Calgary Real Estate Blog

‘Tis the season to spread holiday cheer all over the front of your house! But whether you want to go full Griswold, or be slightly more sedate, there are a few steps you can take that’ll make your display look better, and go up with a minimum of profanity.

Start Small

If you’re not well versed in the art of making a neighbour envy-inducing display of colourful delights, don’t go overboard. Pick a few manageable areas to decorate – say, one tree and your front porch – to keep it classy and strategic. You can ramp it up next year.

Make a Plan

From the minute you crack open your Rubbermaid tub of tangled lights, you’re probably going to be thinking about the craft IPA you’ll crack open when it’s all done, but that’s no reason to rush headlong into stringing the lights. Long run, you’ll save yourself time and aggravation if you make a plan first. Decide which lights you want where, and measure the space, then measure the distance between the lights; with this information, you can determine both how many and what kind of clips you’ll need to properly secure your lights, and can have everything on hand. Plus, you won’t find a string is too short unexpectedly.

Test on the Ground

Before hanging any lights, test each string and replace any burnt out bulbs. It’ll be a whole lot easier to deal with problems here than when they’re attached to your house.

Play it Safe

Use a properly sized ladder to reach high areas like eavestroughs and trees; don’t balance precariously on one that’s too small. Wear boots with good grips, and make sure you clear any ice from your ladder before climbing it. Use extension cords rated for outdoor, cold weather use and never plug in a power cord that’s frayed or has exposed wires. And be careful not to overload your breaker (although with LED lights this is no longer an issue).

There are few things as heartwarming as wandering your neighbourhood with the kids on a December evening to look at Christmas lights. Do your part to spread that holiday cheer!

Looking for a new place to hang your lights? It’s a great time to buy – contact me today!

Holey moley, were those record-breaking weekend temperatures pretty great, or what? I hope you managed to get some outdoor time with your family to soak up this rather stellar chinook.

Don’t let the disappearing snow fool you, though: we’re still in the dead of winter, and have more -30 days ahead of us. With that in mind, it’s not a bad idea to ensure all this runoff isn’t going to damage your home when the party’s over: check for pools of standing water near your foundation, and take this opportunity to repair and clean out your downspouts. If for some reason you decide to turn the water back on for your outdoor hoses, don’t forget to shut it back off and drain the hoses again before anything bursts. If your flower beds have perennials, like strawberry plants and the like in them, ensure they don’t get too dry after the snow cover disappears – otherwise they might not come back.

And for those of you not subscribing to Edmonton’s push to keep Christmas lights up through February to make winter more bearable, now’s a good time to box up those LEDs too.

Otherwise, get out there while the sun is shining and get some colour on your pasty self!

Chinooks are also a great time to house shop – to chat about your options, give us a call!

With Christmas season in full swing, you’re probably dividing your free time between madly shopping and decking your halls. But if you have your home on the market, how can you bring a little festive cheer without turning off potential buyers?

The key is moderation. Christmas decorations can make your home look its best, with their coordinated colours, shiny accents, and cheerful mood. They can also send out a siren call to go overboard, filling up every single flat surface with whatever cute little doodad you can find, either at the store or in your child’s backpack coming home from school. Resist! A little coordination and restraint goes a long way. Next year, when you’re in your new property, you can go full Griswald.

That goes for the outside too. By all means, string some lights, but try to go with a consistent theme: if you’re using a string of multi-coloured lights, go with that over the whole house instead of alternating with solid white or blue strings just because you found them in the garage. In fact, hiring a professional might be well worth the money to give your home the absolute best holiday curb appeal.

Using an artificial tree will also save you a tonne of clean-up time before each viewing. While the natural pine scent is an appealing signifier of Christmas, it comes along with a whole lot of stubborn needles.

Beyond decorations, do whatever you can to make viewing your property convenient for potential buyers. Time is in short supply for everyone in December, so try to be flexible. Maybe consider hiding presents, wrapping, and so on at a relative’s place to free up closet and storage space. Bumping up the heat a little, and having some homemade gingerbread cookies on offer, can also go a long way toward cozying things up.

Finally, if you really want to sell your property in December, make sure your Realtor is dedicated to the same outcome: that means being available to you when needed, not just when it’s convenient. Have a candid conversation with your agent to be sure you’re on the same page.

Want more tips on selling? Check out our Sellers Guide! Looking for a dedicated Realtor? Contact us!

It’s that time of year again, when homeowners wait for a relatively mild weekend to climb ladders and engineer elaborate plug-in management, all in the name of putting on a light show for neighbours and passerby. It’s one of my favourite parts of the season: even in the most blustery snowstorm, colourfully lit houses shine through as beacons of Christmas cheer.

Here are a few tips to help make your light-stringing a little bit safer, easier, and less expensive.

• Make a plan for where you want lights, and how you want to install them, so that you can use the right equipment for the job.

• Make sure you choose extension cords rated for outdoor use – indoor ones are less insulated and generally too wimpy to put up with mother nature.

• Check for frayed or broken wires, and discard strings of lights where these are found.

• Test your lights before you hang them.

• As you replace or add to your lighting package, choose LED lights over standard bulbs. While more expensive up-front, LEDs use just a fraction of the power and last for years.

• Use a timer to turn your lights on and off, for both convenience and power savings.

• Use an A-frame stepladder, or have someone hold the ladder as you install lights up high.

• Don’t plug too many strings together – check the packaging on your lights for recommended maximums.

• Think about the entire exterior of your house, not just the eavestroughs and railings – trees, shrubs, and other landscaping features are great places to decorate too.

• Let the kids help! While many of your decorations will end up three feet off the ground, the good memories will outlast the season.

Whether you’re going for elaborate, Griswold-esque designs that force your neighbours to pull down the blinds, or a tasteful holiday accent to your home’s decor, plan your design, execute it safely, and celebrate with an eggnog afterward.