by Dianne Daniel

Pull out your tool belts and pull up a chair. Things are about to heat up on HGTV.

With the launch of Canada’s Handyman Challenge, an all-star judging panel of Mike Holmes (Holmes on Homes, Holmes Inspection), Bryan Baeumler (Disaster DIY, House of Bryan) and Scott McGillivray (Income Property) is teaming up to discover Canada’s best handyman, sizing up the competition from Vancouver, Toronto and Halifax in a show format that could be called the Idol for Do-It-Yourselfers.

“It has that element of do-it-yourself and handyman, but there’s also a level of drama,” says host Jillian Harris, best known for her role on The Bachelor and The Bachelorette series, but also a designer with more than 10 years’ experience who has appeared on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. “… While the judges are sorting out their decisions and contemplating, I’m there roughing up the contestants and having fun with them.”

Like most reality TV competitions, the new show offers everyday Canadians an opportunity to work with, and be judged by, the best in the industry. Contestants must complete a variety of skills challenges designed to test their ability to work under a deadline, such as installing a toilet, shingling a roof or building something using only the items they find in a junk pile.

The top 12 competitors — representing four from each city — then battle it out on everything from wiring and installing light fixtures to building a functional staircase.

“What surprised me the most was how talented they were,” says Harris. “You’re watching someone install a toilet and it’s someone like you and I who’s never done it before.”

During the premiere episode, (which aired last Tuesday, January 10 at 10 p.m. EST), Harris and the judges travelled to Vancouver where contestants were asked to build a perfectly functioning garden gate and apply crown moulding in a space where the walls have uneven angles. First, they need to get through the audition process by creating something cool and useful from a single sheet of plywood.

It was hard not to be impressed by the level of creativity as they file before the judges one by one. Who would have thought that plywood could be transformed into a golf bag, not to mention a folding keyboard stand, picnic table, toy lawn mower or chair?

Holmes said he was “amazed” by the talent he saw during the auditions. “We didn’t expect the selection process to be so hard…,” he said. “Canada is full of creative and talented handymen and women — it made our job as judges very difficult.”
“Some of the challenges are pretty hard and the guys take it pretty seriously,” notes Harris. “It’s hard to see a big burly man getting teary eyed … but when they get eliminated, it’s tough.”

While there’s no official crown or cash prize, contestants vie for the “serious bragging rights” that come with being named the winner of Canada’s Handyman Challenge. And in the end, only one person will be left standing.

For full episodes after they air, exclusive on-set interviews with Canada’s Handyman Challenge all-stars and interior design tips from host Jillian Harris, visit www.hgtv.ca.

As soon as she sees your space, Dina Manzo starts planning your party. It’s a talent she’s perfected as owner of Designer Affair, a boutique event planning company, and now the former Real Housewives of New Jersey reality television star is bringing it to HGTV with the new series Dina’s Party.

“We want to turn it into a show that helps people entertain out of their homes,” says Manzo. “We do have some over the top elements … but throughout the half hour, you’ll be able to get really practical tips that you can take and apply whether it’s just a nice dinner you’re throwing or a full wedding.”

Over the course of 13 episodes, plus a Christmas special, Manzo’s Designer Affair team tackles everything from a co-ed baby shower, adult prom night and wedding reception re-do to a vintage jewellery launch, clothing swap party and big pink wedding. Sometimes they move furniture around, other times they remove it completely, and every now and then they even throw in a bit of renovating.

The attention to detail starts with the invitation and flows all the way through to co-ordinating the exterior landscaping, staging the powder room and deciding how to fold the napkins.

Manzo and her team start by brainstorming. The goal is to make her vision come to life and she relies on her set designer and carpenter to tell her what is and isn’t possible.

One of her favourites is the episode where a wife throws her husband a high-end Las Vegas-themed party, complete with a faux blown glass art ceiling installation rivalling those of famous casinos. Or, how about the transformation from dining room archway to saloon entrance, complete with swinging doors to set the mood for a western-themed bon voyage get-together?

