Category: My Blog

How to build my house more energy efficient?

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Energy Efficient Homes can save you money and help protect the environment. A home that is more energy efficient helps your family reduce the cost of energy bills. Even if you’re not paying too much, you should still consider saving. There are several different ways to make an energy efficient house, but not all of these are suited for all climates or housing needs. These must-haves for energy efficient homes work well regardless of where you live, helping you reach a net zero energy house in no time.

Spray Foam Insulation

Spray foam insulation is one of the best products for insulating your home and keeping it warm or cold. This type of insulation not only keeps your home cool and cozy, but also keeps the elements outside, such as wind and rain out. The product is actually made from two different materials, polyols and isocyanates, that react when mixed together and expand to more than 30-60% of their original volume once they are sprayed in an area. Once this happens, the product becomes a foam that fills whatever is placed inside it. This makes it perfect for sealing in areas around your home, especially in places where air movement would cause movement in the materials.

Because of the amazing ability of this product, there are many places in the house where spray foam insulation can be effective. These areas include in cracks, crevices, corners, under sinks, bathrooms, in ceilings, walls and floor cracks, in the attic, and in basements. Even though it can be used anywhere you see a crack, crevice, or moisture, it is most often used around the foundations of the home. Spray foam insulation can seal up cracks and crevices, but it also acts as a vapor barrier to keep out cold and heat, and acts as a protective layer against corrosion and rust. This means that it works great in areas that would otherwise be prone to damage caused by moisture leaking into the home. When properly installed, you can enjoy all these benefits for years to come.

Windows

Adding energy efficient windows to your home can also make a substantial difference. Double glazed windows are expensive, but pay off big when it comes to lowering energy bills. Over the years, double glazing has made homes more energy efficient than ever before, lowering the amount of heat lost through your windows. While this step alone isn’t enough, it does help in many ways. Another kind of window to think about are skylights. While we can’t always control the sun’s rays, we can greatly increase our chances of beating it at its own game. Energy efficient skylights are a great way to do this, providing natural light to your home throughout the day. Homes in colder climates, such as Canada, could even benefit from the heat the light brings in. Energy Efficient homes naturally benefit from high levels of sunlight because increased sun exposure means less need for lighting throughout the day.

Energy Efficient Appliances

A quality energy efficient home plan encompasses energy-efficient appliances, building materials and building structures that are constructed with high energy-efficiency levels. The primary focus of this kind of planning is to decrease energy requirements through energy-efficient construction practices and renovation of structures. Energy Efficient Homes reduces unnecessary energy demand, greenhouse gases, global warming, and environmental pollution. They also provide homeowners significant cost savings over traditional constructed homes and provide them with healthier living conditions.

Energy Star

A house is considered to be an energy efficient home when it meets the Energy Star qualifications of the United States Department of Energy. Energy Star Qualified homes do not only offer energy efficiency upgrades for existing homes, but they also help families lower their energy bills and save money on their utility bills as well. To qualify for Energy Star Home, a home should have at least an average amount of energy usage per year and the energy efficiency performance level of its heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems should meet the guidelines set forth by the US Department of Energy. A house with a combination of state-of-the-art appliances that work together to create an energy-efficient home can also qualify for Energy Star status. Energy Star appliances include built-in and appliance boilers, natural gas and electricity hook ups, water heaters, refrigerator and floor heating systems, electric panels, high-efficiency fluorescent bulbs, low energy lighting, geothermal and photovoltaic, hot water systems and low energy computers.

Most energy efficient homes have installed energy-saving appliances that are energy efficient, provide sufficient hot water, cool air conditioning, provide adequate insulation, and have the most current energy saving technology. The amount of electricity you use in a day, in a month or in a year depends on the use of energy systems that convert energy to electricity. Energy efficiency can also be measured in kilowatt hours per unit or CWh. An Energy Star home uses at least a minimum of a CWh/yr of electricity and has a rating on the energy efficiency scale that is related to the cost of replacement of energy systems over a period of time.

Let’s Talk About Mahagony, Banff Trail & Varsity Calgary

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The community of Mahogany which is located in the Southeast portion of the province of Calgary is one of their popular lake communities. Mahogany is one of the newer communities in Calgary has an amazing selection of homes ranging from detached bungalows, single family homes, condominiums, and townhomes. This community has 70 active houses for sale in Mahogany with an average price of $585,027 and has 57 active condo units and/or townhomes with an average price of $527,650. In 2019, a total of 174 single family homes were sold in the market in 109 days. The average price for these single family homes were $548,882. In 2019, 65 townhomes and/or condos were sold within an average of 105 days and an average price of $435,629. Most of these real estate properties were built in 2016 and have an average size of 1,524.

