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

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 

With more Canadians hitting record levels when it comes to household debt, there’s probably no better time than now to tackle the topic of credit and how you can improve yours.

Credit scores are determined by a complex formula that looks at your income, your debt repayment history, your total approved credit limits, your credit usage levels. The information is crunched into a scoring system that assigns a number of between 300 and 900. This is known as your FICO score. The higher you are on the scale, the less risky you are to a lender. Generally, 680 and higher is good.

Mortgage and credit experts recommend getting a sneak peek at your credit rating yearly or every two years. The main reasons for this are to ensure that the information the credit bureau has is accurate and to make sure you’re not the victim of fraud. Credit rating agencies such as Equifax Canada and TransUnion Canada are typically used to determine scores.

Here’s how you can improve your credit score if you’ve been a little negligent paying your credit cards on time:

1. Pay your bills by their due date, even if it’s the minimum amount. Try setting up automatic payments so you don’t miss a date.
2. Keep your spending well below your credit limit. Even if you pay off your balance every month, maxing out your credit looks bad. Get your limit raised if you’re spending is too high.
3. Make sure you use your credit. An active history is what lenders look for so pull out your plastic every so often.
4. Don’t carry tons of credit cards. Most card holders are unaware that your credit is negatively affected every time a company checks your credit rating in order to issue you new credit.
5. Be wary of having too many credit lines. A number of loans may worry some lenders that you’re desperately seeking credit everywhere and that you won’t be able to pay the debt off.
6. People with exceptionally poor credit need to re-establish their credit by getting a secured credit card. These cards are similar to gift cards as you pay the credit company upfront and then make purchases on it until the balance depletes.

There are a number of online resources that assist Canadians with resolving their financial challenges, better managing their cash flow and improving their credit rating. Try BDO’s online quiz to determine your financial health.

Toronto might be the city of neighbourhoods, but how much of being neighbourly actually goes into your day-to-day routine?

Two women looking over fence

Sure, you wave hello or offer a nod to your next-door neighbour but how much do you really know about them? At the same time, how much do you really want to know about them? Either way, it’s considerate and kind to be there for your neighbours in times of crisis, for minor emergencies or simply to help another human being out.

Remember when folks went out of their way to welcome new families to the neighbourhood? A couple might drop by with a bottle of wine or a plant to greet their newest neighbour or mom might drop off a home-baked apple pie or oatmeal cookies.

While taking a token gift to meet a new neighbour may still occur in some areas, it’s very much a rare occurrence today. Why is that?  Are we too busy? Do we care less than we used to?  Whatever happened to the notion of being neighbourly?

While spending hours over a hot stove may be too much for some, let’s look at ways we can be neighbourly without being too nosy:

• A day or two after the big move pop by to introduce your family and answer any questions they may have. Don’t overstay your welcome.
• Consider hosting a casual dinner party or barbecue with old neighbours and the new ones.
• Given modern concerns around allergies and special diets, if you’re giving consumables, it’s best to give baked goods, a basket of apples or other fruit or specialty coffees and teas.
• If the new neighbours have pets or kids, introduce them to other neighbours with pets or kids. Better yet, offer to let their kids play with yours or watch TV at your house so that they can move in uninterrupted.
• Don’t overstep your bounds. Be nice and not nosy. That’s a fine line to tread but know when their eyeballs bulge that you may have stepped over the line.
• Always greet your new neighbour, even once they’re an old one. Wave, say hi or smile. And remember that even though you may not see eye-to-eye on most things, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be civil. Being neighbourly makes for a friendly, hospitable neighbourhood and those are the best in which to live.

If you think having a yard that attracts feathered friends is for the birds, this blog is definitely not for you. If, however, fluttery, colourful birds sound like something you’d enjoy watching as you relax outside in your hammock, please do read on.

It doesn’t hurt to garden with wildlife in mind. Cultivating a bird-friendly yard and garden is not just welcoming for feathered friends but also inviting for bees, butterflies and other creatures.

There are certain plants and trees that attract birds to your garden more than others. For trees, consider planting mountain ash, birch or crab apple. As birds love to nibble on berries, grow female holly, wintergreen and Spartan juniper. Since seeds are also a big part of their diet, try planting sunflower and ornamental grasses, which provide seeds during harsh winter weather. Vines such as Boston ivy and Virginia creeper and small shrubs such as honeysuckle and sumac are also great for catching the attention of our flying friends.

Summertime is a good time to feed birds as you can enjoy a close-up view of your favourite species. If finches are your thing, consider wild finch mixture or Niger seed. Blue jays, cardinals and chickadees love sunflower seeds.

There are many bird feeders with which to feed feathered friends. Try placing nuts and seeds in attractive wood feeders or pole-mounted and hanging feeders. If squirrels pillage your yard and gardens of any and all edibles, you may need to consider bird feeders that are squirrel proof.

Like most living creatures, birds require water to survive as much as they need food. If you do not live near a natural body of water don’t fret as there are solutions that will keep your birds hydrated and happy. Use a bird bath, fountain or small water garden.  Try to place it in an area that gets some shade. Be sure to change the water often to avoid the development of harmful bacteria.

A bird house is a good investment if you want to attract birds. There are many styles and shapes to choose from so do your homework and decide which one suits your needs. Place the bird house in a tree out of harm’s way of predators and not facing prevailing winds and rain.

Many native plants attract songbirds. Black-eyed susan, foxglove, wild bergamot and New England aster will attract songbirds and help you create a singing garden.

