As much as humans say they love animals, and house pets in particular, they probably don’t love yours and the accompanying clutter, damage and dirt our pets naturally create.

That’s why it’s so important when selling your home to try to remove all signs of animals in the home. Potential buyers don’t want to see scratched up flooring or mounds of dog poo in the yard. They want to envision themselves living there and those unsightly reminders get in the way.

Here are a few suggestions you might want to try when trying to sell your animal-friendly home:

Relocate your critter 

This may be one of the most difficult ideas but it will likely be the most effective. If you have family members or friends who have taken Fluffy previously, perhaps you could call on them again to look after your pet.  This will make the sale of your home much easier as keeping it clean will be a breeze with your pets out of the way.

Go for a walk with your pet 

Removing you, your pets and the rest of your household members during a showing and/or open house is ideal. While you’re at it be sure to clean up all signs of pet ownership. That means make sure the yard is free of animal waste, clean and cover kitty litter boxes, pickup pet toys that are strewn around your home and yard and remove food and water bowls.

Try to avoid moving pets outdoors during showings and open houses. Some buyers want to explore the outdoors as closely as the indoors so banishing your pets to the yard can be a hindrance. With people coming and going from your yard, there’s also a risk your pet might get out. Don’t forget that all pets pose a potential liability hazard with the possibility of biting and scratching.

If finding a home outside of their home is impossible during the showing, try to keep your animals restrained to a cage or container of some kind.

Spit & polish 

This can mean a little or a lot. Did your Doberman chew your wainscoting? Or maybe he liked to pee on a certain corner of carpet? Any which way, damage done to walls, floors, carpets, lawns and even furniture should be repaired before you even think of letting potential buyers in your home.

When it comes to pet smells, only a really devoted animal owner can tolerate the odors that accompany their beloved pets. Get carpets cleaned and treated professionally for urine odors and for stains. If that cannot be done, you may need to replace the carpet or rug.

Yard clean-up 

Just as you’ve done a comprehensive clean inside your home, you need to do the same outside. Pick up any and all mess from the yard that relates to your animals. You will also want to replace damaged sod or fill holes that have been dug.

Sources: www.maxrealestateexposure.com,

October and November may feel like something of a break before the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. This period is a good time to take stock of our homes, our properties and whether or not our endeavours are environmentally kind to the planet.

Here’s a checklist of a few fall maintenance items that will add some green not just to your wallet but also add to your sense of pride about doing the right thing.

The furnace

These heat sources get a big workout in Canada so be kind to them by cleaning — yes cleaning — them regularly. Furnaces are often stored away in a dark and dingy portion of the basement so they tend to collect dust and dirt. Don’t let that accumulate as a build-up of grime can affect its performance or worse, cause a fire. Clean and replace your furnace filters. Consider having yours serviced by a heating professional or if you’re so inclined do it yourself. Online would be a good source to see how it’s done.

Turn down the heat 

Water heaters have a default setting of 140 degrees, a temperature that can easily scald and burn energy unnecessarily. Turn your water heater down to 120 degrees. To save more consider purchasing a blanket for your water heater. While you’re at it, throw on a sweater and turn down your furnace, too.

Leave the leaves 

Believe it or not, leaves offer our lawns and gardens many benefits. Collect and place them on flower beds or at the base of trees, shrubs and bushes. The leaves will eventually decompose and their nutrients will be passed on to your vegetation. Also there’s good reason not to toss your leaves and to delay your garden clean-up till spring. Decaying plants and curled leaves provide a home for many insects. Bees, butterflies and many other bugs depend on our garden debris to overwinter. If it helps, think of your yard as a sanctuary for insects, birds, amphibians and animals.

Start composting 

The fall season is a great time to start a compost pile in your yard. Compost helps enrich your soil and reduced the need for water and pesticides. A compost pile can also hold your grass clippings and leaves in addition to food scraps.

Kick your tires 

Since colder temperatures can result in lower tire pressure on your vehicles, be sure to inspect your tire pressure on occasion as outdoor temperatures start declining. The reason? Under inflated tires can result in reduced fuel efficiency for your vehicle.

Farmer’s Market 

Many farmers markets continue into the fall season so be sure to check out their offerings. Remember, when you purchase apples, carrots and potatoes there you are supporting local growers and helping to trim down our collective carbon emissions.

Sources: www.earth911.com, www.eponline.com, www.gerberlife.com, www.greenerideal.com

The prospect of mold growing in our homes is enough to send many of us on a mission to seek and destroy, often spending a fortune on remediation, not to mention the mental and physical distress it inflicts.

Before we hire the first available mold removal company, it’s important to take stock, calm down and evaluate your situation.

Likely the biggest concern with mold inside your home is how it affects the quality of air. Mold releases chemicals and spores that can be damaging to certain people. Health Canada says mold can cause “allergic reactions such as asthma or allergic rhinitis, non-allergic reactions such as headaches, and other symptoms [including] lung and breathing infections.”

According to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), you need to pay attention to the amount of mold your home contains, how long it’s been there and the health of those living in your house. Pregnant women, children, the elderly and those who suffer from respiratory ailments or a weakened immune system are at higher risk.

Moisture and nutrients cause mold growth. It’s fairly clever and can grow on everyday building materials such as wood and drywall. Mold can also grow behind wallpaper; in areas where water may have seeped, like wall cavities, basement subfloors, crawl spaces, and so on; under wall-to-wall carpeting and in areas near to mold that has been discovered before.

Continued mold growth means that there is too much moisture in the home. In Canada, basements, crawl spaces, bathrooms and cold exterior walls are where most mold growth is found.

According to the CMHC, small amounts of mold in your home are relatively easy to treat. Simply use warm water and an unscented dishwashing detergent. And do not use bleach, even though it is commonly believed to help in mold clean-ups. The CMHC says bleach does not prevent mold from coming back and it produces harmful fumes so it’s best to avoid. Be sure to wear protective items such as rubber gloves, goggles and a mask. The CMHC recommends leaving large areas of mold (1 m x 3 m or a standard piece of 4 ft. x 8 ft. plywood) to professionals to cleanup.

Stains and discolouration are often signs of mold. Mold growth usually looks fuzzy or powdery and is very often light green to brown or black in colour. It can also be white, red, orange, yellow, blue or violet. The other way to detect it is through scent. A musty smell often means mold.

How to prevent mold and moisture indoors?

• Keep your house dry
• Prevent and repair leaks
• Control moisture that is produced within your house
• Use bathroom fans
• Use range hood fans
• Store firewood outside
• Regularly check your house for signs of mold
• Act quickly to keep small problems from getting bigger

For more information go to https://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/maintaining-and-managing/managing-first-nation-properties/maintenance-solutions/mould-in-housing