Banff Trail, Calgary

Known as one of the highly sought-after inner-city neighborhoods situated in Calgary, Banff Trail has a great variety of houses to offer from. Ranging from affordable townhomes, high-rise condominiums, detached 1950s bungalows, land in-fills, and spacious single family homes. Young families and professionals prefer this neighborhood as it is located near famous amenities and transportation systems such as the C-Train LRT system and trails such as Crowchild and Banff Trail. There were 28 single family private homes for sale in Banff Trail in 2019 at an average cost of $636,442. Land in Banff Trail is consistently sought after and the Average Days on Market (DOM) for homes in Banff Trail was 49 days. There were 4 townhouse deals in Banff Trail which sold for $484,750 and they took a normal of 50 days to sell. There are 13 active houses with an average price of $713,015 and 3 active condo/townhomes in the area with an average price of $339,233 and with an average size of 1,453.

Varsity is a vibrant and easily accessible neighborhood in the northwest quadrant of Calgary. This community was originally three different neighborhoods namely Varsity Village, Varsity Acres, and Varsity Estates but it was made into one popularly known as just Varsity. This community also offers one too many reasons for buying a real estate property in the area. One of the top reasons is the great transportation system of the community such as Shaganappi Trail and Crowfoot trail that is nearby Varsity which allows residents to go to nearby amenities easily. Downsizing has been a trend nowadays and Varsity is an ideal place to check out especially the new Groves of Varsity and Chateau on the Green. This community is one of the top choices of the medical community since it is close to the Foothills Hospital and Alberta Children’s Hospital. In 2019, homes for sale in Varsity had an average days on market of 43 days, there were about 86 single family homes sold with an average price of $689,293. Varsity also has 76 condo and townhomes that were sold in 2019 with an average price of $321,018.

Get It Right! Bathroom Renos Done Right.

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Straightforward bath room or haven? The one challenge is that yours is perhaps not giving off the vibe you see for this in-home getaway. It is renovation time!

It’s certainly a large venture to take on, however it is nothing you can not manage on your own. Don’t believe me? Let me show you how with these 6 simple to follow tips.

Know Your Figures

Whether it is large or small, a person ought to continually make certain that you have enough money prior to embarking on any property makeover endeavor. With medium expenses starting from 10k as much as and even over, 23k, you’ve got to prepare in advance. Make sure you can pay for everything you envision before diving in.

Still hold just a second. Are you considering moving in the near future? It’s possible that you need to reconsider the redesign perhaps. If though it helps the price of your property you will want to do it. Home buyers do consider two spaces in your house when appraising a house. A great kitchen, bathroom or both, can easily improve home price as well as allure.

Money: What Goes Where?

Whenever you decide to go ahead with your redesign goals as well as make a decision on an general amount you can spend, you should take a moment and ascertain where every single cent will go. Quite often, you can bet that labor will set you back about a third of the funding.

Then, you’re able to decide what you must include and what you’re able to trim if cash is tight. In most cases, it is best to get rid of lavish extras if money’s tight—you will definitely need new floor tile, but you won’t need a vapor shower.

Search Hard for Inspiration

Men probably not take just as much time getting prepared in the morning as women however that reality is at the very least both men and women spend a minimum of 15-20 minutes every morning getting prepared. And as a result – you spend lots of time in there – you ought to make it the way you need it. Awesome.

Generally there are many of very good info on the web where by you will be able to see awesome design concepts. Head out and get some inspiration. Start with sites including Pinterest and Instagram. However you’ll potentially see all varieties of great design ideas, often they are pricey and out of your budget. Simply find the nugget ideas that you can afford and cherrypick these.

Think Ahead And Be Prepared!

Think before you do anything! Just think of it. Should your bathroom makeover needs you to basically strip the room down to nothing rendering it not usable will you go in the meanwhile? It goes without saying, still you need to figure this out before you get in to your redesign project.

If you have some other bath room in the house, you’re lucky Normally, you may have to arrange with a neighbor to use their facilities when needed or stay with a loved one for a few days whilst the water’s off. One more very good idea is to just pick up a portable toilet to have on-site during remodeling. No matter what, have this plan in place before you’re in desperate need of a bath room and have nowhere to go.

Consider The Specifics in your Budget

It could go without saying, however you’ll want to also know the particulars of how you’re going to manage the expenses of your overhaul and any additional charges that could arise in the project. Virtually any financial institution will lend money for residential renovation projects and yet they also need an itemized report of your bills and budget.

You shouldn’t stress, you will find lots of choices to choose from for funding your household remodeling job. You may well be able to take out a mortgage or even use the money you’ve saved over the years. Just be sure you have everything in order and that you’re stable in the financing department. There’s nothing like making plans then the unexpected happens like having to replace a boiler in Drayton Valley under harsh conditions as seen there in winter months.

Stick to the Road Map of your Project

Now and again you will want to come back around and cite both your budget and your original plan in order to assure that you are on the right track. Stick to your original budget/plan and you are going to be well on your way to a rewarding bath-room remodel.Going off the rails with respect to your plan and budget can’t just be pricey but adds time to your bath room renovation. Then again it’s up to you to follow the outline and make the job as easy as possible. After all is said and done and its all over with, you can easily just sit back, light a jasmine candle and enjoy your new happy place.

