April 2013 was another solid month in Calgary's Real Estate market.  The market has slowed slightly from back in February when there was a lot of talk of our 'insane real estate market' in the media.  

We are up just over 5% from the same period in 2012, and with the number of sales being almost the same we can sit comfortably knowing we are not heading down the same path as 2006/07....

You know you want one...I know I do!

Green Calgary along with the City of Calgary and Enmax have organized a rain barrel and composter sale again this year.

What is it?

Where is it? Various locations around Calgary.

What exactly are they selling?

Rain barrels and composters are great additions to your Calgary home and yard.  

Reasons why you should water your garden...

Spring is finally here in Calgary!  We finally had a beautiful weekend and there are more to come. 

This means it is time to get the yard in order, clean up all the old leaves, branches and other organic puke that has fallen from the trees and shrubs over the past several months.

Spring Clean Up - Before 

But what do you do with it?  Putting it out for city of Calgary curb...

Breaking my addiction to food has been more difficult than quitting smoking.

I quit smoking 15 years ago this month. After trying to quit many times, it was not until after reading an article about heart disease and realizing I probably will not survive to see my newborn son graduate high school unless I quit. That mentally pushed me over the edge. I quit and never smoked another cigarette.

Smoker's...

A recent discussion took place between Realtors and Lawyers regarding home surveillance systems such as web cams and/or nanny cams in homes for sale. 

Topics discussed were breaching privacy of prospective buyer’s while they discussed confidential information about pricing or motivation and the legality of a home seller being able to do this.

*Nanny and Web Cams in Homes for...

Weighing in for this challenge was humiliating.  To strip down to my shorts in front of Michelle (my good friend and trainer) was a humbling experience.  She measured me, took some pictures and of course I jumped on the scale.  240 pounds.  This is awful.

Right after, we worked out with our regular group at ParksBootCamp and it was one of the most challenging classes I've had...

I started a challenge to get my health on track.  I did this because I’m now 40 years old and have had my ups and downs with weight but over all, generally in poor health for the majority of my life.

Last year I found myself in the best physical condition since I was a teenager.  Then (once again), over a 2 month period over Christmas, I gained 25 pounds.  Fast and unhealthy...

About a 1.5 years ago I wrote a blog about my garage…or “crapage” I had called it…I don’t know how else to describe this thing aside from a pure evil junk staging point that never ends. 

No matter what I do, I can’t keep this place clean. 

Back when I wrote the original rant it was probably at it’s worst.  And I’m not kidding...

February was a strong month again for Calgary's real estate market.  Inventory levels are still lower than I'd personally like to see, the increase over January's listings is about 400 homes - and approximately 100 new listings over the same period in 2012.  Buyer's are acting quick for the homes they want, but not beng unreasonable.

For home sellers, this has meant sales very...

Recently a client of mine had a horrible experience with a moving company and it's a serious reminder to be very careful with who you choose.

Despite being careful, you can still run into nightmare experiences as she did.

Ingrid wrote me to explain..."Just so you know....tell anyone who asks to stay away from Metropolitan Movers in Calgary"

Metropolitan Mover's are based in Ontario and...