Courtesy of Kathy Sharp

ABR ® , MCNE ® , SRES ® , SRS ® , REALTOR ®

Cell: 780.893.0917 Office: 780.483.4848

kathy@kathysharprealestate.com www.kathysharprealestate.com

#201 6650 - 177 St Edmonton AB T5T 4J5

Challenge Realty

2025 | ISSUE 8

Adding art to the walls of your home allows you to showcase your personality and add colour, dimension and conversation to your life. Choosing the right artwork in the right size can really help your pieces stand out and your room look complete. Experts suggest using art to fill up to two-thirds or even three-quarters of the empty wall space in your rooms. In most cases a large piece will work, but play around with different arrangements of smaller pieces as well. Smaller pieces grouped for a gallery wall should be spaced out from each other by an inch or two for a cohesive look. When hanging frames over a piece of furniture, choose art that’s narrower than what it’s sitting over and place it slightly above the top of the furniture as well; up to a foot above to allow for some visual breathing space. For art going on a wall where it will be the focal point, it’s suggested to hang the center of the piece at eye level, which is about 57” from the floor. You may want to adjust this height if you have higher ceilings though. Of course these are guidelines for art placement and sometimes breaking the rules is more appealing than following them, so do what feels right in your home. RULES FOR HANGING ART

Best Lentil Soup • ¾ cup dry green lentils, rinsed • 1 (14-oz.) can diced tomatoes • 2 tbsp white wine vinegar • 12 fresh thyme sprigs, bundled • 6 cups vegetable broth

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil • 1 medium onion, chopped • 4 medium carrots, chopped

• 2 celery stalks, chopped • 8 cups kale chopped (keep leaves & stems separated) • Heaping ½ teaspoon ground cumin • 4 garlic cloves, grated

• Sea salt & black pepper (to taste) • Option garnish: ½ cup chopped fresh parsley, red pepper flakes, grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, kale stems, cumin, salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes, or until the vegetables begin to soften. 2. Stir in the garlic, tomatoes, lentils, vinegar, thyme, and broth. Cover and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the lentils are tender. Add the kale leaves and cook for 5 minutes, or until wilted. 3. Remove the thyme bundle and season to taste. Serve topped with the parsley, red pepper flakes and Parmesan, if desired.

NEVER REGRET A DAY IN YOUR LIFE. GOOD DAYS GIVE YOU HAPPINESS AND BAD DAYS GIVE YOU EXPERIENCE.”

UNKNOWN

WORD WHEEL How many words can you make out of the letters in the word wheel? All words must include the letter in the center of the circle. There is one nine-letter word!

2 N MATH RIDDLES What do the numbers 11, 69 and 88 all have in common? T E O R I add 5 to 9 and get 2. The answer is correct, so what am I? A clock. When it is 9 a.m., adding 5 hours would make it 2 p.m. T What three numbers give the same result when multiplied and added together? 1, 2, and 3 (1 + 2 + 3 = 6 and 1 x 2 x 3 = 6). F They all read the same way when placed upside down. O G

1

V

I

T

C

E

I

E

N

N

What is 3/7 chicken, 2/3 cat and 2/4 goat?

Chicago!

The 9-letter word answer is “Incentive”

CLEANING OUT YOUR WARDROBE

Organizing your wardrobe can be fun when you find pieces you haven’t seen in a while and decide to incorporate them back into your regular rotation. However, some of those long-lost pieces were lost for a reason and are taking up unnecessary space and should really be donated. There are a few tricks you can try as you cycle through your wardrobe if devoting an extended period of time to go through your wardrobe isn’t realistic. The most popular method is to turn all your hangers backwards so the open part of the hanger is facing you. Then, as you wear and return your clothes back to the closet, put the hanger on the other way. After a few months, you will be able to visually spot the pieces you don’t wear frequently and can easily pull them from your closet. For items that aren’t hung in the closet, you can try designating a “worn” and “unworn” side of your drawers. As you wear things, move them from one side to the other and as time passes, you’ll be able to see what you keep bypassing. If space in your drawers is limited, put a piece of low-tack tape (painter’s tape or washi tape) on everything, as you wear and replace pieces in the drawer remove the tape. Again, over time you’ll see what is taking up space and what you regularly wear. Finally, organizers suggest for every new item you bring into your wardrobe, remove a piece that no longer suits you. Going through your wardrobe can be done at any point throughout the year, but is often more effective at the end of a season like when summer transitions into fall.

PAINT FINISHES EXPLAINED Walking down the paint aisle can be confusing when you look at not only all the colour choices, but the paint finishes too. Finding the paint you need will depend on where you’re painting, how many coats you want to apply and how durable you need the paint to be. Take a look at these popular finishes to help you find your perfect paint. • Flat or Matte - Non-reflective with a low sheen. Easy to touch up and hides minor wall imperfections but shows scuffs and wear and tear. Great in no or low-traffic areas like ceilings. • Eggshell - One of the most popular paint finishes with a low sheen. Washable and resistant to scuffing but more difficult to touch up. Use in low- to mid-traffic areas like living rooms, hallways, entrances, etc. • Satin - Most versatile paint finish with a soft sheen. Easy to clean and durable. Use in busy areas like bedrooms, kitchens, bathrooms, etc. • Semigloss - Durable and shiny, will show most imperfections, but easy to clean and works well in high humidity rooms like bathrooms, kitchens and laundry rooms. • High Gloss - Very reflective, durable and stain resistant. This finish is great for doors, cabinets, trim and other smaller surfaces.

Inventory Levels in Edmonton High as Summer Market Sales Begin to Wane

$209,711 apt./ condo UP 2.6% year-to-year

$578,442 detached

UP 4.8% year-to-year

AVERAGE SALE PRICES

$296,785 row/ townhouse

4,387 NEW LISTINGS 2,860 SOLD LISTINGS

detached 2,547 779 apt./ condo detached 1,690 471 apt./ condo

UP 1.6% year-to-year

65.2% SALES TO NEW LISTING RATIO

33 DAYS ON MARKET

2.5 MONTHS OF INVENTORY

7,083 ACTIVE LISTINGS

Edmonton, August 1, 2025 — Activity in the Greater Edmonton Area (GEA) real estate market mostly kept pace with June 2025, selling 2,860 units in July, a month-over month decrease of 0.5%, but new listings outpaced sales as 4,387 properties were added to the REALTORS ® Association of Edmonton’s (RAE) MLS ® System, an increase of 7.8%. Year over-year comparisons painted a clearer picture of the shift in the GEA market, with residential unit sales down 2.6% and new listings up 20.0% from July 2024. With sales lagging and new listings plentiful, inventory levels also trended up, with 7,083 properties available at the end of the month, up 4.7% from June and 21.8% higher than July last year.

“Another month of strong listing activity has bolstered Edmonton’s inventory levels, to the point where motivated sellers might be willing to lower their price to close the deal, and buyers’ options remain plentiful. I won’t speculate on whether the busy season is over just yet, as this month’s sellers often become next month’s buyers, and we’ll be watching to see if sales tick up again during the back-to-school months” said Darlene Reid, 2025 Board Chair, REALTORS ® Association of Edmonton. Overall, all residential listings averaged 33 days on the market. Statistics reflect market activity in July 2025 | Source: REALTORS ® Association of Edmonton | Market values stated are of the average of Edmonton and surrounding region. Individual home market values will vary and are affected by factors such as location, size, interior and exterior condition. Please call to get an up-to-date evaluation of your home.

780.893.0917 ABR ® , MCNE ® , SRES ® , SRS ® , REALTOR ® KATHY SHARP

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