Safeguarding your Rental Homes

Rental homes are a great investment but you”ll have to make sure that you manage them properly. The property manager on sight has minimal powers and cannot always take immediate action or make certain decisions regarding damage to the building.

It is important for you as the owner to visit your rental homes at least once annually. Here are a few reasons why:

Fraud

It is common knowledge that supervising from a distance will work 1 out of 3 times. The instructions given to the manager on the grounds can easily be overlooked in your absence or communication lines may get messed up.

Regulations

Tenants might, without your knowledge, break certain city laws, which can get you into trouble. Unreported damages to public utility systems like water…

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Selling A House In Calgary - When A Family Home Needs To Look Like A Family Home

When you are selling a house in Calgary that is located in a family neighbourhood, it is sometimes best to make a child's room appear even if there is no child living there right now. The house will sell faster since it is being positioned to appear as a home that will welcome children into it.

Only a few pieces of furniture should be placed in your child's room before displaying it to potential buyers, since this room is likely to be the smallest in the house.

Keep it simple by placing a bed, dresser, nightstand, lamp and even a bookcase in the room to help make the room more spacey and appealing to buyers. Place a few pictures on the walls, colourful sheets on the bed along with a child's stuffed animal, turn on the lights, and a child's room is…

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The Benefits and Disadvantages of a Rewards Credit Card

If you're like most people, you have a handy credit card by your side when you're out shopping. You may be thinking of applying for another credit card soon to take advantage of the rewards programs that are available. Before you start shopping, however, think about the rewards being offered and whether it is really worth your time to use a credit card to accumulate points.

One of the biggest disadvantages of getting a rewards card is you may be tempted to use it more often to gather up points. This can work if you are the type of person that always pays off your credit card every month in full. Then, you'd be receiving the full benefit of the points you acquire. If, on the other hand, you can't pay off the bill in full every month, the interest charges…

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Make Your Home Work for You by Turning It into an Investment

Your home is the place you hang your hat but it can also become a lucrative investment. By switching things around in your house with some minor or major renovations you can increase the market value considerably. This can be planned whether you are thinking about moving soon or not.

Here are some things to keep in mind when you are renovating your Calgary home for profits.

Make sure money can be made

When an investment is being considered, work out whether or not the money spent on the job can be made back by doing the work. Set up an appointment with a real estate specialist to find out if the changes would reflect a higher market value. If there is no money to be made or if the market seems a little shaky, it is probably best not to go through…

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Is A Real Estate Agent Necessary For A Wining Investment Team?

The simple answer to this question is a resounding yes! Your team will be weak without a Calgary real estate agent. It is extremely important to find an agent who has a sound understanding of investments. You must ensure that you see eye to eye with the agent you select and that he understands the objectives you are setting out to achieve as a team.

Here are some important aspects you must consider when selecting a good agent to work with.

The training the agent has received

The training that a real estate agent receives in school teaches him how to simply sell a house on behalf of a client. Most of the training instills the ability to make tough negotitiations and sure enough, this is exactly how they operate. If you are making investments,…

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When Is the Best Time to Purchase a New House?

If you're in the market to buy a new home in 2015, when is the best month to make your new home purchase? The answer to that is simple. January is by far the best month to invest your money in a property this year. If you haven't gotten started yet, you may want to recent action to get the home deal on the table before the end of the month!

According to the Calgary Real Estate Board, the median home price in the city is almost 5% lower during the month of January. Homes in Calgary sell on average for $16,000 less at this time of year than they do during the other months. There is, however, a good reason for this lesser amount.

People are just starting to get back into action following the holiday season. In January, there is overall less activity…

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What Can you Get with your Calgary Library Card for Free?

Once you get your library card for the Calgary Public Library, it opens up a world of possibilities. You can do more than just check out books. Here are some of the things you can get free of charge from the Calgary Public Library if you have a library card.

Ebooks

The library provides a massive selection of eAudiobooks and eBooks you gain access to with a library card. They use seven different sources and you can easily download many great choices.

Newspapers

No longer will you have to pay for a subscription online for the newspaper. Instead, you gain full access to The Globe and Mail and the Calgary Herald online with your library card. You can even search the archives for older stories.

Movies

The Calgary Public Library provides…

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Creating an Emotional Buying Response in the Real Estate Market

When it comes to making any kind of sale, you need to make a good first impression on the prospective buyer and this is crucial when it comes to selling a house. It is important to interact when possible with the potential client to highlight the strong points of the house for sale.

In order to seal a deal, you must appeal to the emotions of the buyer and engage their imagination. Human psychology shows that a decision to buy anything is mainly based on emotions. Once a buyer makes an emotional connection with the item for sale, he or she will make a commitment. The buyer will then use the other details to justify the purchase.

There are some important things you need to consider when preparing your home presentation.

Know the property

Walk around…

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Easing Demand for Housing Will Bring about Price Stability

It's predicted that housing sales in the Calgary area will be easing this year by 4% due to the economic changes and market uncertainty. The Calgary Real Estate Board issued its annual forecast today and it indicates that a 1.58% modest increase in home prices can be expected in 2015.

Price stability and a more balanced market should be seen within the next 12 months. The combination of an easing market and the tight market conditions that were seen in 2014 will lead to this balanced market. It's estimated that 24,503 homes in total will be sold across Calgary in 2015.

The ultimate figures, of course, may be impacted by an extended period of instability in the energy sector, which would affect net migration into the city along with employment…

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A Pair of Office Towers May Soon Flank the Calgary Tower

If everything goes as planned, the cityscape of Calgary may soon be changing once again. Two office buildings would flank the Calgary Tower on both the east and the west side. This may compromise the tower’s role as Calgary's dominant cityscape symbol.

We'll soon find out whether these towers will become a reality when Calgary's Planning Commission meets on Thursday. There is a lot of debate about allowing the construction of the towers since they will cover up a lot of the view of this iconic landmark. The two buildings will rise up 33 floors, which will ultimately cover up a lot of the view of the tower in different parts of the city. While some city residents won't worry about these changes, others believe that the view of the Calgary Tower should…

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