“I don’t mean to pat ourselves on the back, but every episode is a ‘Who would have thought that?’” comments Manzo. “That’s what my company is known for, doing the unusual.”

In the recent tough economy, Manzo says she is seeing a growing interest in home entertainment. While she acknowledges that most people won’t have extravagant budgets like some of her TV clients, she does offer good money-saving tips on Dina’s Party. For example, instead of buying or renting table cloths, simply go the nearest fabric store and by cloth by the yard, forming a puddle on the floor to hide the raw edges. Tired of the mess when carving a pumpkin for your Halloween Party? Bling it out instead, adhering rhinestones, studs and all kinds of inexpensive decorations available at craft and scrapbooking stores.

“For me, the special moment is when it becomes more than just a party,” says Manzo, noting that they’ve even evoked tears at times. “It’s a feel good network and a feel good show. We want people to turn off the channel when it’s over and really feel inspired and happy.”

Dina’s Party airs Saturday evenings at 10 p.m. EST on HGTV. For a full schedule of episodes, visit www.hgtv.com/dinas-party/show.

The reality, however, is that we live in Canada, and our winters bring us periods of deep freezes followed by thaws and then more freezing, and it’s this changing temperature that wreaks havoc on our homes. But, it doesn’t have to be this way — taking a few simple steps each fall will ensure your home’s winter-ready.

A lot of outdoor home maintenance is visual and requires common sense. All it really takes it looking your house — top to bottom — and paying attention to any little concerns, ensuring your home is sealed and protected from the elements.

Start with your roof — inspect it for curling shingles or other signs of wear, and have it repaired or replaced as needed. If your home is prone to ice damns , freezing water at the roofline, the problem may lie in the attic and with the insulation.

For a temporary fix, consider installing radiant heat lines along your roof to prevent this over the winter months. Next, look for any small holes or openings around the roof line, soffits and flashing — keeping critters out is essential, as these animals can cause extensive damage once they make it into your home. Seal up any open spaces with a heavy gauge wire mesh to keep the critters out.

The adage “out of sight, out of mind” will not serve you or your home well heading into the winter. Check your chimney caps repairing any cracks or replacing damaged bricks altogether, and repointany missing or damaged mortar.

Take a quick look inside your roof and at your attic. Ensure that it is properly insulated and vented and that there is no sign of water damage, mould or critter nesting.

Moving down, look at the brickwork and woodwork around your home. Like with your chimney, repair any cracks, damaged bricks or missing mortar. If paint is chipping, peeling or cracking, or stain is showing its age, repaint and reseal these areas. The goal is to keep water from penetrating your home’s surface.

Check your windows next: Gently press a key or flat screw driver into any woodwork showing wear — if it gives at all or feels spongy, it’s time to repair or replace it. Caulking is one of the most important maintenance items. Calling a caulking expert is worth the expense, they can colour match well and their products are far superior to anything we can get in retail stores.

Removing the screens from inside of windows is often overlooked. Screens prevent proper ventilation on the inside face of windows making them more prone to condensation. If you have older windows, consider sealing them with removable caulking or installing heat-shirking plastic film to cut down drafts.

While most of us remember to turn off our outdoor taps, we forget to drain the lines. This is especially important for both sprinkler systems and outdoor kitchen faucets. After shutting off the water, blow out the pipes ensuring there’s no water left in the lines to freeze, which will ultimately break most piping. Also, take the time to take your outdoor faucets off and store them inside as most manufacturers will not warranty these items left out over winter months.

At the foundation level, check for any cracks or damage and have it repaired. Also, make sure that the earth is graded away from your home, allowing excess water an easy and direct path to anywhere but your basement.

Take a quick look for any small holes or signs of penetration — keeping moisture, drafts and critters out of your basement is just as important as keeping them out of your attic, so caulk any small penetrations through the foundation wall with silicone or Polyurethane caulking.

