Courtesy of Steve Mazurek

Compliments of

Associate

Broker

cellular: 780-405-7444 www.SteveMazurek.com smazurek@shaw.ca

Now Real Estate Group 510 - 800 Broadmoor Blvd. Sherwood Park, AB T8A 4Y6

Dedicated Professional Service Every Time

Volume 36 Number 11

TIPS FOR A SPEEDY HOME BUYING EXPERIENCE

The home-buying process can be lengthy – but it doesn’t have to be! Here are a few things you can do to make finding and buying a new property go smoothly and be timely. First up, ask any questions you have early. If you aren’t sure about something – let your real estate agent know. The answer can guide you in the right direction sooner than if you hadn’t asked at all.

Next, get pre-approved for a mortgage. Pre-approval means that once you find a home, the financial side of things can move along much more quickly. Lastly, be more choosy about the homes you view. While it can be important to keep an open-mind when viewing properties, visiting every single potential home – even if it doesn’t meet your criteria – can slow the process down..

HOMEMADE PEACH CRISP

Courtesy of www.ehow.com

1/4 teaspoon plus 1 teaspoon cinnamon, divided 3/4 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup quick-cooking oats 1/2 cup butter, softened

INGREDIENTS: 4 large peaches (about 3 pounds), sliced 2 teaspoons lemon juice 1/4 cup white sugar 2 tablespoons plus 2/3 cup flour, divided 1 tablespoon cornstarch 1 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS: 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Add the peach slices, lemon juice, white sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, cornstarch, salt, and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon to a mixing bowl. Toss to coat. 2. Spray an 8 x 8 pan with cooking spray. Add the peaches in an even layer. 3. Add the remaining 2/3 cup flour, cinnamon, brown sugar, oats and butter to a bowl. Mix until well combined. 4. Add the topping to the peaches in an even layer. Bake in the oven for 35 to 45 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.

-James Cameron "

If you set your goals ridiculously high and it's a failure, you will fail above everyone else's success.

James Cameron was born August 16, 1954 and is a Canadian filmmaker. He is known for making science fiction and epic films such as The Terminator, Aliens, Avatar and Titanic. His films have grossed approximately 6 billion dollars worldwide. He has also contributed to underwater filming and remote vehicle technologies, and in 2012, he was the first person to do a solo descent to the bottom of Mariana Trench, the deepest part of the ocean.

There are so many things to do when readying your home for sale. Focus primarily on these three areas to keep feelings of overwhelm at bay. • The first area – and often the most important – is your home’s exterior. You could have the most beautiful interior space in the world, but if the outside isn’t up to par, potential buyers may say no before they’ve even had a chance to walk through the doors. Grass should be cut – or snow shovelled – and overgrown hedges and trees should be pruned. The siding and roofing should be clean and in good repair. Consider adding a fresh coat of paint to jazz up the front door. • Next up – the interior space. The often overlooked key to interior staging is “less is more.” This means you’ll likely want to remove things from your home rather than add them. Make sure counters, desktops and shelves are clean and uncluttered. If your rooms feel crowded due to multiple furniture pieces you should remove all but a few. For example, a bedroom only needs the bed, small nightstands and a dresser if the space permits. • The last thing you should focus on when selling your home is making sure it is spotless for any viewing. No dishes in the sink. No dog food in a bowl in the corner. No laundry piled up on top of the dryer. Remember, buyers want to picture themselves in your house. After all, the goal is to make it their home! THREE AREAS TO FOCUS ON WHEN READYING YOUR HOME FOR SALE

Identity theft is a crime in which a third party obtains your personal information with the intention to commit fraud. This personal information can include you driver’s license, social insurance number, banking information and credit card information. With this information, someone can withdraw from your bank accounts, rack up credit expenses, apply for loans in your name and more. Thankfully, reputable banks and creditors have systems in place to stop or catch identify theft quickly, but there are still several things you should do to protect yourself. Here are seven steps you can take to minimize the risk of having your personal information stolen. 1. Don't carry your social insurance number, passport, birth certificate, or other such documents unless necessary. 2. Review your bank and credit card statements regularly so you can catch any unexplainable purchases. 3. Limit the amount of credit cards you have and cancel any inactive accounts. 4. Don’t give any personal information over the phone unless you have verified the caller, and avoid any offer that sounds too good to be true as it most likely is. WHAT IS IDENTITY THEFT AND HOW DO YOU PROTECT YOURSELF FROM IT?

