Courtesy of Wes Jamison & Brandon Hennessy

www.ModernLivingGroup.com

WES JAMISON Associate Broker, Real Estate Professional, CNE, CRB 604-857-4880 wes@wesjamison.com

BRANDON HENNESSY Real Estate Professional, Mentor, CNE 604-862-8063 brandon@macrealty.com

22424 Fraser Highway, Langley, BC V3A 8N3 Office: 604-530-4111 LANGLEY

Volume 16 | Number 8

LINEN CLOSET MAKEOVER

A linen closet can be luxury, a necessity or the bane of your existence. If you find yourself in the latter category, don’t fret because a linen closet can be turned into a space that you enjoy having and utilizing. The first thing you need to do is to clean it out by taking all the things you have stored in the closet and putting them in another place temporarily. This leaves you with the bare bones of the closet – probably some wire shelves, maybe a few wooden shelves and hopefully lots of inspiration. Next, look at the shelves and determine if they’re functional for you. Can you remove one or two and put in a new shelving unit that will better suit your needs? Do you have those unfortunate brackets that support the shelves but only allow certain sized items to fit underneath? If you need to remove the shelving, you’re allowed to. No one (unless you’re renting) says your linen closet has to stay how the builder or previous owner set it up. Look at what you had stored in there, add in what you want to store in there and make a plan for shelves that will help you fit everything in. The great thing about a linen closet is it typically has a door on it so it doesn’t need to look magazine worthy (although it absolutely can) to be a space you enjoy. A rule of thumb is to keep the seasonal and less used items up high while storing the frequently used items at eye level and within easy reach especially if children or loved ones with mobility issues will be accessing the closet. Baskets and bins can help organize smaller items and can often be stacked to incorporate more storage space. Finally, be sure to allow space around items and linens so the fabric can breathe and air can flow so they don’t get a stale and musty odor to them.

BALSAMIC-GLAZED STEAK ROLLS

Courtesy of https://www.lifemadedelicious.ca

STEAK ROLL

DIRECTIONS: 1. Rub each side of the steak slices with a little olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper and rosemary. 2. Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and cook the vegetables until crisp-tender, seasoning with salt and pepper. 3. Place a few of the vegetable strips on one end of each steak cutlet. Roll it up, and secure it with a toothpick. Repeat for each steak roll. 4. Make the glaze: Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook for one minute, until fragrant. Add the balsamic vinegar, red wine, brown sugar and rosemary sprigs and bring to a rapid boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. Add the broth, return to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for another 15 minutes. Discard the rosemary sprigs. 5. Grill or fry steak rolls over medium-high heat on each side for about 2 minutes or according to desired doneness. 6. Serve immediately drizzled with the rosemary balsamic glaze.

8 thin slices sirloin or flank steak Extra-virgin olive oil Salt and ground black pepper Fresh rosemary, chopped 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced 1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced 1 med. zucchini, thinly sliced 1 med. yellow onion, thinly sliced Mushrooms, thinly sliced BALSAMIC GLAZE 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil 1/4 cup dark balsamic vinegar 2 tablespoons dry red wine 2 teaspoons brown sugar 2 sprigs fresh rosemary 1/4 cup beef-flavoured broth 2 cloves garlic, crushed

DO NOT LET MAKING A LIVING PREVENT YOU FROM MAKING A LIFE. -John Wooden

An American basketball coach and player. Fondly referred to as "coach" by his athletes, the industry heralds him as the greatest NCAA basketball head coach of all time. (October 1910 – June 2010)

BATHROOM PLANTS – A TRENDY NEW PLANT LOCALE Plants are a staple in most homes. Some people choose to have rooms or entire walls dedicated to plant life. Others enjoy plants throughout their homes even where there is limited space. From plant stands to hanging baskets or pots above kitchen cupboards there are numerous places to locate a plant to keep your home's air fresh and liven up your decor. If you want to incorporate some vegetation into your home but aren't sure where you can fit a plant, consider the bathroom. Yes, trendy horticulturists are taking to the bathroom and even shower space to house plants. Now, some varieties of plants are more suited for the nature of a bathroom - namely high humidity and low natural light - than others, so do your research before purchasing your bathroom garden plants. As for where and how to showcase your plants, look to invest in hanging planters which can be attached to a hook in the ceiling, the shower curtain rod or a hook on the wall. Some showers have shelves or niches where a plant could safely live or a shower stand, typically used for shampoos, etc., can be repurposed to

hold a plant or two among the bathing necessities. If you have a window in your bathroom, adding a shelf where a plant can sit is another option. Finally, a good old plant stand or shelf is another option if you’re not quite ready to shower in a garden, so to speak.