Replace any worn weather stripping on your doors as required, cutting down on drafts and saving you on your heating bill. Pay special attention to your garage access door; with the winter months, more of us begin parking in the garage. Make sure it is properly sealed keeping carbon monoxide and cold drafts from entering your home. Install a draft stop around and on the bottom of your garage doors to prevent drafts from entering the garage space.

Indoors, have your furnace serviced. Clean and/or replace filters and invest in a good humidifier if your furnace doesn’t have one. Humidity in the house is important for your health and the health of your furniture and hardwoods. Evaporator humidifiers for an average-sized house work well, but for larger homes, invest in a steam humidifier.

Finally, take the time to test all fire, smoke and carbon monoxide testers, changing batteries and replacing them as needed. Investing the time and effort into small repairs in the fall will protect your home and your biggest investment throughout the winter months.

Ramsin Khachi is a prominent design/build conractor whose firm The Khachi Design Group specializes in commercial and residential design. Visit www.khachi.com

Article provided by Investopedia

A home’s curb appeal is one of the most important factors when it comes to real estate. Think of it as window shopping. You’re not going to buy a sweater in a shop’s window if it is dirty, faded and has holes on it. Well, the same goes for a home’s attractiveness from the exterior that is visible from the street. Whether you are selling your house to move to a new area, or looking to flip a recently purchased property for a profit, you can save money on increasing a home’s curb appeal with these simple steps that should keep you within a $1,000 budget.

Assess the Situation
When working on any home improvement project on a budget, you should always come up with a plan to help you stay within your means. For your curb appeal project, start by assessing the home’s current appearance from the street. Stand directly across the street from the property and take note of any areas you find unappealing. Better yet, take a picture of it all. Next, walk a few houses down and assess the home’s appearance from an angle, then do the same on the opposite side. If a portion of the side or backyard is visible from the street, you might need to perform some improvements for those areas as well. Take as many pictures as possible to help you with your planning.

Fix the Front Yard
Estimated Cost: $200 to $300
If you’ve decided that the front yard has room from improvement, start with the small stuff that will hardly cost you a thing. Make sure the lawn is mowed and any weeds are pulled. Prune any trees, shrubs or bushes that have grown to unsightly proportions, and don’t hesitate to remove or uproot anything. Plant-life should help frame the home, not completely cover it. Removing excess shrubbery can breathe new life into an aged front yard.

The next stage of front yard work should be repairing any patchy areas. Check your lawn for bald spots or dead grass, and repair these areas with a bag of lawn patch. To replace any plant-life you’ve removed or to fill a slope or bald area of your yard, consider planting fast-growing groundcover like vinca minor.

Some mulch and garden bed edging can make your front yard look brand new. Look for discarded rocks, stones and cement blocks at rock quarries or construction sites for affordable edging. Another edging idea that is eco-friendly, but a little out of the ordinary, is to bury wine bottles into your soil, neck down. Bury the bottles as far as you can, exposing only a small portion of the bottle.

Refresh the Front of Your Home
Estimated Cost: $400 to $500
Now that your front yard is taken care of, you can move on to the actual house. A good place to start is your front door. Worn and weathered front doors are off-putting, but a newly painted front door can be a great focal point for the front of the home. Make sure to also polish the door fixtures, and even consider installing a new door knocker. Finally, hang a wreath around the door for a finishing touch. You can do all of this for under $50.

If your home features a front porch, think about adding potted containers that can be hung or placed around your frond steps. If you have any porch furniture, consider giving it a face lift with new fabrics and paint rather than replacing anything. The key to curb appeal is to make your home appealing to the eye. You can accomplish this by creating symmetry with potted plants, furniture and other items on your porch.

For the next part of your project, you’ll need to rent a pressure washer. These can be rented from most major home improvement stores, and typically cost $50 to $75 for the day. You can use the pressure washer to clean the exterior of your home, which is a cheaper and quicker alternative to painting it. Pressure wash your garage doors, driveway and walkway to make everything look new. Just be sure to avoid windows because the water pressure can damage or break them.

