An article published in the April 3, 2012 edition of the Edmonton Journal offers a few tips that might make the next tidying up incident a little more productive.  “Teaching kids to cut clutter” suggests the way to make kids’ too small rooms a little bigger is to get rid of some of the stuff in them.  Even better would be to never have some of the stuff, such as the junk contents of many birthday party loot bags (who dreams up these things anyway?), enter the rooms in the first place. 

The article profiles two moms and writers, Debby Waldman and Rita Feutl, who co-wrote a book for children entitled Room Enough for Daisy based on their personal experiences trying to corral the belongings of their own children.  “Feutl says she hopes it prompts thoughtful parents to ask their kids to think about where the material for these things comes from, where they are put together, who puts them together and what they’re paid, how they’re packaged and how they get to the village, town or city where the kids live.”  The women hope their book will make kids more aware of their stuff and to take responsibility for it, as well as realize that some things are worth keeping more than others, and that less can be more. 

A few of the tips from the article for helping kids cut clutter: 

• Use the one-in-one-out rule.  When a new item comes into a kid’s room, something else must be removed.  But let your child decide.
• Sorting items and keeping like items together in containers and on shelves may go a long way to solving the problem of a messy room.
• If a child doesn’t appear to be using certain items, gather them up and put them away for 6 months.  If the child doesn’t ask for the items during that time, consider giving the stuff away.
• If kids want something new, have them contribute to the purchase.
• Be specific when you ask kids to clean their room.  Do you want them to clean, as in vacuum and dust, or do you want them to organize, as in pick up those blocks and arrange them in this box?
• Make sorting, arranging and tidying into a time-limited game. 

Read the full article for even more good ideas.  

If we can teach our kids to be more aware of the difference between wants and needs, and that more and more stuff doesn’t necessarily mean a better life, maybe their generation can do a better job of decluttering the planet!  

I always welcome your comments and questions.  Call or text me at 780-910-9669, email me at barrytwynam@gmail.com, or contact me here.

Spring time in Spruce Grove, Stony Plain, Parkland County and the Edmonton region

The Real Estate Council of Alberta has produced a handy little brochure called The Buying Process that answers a pile of questions you may not even know you had.  Some of the many topics covered in a few short pages include:

Decision to buy

Contact a Real Estate Professional

Know Your Options (regarding the relationship you have with a real estate professional)

Your Mortgage (getting pre-qualified and pre-approved and what the difference is)

Costs (besides the purchase price of the home)

Contact a Lawyer

Timing (various deadlines set by the Purchase Contract)

Looking at Properties

Disclosures (sellers are obligated to reveal any defects in their property)

Inspections

Purchase Contracts (the document that presents your offer to the sellers)

Multiple Offers

Terms and Conditions

Property Insurance

This brochure is well worth the few minutes it will take you to read it and should give you a good basic understanding of the process. 

If you have further questions, I am always happy to answer them!  Please phone or text me at 780-910-9669, email me at barrytwynam@gmail.com, or contact me here.

We’ve all seen the stories in the media about flood damage in Manitoba and parts of the US, but that type of large-scale catastrophe is less common than all the other ways water can ruin a home.  And most of the everyday type of water damage, caused by a leaky roof, backed-up sewer or spring run-off, is preventable.  Here are a few things you can do to minimize water problems:

– Walk around the entire outside of your home, keeping your eyes open for all the places water could get in. 

–Does the grade slope away from your home without any dips where the ground has settled?  There should be no area where water drains back toward the house.

–Do the downspouts from eavestroughs extend at least 6 feet from the house? 

–Do all doors and windows fit snugly without any cracks where water could seep in?

–As spring approaches, are you diligent about clearing snow and ice away from your home?

– On the roof:

–Inspect the roof for missing or damaged shingles and repair any problems.  If your roof is older than 15 years, it might be time for a whole new roof.

–Are the eavestrough gutters free and clear of debris so that water can flow freely off the roof?

–Check seals around chimneys, skylights and vents to ensure they are water-tight.

