Courtesy of Craig Pilgrim & Kelly Dann

/cominghomerealestate

COMINGHOME.CA

Because ‘For Sale’ and SOLD are not the same thing! THE COMINGHOME GROUP

587-827-2009 | cpilgrim@cominghome.ca 780.265.1755 | kdann@cominghome.ca

PROFESSIONALS 12 Hebert Rd St. Albert, AB T8N 5T8

CRAIG PILGRIM & KELLY DANN Associate Brokers

Volume 14 | Number 10

THINGS TO KNOW WHEN RENOVATING A CHARACTER HOME

Have you always dreamed of buying a character home and renovating it to add the modern amenities – all while retaining its charm? It ’s a common dream, but the reality is that you’re likely to encounter some unexpected hurdles. So it ’s best you’re aware of them before you embark on the journey! For example, houses have changed a lot over the last century and so have building codes. Renovating a heritage home means ensuring all of the plumbing and electrical wiring matches the current building requirements. While houseguests can be a great thing, they aren’t so great when they’re unexpected. Case in point – termites, mice and other unwanted creatures. Having pros come in and remove pests can be a costly – but often necessary – part of renovating an old home. Make sure to leave room in your budget for this and other unforeseen expenses.

LEMON OLIVE OIL CAKE Courtesy of www.ehow.com

INGREDIENTS : 4 large eggs 1 1/4 cups sugar

1 cup cake flour 1/2 cup fine almond flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 cups powdered sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil 6 tablespoons lemon juice (2 lemons, juiced)

DIRECTIONS: 1. Add the eggs and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on high until light yellow and more than doubled in size for about 6 minutes. 2. Gently stir in 3 tablespoons lemon juice and olive oil. Add the flour, almond flour, salt and baking powder. Stir gently until just combined. Don’t overmix. 3. Pour mixture into an 8-inch cake pan that has been greased and floured. Bake at 350°F for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes back clean. Cool completely before removing it from the pan. 4. For the icing, stir together the powdered sugar, vanilla extract and 3 tablespoons lemon juice until well combined. 5. Add to the cake before serving. Slice the cake and enjoy!

4 RAINBOW FACTS Courtesy of www.brainycounty.com

A double rainbow occurs when two refractions and two

internal sunlight reflections take place.

Rainbows are a circle, not an arch. From the ground, only half is seen as its cut by the horizon. From an airplane, a rainbow is seen as a circle.

A rainbow is formed by the internal reflection and dispersion of sunlight by falling drops of water.

Rainbows created by moonlight are called lunar rainbows or moonbows.

REFRESH YOUR HOME WITH A COOL COLOUR COMBO Sure, neutrals never go out of style. They’re also your best bet when readying your home for sale as they appeal to the most people, but what if you want to have a little fun with your colour scheme? Even if you are thinking of selling, a neutral or light coloured wall can be paired with bold, contrasting accessories that will add a wow-factor – without scaring anyone away. One such combo is blue and yellow. Soft blue walls with yellow throw pillows – even a piece of yellow furniture such as a couch – can make a room feel happy and vibrant. Another winning combo? Navy and pink. These two colours bring a masculine-feminine blend to a room. If you’re worried about putting pink on your walls, instead paint your walls navy and add pink by accessorizing. In contrast, if prefer more of a laidback, boho-vibe, try burnt orange and sage green. These warm earth-tones will help your space feel grounded and cozy. Want something more contemporary? Go black and red. Even a room with plain white walls can be woken up with a dash of midnight black paired with dark red. This look works particularly well in a kitchen, where black detailing and red dishes add a dash of excitement to the heart of the home. Last up, even an all neutral space can be made more interesting by pairing different shades. Try dark grey with a soft beige. Or stark white with matte black. These combinations may not be colourful – but they’ll still make a statement!

HOWTO SAVE FOR A DOWN PAYMENT

Does saving for a down payment seem daunting? It certainly can be – especially if you already pay rent every month. Having a clear plan makes it a much more achievable goal. Check out these four steps to help make your dream of homeownership a reality. • Set a goal. Knowing how much you need to save is the first step. How much do you want to spend on a home? What percentage of that amount are you going to put down up front? Keep in mind that in Canada your down payment amount has to be a minimum of 5% of the home’s total cost. • Start cutting back. Not always the most fun step, but a truly necessary one. Go through your finances for the past few months and see if there are expenses you can cut out. Do you order takeout often? Have a gym membership you don’t really use? Subscribe to more than one streaming service? See what you can cut out and put that money directly into savings instead.

• Automate your finances. An easy way to keep track of your income and expenses is to set up automatic payments and transfers. If you automate all your bill payments and essential expenses and set the remaining funds to auto-transfer into your savings account, there’ll be much less of a chance you’ll spend on extraneous items because the extra money won’t be sitting in your account tempting you. • Put overtime pay, bonuses and cash gifts toward your down payment fund. As soon as any additional or unexpected funds arrive in your account, transfer them over to savings. Much like in the previous tip, if the extra money isn’t easily accessible you won’t be able to spend it on things that don’t serve your homeownership goal.

SPOT THE MISTAKE There is one thing missing in this image. Do you know what it is?

Courtesy of www.brainycounty.com

Answers: The dog is leaving footprints in the snow, but the man isn’t.

HOM E S A L E R E A D I N E S S A U D I T

I S Y O U R HOM E R E A D Y F O R S A L E ?

VISUALS / APPEAL

SYSTEMS/ FEATURES

C OM I N G HOM E . C A

Exterior/ Curb Appeal Landscaping/ Lawn Front steps/ Entry Paint Colours Staging/ Clutter Bedrooms Living Areas Kitchen Bathroom(s) Basement

Paint/ Trim Windows/ Doors Foundation Roof/ Shingles Deck/ Patio Fence/ Gate(s) Heating/ Cooling

Plumbing Electrical Flooring

Rate each area out of 5 by shading in the number of circles. Total the shaded circles and record below.

Y O U R HOM E S A L E R E A D I N E S S S C O R E / 1 0 0

DAYS ON MARKET

SALES TO LISTING RATIO

AVERAGE SALE PRICE

AVERAGE SALE PRICE $224,212 condo

$453,011 detached

44

61%

UP 2.8% year-over-year

EDMONTON STATS

DOWN 3.5% year-over-year

Stats Reflective of September 2021 Source: REALTORS ® Association of Edmonton Market values stated are of the average of Edmonton and surrounding region.

Each Office is Independently Owned and Operated. PROFESSIONALS

THE COMINGHOME GROUP COMINGHOME.CA 587-827-2009 | cpilgrim@cominghome.ca 780.265.1755 | kdann@cominghome.ca

Give us a call to discuss your next home sale or purchase, with no obligation.

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