When buying a home, there are a lot of decisions to make. Location, Size, Cost, Must-haves and perhaps most importantly, what type of home.

Townhome Condo, Highrise Condo or Detached House?

Buying a home is likely the biggest financial purchase you will ever make and it is a difficult decision to make, especially with so many variables to consider.

My suggestion is to make a list of your “Must-Have’s”

How much do you value a yard? Or do you prefer someone else to do your outdoor maintenance?

Do you value the security of a building, being up higher or having a view?

Are you a handy-person and like to have your own workshop and lots of storage space?

Will you need a space to grow into or are you in the stage of life where down-sizing is what you’re after?

Really getting clear on what you’re looking for will help narrow your search.

You may surprise yourself by thinking you know exactly what you’re after until your search has begun and in fact other things you may never have thought were important to you could come up.

Here is a very basic breakdown of some differences between the two:

Houses

• Your private yard
• You are responsible for your own maintenance
• No condo fees
• Insurance is your responsibility
• You can do whatever you’d like to your property inside and out

Condos

• Monthly condo fees. These fees usually include water, snow removal, landscaping, exterior maintenance as well as upkeep of amenities like a gym or pool.
• Exterior and building insurance
• Inside your condo, you are usually free to do what you like (except structural). You will most likely need permission for anything exterior ie. painting your front door, shutters or sometimes even having a doormat

Whatever our preference, we will be happy to help you find just what you are looking for!

Our team of real estate sales professionals is committed to finding you, your dream home. Whether you’re looking to buy or sell, the Karen Paul team is here to help with any questions.

 

I know what you’re thinking; “Spring?! But Karen, it’s only January!”

The truth is; the spring market starts now.

Most people underestimate the home selling process.

 

From the time you think about selling, the process usually goes something like the following:

-Think about selling, make the decision to sell

-Declutter and depersonalize your home

-Put excess furniture and household items into storage

-Clean your home top to bottom

-Fix any minor repairs, fresh paint jobs, plant flowers etc.

-Stage your home if necessary

-Increase your curb appeal by repaving your driveway, painting your front door, trim your hedges

This process can take anywhere from 2-4 weeks, or more.

Once all of these details are tended to, you need to hire the best Realtor to represent you.
Your Realtor will be your eyes and ears in the market and it is imperative that you select someone
who has your best interest at heart and who you get along with well.

Once you’ve selected a Realtor you trust, we will help you through the home selling (and buying) process.
Putting your home on the market, having an open house, advertising your home and holding your hand through
the process is what we are here for.

Selecting the right Realtor for you can take approximately 2 weeks as well.

Once your home is on the market, it could sell right away, or it could sit for a few weeks. These are all things
that need to be accounted for, especially if you are looking to buy a home to move into.

This could take anywhere from 1 day to 60 days, or more.

Once your home sells, the closing date is usually 30 – 60 days after the sale is final.

So yet another 60 days

If you account for all of the preparations above, if you were to decide to sell your home today,
your house could be going on the market by March 1st. Of course this can be done quicker, but
if you are thinking of selling your house in the “Spring Market” my advice is to start on the process ASAP.

People often make the mistake and wait until spring is upon us to list their home. This will delay any house
sales and the market is very saturated by spring that your competition will be fierce!

If you are thinking of selling your home, I am happy to represent you. Just a final reminder:

The Spring Market Starts Now! 

Our team of real estate sales professionals is committed to finding you, your dream home. Whether you’re looking to buy or sell, the Karen Paul team is here to help with any questions.

 

Even though the new year has only just begun, the housing outlook for 2015 is looking very bright.

According to the Re/Max 2015 Housing Market Outlook Report, the average 2014 residential sale price in Canada was $406,145; which is expected to increase this year to $416,300.

In Toronto and Vancouver prices will continue to climb, by about 4 and 3 per cent per cent, respectively. If you’re a homeowner, or looking to get into the market, keep an eye on these factors in the year ahead.

While Baby Boomers continue to downsize, Millennials are entering the market. Both groups are driving market demand right across Canada.

With young buyers in Vancouver and Toronto facing high prices and a limited supply of single-family homes, condos are especially appealing.

In Montreal, Kingston, Ont., Burlington, Ont.,and Victoria in particular, condos are attracting Baby Boomers looking for amenities within walking distance and affordability.

We look forward to helping you buy or sell your home in 2015! Call us, we’d love to hear from you!

Our team of real estate sales professionals is committed to finding you, your dream home. Whether you’re looking to buy or sell, the Karen Paul team is here to help with any questions.

 

With the end of one year always come the start of another. Time to set new goals, have 365 new days to achieve your goals and lots of new experiences to be had. Last year our team went through some major changes. We added a few new staff, had higher than average sales for December and made a huge shift from Royal LePage to Keller Willliams.

I am one of those people who likes change. I relish in tackling new challenges and always looking at was to improve.