If you still think a new paint job is necessary, even after the pressure wash, consider painting accents. The front door, columns, window sills and the garage door can all be matching colors and used as accents to enhance the curb appeal of the entire home. Take things a step further by adding matching shutters to your windows, or even a matching arbor and fence panel as long as you can afford it.

Minor Improvements
Estimated Cost: $100 to $200
With what is left of your $1,000 budget, you can finish your curb appeal project with minor improvements to refresh your home. Even the little things can make a difference, so be sure not to overlook anything you can upgrade or improve. Start by either repainting or replacing your mailbox. Then, replace your home’s house numbers if they are worn or are barely visible from the street. Update any outdoor lighting fixtures by either replacing or repainting them if they are old and rusted. Finally, make sure to clean any cluttered areas, rake any fallen leaves, wash your windows and clear your gutters of debris.

The Bottom Line
Giving your home more curb appeal can be accomplished on a limited budget, which will allow you to spend resources for making upgrades and repairs elsewhere. All it takes is a little creativity and patience. Make sure you spend time examining your home from every angle to see what minor improvements you can make to enhance its appearance.

Article provided by Investopedia

Leaky roofs, bursting pipes and infestations – all on your own dime. Though home ownership has many perks, there are some extra expenses to watch out for.

Maintaining and repairing a home can be a daunting task, especially if you’re learning these skills for the first time as a home owner. Repair costs can make any first-time homeowner long for the “good ol’” renting days. Each of the major systems in your home, like the plumbing, electrical and roofing, serves a very important purpose and must be kept in good working order to protect your investment and keep life running smoothly.

The Roof
Water is your home’s biggest enemy, and one of the roof’s primary jobs is to keep water out. Asphalt shingles (the most common roofing material in the U.S.) can become loose, cracked, be blown off by the wind or be damaged by hail. The nails that fasten them to the roof could also raise, allowing water to get underneath and in to your home, if any part of the shingles or roof had been poorly installed in the first place.

A leaky roof can cause cosmetic damage to the inside of a home and, depending on how severe the leak is, damage the belongings inside, cause health problems and structural issues.

Asphalt shingles also have varying expected maximum life spans, depending on the quality of the shingle. Under normal circumstances, the roof will need replacement at least every 20 years. However, roofs have varying life spans, depending on the type of shingle used, installation quality, climate and weather.

The Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) System
Because of its complexity, your home’s HVAC system is not something you’ll be able to inspect, repair or replace yourself. Unless you’re an HVAC professional, you should be prepared to hire one from time to time.

You’ll probably need to buy new units at some point, as the existing ones wear out over time.

Replacing the furnace and air conditioner filters frequently helps keeps the machines running efficiently. Homeowners with gas furnaces should have them inspected once a year. In many areas, this service is provided at no charge.

The Electrical System
Arc faults and electrical shorts cause a fair number of electrical fires that burn down homes. All homeowners should have a basic understanding of how electrical systems work, in order to keep homes and families safe. Besides having a trusted electrician in your reach, understand the limitations of your own skills – why risk electrocution or faulty wiring in order to save a few bucks?

Plumbing
Small plumbing problems (like clogged drains) happen from time to time, no matter where you live, and they aren’t a big deal to fix, with basic plumbing knowledge.

Some older homes present larger problems when it comes to plumbing. These homes often contain galvanized iron water pipes, which become clogged with mineral deposits over time, gradually reducing the water pressure in your home. These pipes cannot be repaired – they have to be replaced. For new homeowners, the annoyances of noisy plumbing, frozen pipes and burst pipes can create more issues than they’re worth.

Termites
In the woods, termites help turn fallen trees into topsoil, but you don’t want your home turning to dust. Termites are attracted to wood and moisture, and they can get into your house through even the tiniest of cracks.