Hummingbirds are an added treat in your garden and, as an extra bonus, they like to consume aphids, spiders and other small bugs.  Plant trumpet vine, honeysuckle, morning glory, petunia, bee balm, bellflower and lavender to attract them. They love the colour red so consider using red ribbon or décor. Place your feeders near the flowers you want them to be attracted to. Clean your feeder every two to three days in hot weather and refill with fresh nectar.

Sources: www.sheridannurseries.com, www.yourleaf.org, www.ofnc.ca

One of the rewards of summer is the kaleidoscope  of colours that sprout up on lawns, porches and balconies, in garden beds, window boxes and containers all across the city.

But what if you happen to live in an exposure that doesn’t get much sunlight? Or your flower beds receive a lot of shade from a neighbouring building or towering trees? Whatever the reason, you can still enjoy the bounty and colourful beauty of summer, but you need to plan for it.

Here’s how you can pretty up your space without a lot of help from the sun:

The path

A pretty stone or gravel path is a great way to deal with a shaded spot. Not only does it suggest a sense of direction and movement, but it also adds colour and texture to your space.

Chuck the grass

Since super green and lush lawns require sunshine you may want to consider replacing grass with an attractive shade-tolerant ground cover such as Bugleweed, Bugbane and Vinca. The other consideration might be to transform the area into an attractive focal point, using mulch or stone as a ground cover.

Play up texture

Nothing is more dreary and dull than a garden filled with the same colour or shapes. Mix up your leaf and flower shapes, their colours and textures to create added visual  interest.

Boost the cozy factor

The days of grass and a few daisies as the only outdoor ornamentation are over. Today we celebrate and live in our outdoors with zeal so look for art and architecture you can display outside, conversation spots such as a welcoming park bench with cushions and calming water features.  You may not have to look too far for pretty outdoor decorations. Repurpose that old wine barrel into a funky counter-height table or  dress up a pretty old window to use as architectural appeal.

Flower power

Who can resist pretty pinks, blues and yellows? Those that do well in low light include Periwinkle and Mountain Laurel.  Some of the best perennial plants and flowers are Columbine, Hostas, Bellflower, Astilbe, Forget-me-nots, Christmas Rose and Lily-of-the-valley. As for shade-loving annuals, why not try Begonias, Sweet Alyssum and Fuscia.

Vines

Virginia Creeper is perfect as its blue-black berries attract birds in the fall. Other outstanding vines that do well in shade include climbing Hydrangea, Boston Ivy and Clematis.

According to Toronto garden writer Marjorie Harris, it’s best to use native woodlanders in your garden as insects need them to surivive. She suggests starting your shade garden with a selection of ferns, hostas and hellebores. All shade-loving plants need well-drained soil with humus in the topsoil. Check out her Toronto shade garden.

Sources: www.bhg.com, www.gardendesign.com, www.sheridannurseries.com

As warm-weather-loving Canadians, is it any wonder that we patiently bide our time as the frigid months and weeks fall by until the much-loved-and-anticipated sunny days of June.

Is it also any wonder that we tend to move our living outdoors come summertime? Let’s face it, a morning coffee, an afternoon cocktail or an evening burger tastes so much better on the outdoor patio.

It’s believed that cooking outdoors is better for the environment than doing so in your kitchen.  Some say it’s quicker. While others like how it keeps your energy bills down as you don’t need to cool down a warm kitchen.

But as much as we like to cook outdoors and as responsible stewards of our planet we should be doing so in a way that doesn’t harm our eco footprint.  Grilling and barbecuing do one heck of a scorch job on the earth. According to the Sierra Club, a well-known U.S.-based environmental group, some 60 million barbecues occur on the Fourth of July each year. Those cook-outs manage to release 225,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide, burning the equivalent of 2,300 acres of forest. What’s more is the amount of charcoal, lighter fuel and gas used on that one celebration is enough to power 20,000 households for one solid year.

So in honour of Father’s Day, let’s take a look at ways to make your next summer cook-out an eco-friendly one.

Solar cooking – This wins the prize for most environmental brownie points. However, know that a solar cooker, while the hands-down champion for its low carbon footprint, has a down side. And that is the cooking is much slower and food will not have the typical grilled taste or appearance. The other point is that solar relies on sunlight which can be challenging during inclement weather.

Gas grills – If solar doesn’t interest you, a gas grill is a good alternative. While propane and natural gas-fueled barbecues do eat up a non-renewable resource, there are some worthwhile benefits. Based on some estimates, propane-powered grills generate three times less greenhouse gas than that of their charcoal cousins. On the negative side, gas grills are more expensive to buy and repair.

Electric grills – Unless you are using an alternative energy source such as solar or wind power, this is not a particularly green option.

Charcoal – While this type of grill will prompt you to recall your childhood days thanks to your food’s smoky charcoal flavour, this kind of grill is a killer when it comes to climate change. Charcoal briquettes contain carbon monoxide and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs). If you must use coal, use all-natural lump varieties as they don’t have the chemicals and additives found in briquettes. And the taste imparted on your food is also pretty similar to briquettes.

Pellet grills – They use up compressed pellets of scrap wood that would otherwise be thrown away. Due to this, these types of grills are very eco-friendly and they release a limited supply of emissions. Big-box stores sell a wide array of pellet grills.

Sources: www.growingagreenfamily.com, www.fix.com, www.motherearthnews.com, www.sierraclub.org