Windows & Doors
Home improvements increase your home enjoyment, but they also affect your home’s resale value – upgrading your windows and doors can yield a 50 to 75% return on investment at resale*. These tips will help you plan for your window and door improvement needs with a focus on resale value:
Plan – Consider important factors such as climate, cost, and style when planning your window and door upgrades. Seek professional advice to help determine what options best fit your needs and budget. Most companies provide a service that includes fitting, delivering, and installation.
Prioritize – Decide what features are most important to you. Wooden doors and windows are great for their natural warmth and appearance, fiberglass and vinyl are ideal for superior durability and maintenance, and steel is your best bet for added strength and security.
Style – Choose doors and windows that fit the character of your home. Casement windows and patio doors enhance viewing areas while adding more natural light, bay windows help create a focal point and enlarge a room’s appearance, and wooden doors can be custom made with unique designs and patterns.
Security – Add transparent polyester strips (PET) to glass for extra security. This window film can easily bear the pressure of intensive strikes by rods, hammers, and rocks. Choose a metal or solid hardwood entry door no less than 5cm thick to help prevent against break-ins.
Sound – Ensure your windows and doors are insulated for sound as 90% of exterior noise enters your home this way. Using laminated safety glass, secondary glazing, or placing a wider airspace between glass panes will help reduce outside noise significantly.
Lighting – Maximize the natural light that enters your home by installing windows or doors with glass panels on the south side of your house. This will allow sunlight to enter your home in the winter and prevent direct sunlight in the summer, so you can limit the unnecessary heating and cooling of your home.
Efficiency – Be aware that 30% of energy in your house is lost through windows and doors. Prevent heat loss in the winter and heat gain in the summer by using double or triple glazed glass panes and by purchasing windows with a low-e coating or inert gas fills. Steel and fiberglass doors have cores of foam insulation that give them better energy efficiency than wood.
Maintenance – Keep your windows and doors in good condition. Replace caulking and window glaze every few years to prevent drafts and condensation, and update the stain or paint on your door to keep it weather resistant and looking like new.
Upgrading your home’s windows and doors is a great way to enhance its entryway and curb appeal. When it comes to reselling your home, the more people like the outside, the more they will want to see the inside. Depending on the quality of installation, materials and maintenance, your new windows and doors carry a minimum life expectancy of 10 years and 25 years respectively.
*Appraisal Institute of Canada
Living with stuffiness or asthma? Here are a few simple strategies for reducing allergy-causing problems in your home.
Rule #1: Keep things cool and dry.
Dust mites and mold love moisture and heat. To keep your air clean:
- Run the A/C. It dehumidifies the air, filters out pollen and discourages mold and dust mites.
- Use a dehumidifier to keep humidity levels between 30 and 50%.
- Use the exhaust fan in the bathroom to vent moisture.
Rule #2: Banish dust mites
The waste they leave behind is what triggers most allergies.
- Cover your mattress and pillows with allergen-impermeable covers, and wash your linens, curtains and slipcovers in HOT water (at least 130ºC). It’s the only way to kill mites.
- Try a no-frills approach to decorating. Use blinds instead of heavy curtains, avoid upholstered headboards, and get rid of knick-knacks that collect dust.
- Stick with hardwood or tile floors if you can, but if you have to have carpeting, go with low-pile and invest in a good vacuum with a HEPA filter.
- Keep the air clean with an air filtration system.
- Wash stuffed toys regularly, and store them in covered plastic bins.
Rule #3: Say goodbye to mold.
- Check your plants. If you see or smell mold, put aquarium gravel over the dirt, or find them a new home.
- Wallpaper traps moisture and grows mold. Get rid of old wallpaper, and never put new wallpaper over old – that just masks the problem.
- Wash your shower curtain regularly, or buy one that’s antifungal.
Rule #4: Tame pet dander.
If your best friend is making you itch and sneeze, saying goodbye isn’t your only option. Try these ideas first:
- Minimize dander by washing your pet’s bedding often, and vacuuming the spaces where s/he hangs out.
- Keep your pet out of the bedroom, and limit him to certain parts of the house.
- Talk to your vet about dander-resistant products.
Rule #5: Breathe clean air.
- Avoid smoking in your home and limit using the fireplace, since smoke can irritate allergies and asthma.
- Go natural. Forget scented sprays and harsh chemical cleaning products. Stick with simple, natural ingredients like baking soda, vinegar and lemon juice.
Keep your house dry, cool and clean, and you’ll be on your way to being healthier, happier – and sneeze-free!
Getting your home ready for the cooler weather
The fall season is a spectacular time in Dufferin County with the changing colous. However, this time of year requires proper maintenance of your home and garden, to help preserve your investment. And best of all, keeping your house in tip-top shape this fall will prevent any unnecessary chores in the spring.