To prevent expensive structural damage to your home, make sure there is no wood touching the ground near your house (like lumber, firewood or tree stumps). Prevent any moisture from accumulating around your foundation by making sure the ground slopes away from your house, and hire an exterminator to regularly perform a pest inspection.

Natural Disasters
When you become a homeowner, damage from natural disasters becomes your problem. Homeowners insurance typically does not cover “acts of God,” meaning that you will need to purchase extra coverage against disasters like floods and earthquakes. Unfortunately, this insurance can be expensive or have an unusually high deductible.

Mold
Mold can grow in wet or damp areas, and can cause health problems. If your HVAC system is contaminated, you can spread mold throughout your home every time the furnace is running.

Preventing mold problems is a matter of keeping water out and fixing any leaks, to eliminate any environments conducive to mold growth. If your home is very humid, an air conditioner or dehumidifier will help prevent mold growth. Mold is not always visible; it can be hidden behind wallpaper, under carpeting and in a variety of other places. Mold can cause allergic or irritating reactions and asthma attacks.

Conclusion
When most people think about home ownership, they think only about the monthly payments, or PITI: principal, interest, taxes and insurance. But maintenance and repair costs will eat up their fair share of your (not-so) disposable income, too. Mortgage lenders won’t factor this into their equations when determining a loan amount, but you should. Before you buy, make sure you’re prepared for the true cost of your castle.

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Once you have found the home you would like to purchase, at a price you can afford, you’ll need to give the vendor an Offer to Purchase (sometimes called an Agreement of Purchase and Sale). It is very helpful to work with a realtor and/or a lawyer/notary to prepare your offer since it is a written contract setting out the terms under which you (the buyer) agree to buy the home. If your Offer to Purchase is accepted by the seller, it forms a legally binding contract.

The offer or agreement will typically include all the details of the sale including your legal name, the name of the vendor and the legal civic address of the property, the price you are offering to pay, the amount of your deposit, and the closing day or the date you take possession of the home. The offer should also specifically state any items in or around the home that you think are included in the sale such as window coverings and appliances.

Once drafted, your realtor or lawyer will then present the offer to the vendor. The vendor will respond in one of three ways – he or she will either accept your offer, make a counter-offer or reject it. A counter-offer might ask for a higher price or different terms. This process of making an offer, receiving a counter-offer and then revising it again is a common part of making the deal work for you and the seller.

Chances are your realtor or your lawyer will have included certain conditions in your Offer to Purchase, making it a conditional offer. Three conditions that are generally standard in an Offer to Purchase – especially for first-time buyers – include lender approval of mortgage financing to finance the purchase, obtaining a satisfactory home inspection report, and a property appraisal. Once these requirements are fulfilled, the conditions are removed and the Offer to Purchase becomes final.

But that’s not the end of the home buying process. There are many things you will need to do prior to closing day – the day you take legal possession of your home. You’ll need to give notice to your landlord if you are renting and decide whether you will hire professional movers or do it yourself. If you choose to use a professional moving company, be sure to ask them for references, an estimate and an outline of fees.

Other important arrangements include necessary address changes for utilities and services and acquiring property insurance. Also, when you are budgeting to buy a home, be sure to include post-closing costs such as changing locks, appliances, cleaning and decorating.

On closing day, your lender will give the mortgage money to your lawyer/notary and you must provide the down payment (minus the deposit) to your lawyer/notary, including the remaining closing costs. Closing costs include legal fees, transfer fees and disbursements. Finally, once your lawyer pays the vendor and registers the home in your name, he or she will give you the deed and the keys to your new home.

Start with a solid plan to ensure your homebuying experience goes smoothly. CMHC’s Homebuying Step by Step: A Consumer Guide and Workbook will lead you through the homebuying process in five simple steps. Download your free copy at www.cmhc.ca or call 1-800-668-2642. For more practical tips and helpful advice on homeownership, sign up for our free electronic newsletter at www.cmhc.ca/enewsletters.