Our team has been working very hard this past year, as always, to bring our clients the best service we can. We are very much looking forward to 2015 as we have a lot of exciting things going on! A few of which you’ll see this month…so stay tuned!

We look forward to working with you and helping make your home transition as enjoyable as possible!

Happy New Year!

Karen Paul & Associates

Our team of real estate sales professionals is committed to finding you, your dream home. Whether you’re looking to buy or sell, the Karen Paul team is here to help with any questions.

 

Now that 2015 is approaching this week, more and more people are beginning to get serious about putting their New Year’s resolutions into practice. According to the Journal of Clinical Psychology, focusing on health and happiness are the top ranked desires. Among these desires, many of them revolve around adopting a healthier lifestyle. Whether it is losing weight, eating healthier, quitting smoking, spending less time working and more quiet home time with loved ones, it seems we are all after the same things.

There’s a phrase that goes: “the family who plays together stays together.” Now whether we are looking at working out, supporting one another or being there during tough times, through the strength of “our team” whether that is family, friends, neighbours, or our colleagues, we can and should never underestimate the value of having our support network around us. New Year’s is a time to reflect back on the year gone by, to appreciate what we were offered and to look to the future, to bring forth positive change into our lives.

2014 was a fabulous year for our team and we are very much looking forward to what 2015 will bring.

I have worked with countless families this year who provided so much support for one another when they were going through the buying, selling and moving process. The families my team and I worked with also proclaimed how much our team did to help ease the process and how having our professional expertise really helped smooth the transition.

Whatever your goals, thoughts and dreams are for 2015, just know, that you will always have friends and family on your side and we are ALWAYS here to help your transition be more seamless and enjoyable!

Our team of real estate sales professionals is committed to finding you, your dream home. Whether you’re looking to buy or sell, the Karen Paul team is here to help with any questions.

 

Burlington is consistently ranked as one of the top most liveable cities in Canada. According to Money Sense, in 2014 Burlington held the 5th spot. Our community has gone though a lot in the past year. From the ice storm that left so many of us without heat and power last Christmas to the severe flooding we were delivered in August. The power of our community showed it’s true colours during both of these trying events.

Neighbours who had power during the ice storm were opening their doors and welcoming in those who didn’t. Companies were offering “phone charging stations” and hang out zones so people could warm up and keep in touch with loved ones.

With 310 claims, the province of Ontario promised to match our fundraising efforts by 2-1. Once again, we saw the power of our community. People were volunteering their time to help others, churches, grocery stores and big events were raising money. Everyone chipped in and raised $905,000 in 100 days, (which is $9,000 everyday!) which was matched by the Ontario Provincial Government for a total of $2.9M! With 310 claims, this generous contribution will go a long way for the affected families.

It is so heart-warming to see that our community is always getting closer and that the power of our community truly goes a long way. Earlier this month we published a post on what we can do to build a stronger Burlington Community, in case you missed it, you can view it HERE.

We’d love to hear from you. Do you have powerful Burlington Community stories to share?

Leave a comment on our Facebook page with #powerofcommunity

Our team of real estate sales professionals is committed to finding you, your dream home. Whether you’re looking to buy or sell, the Karen Paul team is here to help with any questions.

 

There is nothing more Canadian in the winter than having a backyard skating rink. I knew so many people growing up that had backyard rinks who still to this day carry on this tradition for their own children to enjoy.

Pond hockey and skating outdoors is such a refreshing and enjoyable thing to do in Burlington during the winter months! Instead of shuttering at the cold weather, we should take some cues from children – and embrace it! However, pond skating can be dangerous, especially if the winter is full of freeze/thaw weather, like we’ve been having so far. Best to visit the local free indoor skating or look out for other skating in the area. Also, don’t miss out on downtown Burlington’s lakeside Rotary Pond.

Here are the top 5 tips when making a backyard skating rink

1. 1. Start with boards and brackets

Choose a flat spot in your yard and make sure you install these both before the ground freezes, (best to do before January!) as you’ll want to get your bracket deep into the ground. Setting up the base for the rink is a must as this will keep the water in the rink, especially when resurfacing.

1. 1. Install the Liner

Only put down the liner when you are ready to fill the rink! You must wait for a cold snap for this. The minimum is roughly zero degrees during the day to -5 at night. Make sure you fill the whole rink at once to for the best results.

1. 1. Set up lighting

It would be such a shame to build a beautiful rink and not be able to use it due to the lack of winter sun in evenings. Making sure you have some adequate porch lighting and perhaps some work lights attached to outside posts or 2×4’s. This will also help if you are resurfacing in the evening after a snowfall.

1. 1. Resurface like a Zamboni

First, you’ll need to shovel, snowblow, broom, or squeegee the ice. Then, flood the ice using several layers of warm or hot water, use a tool to even it out as best you can.

1. 1. Shovel after it snows

It is best to keep the rink as clear as can be. Try to shovel right after a snowfall if possible. Snow sticks to ice and will ruin your surface if left too long!

