An Anniversary (of sorts).

My how time flies! We’ve all heard it, but it’s usually not until we sit down and take stock of the recent past and reflect on the year that was before we realize just how quickly time does fly.

It was one year ago today that the Cominghome Real Estate Blog quietly went live! [small courteous applause] In that time I have learned a helluva lot about blogging and have at times struggled to find my creative voice (I’m an analytical science guy, not an artsy creative guy).

My creative shortcomings aside, in the year that was I wrote and posted a total of 87 articles (88 if you include this one) to 16 categories. Wow, who knew?

Here is a snippet from my first blog post as a bit of a reminder as to how and why the Cominghome Real Estate Blog got its start…

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With that in mind, here’s what I know about the future of the Cominghome Real Estate Blog, my purpose for creating it in the first place,  what I hope to achieve by publishing to my blog, and what personal benefit I hope to derive from the process of publishing content:

• I know I have a lot to say and I come across tons of content ideas daily;
• I know I want to share my real estate experiences with colleagues and clients;
• I know I want to share my knowledge of real estate with clients;
• I know I can help promote the image of REALTORS® everywhere;  
• I know I can help people understand the machinations of the real estate ‘process’;
• I know I can become a better REALTOR® by publishing to my blog; and lastly…    

… I know that at this point I really don’t know what I’m doing and have a lot (understatement) to learn about blogging — but I’ll get there eventually.

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All-in-all I have received a lot of positive feedback on my efforts to-date and of course will continue to do my best to provide sage content and advice on my site.

Feel free to email me with any comments, suggestions, or content ideas — I enjoy hearing from you!

///…CP

REALTORS® Community Foundation — I Care

The REALTORS® Community Foundation provides support to those in need in our city by working with charities involved in shelter, homelessness, hunger, crime prevention, and special projects.

In 2007 the REALTORS® Community Foundation granted over $244,000 to charities in and around Edmonton.  Since 1986 the REALTORS® Community Foundation has returned over $1.6 million dollars to the Greater Edmonton Community.

One of the funding streams upon which the REALTORS® Community Foundation relies is the ‘We Care’ program. The program provides an opportunity for REALTORS® within Edmonton and the Edmonton area to donate a portion of their commissions to the REALTORS® Community Foundation on a per transaction basis.

It is but one of the ways we as REALTORS® can give back to our communities and the money donated forms part of the Funding Allocation dollars given out each year by the REALTORS® Community Foundation.

So the next time you’re meeting with your REALTOR®, ask them if they care…

///…CP

Announcement: Lewis Estates, The Hamptons, Glastonbury

Attention residents of SW Edmonton: If you live in Lewis Estates, The Hamptons, and/ or Glastonbury then you may be interested in attending a free community picnic that will (in part) serve to support the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation and the Children’s Miracle Network. See the ‘poster’ below.

While you’re there be sure to purchase your Lewis Estates Community League membership. If you prefer, I found this link to purchase them online — click here.

Happy Hot Dogs!

 ///…CP

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good Growing Neighbours

Here’s some information I received in the mail with my annual waste/ recycling collection calendar and thought I’d pass it along. The following information was published/ produced in partnership between the City of Edmonton and Strathcona County. Its part of a joint effort to encourage our communities to reduce pesticide use while maintaining a healthy lawn.

Why am I posting this here and what does this have to do with real estate you ask? Well, we all know the value of curb appeal when selling…so think of it as a home selling tip.

Tip 1 — Begin With Healthy Soil: A good lawn starts from the ground up. Proper soil preparation will minimize future weed problems. Adding compost will improve the water-holding capacity of sandy soils and open up air spaces in compacted clay soils. Nutrients and essential micro-organisms in compost help get the growing process off to a good start.

Tip 2 — Remove Thatch: In the spring, remove excess thatch with a heavy rake or de-thatching equipment. This helps to open your lawn to water, air and nutrients.

Tip 3 — Mow High: Mow your lawn to 6 – 8 cm (2 1/2 – 3 inches) to encourage better root growth and moisture retention. Keep your blade sharp! Your lawn will recover quicker if the grass is cleanly cut.

Tip 4 — Mulch Your Grass: Use a mulching mower and leave your grass clippings on your lawn. This provides a great source of slow-release nitrogen for your lawn. 