Mark Salerno is the Corporate Representative for the Greater Toronto Area at Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. You can reach him at 416-218-3479 or e-mail him at msalerno@cmhc.ca.

Search for a property listing from the links below

• Condos for sale in Montreal
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As a multicultural metropolis, the Greater Montreal area offers a unique blend of old world French and European influences combined with a modernized view on business and technology.

• Colonized by the French and the British, Montreal’s Architecture reflects the many different styles of that period. There are over 50 official historic buildings registered on the island, ranging from the Bank of Montreal, Bonsecours Market, and Notre-Dame Basilica in the Old Port, to the more notable Art Deco styles of the Canadian Historical Museum, UdeM, and Atwater Market to name a few. Finally, there are the post-modern inceptions such as the 1000 de la Ginchetière building and even the newly erected Quebec National Archives Museum.
• In terms of Art and culture, there is the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, the Contemporary Art Museum of Montreal, Pointe-à-Callière and Châtein Ramezay to name a few. This year, May 29th 2011, the BMMD (Board of Montreal Museum Directors) celebrated Mtl Museums day in recognition of its 25 years of excellence.
• The Performing Arts and music heavily influence the city as well, where you can experience internationally renowned events such as the Jazz Festival in the new Quartier des spectacles. This area contains Place des Arts, home to the Montreal Symphony Orchestra and Les Grands Ballets Canadiens. In addition, there is the Canadian Grand Prix, Just for Linghs and Osheaga Festival to name a few…
• Leisure and recreational activities can also be experienced off the island which hosted the Summer Olympic Games and the 1967 World Expositions – l’Ile Notre-Dame and Ile des Soeurs; along Montreal’s triad of sites including the Botanical Gardens, Insectarium and Biodome surrounding the Olympic Stadium.
• An incredible Shopping experience awaits you in Montreal’s fashion districts. High-end boutiques are located along Sherbrooke Street West and more trendy areas like The Plateau Mont-Royal on Saint-Denis Street. Finally, gastronomic delights can be explored in specialty ethnic shops along the ‘Main’, Leonard Cohen’s iconic Saint-Laurent Street.

Search for property listings by borough from the links below

Article provided by Investopedia

Are you making upgrades to your home with an eye toward improving your home’s resale value? If so, consider these suggestions before you get started.

Check out the Competition
When selling is your end game, the golden rule of home remodeling is to make your home comparable to others in the neighborhood. If you over improve, you have no chance of recouping your investment. If you under improve, the other homes on the market will sell before yours does.

Look at online real estate listings, attend open houses and talk to real estate agents to find out what features are considered to be the standard in your neighborhood. If everyone else has scraped their popcorn ceilings and turned that cramped shower stall into a soaker tub, you should consider making these changes to your home too. If no one has an outdoor kitchen, adding one to your backyard probably won’t pay off.

Smart buyers are looking to buy either the worst house on the best block or a turnkey home, but they aren’t looking to buy a house that’s nicer than its neighbors. For the extra money, they would usually rather move up to the next nicest neighborhood.

Pick Your Projects Wisely
Avoid expensive, difficult and time-consuming projects like adding more square footage to your house. You may not recoup the money you spend, let alone the time and frustration. You don’t want to over improve for the neighborhood. If all the surrounding homes have 1,600 square feet, there’s no reason for yours to have 2,000 square feet. Buyers looking for 2,000 square foot houses will be shopping in other neighborhoods.

There are also some big mistakes you can make in trying to make your home seem larger than it is. The biggest one is to knock down a wall that decreases the number of bedrooms or bathrooms. As a purely practical matter, two small bathrooms are better than one large one and a third bedroom is more useful than a master suite.

Another bad improvement is a swimming pool. While pools are a must have for some buyers, they also increase the ongoing costs of owning a home significantly. Homeowners insurance premiums will be higher because of the potential liability and maintenance costs are ongoing. Pools also take up a lot of the yard, and many people would rather have grass that their dogs or kids can run around on.

