Canada Day in Kitchener Waterloo.  With Canada Day just around the corner, I've put together a short list of some of the most popular celebrations happining around Kitchener Waterloo.  These events are family friendly and, best of all, free!  The weather forecast is predicting 9 hours of sunshine and warm temperature, so grab the sunscreen and enjoy the celebrations.  Image courtesy of pakorn at FreeDigitalPhotos.net CANADA DAY AT THE WATERLOO REGION MUSEUM  Monday July 1, 2013 9:30am - 5:00pm, Waterloo Region museum Admission to the Waterloo Region Museum is free on Canada Day, with activities designed to appeal to the whole family. Take a leisurely stroll through  the picturesque living history village.  Music lovers can enjoy music on the gazebo with the Grand River Brass, experience... 06/24/2013

 Great Mexican food in Kitchener. Last week my colleague and I popped out of the office for a quick lunch at Holy Guacamole.  Located at 14 Duke Street East, downtown Kitchener, this spot serves up great Mexican food.    (photo scooped from the Holy Guacamole website) Holy! The burritos were great!  Everything is made to order, and fast.  I had the Pulled Pork burrito, with a serving of corn chips and guacamole on the side.  Other options available are: chipotle beef, lime marinated chicken, grilled vegetables and spicy chorizo sausage. There’s even a Naked Burrito, if you can’t decide, which is a tortilla filled with your choice of toppings only.  Can’t eat the tortilla?  Holy Guacamole acommodates gluten free eaters!  The friendly staff will substitute greens and turn your burrito int... 06/24/2013

Free Real Estate Workshops in Kitchener Waterloo   Image courtesy of KROMKRATHOG at FreeDigitalPhotos.net Looking for more information about real estate but not sure where to start?  Attend one our  free workshops. Choose from four different  4 workshops or attend all of them.  Each workshop addresses a different topic in real estate..  All workshops are held monthly at the Keller Willams office at 640 Riverbend Rd. in Kitchnener Waterloo.  Sign up here for one or more of the free real estate workshops in Kitchener Waterloo.  Upcoming dates are posted on the registration form. Buying your first home can feel daunting.  Where do you start?   Our “Buy Your First Home” free real estate workshop will help you understand the path to home ownership and take the mystery out of purchasing a hom... 06/21/2013

Selling your home is always stressful and inconvenient however selling during the winter presents its own unique set of challenges. Not only is the market typically slower during colder, winter months but the holidays can make it difficult to juggle the need to decorate with the importance to properly showcase your home. As there are less buyers looking for a home its vital to make sure your property shows beautifully so buyers will willingly – and eagerly – face winter’s cold wrath to preview your home. Keep your driveway and walkways shoveled and accessible. The last thing a seller wants is for a potential buyer to decide not to preview the interior because the exterior is treacherous or difficult to get access to due to snow and ice. Make the exterior too much of a challenge and your... 12/03/2011

Home Staging in Kitchener Waterloo, ON Do you live in Kitchener Waterloo, ON and surrounding area, but can't seem to get your house to sell? In today's slow market, adding a bit of flare to your home can be a good thing, and that's why you should consider home staging.  Home staging can make a tremendous difference in your selling experience, not only making your home that much more appealing to buyers but the result being your home selling quicker.  Although it sounds basic - "Make things look nice" - there is a science to interior design and decor.  Home staging provides you with tips such as one of the most important things you should do to prepare for the sale of your home: get rid of the clutter.  Now, some people want to make their home seem livable and set it up to allow a potent... 11/28/2011

Home staging, which has changed the landscape of how homes are sold today, has made really dramatic strides in only the past few years. These changes come in response to a new generation of home buyers whose high expectations are dictating what sells homes – and what doesn’t.  We call this change in mindset Model Home Mentality and it encapsulates the effects of HGTV and snazzy model homes on impressionable home buyers who must have all those fancy upgrades as well as a home which has ‘the look’ before they buy it. Gone are the days when a home owner could put a for sale sign in the front yard and trust that a buyer would be able to look past the way in which they lived in the house and envision what it could look like. Truthfully, it’s a little sad that buyers have changed so drastical... 10/18/2011