Tip 5 — Water The Roots: It’s better for the overall health of your lawn and pocketbook to water your grass deeply and less frequently. Apply at least 2.5 cm (1 inch) of water to the area. You can measure the amount by placing a container such as a pie pan on the lawn during watering. Grass growing near large trees may need more frequent watering, as tree roots may use much of the soil water. Watering for short periods of time and more frequently promotes shallow root growth and leaves your grass susceptible to drought conditions – and it uses more water!

Tip 6 — Develop A Tolerance: A few weeds or insects won’t harm your healthy lawn. Before using pesticides, try improving your lawn with some occasional hand weeding. Hand weeding can be beneficial if you have sensitive plants, or a vegetable garden where there can be concerns about spray drift.

Tip 7 — Let Your Lawn Breathe: It’s a root awakening! Aerating your hard, compacted soil helps get water, nutrients and oxygen to the roots. Aeration is best done in the early fall before overseeding and top dressing.

Tip 8 — Top Dress And Fertilize: Plan ahead for spring. In the early fall, top dress your lawn with a thin layer of compost or topsoil. It is also the preferred time to add grass seed to your lawn. Using compost or slow-release fertilizers will help promote vigorous lawn growth the next spring.

Tip 9 — Crowd Out Weeds: Healthy lawns are less susceptible to weed problems. Overseeding your lawn every fall keeps your grass thick and chokes out weeds.

Tip 10 — Consider Alternative Plants: Trees, shrubs, perennials, ground covers and wild flowers promote biodiversity in your yard. Consider other plants for ground covers in shaded or dry areas. Periwinkle and Lily of the Valley have it made in the shade, while Creeping Juniper and Thyme have fun in the sun.

You can read all the tips in greater detail here. I have also linked to each detailed tip within the summaries above…hopefully the City doesn’t change the links on me.

///…CP

Update: Could It Happen Here?

Just a quick update on a post I wrote back in January entitled “Could It Happen here?”…

In that post I used an article about a couple from California suing their real estate agent (alleging he mislead them, withheld information, and ultimately caused them to pay too much for their home) to make people (i.e. others in my industry) think about what they are doing when they represent their clients and to point out to other people (i.e. the consumer) that there are a number of fiduciary duties owed to them and they need to be confident their chosen REALTOR® is fulfilling their mandate when representing them.

Now to the update portion of this post…

Last Thursday the jury in the case referenced in the post above took less than two hours to render their verdict: the real estate agent in question “…had not breeched his responsibility to the couple as their agent, nor had he been negligent.”

You can read the article in its entirety here:
Jury clears real estate agent: Panel rejects claims from unhappy home buyers

And remember, ”The Agent must act solely in your best interests, must always put your interests above the Agent’s own interests and above the interests of other parties”. 

///…CP

Hello…What Am I Doing?

Well — after much procrastination — I finally did it…I started my own real estate blog. I can’t recall exactly when I decided I wanted to blog and (after spending countless hours bouncing from one real estate blog to another) I can’t be sure where my inspiration originated either. I do know The Real Estate Tomato was a frequent landing point back then and I recall wishing that I knew how to do it and wondering what I would post if I did do it.

With that in mind, here’s what I know about the future of the Cominghome Real Estate Blog, my purpose for creating it in the first place,  what I hope to achieve by publishing to my blog, and what personal benefit I hope to derive from the process of publishing content:

• I know I have a lot to say and I come across tons of content ideas daily;
• I know I want to share my real estate experiences with colleagues and clients;
• I know I want to share my knowledge of real estate with clients;
• I know I can help promote the image of REALTORS® everywhere;  
• I know I can help people understand the machinations of the real estate ‘process’;
• I know I can become a better REALTOR® by publishing to my blog; and lastly…    

… I know that at this point I really don’t know what I’m doing and have a lot (understatement) to learn about blogging — but I’ll get there eventually.

Teresa Boardman, a seemingly regular contributor to The Real Estate Tomato, published a post earlier this year that really nails a lot of the things that enabled my procrastination to-date…thanks Teresa.

BTW, my thanks to the folks at WordPress for providing the tools to enable my efforts.

///…CP