Appeal to a Wide Audience
With any improvement you make with an eye toward selling, think beyond your personal taste. Neutral, classic colors and textures will have broader appeal than bold or unusual ones. They are also easier to change and personalize if the buyer doesn’t like them. Also, make sure to choose colors and finishes that are currently in fashion. When buyers see outdated decor, they see dollar signs.

Don’t Overlook the Basics
If your home has a beautiful kitchen but a home inspection reveals that the roof needs to be replaced and the furnace is on its last legs, price-conscious buyers are likely to ask you to make these repairs or to drop the sale price. If you can’t afford either of these options because you’ve spent the money elsewhere, you could have trouble selling the home.

In today’s economic climate, a home that isn’t a money pit is the best selling feature for the ordinary buyer.

Also, there’s no sense in shelling out big bucks for remodeling projects if your house is so cluttered and dirty that buyers can’t see them. If you have too much stuff, a rental storage unit can be a great investment in getting your home sold. Your first instinct might be to cram everything in the garage, the basement and the closets, but buyers will look in all of these places. You want to convey the idea that your home has plenty of storage space.

The Bottom Line
It’s important to consider the housing market, economic climate and buyer’s perspective when upgrading your home in order to sell it. Before you spend your time or money on any improvements, make sure you understand what today’s buyers want.

18 Do-It-Yourself Projects To Boost Home Value
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Photo provided by QMI Agency

by KATHLEEN DORE, Special to QMI Agency

When it gets chilly outside, we’re not the only ones who want to come inside for winter. Both urban and rural homeowners battle with critter infestations in autumn – actually, all year round, depending on the animal. But in fall, mice, squirrels, and raccoons, in particular, will do their best to pop in for a visit, and stay for the season.

According to Bill Dowd of Humane Wildlife Control, which serves regions in Quebec and Ontario, we’re practically sending them gold-plated invitations. “We’ve made it very easy for these animals to flourish in our cities by giving them food sources — our garbage,” he says. “A raccoon’s idea of hunting these days is not looking to a creek for crayfish, it’s climbing out a chimney and tipping over the garbage can.”

In more than 20 years in the business, Dowd has seen some nasty stuff. “The biggest damage is probably electrical fires, $60,000 to $70,000 in property damage due to fires caused by squirrels or mice chewing on electrical wiring,” he says. And an infestation won’t just hurt your wallet. There are serious health risks associated with these furry critters. “Animals in an attic are defecating and urinating,” says Dowd. “We’ll go into some attics that are unbelievable. No insulation, mounds and mounds of feces. The entire attic is contaminated.”

The best medicine, and least costly in the long run, is prevention. “If you animal proof your home properly, it should be a one-time situation and the problem should be solved,” says Dowd.

There are jobs a homeowner can do, advises Dowd, while others require a professional. If you already have an infestation, getting rid of the critters and whatever they’ve left behind (disease-laden waste, contaminated insulation, parasite-infested corpses) is a job for the pros, who will determine where the animal is gaining entry, put one-way doors on active entry points, decontaminate, and then seal all the entry points once the animals are out.

If you’re confident no one’s moved in yet, inspect your home exterior regularly for entry points and seal them. Dowd’s company’s website has an interactive feature that shows 35 potential entry spots and images of typical damage so you know what to look for.

“The biggest challenge is the proper maintenance of your roof,” he says, suggesting it be inspected once a year (before the snow). Look for loose shingles, broken or missing roof vents, animal feces and/or tracks, signs of chewing, and check the eaves troughs, where a build-up leaves not only creates an attractive food source for raccoons, squirrels and birds, but can also create further headaches. If the debris freezes, the ice can cause the fascia to pull away from your roof. “That creates a gap, so you’ve created an entry hole for an animal to walk right in,” says Dowd.