– Inside your home:

–Regularly check all plumbing (including your hot water tank) and appliances for leaks, and for trouble signs such as rust around a faucet or corrosion around the washing machine hose.  One trick for testing whether a toilet is leaking:  Add food coloring to the tank.  If the color seeps into the bowl after about 20 minutes, you have a leak.

–Burst pipes can cause a major mess.  Besides checking for leaks, check that insulation in these areas is adequate.

–Consider installing a sump pump, backwater valve or water sensor, if you don’t already have these items.

–Examine all ceilings for stains which could indicate spots where water has gotten in.

–If you store valuable items in the basement, put them in plastic bins up off the floor.

–Don’t run appliances such as dishwasher or washing machine when nobody is home.

A few other suggestions: 

–When you leave on vacation, even for a long weekend, have someone do regular checks of your residence.  Check all taps and faucets before you leave (turn off the water to the washing machine!), and consider even turning off the main water valve.

–Review your insurance coverage to make sure you are covered for water perils such as sewer backup and the like.

–If your home is starting to show its age, consider hiring a home inspector to go over your home with you, looking specifically for problem areas before they develop into full-blown trouble.

I love to hear your comments or questions!  Call or text me at 780-910-9669, email me at barrytwynam@gmail.com, or contact me here.

Looking for a home

When clients give me a long list of things they absolutely have to have in a home, I know we might be looking for a long time, unless those clients have deep pockets!  This is equally true if clients are looking for a particular feature that is not common or standard in the average newer home these days.  For example, it is rare these days to find new homes, unless they are high-end models, with separate dining rooms.  It is more common today for new homes to be built in the open concept style, with a kitchen, dining area and living room that flow together instead of being surrounded by walls.

I usually counsel my clients to make a list of everything they’d like in a home and then to cut that list down to 10 prioritized items.  I also encourage my clients to differentiate between needs and wants.

• • What are things you absolutely have to have based on family configuration, activities and so on?  For example, a family with two parents, three kids and a grand-parent living with them is going to need a different kind of home than a single person living with his dog. 
• • What are things that would be nice to have but you could live without if you had to trade off one feature for another?  For example, would a laundry room in the basement rather than on the main floor work if it means that some more critical feature is present in a home being considered? 
• • Are there things that could be changed in the future?  For example, an unfinished basement can be a positive or a negative depending on the point of view of prospective buyers.  Sometimes a home’s potential counts at least as much as its current condition.
• • Notice I haven’t said a word yet about price. 

Once a reasonable and well-edited list of must-haves is on the table, I caution my clients that compromise is a word they are probably going to hear a few times before the deal is done.  If you have ten must-haves on your list and we are lucky enough to find a home that has seven of your desired features, I consider that a big success.

Let me help you find a home that’s just right for you!  Call or text me at 780-910-9669, email me at barrytwynam@gmail.com, or contact me here.

“Got a half hour to kill?  Use it to spruce up your house.”  So begins a useful article from the March 24, 2012 edition of the Edmonton Journal entitled “Take time for a quick home spruce-up”. 

Most of us want our homes in Spruce Grove, Stony Plain, Parkland County, the Edmonton region or elsewhere to look great, but often the chore of keeping them looking immaculate feels a little overwhelming.  This article suggests a number of quick touch-ups that will make your home look and feel a lot better, whether you are doing it for yourself or as part of staging your home for sale.

The author, Mary Beth Breckenridge, starts by suggesting a tour through every part of your home with notebook in hand and a critical eye.  Write down every single thing that isn’t quite right.  You won’t be fixing them during this walk-through but it will give you an idea of things, big and small, that should probably be attended to. 

Now, for a few fix-ups.  Breckenridge suggests not just polishing but actually touching up the woodwork of window and door frames, baseboards, etc. to cover up the scratches and dings of day-to-day wear.  Read the article for her product suggestions!  Chipped paint on walls can be given similar treatment.

Breckenridge recommends Mr. Clean Magic Eraser and Scrubbing Bubbles spray to get rid of smudges around light switches, door knobs and so on. 

And then there are the places where dust likes to accumulate but which we often ignore when we do our weekly cleaning ritual:  light fixtures (don’t forget to dust the bulbs, and it’s probably time to take apart and wash the chandelier over the dining room table) and fans (including fan blades and bathroom exhaust fans), the tops of doors, the crevices between the carpet edge and baseboards (use the crevice tool on your vacuum for this one).  Think high and low, as in ceilings and baseboards.

