic Glass from Floor and Decor Outlets of America), but the green-and-white glass-tile backsplash brought in a finishing touch of color. Says Eduardo, “Now, when I walk in and see the kitchen, it makes me smile.”

Homeowner Tip: Eduardo picked up a small wet saw for just $59: “It cut the glass tiles like they were cookies. It was so easy.”

Dynamite Details: Cabinet Pulls

The removed-and-reinstalled cabinets look like completely new boxes, thanks to a DIY paint job. Rectangular bar pulls (IKEA) updated the cabinets and complemented their new modern chocolate-colored finish.

Dynamite Details: Lighting

An inexpensive home-center find, the spotlight fixture (Home Depot) targets its beams on the kitchen’s separate workstations. And, the brushed-nickel finish matches the new cabinet pulls beautifully.

Finding Storage in Small Spaces

Since the kitchen is on the small side, the homeowners added shelves underneath the breakfast bar area to hold the microwave and other appliances when not in use. This smart use of space clears up the countertop for food prep and other everyday use.

Eduardo and Moo are saving for the next phase of the makeover: new appliances. But for now, chocolate-colored paint (Behr) on the cabinets and a countertop swap (IKEA), along with nickel-finish fixtures and cool green mosaic tiles complete the contemporary makeover.

Project Tally

• Removed and reinstalled original cabinets in a slightly new configuration, $0

• Replaced old laminate counters with new ones that have stainless-steel edge banding, $300

• Put a fresh coat of paint on walls and ceiling, $34

• Sanded original oak cabinets and brushed on a gallon of new chocolate-brown paint, $28

• Added a brushed nickel, three-light ceiling fixture, $35

• Swapped in nickel-finished cabinet pulls, $80

• Upgraded the kitchen faucet, $45

• Added undercabinet pucks for task lighting, $45

• Installed new glass tile mosaic backsplash, $400

TOTAL: $967

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Easy ways to make your home more attractive to potential buyers

ByYuki Hayashi

Getting ready to sell? Move your property fast – and for the highest selling price possible – with these easy, affordable staging tricks. These deal-sealing changes will make your home attractive to the largest pool of potential buyers, and the best part is, you can start at any stage in the game. Who knows – you may love your home’s new look so much that you decide not to list after all!

1 Paint!
Dollar for dollar, a fresh coat of paint gives you more bang for your decorating buck than anything else. Even if your current palette is relatively new, any scuffs or wear marks will channel an unkempt vibe. And an unusual colour choice – even if the height of fashion – may limit your home’s appeal. So break out that roller and slap on a couple coats of crowd-pleasing warm white or sand paint.

2 Improve the lighting
Replace any dated light fixtures ASAP. How can you tell if it has to go? If it’s over 15 years old and looks it – yet isn’t a vintage (50-75 years old) or antique piece (older) – it should probably go. “Retro” is not something most homebuyers are looking for. You don’t need to break the bank, just head to IKEA or Canadian Tire.

3 De-clutter
Take the collectibles off the mantel, put the mismatched armchair into storage (or better yet, donate it) and pare your closets down to what you’re actually wearing this season, packing away the rest. Ideally, all this extra stuff would head to charity (if in good, saleable condition), the garbage dump, or into storage. The more you store onsite, the more cluttered and small your home appears.
4 Give dated bathrooms a facelift
A nice bath helps sell a house but, don’t invest in a total renovation. Renos are costly, and you won’t recoup your costs unless you find your exact décor doppelganger. Bring an out-of-date bath up to speed with gleaming white walls whether via a fresh coat of white bath and kitchen paint or ceramic tile and new lighting (Home Depot excels at affordable, stylish bathroom vanity lighting). Buy neutral new shower curtains, a simple new bath mat and vanity set, and have fresh flowers in the room during open houses.

5 Take down curtains
Dated window treatments need to come down, pronto (if it’s over 10 years old, get rid of it). If privacy isn’t an issue, just leave the windows bare to maximize natural light and make the room’s dimensions seem more generous. Otherwise, buy basic-issue cotton or linen drapes from Linens ‘N Things or another well-priced retailer. Always tie drapes back during viewings and open houses.

6 Put up mirrors
Make small rooms appear bigger and dark rooms seem brighter by adding an attractive wall mirror. A boxlike dining room will benefit from a leaning floor mirror (Lowes sells well priced ones, and HomeSense often has great deals) and an entranceway more welcoming with a console mirror.

7 Update porch hardware
Increase your home’s curb appeal by updating the hardware on your front porch. Buy a doorknocker or bell, mailbox, kick plate, doorknob and lockset in a set or in complementary styles. Brushed nickel is a neutral finish that will never date, while oil-rubbed bronze is another favourite.

8 And the porch light
Update your porch light to coordinate with the new hardware, if needed. They don’t have to be an exact match or even come from the same period, but the finishes and styles should look pleasing together.

9 Spiff up the front yard
Refresh your front yard according to the season. In spring, summer and fall, trim back dead plants and foliage and plant attractive annuals or perennials in flowerbeds. In winter, keep the walkway shoveled and cut back any tree or shrub branches damaged by heavy snowfall. A pair of planters flanking the front door and filled with seasonal arrangements instantly conveys pride of ownership.

10 Tend the backyard
Simple fix-its will make the most of your existing yard layout. Replace any damaged boards on your deck or fence, and apply a fresh coat of paint, or stain and sealant if the finish needs it. Weed and groom your garden and add some perennials for colour when in-season. If kids’ toys are taking over the space, put some in storage. Think “tidy,” “update” and “refresh”: never do anything costly or major like adding a swimming pool or pond, which may put off potential buyers.

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