Outdoor Projects
- Complete exterior painting before cooler weather arrives
- Check and repair exterior lighting before daylight fades
- Store lawn ornaments and patio furniture in a shed or basement. If space is limited, weather-resistant covers can protect outdoor furnishings
- Cover air conditioner and barbecue to prevent winter damage
- Close your pool before leaves start to fall, and nighttime temperatures begin to drop. Sooner than that and you risk an algae bloom
- Store kids toys indoors or in an outdoor shed to prevent rusting and fading
Lawn & Garden
- Till and prepare planting beds when the soil is relatively dry. By adding soil and mulch to your beds, you’ll be a step ahead for spring planting
- Plant spring blooming bulbs and perennials
- Protect roses, saplings and small trees by sheltering them with a burlap screen
- Pull weeds to reduce the number of seedlings next spring
- Mow grass short for the final cut of the year by reducing the cutting height gradually to 3.5 cm (from 7.4 cm) until the grass stops growing
Indoor Preparation
- Bring container plants indoors, making sure they are free of pests. Doing so may enable plants to survive the season and bloom again in spring
- Check and clean your humidifier. Empty the tank, dry the inside surfaces and refill with clean water. Be sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions
There are a variety of activities and services we provide that will get your home in Orangeville and Dufferin County sold faster and at a higher price. The following list provides some of the services you can expect when you decide to sell your home with Lora Schyven. Visit North of 9 for a detailed list of our Buyer and Seller Services and Marketing.
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Order a complete property profile of your home
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Perform a professional Comparative Market Analysis of your home
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Review a Total Market Overview with Sellers
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Create a customized marketing plan that targets your most likely buyers
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Develop a specialized pricing strategy for your property
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Calculate an estimate of the net proceeds from your sale
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Tour your property from the buyer’s point of view
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Conduct a complete staging analysis of your property
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Provide instructions to help your house sell at a higher price
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Intergrate photos into marketing materials
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Develop “Soon To Be Available” postcards
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Review the status of any property tax liens against the property
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Obtain copies of permits relative to the property
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Provide accurate measurements of your home
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Develop advertising copy for marketing
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Place home description in the Realtor MLS
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Provide a disclosure statement on real estate relationships and representation
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Provide a copy of the North of 9 Guide for Sellers
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Assist with the completion of an Exclusive Listing Agreement
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Arrange for inspections pertaining to wells, construction, septic systems
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Place professional For Sale sign on property
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Directly contact agents with qualified buyers regarding the property
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Respond to agent questions about the property
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Respond to potential buyer questions about the property
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Develop a convenient Open House schedule to meet your needs
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Conduct an Agent Open House
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Conduct telephone cold calls to target market, as necessary
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Provide professional looking photos of interior and exterior for MLS
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Prepare a Home Book for display to potential buyers at viewings
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Conduct door-knocking campaign in neighbourhood, where appropriate
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Follow up with all potential buyers from Open House opportunities
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Obtain other agents feedback after showings
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Obtain agents’ opinions regarding the pricing strategy for your home
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Provide weekly report to seller by your preferred method of communication
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Review the financial impact of any offers with sellers
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Write counter-offers, as necessary
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Ensure initial deposit is placed in escrow in a timely manner
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Ensure all deposits are handled appropriately
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Follow up on financing arrangements of buyer
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Provide access to property to inspectors, as necessary
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Assist seller in transferring utilities to buyer
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Assist seller with moving by referring credited professionals
Reasons to Sell Before You Buy in Orangeville and Dufferin County
In today’s market, Orangeville and Dufferin County homeowners who are considering a move are faced with the tough decision – do we buy or sell first? Much like the age old dilemma of the chicken and the egg, the answer will depend on whom you are asking.
A lot of homeowners believe they should buy first (possibly a direct result of a fear of being homeless, or on the advice of a real estate agent). While this approach does wonders to solidify an agent’s bottom line or inject local markets with eager buyers, it is rarely in YOUR best interest. First, there is the risk that you cannot sell your home in time and end up carrying two mortgages. Second, you are faced with two unknowns: what you can afford to buy and what you will receive from the sale of your home.
Reasons to Sell First and Buy Later:
1. Higher Sales Price
Sellers who are not under pressure to sell because they’ve bought another home, typically receive a higher sales price. Buyers are looking for a deal, and nothing screams “discount your offer” more than a seller who is desparate to sell. Plus, having the luxury of time means you can wait for an offer that is acceptable to your terms.
2. Ability to Negotiate
When you do find the home of your dreams, you can negotiate better terms than a buyer who makes an offer that is contingent on selling their home first. Therefore, you increase your bargaining power.
3. Conditional Offers
If the thought of being homeless is what keeps you up at night, rest assured because you do have options. For example, inserting a clause in the agreement that is conditional on you finding an appropriate housing. Therefore, if your dream home hasn’t hit the market yet, you can decide to stay where you are or make other arrangements until it does.
An influx of home buyers into the market brings greater demand and higher home prices. Following exuberant buyers into a real estate market that is teetering on the edge, will most likely end badly. I like to think we’ve learned from past ‘market bubbles’ and the actions our neighbours to the south. Up here in the Great White North, we’ve seen housing prices increase by 80% over 6 six years, but we’ve yet to see a comparable correction. In today’s environment of record levels household and governemnt debt, low interest rates (that can only move up from here), and high unemployment, the risk of stagnant or declining home values is still a stark reality.
The reality is, in today’s market, selling before you buy can help to protect your biggest asset and your peace of mind. For more information on selling your home in Orangeville or Dufferin County, please leave a comment or visit our website Northof9.ca .