You won’t be doing all of these things during one cleaning stint, but they make for a quick home brightener if tackled one by one, Breckenridge claims, and are not as time-consuming or onerous as one might think.   Read the full article for lots of good ideas to keep your home looking its best.

Got some great home maintenance tips to share?  Call or text me at 780-910-9669, email me at barrytwynam@gmail.com, or contact me here.

Are you a water hog or a water miser?  Chances are, if you’re like most Canadians, whether you live in Spruce Grove, Stony Plain, Parkland County or elsewhere, you use more water than you should.  This excessive water use costs us as homeowners, in higher water bills, and as citizens, putting a strain on infrastructure and resources.

 “Stemming the flow of H2O”, an article in the March 3, 2012 issue of the Edmonton Journal and written by Patrick Langston of the Ottawa Citizen, contains some startling statistics about water use.  For instance, the article states that Canadians on average use 340 litres of water per person per day, the 2^nd highest amount in the world.

Other facts quoted in the article:

• Roughly 65% of indoor water use occurs in the bathroom.
• One drop per second from a leaky faucet can waste about 10,000 litres of water in a year.  A toilet that keeps running after it’s flushed can waste up to 200,000 litres per year (enough to fill 2 swimming pools!)
• Standard shower heads release 15 to 20 litres of water per minute.  A low-flow model cuts that amount in half.  
• A standard 18-litre-per-flush toilet, flushed 4 times per day, uses close to 30,000 litres per year.  Think of how much water (and money!) can be saved by replacing one standard toilet with a low-flow model that uses 6 litres or less per flush.
• It takes about 265 litres to fill a standard bathtub, more (sometimes much more) for a soaker tub.
• Most front-loading washing machines use about 75 litres per load, about half that of top loaders.
• Think you’re saving money and water if you hand wash your dishes?  Hand washing uses about 75 litres, while an Energy Star dishwasher takes about 15 litres per load.

Tips and information abound in this useful article. Some of these things we’ve heard before, like not leaving the tap running when you brush your teeth or wash your hands.  Other tips may be new, such as installing a thermostatic valve in the shower so that the shower can be shut off while lathering without having to re-set the water temperature when the tap is turned back on. 

The article concludes with conservation tips borrowed from the website WaterUseItWisely.com.  This excellent website offers over 100 ways to conserve water, such as:

• When washing dishes by hand, don’t let the water run while rinsing.  Fill one sink with wash water and the other with rinse water.
• Wash vegetables in a bowl of water instead of under a running tap.  Then use the vegetable water to water houseplants.
• Keep a bottle of water in the refrigerator instead of running the tap.
• When doing laundry, match the water level to the size of the load.  Better yet, aim to run your machine only for full loads.
• Install an instant water heater near your kitchen sink so you don’t have to run the water while it heats up.

Read the article  and check out WaterUseItWisely.com for much more information.  Whether the tips you’ll find there are new or old, we all can stand to be reminded of ways we can help the planet and our wallets!

I would be happy to help you find an energy-efficient home!  Call or text me at 780-910-9669, email me at barrytwynam@gmail.com, or contact me here.

A good solid lock is one of the best ways to secure the biggest investment most of us will ever make, whether it’s an acreage in Parkland County, a house in Stony Plain or a condo in Spruce Grove.  But what if that lock is sticking and your key is not reliably locking and unlocking the door each time?  Are there some simple fixes, or do you have to get a locksmith to replace every lock in your home?

I recently ran across an article entitled “When your key doesn’t unlock the door” published in the January 13, 2012 issue of the Grove Examiner.  This article, also found online on the Edmonton Sun website, is well worth a read.  The author, noted security expert Frank Fourchalk, has numerous suggestions to solve the problem, from using good old reliable WD-40, to tightening various screws and filing the strike plates, to re-keying (not replacing) your locks, and more.  Read his excellent advice on everything relating to home security on his own website, Your Home Security.ca 

If you’re concerned about security in your home, take a look also at my checklists:

Home Security Checklist 

Fire Safety Checklist 

Looking to buy or sell in Spruce Grove, Stony Plain, Parkland County or the Edmonton area?  Give me a call at 780-910-9669, email me at barrytwynam@gmail.com or contact me here.