Also check for gaps at the bottom of your garage door and avoid leaving the door open unattended; inspect soffits and downspouts to ensure they are still attached properly, and ensure there’s no gap between soffits and the house; check weep vents around the base of your home, which should be screened with ¼-inch screening (don’t block them or you’ll create moisture problems inside); check for holes in pointing; damaged stove, plumbing, roof or wall vents; damaged or uncapped chimney; roof valleys (where two rooflines meet). Caulk small holes, but larger holes should be screened.

If something’s already inside, let the pros handle it, and hire someone who understands animal behaviour. Dowd warns against covering a hole immediately, for instance, because an animal will instinctively return and make another one nearby. “It’s important to put screening up there initially because they see through the screen, see their den and start tugging, chewing and ripping at our screen to get back in. Eventually they realize they can’t get in and they move on, because they’ll typically have 10 to 15 den sites in a neighbourhood.”

He also advises homeowners to hire a company that won’t harm the animal and will ensure family units are kept together. Trapping doesn’t work either. “Seventy percent of relocated animals die,” says Dowd. “Plus you still have the odour, which will attract other animals and you still have the hole in your roof.” The only long-term solution is prevention by sealing vulnerable areas and being smart —doing simple things like putting your garbage out in the morning, never overnight, rinsing recyclables and putting lids back on. “Decreased food sources will keep populations down,” says Dowd, which proves that sometimes, the simplest solutions are the best…and cheapest.

Humane Wildlife Control, www.humanewildlifecontrol.com.

Linda White, Special to QMI Agency

When listing your property for sale, the benefits of asking fair market value typically outweigh the pros and cons of asking too much or too little. After all, you don’t want to miss out on thousands of dollars that a buyer may pay nor do you want to chase the sometimes treacherous real estate market downwards.

“It’s never a good thing when you have to drop the price,” says Rick Valouche, president of the British Columbia Real Estate Association. “Generally, a home should sell within the first 60 days, with the most activity within the first two to three weeks. If it sits after three weeks, then we’ve come on too high.”

Dropping the price creates negative connotations among potential buyers, who may wrongly assume you’re under pressure to sell and lower their offers even further.

Valouche offers the following scenario: the fair market value for your property is $500,000 but you decide to list it for $550,000. “If it doesn’t sell within the first three weeks, we can’t bring it back to $500,000,” he says. “We have to drop it to about $475,000. You can’t chase the market down – if you chase it down you’ll never catch it.”

Realtors determine fair market value for your property using a comparative market analysis, says Don Lawby, president of Century 21 Canada. They look at three or four comparable properties currently on the market. “That’s your competition. If consumers are looking at your home, they’re probably looking at those homes as well. What are their prices?”

A realtor will factor in features that distinguish your home from the competition, such as a finished basement or upgraded kitchen and/or bathrooms. “Some people may say a wonderful kitchen sells a home … but if the people looking at your home don’t like to cook, a kitchen isn’t going to sell that home,” says Lawby. “It all depends on the lifestyle of the people looking at your home.”

The realtor will also look at three or four comparable properties that recently sold and for how much, says Lawby. Also part of the equation: three or four properties with listings that expired before being sold and their listing prices.

They’ll consider whether the current market is better or worse than when the last comparable home sold or when the selling agreements on the overpriced homes expired. Together, those factors create a comparable market analysis, which in turn lets you determine the fair market value of your home, Lawby notes.

Of course, there are exceptions to the ‘fair market’ rule, such as the seller’s motivation to sell. “If they’re just selling to try and get as much money as possible at any price, it doesn’t matter,” says Valouche.

“But if they have to move for work, are downsizing or some other reason, the asking price really matters … Sometimes in a rising market too low doesn’t matter because it generates interest.” He points to the strategy of listing a million-dollar home in the hot Vancouver market for $900,000.

Pricing the property under fair market value generated the desired interest and a bidding war ensured, netting the homeowner between $1.1 and $1.2 million. “If we had listed it for $1,050,000 to create negotiating room, the homeowner probably wouldn’t have got more than a million,” says Valouche.