At the beginning of August, we were contacted by a local builder about the possibility of staging one of their model homes which had been up for sale for a year. We met with them and toured the home, taking in all the gorgeous architectural features in the home and the extensive upgrades. Originally, they asked us to simply quote them on staging the dining area as they had gotten alot of comments that without furniture, their buyers just couldn't 'see' how their table and chairs set would fit. We agreed that this area was in need of staging however we also took in the fact that because it was an open concept living room/dining room/kitchen that staging one area wasn't really going to do justice to the space. The builder had put in a couch/loveseat, rug and coffee table but their custom ... 09/09/2011

Regardless of whether you call it home staging or home fluffing; the goal is the same – to get your home sold quickly and for top dollar. There is an abundance of articles and information which will tell you how to go about staging your home. These articles however, while they tell you the basics of what to do to get your home ready for sale, they don’t say how to do it. Told to de-clutter and neutralize, sellers often scratch their heads and wonder what should get packed away, how much is too much and what are neutral colors to decorate with which hold modern appeal? It’s very confusing and if sellers don’t get it right or they don’t do what they need to do, they are missing out on maximizing on the equity in their home. Wondering how best to present your home for sale is stressful! W... 07/09/2011

In an age when home staging is such a prevalent real estate tool, it is amazing how many real estate listings are out there which are clearly not in any way ready for potential buyers to walk through. We work with a lot of realtors and know just how tight their marketing budgets are when it comes to their listings. It only makes sense to maximize these dollars by showcasing pictures of modern, bright, uncluttered spaces which will attract buyers in droves. This seems logical to me and I know of many realtors who will refuse to list a property unless the sellers work with a professional stager and follow their recommendations. In the spirit of being helpful, we have compiled a list of the top ten things NOT to do when listing a property for sale. Defer Basic Maintenance Opting to let th... 06/05/2011

It’s amazing how connected people are today with the internet, iPhones, blackberries (I call mine my crackberry), iPads and more. They want information to be accessible everywhere, instantly. Virtually everything in our lives is touched by this hi-tech vibe and its revolutionizing the way people buy and sell real estate these days. Did you know that over 95% of buyers shop online first before even going to see a property? Whether they are browsing through MLS listings at home or viewing them on their iPhone while they are out and about, people are doing their initial search first without even seeing the property. We have dubbed this speed dating for houses because sellers have literally seconds to impress potential buyers before they click on the next listing. So what do the pictures o... 03/23/2011

As homeowners, we get used to the different dips and cracks in our own driveways or front paths, just as we get used to a bit of clutter or a carpet stain inside the house.   Often we use a side door or come in through the garage, and we don't notice how the stone walk to the front door may have slipped into disrepair.    When preparing your house for sale, take a critical look at the approach potential buyers will be taking to reach your front door.  After all, that's where their first impression is going to be forming.   The drive needs to be in good condition and as the frost is coming out this spring you may be seeing cracks and heaves that were not there last fall.  Unfortunately, a new drive cannot always be avoided.  If more than half of it is damaged, pitted or cracked, you shou... 03/23/2011

by Warren McNeil I did a video about why buyers should consider working with there own real estate agent when buying a brand new house rather then buying from the builder directly. There are many good reasons why this is a wise choice. Buyers will be able to leverage an agents experience so that they can compare all the different builders as well as selecting the best lot, floorplan and upgrades for future resale. Often times when a buyer walks into a new construction model home, they are dealing with the builders real estate agent. So it just makes sense for buyers to go in with their own representation.   03/17/2011

I did a video about the real estate market in Kitchener Waterloo really picking up because spring is almost here. Mickey and Lola made a special guest appearance.   03/15/2011

