Performance Realty

Most people feel confident about the basics of home security. For example: Keep

all doors locked. Have a light on in the house while away. Never hide a key outside
in an obvious place, like under the mat. Yet, almost a million and a half properties

get burglarized in North America each year. So how can you prevent that from

happening to your home? ...

How to decide if you should replace your windows

One of the most prominent features of any home is the windows. When they

are well maintained they have a positive impact on the impression people

(such as potential buyers) will have of your property. The opposite occurs, of

course, when your windows look old and worn. So does that mean you should

replace your windows? That depends on a numbe ...

Selecting a reputable renovator

Have you seen the television show where the host – an experienced contractor –

comes to a home to fix a bad renovation? Episodes typically feature leaking

bathroom showers, fallen decks, creaky flooring, and other examples of shoddy

workmanship. For the homeowners, it’s a nightmare. That’s why it’s so important to
select a reputable renovator – one who has th ...

Packing your home shopping toolkit

Ideally, the first property you see when shopping for a new home

will be the one you fall in love with and buy. But let’s face it. You’ll

probably end up seeing several homes before reaching the

decision to make an offer on one.

When you’re viewing homes, you want to make sure that the

experience is enjoyable (rather than stressful) and that you get all

the ...

How do you determine what you need to do?

Say you’re a homeowner wanting to sell your two-storey, detached

home. You sit down and make a list of things that need to get done

to make your property as attractive as possible to buyers.

You consider the backyard. “Hmm,” you think. “Doesn’t our deck

need a new finish and our flowerbed need new edging stones?”

Then you think about the basement. “T ...

Stay or Move? How to decide?

Do you sometimes review the real estate ads in your local

paper? Do you drive by an open house sign and feel the urge to

stop and check it out? Those are common indications that, at

least on some level, you’re thinking about the possibility of

making a move.

But how do you decide if you should actually move?

The first step is to consider whether there are any prac ...

Understanding market value

If you were going to sell your car, what would you do? Well,

you would probably check the classifieds section of your

newspaper to find out how similar vehicles to yours are priced.

Then you would set your advertised price within that range.

What you would be doing, perhaps without knowing it, is

determining the “market value” of your car.

Market value is simply wha ...

Making home shopping faster and easier!

Like most things in life, shopping for a new home can either be

time-consuming and stressful, or fun and satisfying. It just

depends on how you go about it.

There are many things you can do to make the home shopping

process go smoothly and accomplish what you want: finding the

home of your dreams at a price you can afford.

Here are some ideas:

• Get pre ...

It’s a little like being on a roller-coaster ride!

Unfortunately the ride isn’t much ...

Preparing Your Home For Sale In Less Than a Week

It’s great when you have lots of time to prepare for something

important. But life doesn’t always happen that way. Sometimes

you have to move quickly, and do the best you can with the time

you have.

Say, for example, you had to get your home ready for sale,

and you only had a week to do so. What could you do in those

few days to make your home ...