With each passing year, our technology becomes more and more sophisticated and the same goes for the over-the-top decorations we use to adorn our front doors and lawns during certain observances and holidays.

Halloween is perhaps the most exciting time of year to adorn the outdoors. The assortment of fun and frightening decorations is endless with fake-blood spattered doors, lawns turned to cemeteries and dead bodies or ghosts hanging from trees.

While you may find the notion of frightening folks all very amusing, home buyers may not see it that way at all.  Here are some pointers to help subdue your frightening decor this Halloween:

Don’t over-ghoul it:

The simplicity of planting a few colorful mums and rolling out a carved pumpkin during the Thanksgiving and Halloween season has been replaced by extreme décor. Decorations now comprise 10-feet-tall inflatable ghosts, creepy clowns, dead children and zombies. And that list does not include the blood and gore some homeowners enjoy putting on display for Halloween.

Remember that it may be families with little ones coming to view your home. You don’t want to frighten away kids or adults for that matter. Go ahead and decorate but make it more pleasing as opposed to a hell house kind of vibe.

There’s a very practical reasons to scrap those large inflatable yard decorations as their presence may block the for sale sign on your lawn.

Keep it tasteful:

Try for more neutral and aesthetically pleasing types of décor such as pumpkins, bales of hay, scarecrows and corn stalks. Even an attractive fall wreath or front-door display with pops of fall colours and Halloween themes can be fun and, most importantly, not off-putting.

In keeping it tasteful, you will want to avoid references to blood, death and gore. No nods to your favourite Walking Dead zombies or scary movie and TV clowns. Also, tone down the quantity of decorations you put out.  There’s no need to turn your home into an out-of-control haunted house. Remember, less is more.

Be safe:

Don’t block sidewalks, walkways and stairs with your Halloween décor.  Though pumpkins and potted mums look especially pretty situated to the left or right on each of your front entry steps make sure you have plenty of room to navigate the steps. If it seems too tight move your décor to your porch or at the base of your steps on the lawn.

Light it up:

Now is the time to get to that burnt-out porch light you’ve been meaning to replace. It’s important to illuminate your outside especially around your main entryway since that’s how strangers will be coming into your home. A nicely lighted home is also particularly welcoming and cozy. Remember, you want to invite home buyers in, not scare them away.

Be sure to clean up:

It’s easy to ignore those rotting gourds and pumpkins on your porch. Don’t. The stench may be a big turn off for buyers and you don’t want to draw vermin to your home.

Bette Davis was spot on when she said growing old is not for sissies.

The legendary movie star was, of course, referring to the physical frailties we face as we age. How do we manage to maintain our independence and dignity as our body weakens? How do we look after ourselves and, by extension, the homes in which we live?

Reducing your home’s maintenance is a big trend that is slowly gaining traction as a large segment of Canada’s population ages. In 2012, about 21 per cent of Canadians were over the age of 60. By 2030, that number is projected to rise to about 28.5 per cent. By 2050, 31 per cent — or almost one third of all Canadians — will be seniors.

According to a Health Canada study, most Canadians over 65 live at home, either alone or with a spouse.

Even though our summers are relatively short in Canada, lawn and garden care can become all consuming and that’s why many are turning to artificial turf, the easy-care, non-growing lawn that looks and feels just like the real thing.

Imagine never cutting your grass again. Imagine also its impact on the environment as your water usage is reduced along with the gas emissions from lawn mowers.

Other ways to lower your home’s maintenance:

• Consider roofing your home in metal instead of the usual asphalt shingles. Steel roofs are highly durable, weather and sun resistant and can last as long as 50 years.
• Don’t install wood decks. Use wood composite materials that have the beauty of wood without all the splitting, cracking and rotting that typically goes along with the real deal.
• Laminate floors are much lower maintenance than their wood cousins. And cleaning is a breeze, just sweep or vacuum and wipe them up with water.
• Use quartz for your countertops. It’s stain and scratch resistant and very easy to maintain.
• Clad your home in vinyl siding, an inexpensive, low-maintenance substitute for traditional wood. The material is resistant to water and insects as well.
• While you’re at it, replace wood windows, which rot and warp, with fibreglass. Fibreglass windows are not affected by extreme temperatures and they hold paint really well, too.
• Install an automatic thermostat and automatic lighting. These steps are sure to minimize your work as light bulbs will burn out less thanks to sparing usage. Keeping your thermostat preset means less maintenance on your heating and cooling system.
• Using a timer for lawn and garden irrigation saves you money, time and effort.

It’s difficult to breathe easy if you know your home has asbestos lurking in the attic or basement. But it’s understandable that you might feel anxious knowing your house contains a substance that’s currently thought of as public enemy number one.

Don’t fret or buy into the hype. Vermiculite-containing asbestos has gotten an undeservedly bad rap. It’s true that some Canadian homes have it. It’s true that a mine in Montana is responsible for supplying most of it to North America. But here’s the catch. As long as you don’t touch it, it’s fine.

Vermiculite-containing asbestos will only pose a threat if you are breathing in its fibres. According to Health Canada, as long as asbestos fibres are enclosed or tightly bound in a product such as asbestos siding or floor tiles, there are no significant health risks. However, if
you think otherwise, your level of exposure is what you need to watch.

Look for:
 The concentration of asbestos fibres in the air
 How long you were exposed
 How often
 The size of the asbestos fibres inhaled
 The amount of time since the initial exposure

Commonly found as insulation on basement boilers and pipes and in attics, asbestos was also used in vinyl floor tiles, some glues and linoleum, window caulking, roofing materials, siding material and plaster.

If you learn that your home has asbestos, leave it alone if it’s in good condition. You don’t want to disturb it and cause its fibres to freefall throughout your home. If you find asbestos that is torn or damaged curtail access to that area of your house and keep an eye on its deterioration.
Never try to remove asbestos products yourself. Speak to a trained and qualified asbestos removal or abatement professional. If you are planning to remodel your home and the renovation would disturb the asbestos-containing building material contact a qualified asbestos removal professional first.

The price for laboratory analysis may be worth the peace of mind before any project begins. A quick internet search shows the average cost for an air test is $500.There is plenty of professionals available to choose from.

Typically, an assessment includes a visual inspection of the building for evidence of asbestos, substance samples to identify the type and concentration of asbestos, airborne asbestos analysis to identify asbestos fibres that are in the air and a detailed report on the findings plus a
plan on how to remediate the situation.

For more information visit the Health Canada website