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.

Thanksgiving is such a wonderful time of year. Although ours was 6 weeks ago, I am reminded of this heart warming holiday today, which is American Thanksgiving. Families gather and enjoy themselves over food, wine and good times. They give thanks for what they have been blessed with or achieved over the past year and a general attitude of gratitude is emulated.

I assume Thanksgiving is much of the same way in the U.S. as it is here. I envision families gathered together, watching NFL, while homes are filled with loved ones and the warm and cozy smell of turkey dinner fills the house. It is a pre-cursor to Christmas and the upcoming Holiday season.

AND THEN…the next day we get…

Even now in Canada, we’ve added Black Friday to our shopping malls, so we keep the consumers spending here. There are some people that I know who don’t understand why we’ve brought it here, but the popular argument is that it’s positive, as we are keeping the spending in our own economy. Now is a very busy time to shop, leading up to the holidays and of course everyone wants a deal…but should we have Black Friday here? Or should we leave it to the Americans?

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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.

When we are in the market of buying a home, most of us walk through and picture ourselves living there. We envision taking off our shoes, relaxing on the couch and what it would be like to cook in the kitchen. We visualize our current home and hope that this new house will only enrich our lives. If prospective buyers have the ability to emulate these positive emotions, the house will tend to get more viewers and sell much quicker.

If your house is vacant, it is recommended that you show it to it’s full potential by having it staged. Houses that are shown empty often seem cold, small and less inviting.

As you can see from these two images, the space needed something in it to make it feel more like home, instead of a wide open, empty canvas. With the help of Catherine LeBlanc at Ambiance Home Staging this house achieved just what it needed to feel cosier, brighter and lived in.
After

Choosing to have your home staged professionally can save you time, effort and and earn you more money by increasing your return on investment. If your furniture is still in the house, hiring a stager will also be beneficial as they will see design possibilities that the seller may not. De-cluttering and making the house appear more neutral is always a plus. Buyers want to see a house that they could unpack their bags and begin living in, so perhaps tuck away the family photos and personalized items that remind them it is not their house.

A finance poll from AOL Money stated, “87% of people said that home presentation makes a difference in most sales.” Staging can add great value to your real estate property and is a better alternative to price reduction.

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.

Well, winter is here!

There are a number of great things you can do to save on energy costs through the winter.

The City of Burlington is hosting a FREE energy efficiency event next Tuesday, Nov. 25th 7-9 p.m. at the Burlington Public Library (2331 New St)

Click HERE for full details to the free info seminar!

Here are our Top 5 simple things you can start doing today!

1. Put on an extra sweater

There is no reason why you should be walking around in shorts and a t-shirt mid winter. Take advantage of the cooler weather and layer up in your cozy slippers and favourite blanket.

2. Light the fireplace

There is nothing cozier than wrapping up warm and sitting in front of a real fire. If you have a gas fireplace, this is just as good! Gather some loved ones or a good book and relax by the fire. You’ll feel much warmer very quickly!

3. Learn about your electrical usage

Knowing what is and isn’t making big demands on your electrical supply is the first step to conservation. A good rule to follow is use a smaller appliance (ie. a kettle to boil water vs. a stove). Try not to overuse energy-sucking appliances such as heaters, a FAR better use to generate localized heat would be a heating blanket.

4. Lower your Thermostat when you don’t need it

There are two times in the day when you can drop your heat.
During the day when the house is empty and overnight when the family is asleep.
During these times, your furnace does not need to be pumping out the room temperature 71 degree average. I recommend setting your thermostat to 60 during the day (the sun will help keep it warm) and 65 overnight. This drop in temperature maintains house warmth significant enough, but will cut your costs more than you can imagine. For best results, program your thermostat to 60 for the time you leave the house in the morning and 65 at bedtime. Make sure it is programmed to return to the average of 71 about 90 minutes before arriving home from school/work and 90 minutes prior to waking up. (However, in a deep freeze – colder than minus 20, beware of not turning the heat down too much as pipes may be prone to freezing).

5. Seal any leaks, especially draughty windows

Look for places that have a draught. Caulk leaks around windows, door frames, pipes or any point that goes through the outside wall. Apply plastic over draughty windows, especially in the basement. These inexpensive kits are sold at Canadian Tire or Home Depot and drastically help reduce cold air flowing in.

Hope those few tips help. Any further questions or concerns, please call us directly on 905-333-6234

Stay warm this winter!

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.

Are you looking to sell your house this winter?

The first snow fall yesterday confirmed that winter is in fact on it’s way. I had secretly hoped it may forget about visiting us this year, but alas…

Here are some top winter selling tips from Keller Williams

1. Take photos of the house on sunny days before the clouds take over and the leaves fall from the trees. Sellers want to be sure to show the full potential and beauty of the home. Reach out to clients now and suggest they get photos taken of their home in preparation for cold weather selling.

2. Create a virtual video tour of the home. In areas where the weather can get be especially stormy, offering potential buyers the opportunity to first see the home from the comfort of their own computer is helpful.

3. When hosting an open house, be sure to keep walkways and driveways clear. You don’t want any potential buyers to slip and fall on their way inside the home.

4. Keep the house warm. A warmer inside temperature will keep potential buyers inside longer. If someone will be in the home for a while, consider lighting a small fire in the fireplace to further warm the home and create an inviting space away from the cold.

5. Keep window curtains and blinds open to let in as much light as possible.

6. Create an atmosphere. In cooler months, you have the option to invite buyers to stay a little longer and enjoy a warm beverage and winter foods. Take this as an opportunity to really make them feel at home, and hopefully soon, they will be.

Another advantage of selling homes in the winter is the warmth and cheer of the holiday season. The holidays are a time for family, friends and gatherings. Create an environment that conveys the joy that has been shared in the home so buyers will be eager to move in and make their own memories. Avoid listing homes the week of Christmas as buyers take that time off to enjoy the holidays. So, as the weather cools down, remember to use these tips to keep your potentials buyers interested.

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 such a stunning place to live, but Christmas truly makes our home city magical.

Don’t miss out on any magic this holiday season!

An abundance of talented community members have worked tirelessly to bring us all some great events to enjoy.

Shop the Neighbourhood is a creative incentive encouraging people to support our downtown core. This helps strengthen our city and supports small, artisan, local businesses. Stroll through the quaint downtown streets, enjoy some creative food and perhaps purchase a truly one-of-a-kind gift for a loved one – it’s win/win for everyone!

Shop the neighbourhood Runs NOW through until November 30th!
The BIG EVENT is NOVEMBER 30th – when we will Paint the Town YELLOW!

Kicking off tomorrow with a unique arts and crafts sale at the Art Gallery, this holiday season there are an abundance of Burlington Christmas Events taking place all over the city!

Lastly, the VERY popular Burlington Christmas House Tour is this weekend! There may still be some tickets available

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.