How energy-efficient is your Spruce Grove, Stony Plain, Parkland County or Edmonton area home?

“Make your home an energy fortress”, published January 28, 2012 in the Edmonton Journal asks:  “where exactly should you invest when it comes to ramping up your home’s energy efficiency?”

The article quotes Christopher Straka from Ottawa’s Vert Design, a firm that deals with residential and commercial planning, design and development:   “Every home has its own energy strengths and weaknesses … based on age, construction and other factors. Only an energy audit, which you’ll need to tap into federal grant programs for upgrades, can pinpoint your individual energy issues.  … your best bet is still tightening up the building’s envelope: caulking and weather stripping to reduce leakage, more insulation, and better windows and doors.”

Many of the other things we can do, the article’s author, Patrick Langston, tells us, have an initial cost, but this may be offset somewhat by government grants, and will pay off the longer we remain in our homes.  Don’t forget also that each of these improvements will increase the resale value and saleability of your home.  While it will cost about $1 per square foot of attic to upgrade insulation and plug air leaks, doing so can save $400+ per year.  Spend $3000 to $6000 on a new high-efficiency furnace, and expect to save $500+ annually in heating costs.  Switch to a tankless hot water heater at a cost of about $3000, and save $150 per year.  Read the whole article for other upgrades that will save energy and money.

Planning to retrofit your home or buy a resale home?  Check out fact sheets available at the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation website that recommend upgrades for 11 housing types in 5 regions of Canada.

Also included in the article are notes on exciting new technologies that promise to do even more for the energy misers among us.  The article concludes with a reminder about the many gadgets most of us can’t live without that gobble up energy, and suggests ways we can reduce our dependence on these energy thieves.  Check out the full article. 

Looking for a new more energy-efficient home?  Give me a call at 780-910-9669, email me at barrytwynam@gmail.com, or contact me here.

The Canadian RRSP allows tax-payers to save money for retirement while getting a break on taxes.   Once withdrawn, taxes must be paid, and the amount can never be put back into the RRSP – with one exception.  First-time home buyers needing money for a down payment are allowed to borrow up to $25,000 (tax-free) from their RRSP funds, and they have up to 15 years to repay the amount. 

But!  After reading the article, first-time home buyers might think twice about doing this.  The article explains with specific examples the permanent financial blow this deals to one’s retirement fund and subsequent retirement income.  Because the RRSP contains pre-tax dollars, the potential earning power of this money is greater than funds saved in other ways, and the loss of earning power is therefore greater also.  Loss of growth in one’s savings for retirement might be at least partially off-set by savings occurring from having a smaller mortgage, but prospective home buyers will need sharp pencils to calculate if this works for them. 

Read the full article to see if this strategy is the best choice for you.

I work with mortgage brokers who can help you figure out the best way to get into the house you want.  Call me today at 780-910-9669, email me at btwynam@telusplanet.net, or contact me here.

An article by Mike Holmes in the January 14, 2012 edition of the Edmonton Journal entitled “No building permit? You’re asking for trouble” (posted online as “Before renovating, get the proper permits — or you’ll regret it”) gives the details about why this document is so critical.

In fact, having a building permit is one of the best things you can do to protect yourself and the time and money you invest in a renovation.  That little piece of paper comes with inspections by municipal building inspectors who check the work to see that it’s safe and built to code.

Why is this important?  For starters, you may not know that municipal officials can force you to shut down a project without a permit or even tear down completed work that hasn’t been inspected.  Work that hasn’t been inspected may be fine – but we hear far too many stories about unlicensed contractors doing shoddy work that not only brings down the value of your property but may end up damaging and destroying other properties in your neighborhood.  A permit may cost you a few dollars and a bit of time, but having things done right is worth it.

Read Mike Holmes’ article for the full story.

Looking for property to fix up and rent out or flip?  I can help you find just the right place.  Call me at 780-910-9669, email me at btwynam@telusplanet.net, or contact me here.