There are three types of people in this world: those who hate cleaning, those who pretend they enjoy the process, and those who have mastered enough house cleaning hacks so they can do the job efficiently and effortlessly.  

Temina McCormack, owner of Ottawa-based Temina and the Cleanas, belongs to that third group. Luckily for everyone else, she loves sharing the knowledge she’s accumulated over the years. The expert is here to answer your questions and share her cleaning tips––from getting rid of pet hair off your furniture to removing tough stains from your kitchen walls. Check out Temina’s answers below, and remember to send your cleaning questions to crea-comms@crea.ca to be featured in an upcoming article.

My kitchen walls are covered…

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One great way to give your living or family room a relatively small but impactful makeover is to add built-ins. Before you meet with a designer, think about what you want to hide from view but keep handy, such as toys, media equipment or CDs you’ll never part with, to put in closed cabinetry. Then think about what you want to display — books, favorite photos, collections and artwork. Including these things in the conversation with your designer will be important in customizing the design to function for your needs. As for style, check out these 12 examples of beautiful built-ins to see if they inspire ideas for your home. KitchenLab Interiors 1. Family-Friendly

This vacation home in Coconut Grove, Florida, is shared by an…

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It’s happening! The seasonal section at most stores is swimming in holiday décor, and your holiday plans are probably coming together nicely. Over the past 20 months, we’ve all had to get pretty creative at celebrating with loved ones far and near while still staying safe and respectful of everyone’s comfort. If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that we can connect with each other in all sorts of ways, and maybe even open our eyes to new traditions we’d like to maintain in the years to come. 

For some of us it’s been a long while since we’ve been able to enjoy the bustling holiday celebrations we remember. However, the eagerness we’re feeling to get back to our traditions might be matched with a level of anxiety about doing so…

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Canada is planning a lot of new construction activity, but it’s not housing they’re looking to build. Statistics Canada (Stat Can) data shows the building permit values soared in October. The increase in permits, a leading indicator of future building activity, was due to non-residential building. Residential building actually weighed down the aggregate, falling further into its correction. A drop in permits for new homes in BC and Ontario is entirely behind the decline.

Canadian Building Permits Surged Higher To $10 Billion

Canadian building permits showed a sharp increase and generally remain elevated. The seasonally adjusted value of permits reached $10.3 billion in October, up 1.3% from the previous month. When adjusted for inflation, growth…

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Canadian real estate_2022 report

Confidence continues in Canadian real estate market, with the inter-provincial relocation trend likely to remain strong in 2022

  • Migration between provinces expected to continue in 2022, potentially impacting local Canadian real estate conditions, according to 53 per cent of RE/MAX brokers (20 out of 38)
  • 49 per cent of Canadians believe the housing market will remain steady in 2022 and view real estate as one of the best investment options over the next year
  • Some of the highest outlooks are anticipated for Atlantic Canada, with Moncton and Halifax projecting average residential sales prices to increase by 20 per cent and 16 per cent respectively in 2022
  • 95 per cent of regions (36 out of 38) surveyed are likely to remain seller’s markets…

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Canadian housing market

Perhaps you have been wondering how a young family living in a detached home in Toronto or Vancouver can afford it. It could be that they already own another home. In fact, they may possess multiple homes as part of their investment strategy, new research has discovered. It’s no secret that the red-hot Canadian housing market has been driven by a number of factors including enormous demand, tight inventory and historically low borrowing costs. And in some markets, investors are a bigger factor than in others, with federal proposals to rein in accelerating prices.

Are investors making it more difficult for first-time homebuyers to get their foot in the door, amid sky-high valuations and bidding wars? For now, the industry is processing the data to…

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Canadian employers are struggling to find labor but this isn’t just reopening pains. Statistics Canada (Stat Can) data shows over one million vacant jobs in September. The common take is, this hiring boom is reopening pains as the economy grows. Further analysis of the same data set shows that might not be the case last month. Rising vacancies were met by a drop in people on payrolls, with little net change to employment. In the most recent month of data, people were just leaving the workforce faster than others could be hired.

Employers Need To Fill Over 1 Million Jobs

Canadian job vacancies have been soaring over the past few months. There were 1,014,560 vacant jobs in September, an increase of 16.4% from a month before. That’s roughly 143,560…

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The idea of a customized, new residential construction house is enticing to some prospective homeowners, but the process to get there can be grueling. Working with a buyer’s agent along the way can help ensure you negotiate the best price possible and avoid setbacks.

Traditional selling points like historic charm in existing homes may not seem so charming to everyone – that’s why many people seek out a newly built residence, find a lot in a masterplan community or enter into the process of building a home from the ground up.


“Each buyer has unique preferences as to what they look for in a potential home. A lot of people want to own a new home at least once in their life,” says Jack Ryan,…

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Statistics released by the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) show national home sales have already set a new annual record in 2021.

HIGHLIGHTS

  • National home sales rose 8.6% on a month-over-month basis in October.

  • Actual (not seasonally adjusted) monthly activity was down 11.5% on a year-over-year basis.

  • The number of newly listed properties climbed by 3.2% from September to October.

  • The MLS® Home Price Index (MLS® HPI) rose 2.7% month-over-month and was up 23.4% year-over-year.

  • The actual (not seasonally adjusted) national average sale price posted an 18.2% year-over-year gain in October.


 NATIONAL RESIDENTIAL STATISTICS

National Residential Statistics

Home…

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When inventory is low and buyer demand is high, chances are you’ll receive at least one cash offer—a promise to purchase your property that doesn’t depend on the buyer acquiring a mortgage. Buyers figure paying cash might help them stand out among multiple offers, but what’s in it for you as the seller? Here’s what sellers need to know about all-cash offers.

What is a cash offer?

Most offers on residential homes typically include three conditions: financing, an inspection, and a review of documents. When an all-cash offer is submitted, the buyer is telling the seller they have enough cash and investments to purchase the property, says Rochelle Cantor, a REALTOR® and broker with Engel & Völkers in Montreal.

“A cash offer doesn’t mean…

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