READING NOOK IDEAS

A great home improvement idea for this time of year (as we get ready to welcome autumn and ultimately winter) is to create a cozy reading nook where you can spend hours when the weather turns cooler enjoying the works of your favourite authors. From a cozy chair in your favourite spot to a built-in book nook, many bibliophiles are heading to the home improvement store to make their dream reading space a reality. Here are a few options if this sounds like something you want to do. 1. Turn a closet into a private reading getaway by replacing the doors with a curtain, installing a cozy bench with lots of pillows and installing a lamp or battery-powered light. 2. Create a reading space on a landing that otherwise may go unused by placing your favourite chair on a soft rug and adding a side table and footstool.

3. Utilize a bay window or window seat to create a perfectly lit reading spot. Take advantage of the natural light and install a seat cushion made from high-density foam with plenty of throw pillows and a blanket to keep warm. 4. Curtain off a corner of your bedroom, living room or den by installing hooks in the ceiling and hanging curtains from a rope tied between the hooks. You'll welcome the privacy and seclusion while you get lost in the words on the page (or screen.) These are only a few options on how to create the ideal reading space. Review home décor websites or magazines for further inspiration.

FUN ANIMAL FACTS

You can hear a blue whale's heartbeat from about 2 miles away (3.2 km). The lyrebird (native to Australia) can mimic any sound it hears - from other animals to humans to construction sounds! Only female mosquitoes bite. Roosters have built in ear-plugs to prevent themselves from

going deaf due to their loud crowing. When they open their beaks fully to crow, their external auditory canals are completely closed off. Under their white fur coats, the polar bear's skin is black. It helps to absorb heat and keep them warm while the white fur provides camouflage.

5

1

ROSETTA A Rosetta is made up of a centre coloured hexagon encircles by six white hexagons. 2

3

4

7 6

Example

To complete the puzzle, fill in all seven Rosettas with each number between one and seven in no particular order while also ensuring that: 1. No number is repeated in a horizontal row. 2. Each number from one to seven are represented in the seven grey coloured hexagon cells.

Courtesy of Engaged Learning

Solution:

Langley Market Report for July 2023

$1,630,800 detached DOWN 5.4% year-to-year

$612,900 apartment DOWN 1.5% year-to-year

491 NEW LISTINGS

BENCHMARK PRICES

$848,300 townhouse DOWN 7.7% year-to-year

177 130

detached 184

apartment

townhouse

274 SOLD LISTINGS

55.8% SALES TO NEW LISTING RATIO

2.6 MONTHS OF INVENTORY

ACTIVE LISTINGS 717

Seasonality, interest rates temper sales in the Fraser Valley

“With rates at their highest levels in over 20 years and inflation still elevated, buyers and sellers are taking time to reevaluate their objectives,” said FVREB CEO Baldev Gill. “As housing options begin to take center stage on the Provincial agenda, consumers will want to consult a professional REALTOR ® for a detailed picture of the market in their communities and to stay up to date on upcoming changes that may impact their decisions.” On average, properties spent two to three weeks on the market before selling, with detached homes spending 22 days on the market, and townhomes and apartments moving slightly more quickly at 16 and 18 days, respectively. Statistics reflect market activity in July 2023 | Source: Fraser Valley Real Estate Board (FVREB) | Market values stated are of the benchmark prices for Langley 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.

Fraser Valley, August 2, 2023 — The Fraser Valley Real Estate Board processed 1,368 sales in July on its Multiple Listing Service ® (MLS ® ), a decrease of 29.3 per cent below June, but still 37.8 per cent above July 2022. July new listings, at 2,855, were also down by 16.6 per cent compared to last month but 19.7 per cent higher than July 2022 levels, and virtually on par with the ten-year average. Active listings continued to climb bringing the total inventory available for sale in the region to 6,199. “Summer is typically a slower period for the real estate sector and the higher interest rates are contributing to the market slowdown,” said Narinder Bains, Chair of the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board. “We’re seeing less traffic and fewer multiple offers as buyers and sellers put a pause on decisions and we expect this trend to continue until the fall cycle.”

We love referrals and they form a large part of our business. Your referral will be given the same dedication and attention to detail as if they were family. Many of our clients become long time friends and one can always use more friends. Our real estate service is based on relationships of mutual respect and the best part is we get to know some very wonderful people. That’s what makes life so interesting and we wouldn’t want to pass up that!

WES JAMISON Associate Broker, Real Estate Professional, CNE, CRB 604-857-4880

wes@wesjamison.com BRANDON HENNESSY Real Estate Professional, Mentor, CNE 604-862-8063 BDH.MLG@gmail.com

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