Best of luck and have fun skating in your own backyard!

Our team of real estate sales professionals is committed to finding you, your dream home. Whether you’re looking to buy or sell, the Karen Paul team is here to help with any questions.

 

 

Now that the snow is falling in December, it is REALLY Starting to feel like Christmas! Most people have already trimmed the tree and hung the lights outside, but if you are looking for more holiday decorating ideas to make your (even) more Christmas-ey, you’ve come to the right place!

Here are 8 great tips to spruce up your home even more!

1. Start with a deep clean and de-clutter

Clearing away barely used tables or furniture will give you more space to decorate and make your home feel bigger, which is a bonus for when all your guests come over!

 

2. Choose your colours

If you are looking for a more clean, polished look stick to a few choice colours. Choosing a bold colour and one or two accent colours will tie your space together nicely. Keep in mind the others colours currently in your space to ensure they are complimentary.

3. Use fresh poinsettia and garland 

If you have the ability, use fresh nature; it will bring the outdoors in and help give you a sense of nature (even with it covered under all that snow!) Your house will smell like walking into a forest!

4. Use the fine China 

After all, special occasions like this is why you own it! Using any heirloom pieces passed down through generations (like you grandmother’s gravy boat) ties in the sense of nostalgia that people long for at Christmas.

5. Don’t go overboard

Use a bit of restraint and don’t overdo it. Not everything needs be gleaming in sparkles or draped in garland. Clustering a few of your smaller choice Christmas items in one area make a bigger impact than scattering them all about the house.

6. Use your Personality 

If you have a certain profession or hobby (a chef for example) compliment your tree with some appropriate paraphernalia. Also, if you are crafty, feel free to create your own centrepieces or ornaments, but if you aren’t, be wary of wasting time and possibly becoming a Pinterest Epic Fail.

7. Make your entrance inviting

Not just the outside of your front door, but think about when your guests first walk into your house.What do they see? What are their eyes immediately drawn to?

8. Light some candles or the fireplace 

Create a warm atmosphere by having some great ambient light. The smells from candles or incense also draw up memories of Christmases past and remind us of the comforts of home.

Our team of real estate sales professionals is committed to finding you, your dream home. Whether you’re looking to buy or sell, the Karen Paul team is here to help with any questions.

 

As the winter months are upon us, the days are getting shorter and colder. Unfortunately, where we live, winter means hibernation, keeping warm and staying indoors quite a lot. Many people here seem to long for summer, (especially in the depths of winter!)

These few months can be long and cold, but in seasons, as in life, we do need some downtime.

There are a multitude of people who use this time to take on a winter project around the home. This is such a great time to do so!

There are many rooms in the house that you may be desperate to renovate, but it may be wise to choose a room that will improve your home’s value.

 

Kitchens and bathrooms tend to earn the highest house value increase and yield the best return on investment during resale. As the kitchen is the heart of the home, many people like to make this their first choice when renovating, however, beware as it is also the biggest to undertake!

Putting on a full addition or finishing an unfinished basement are also very high on return on investment, but these renovations can take months to complete and lots of hard earned money.

If you or someone in your family is handy, (you are lucky!) you can get some great DIY ideas and materials with the help of The Home Depot. If you need help on that front, there are many contractors who are more than willing to help you out, just beware, do your own research and get a few different quotes before committing to one.

Having a winter renovation project to work on helps keep you focussed and (can) make the winter go by faster!

Good Luck!

Our team of real estate sales professionals is committed to finding you, your dream home. Whether you’re looking to buy or sell, the Karen Paul team is here to help with any questions.

 

As human beings, we all desire connections, relationships, feeling part of something larger than ourselves. This often presents itself in matters of: work, family, heritage, sports, nature, society and the community in which we live. When we are surrounded by people we can associate with we feel at ease, a sense of belonging and comfort.

Tomorrow night a talk entitled Where We Live Matters: Building Vibrant Neighbourhoods is taking place at M.M. Robinson High School, 2425 Upper Middle Rd. in Burlington from 7:3o pm.

 

Jim Diers, author of Neighbor Power: Building Community the Seattle Way, is coming to the Burlington Community to speak at this event.

Diers is a renowned community activator from Seattle, WA. His focus is on building communities around vibrant neighbourhoods. He encourages residents to get engaged with their communities and the decisions that affect their lives.

We all want what’s best for our lives, our children and our future generations, Diers helps communities grow and establish strong roots so these practices can flourish in years to come.

Currently, Diers teaches community organizing and development courses at the University of Washington and serves on the faculty of the Asset-Based Community Development Institute. He travels internationally to deliver speeches, present workshops and provide technical assistance to community associations, non-profit organizations and government.

Our team of real estate sales professionals is committed to finding you, your dream home. Whether you’re looking to buy or sell, the Karen Paul team is here to help with any questions.