While Focused on Local Clients, Realtors Must Not Forget About the International Buyer

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As real-estate becomes more globally with the increased transparentness and power of the constantly evolving world wide web, realtors have vast business opportunities to capture valuable international, long distance business that they didn’t in the past have access to.

The business of dealing international real estate is on the rise, largely as a consequence of the connectivity of our society and the Internet.

Given the statistics from 2017 we understand that foreign real estate buyers accounted for over $153 billion of the entire purchases in the USA which subsequently is an increase of the former year of a massive fifty percent. Likewise this signifies 10% among all domestic real estate transactions in the U.S.. All data in this article sourced from NAR (National Association of Realtors) and are deemed to be accurate.

By far the most promising facet to dealing with international buyers, from the real estate agent’s perspective, is transactions involving an international client commonly return more substantial commissions. Along with the reality that many international investors are well-off wealthy elites searching for fruitful investments as well as high-end luxurious 2nd or getaway properties.

And yet incorporating the international investor to your repertoire probably will not be as easy as finding them can be complicated.

The greatest difference in between working with the national populous in contrast to internationally, would be the language barrier. However many foreign clients pay people to breakdown the language barrier when seriously interested in investment in another country.

China dominates the headlines all over the world when it comes to international business and in real estate this runs specifically true given the data shows that of the complete sales volume in the USA to international traders, China has 50% of that. All irrespective of barriers including language and social distinctions.

With such a highly profitable marketplace in existence, how do you break in to it?

CPROP’s end-to-end digital transaction administration platform is made to present real estate brokers to international leads and help them safely and transparently close deals. Many realtors claims blockchain technology and digital currency is the future and that she’s seen a steady rise in it being used in real estate transactions.

The short answer is that it involves technology that facilitates interaction and connects a group of proven companies to collaborate on ushering a deal from contact to close. We are going to present a couple of ways any commercial real estate agents might hedge in to this market sector.

Be part of a transparent international program

Hedging in on the international real estate industry is not straight forward for real estate brokers who have not ventured here before. Realtors interested in entering the market of dealing with international buyers and vendors should really think outside the box and search segments of the Web where these pocket communities may meet.

In the event that the platform boasts a company directory with unfiltered buyers ratings and reviews plus automated translations, better still.

Think confidence and safety

A long distance deal, particularly among parties in separate countries, is usually a formula for miscommunication and, in the worst cases, fraud.

Two remarkably important items to think about when involved in international real estate are security and trust. You will need to cover yourself and your client whilst maintaining the trust of the other party.

Blockchain has proven to be the quintessential secure way to electronically conduct transactions. Blockchain enables real estate contracts to generally be so significantly protected/encrypted that blocks any changes be undetected.

Moreover, brokers can make use of smart contracts to execute escrow, which provides a secure mechanism for home buyers to put up serious finances.

Find trusted, streamlined cooperation

One thing is closing sales within the country however it’s always a totally different thing when finalizing international transactions and these sales require far more care to ensure a smooth conclusion.

Are you aware of your transactions state in real-time, what is left to finish and who should next do what in the process?

Consider this though, as a real estate agent doing business in international transactions, wouldn’t it be helpful to have a SaaS tool that managed all the digital areas from start to finish for any kind of international real estate transaction? The upside to this expected future technology is how it would enhance the work-flow, ensure security and ease communications for real estate brokers of international real estate.

Tips for Picking a Mortgage Lender

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Once you opt for a mortgage, the onetime cost gets cut down into many installments and you can select the plan of your liking. That way you only must pay your installments and minimal interest every month.

For many people around the globe, buying their homes is the most expensive thing they ever buy. Having a mortgage helps a lot in balancing your funds for you while you transact a large sum of money from your accounts over a certain period.

Choosing the best mortgage lending company does not mean going for the one that offers good interest rates. You’ll need to find the mortgage company having high professional standards and values. Keeping an eye on the following aspects might be of great help.

Look Around:
The best practice for picking your mortgage lender is to look around, meet different lenders and get to know their people, interest rate plans and more details of the loan they’ll be giving you.

Many people just go with what their real estate agent recommends, which isn’t a healthy approach. You should do your own research too.

Ask About Their Experiences:
You have every right to ask mortgage lenders a fair amount of questions before you make a decision. Ask them about their experience with first-time homebuyers and what are the statistics of the deals they have made?

Inquire about the loan they’ll be offering you and the stellar credit involved.
Present the situation your family is facing and ask their opinion on it. This should give you an idea of how experienced they are in dealing with people with different mindsets.

Check out the Lender’s Reviews:
What other people think of the lender is a great source of information to base your decision upon. Lender’s reviews will shed light on how they’ve treated their previous customers.

You may use Zillow, which contains a very large lender directory having thousands of lender’s reviews. Just type the name of the lender you’re interested in and get to know about their past work.

Get a First Impression:
The first impression of your lender is very important. Notice their behavior carefully upon meeting them for the first time.

See how they respond to your interest and how excited are they about your interest in their company.
What are the options they put in front of you? And how proactive are they in that discussion?