5. Don’t write passwords down. If you have trouble remembering them, get an encrypting app that only you can access. 6. Shred, or rip up, any documentation that has your name, address, birthday and social insurance number on it. 7. Avoid easy to guess passwords and pins such as birth years and names of family members.

FOUR FAMOUS RIDDLES Courtesy of www.smartbrainpuzzles.com

1. I have billions of eyes, yet I live in darkness. I have millions of ears, yet only four lobes. I have no muscle, yet I rule two hemispheres. What am I? (One of many riddles by comic book supervillian The Riddler.) 2. Voiceless it cries, Wingless flutters, Toothless bites, Mouthless mutters. (A well-known riddle from J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit.)

3. There is a house. A person enters this house blind but exits it seeing. What is it? (This riddle goes back 4,000 years and is attributed to the Sumer civilization.) 4. What walks on four feet in the morning, two in the afternoon, and three at night? (From the classic play Oedipus Rex by the Greek writer Sophocles.)

The Wind. / 3. A School. / 4. A Human.

Answers: 1. The human brain. / 2.

KAKURO Fill in the grid with the digits from 1 to 9. Each group of digits must add up to the number that is just to the left or above it. No group can repeat the same digit twice. You may repeat a digit within a column or row. There is no requirement to use all of the digits.

Answers:

Courtesy of www.puzzles-to-print.com

cellular: 780-405-7444 www.SteveMazurek.com smazurek@shaw.ca

THREE THINGS TO CLEAN IN NOVEMBER

If you want to reduce your spring-cleaning load, tackling some of the bigger jobs at different times of the year is the way to do it. Also, since November leads into the holiday season, it’s a great idea to start getting a few things ready before the most hectic time of the year hits. Here are three things you should clean during the month of November. 1. Pots and pans. Got a few pots and pans that have a bit of buildup on the bottoms? Now is the time to give them an extra scrub. Make a paste out of baking soda and water and go to town. If that isn’t cutting it, head to the store and find a non- toxic heavy-duty cleaner. 2. Crystal, china, silver and serving ware. If you are the kind of person who loves to bring out your fancy crystal and serving platters during holiday celebrations, you’ll want them to be shining and sparkling when you do. Give everything a gentle wipe with a soft cloth. If you have any tarnished silverware, line the bottom of your sink with aluminum foil – shiny side up. Place your silver pieces on top and then sprinkle with baking soda. Pour very hot water over top and watch as your silver comes back to life! 3. Drawers and closets. If you and your family get a lot of gifts during the holiday season, take this time to go through clothes, toys and books, and donate what doesn’t fit or you don’t use anymore. You’ll be both grateful for the gifts as well as for the extra space to store them.

SEE THESE WONDERS WITHOUT LEAVING HOME Did you know you can visit the Grand Canyon, Machu Picchu and the Sistine Chapel all without leaving your home? Virtual travel can take you to these famous locales – and beyond. For example, the United States’ National Park Service has a 360-degree tour of the Grand Canyon on their website, where you can go on a virtual hike or float down the Colorado river on a raft. If ancient civilizations are your thing, virtual travel company You Visit offers views of the 15th century citadel on Machu Picchu – complete with llama sightings! How about a visit to one of the most famous architectural wonders in the world? Italian organization Vatican Museums has virtual tours on their website where you can view the Chapel’s most famous features – such as the stunning Renaissance frescos.

Machu Picchu Inca Ruins

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