It’s that time of year again and the spring market is ramping up with a lot of buyers out there searching for new homes. Several of our realtor partners have noted record numbers of buyers at open houses because people are once again shopping for real estate. So what are buyers looking for in 2011? Well, after reading a really great article from AvidBuilder.com called Designing for the 2011 Canadian Home Buyer, my partner and I noted trends which we had talked about previously, being highlighted. In addition to what is in the article, we have added the trends we have noted buyers searching for. 1) Open Concept Homes - Gone are the days where buyers want homes with separate spaces for different family functions. More and more when we stage homes, we are advising our clients to create mu... 03/08/2011

by Warren McNeil http://www.kitchenerlofts.com - I did a video about the new Andrin Homes condo development in downtown Kitchener. These new condos are really going to transform the downtown core and will be the go to destination for the years to come. Located on prime real estate these two towers will have around 400 condominium units. One tower will be facing Duke and Young St and the other one will face King Street. The tentative completion date for the first tower is December 2013. In the video I make reference that the City Centre condominiums will be Leed certified. Here is a link to learn more about what Leed certification means: Wikipedia - Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design If you would like to learn more about this development or any other new developments in Kitche... 03/04/2011

In December of last year, we were contacted by one of the realtors we partner with about a vacant property which needed some TLC and staging before being listed. We walked through the property and from piles of christmas lights to garbage bags and rooms full of clutter, we saw that with some hard work this property would really shine. It took some time but a few weeks ago we got the go ahead from the home owner to start working and we arranged for painting, repairs, new light fixtures and staging. The results are a charming Waterloo home which really shows well. We love how the property turned out and hope you enjoy our before & afters! Dinette 'Before' Dinette 'After' Living Room 'Before' Living Room 'After' Living Room 'Before' Living Room 'After' Master Bedroom 'Before' Master Bedroo... 03/03/2011

by Warren McNeil, Did another video. This time about things buyers need to know when buying a condo. I talk about condominium corporations, condo fees, rules and regulations, pet restrictions, rental restrictions and senior oriented condos.   http://www.waterloolofts.com http://www.kitchenerlofts.com 02/28/2011

By Warren McNeil Here is a video I did about a client who didn't initially want to buy a condo because they didn't want to pay condo fees. After they realized that the condo was the better buy they opted to purchase the condo. In this experience there were no single family homes in their price range that even came close to what they could buy in a townhouse. The condition of the townhouse was considerably better. The biggest challenge that I face sometimes is explaining that a condo might be the better option. As of this blog posting, there are between 10-20 condos in Kitchener Waterloo with condo fees under 200.   02/24/2011

Mel and I belong to a service club in Woolwich township in Waterloo region. The club is the Kin Club of Woolwich. Checkout http://www.woolwichkin.com Our club is hosting a draw with all of the proceeds going to the Womens Crisis Services (Anselma House) . Tickets are $20 and the draw is going to take place on March 5th. If anybody would like tickets, let me know. There are 3 grand prizes of 52x $50 gift certificates to the place of your choosing. You can redeem the grand prize anywhere in Canada so even if you are not in the Waterloo region you can still win. Examples of gift cards could be gas, restaurants, LCBO or whatever you can think of. Checkout this Youtube video I did about the draw: 02/21/2011

Hello all, Been a little while since I posted here on Activerain. I have been pre-occupied and haven't really felt like sitting down to write a blog. Rather then force out something meaningless I decided not to write anything at all. Today we had Family day in Ontario. I love a good holiday and this one was really relaxing for us. The past week has been quite busy and this was the first day in a long time where we could actually unwind. The picture to the right is my happy place. I get a feeling of solitude when I look at pictures like this. I think it is important to be able to get a break every once and awhile. In addition to vacation time, it is good to take a day every now and then to recharge your batteries. Otherwise you won't be at a hundred percent. If we want to give our client... 02/21/2011