Father’s Day gifts that are for the home can be a constant reminder of your love for dad! Here are some ideas for this year:

Storage ­ After the spring cleaning is done, you need a way to keep everything organized for the rest of the year. This can be especially helpful in the garage or the basement where a ton of seasonal items and tools tend to reside.

BBQ supplies ­ whether it’s a grill or patio furniture to enjoy the meal, or tongs and an apron to keep his clothes intact, if your dad loves to BBQ, he will love you for these gifts!

Beer gear ­ customized glasses, decanters and bar decorations can bring joy if your dad enjoys drinking as a pastime. If all else fails, he would probably appreciate just a few bottles of beer too.

Handyman tools ­ If he’s not into grills, maybe he’s a fan of drills. Your local stores will have tons of specials and entire kits on specials so make sure to take a peek. Maybe he’ll finally get around to fixing that one thing he’s been putting off just so he can use his new tools.

Whatever it is that you decide to get him, he is sure to appreciate the time and thought you put into it!

Edmonton, April 4, 2016: 1,364 properties were sold in the Edmonton Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) in March, up nearly 63% from the 837 homes sold last month, but down 6.13% from the 1,453 relative to March 2015. There were 863 single family detached homes sold in the Edmonton CMA, a 67% percent increase month-over-month, and down only 1.5% from the same time last year. March saw the sale of 335 condos and 144 duplex/rowhouses, up 44% and 82% from February, respectively.

“Sales, relative to last month, were consistent with the seasonal trends that we expect,” REALTORS®Association of Edmonton Chair Steve Sedgwick explains. “Inventory is growing, with more than 3,000 properties coming onto the market last month. Despite the inventory growth, prices are holding steady, with median prices on par with last year, and average prices up slightly due to the sale of high-end luxury homes in March.”

The average all-residential price was $379,524 for March, which is close to 3% higher than February, and up nearly 2% compared to $372,289 during the same in last year. Single family house prices averaged $439,815, up slightly over last year (up 0.56%) and up by 4.73% month-over-month. Condo properties sold for an average of $251,093, up from both last month and last year, at an increase of 1.62% and 0.55%, respectively. Median prices remained virtually the same as last year, as the all-residential median price took at slight dip of less than 1% to end the month at $357,750, down from $360,000 from this time last year, but up nearly 3% from February. The median price for single family homes was up over 1% from last month ending March at $405,000, but down just over one percent from $410,000 in March of 2015.

“When looking at housing prices, we have to take into account a number of factors,” Sedgwick said. “Last month, we saw sales of two homes in Edmonton that were priced at more than $3 million dollars. This is the first time that properties at that price point have sold in 2016, and those two sales affected the average price by several thousands of dollars. So it is important that we also look at the median prices as well, to gain a clear picture of the market.”

March’s average days-on-market dropped in almost all housing types, as it took an average of 53 days to sell a home compared to 57 last month. On average, single family homes sold 4 days quicker than last month, selling in 49 days. Duplex/rowhouses were on the market for an average of 62 days compared to 71 in February. And, on average, condos sold in 58 days, up 1 day from the same time last month.

Barn doors bring an interesting rustic touch to your home. The sliding door is a space-saving alternative to traditional doors and is perfect for your home office, laundry, or bathrooms. Here are some creative barn door designs;

Poor indoor air quality can lead to serious health problems for you and your family. Your home air quality matches the cleanliness of your house. Keeping your home clean and tidy goes a long way to improving your indoor air quality. Aside from regular dusting, washing, and cleaning, here are some tips that will help improve the air in your home:

Keep Pollutants Out – It's easier to keep your home air clean by keeping the pollutants out. Remove outdoor shoes at the door, repair air leaks, put walk off mats at entrances, and avoid activities indoors that uses varnish, paint, glue, and other similar substances.

Invest in a Good Vacuum – Choose a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter. This traps allergens, airborne pollutants, and smaller particles regular vacuums can miss. Buy one with rotating brushes and strong suction.

Regularly bathe and Groom Pets – Pets are adorable and improve quality of life. Sadly, keeping animals in the house has a downside to the quality of your indoor air. Minimize the smell and air pollutants by regularly bathing and grooming pets and cleaning pet paraphernalia.

Ventilate and Circulate – Ventilation and air circulation is crucial to keeping indoor air fresh. Open windows as much as you can. Use exhaust fans, attic fans, or run window AC with open vent control to remove air contaminants.

Change Filters Often – AC, vacuum, air purifiers and heater filters can easily get clogged with filtered pollutants and particles. The dirty build-up will compromise the performance or your AC or heater, and will eventually contaminate the air you're trying to clean.

Minimize Moisture – Damp areas encourage mould and mildew growth. Prevent the proliferation of dust mites, mould, mildew, and other harmful microbes in your home with proper ventilation and keeping humidity level below 50%. You might need a dehumidifier to achieve this.

Keep up with the Laundry – Don't stack dirty clothes for too long. Also, regularly change and launder beddings, towels, curtains, and upholstery.

Watch your Smoke – Smoke releases pollutants into the air. Candles, wood-burning fireplaces, cigars, and cigarettes all contribute to poor indoor air. Minimize the effect by using non-toxic candles, dried wood, and banning indoor smoking.

Bring in Plants – Plants are natural air purifiers and fresheners. The best plant choices to bring in for their air freshening qualities are English Ivy, Peace Lily, Boston Fern, the Spider plant, Dracaena, Ficus or Weeping Fig, and Aloe Vera.

The Canadian real estate industry is highly organized and regulated by different government bodies. There are several real estate organizations tasked to serve consumers and regulate realtor and broker licenses. The main objective is to ensure real estate professionals are serving consumers well.

A huge amount of resources are spent to create useful guides, tools, and content to educate the public about the process of buying and selling a home, but they are often overlooked. Here are some useful websites and resources available to anyone considering buying a home in Alberta.

REALTOR.ca (https://www.realtor.ca/)

REALTOR.ca is Canada's most popular and trusted real estate platform displaying residential and commercial listings from REALTORS® across the country. Buyers, sellers, and real estate investors use REALTOR.ca to find, share, and compare trustworthy listings, search professionals, and research statistical demographic data in specific neighbourhoods.

Home Buyers’ Roadmap
https://www.realtor.ca/Resource/en-ca/homebuyers_road_map.pdf
Mortgage Calculator
https://www.realtor.ca/Residential/calculator.aspx

RECA.ca (https://www.reca.ca/)

RECA or Real Estate Council Alberta is the independent governing authority that sets, regulates and enforces standards for real estate brokerage, mortgage brokerage, property management and real estate appraisal professionals in Alberta.

Buyer Brochure
https://www.reca.ca/consumers/information/PDF/Buyer_Brochure_08.pdf
Buying a House or Condo
https://www.reca.ca/consumers/information/buying-a-house-or-condo.htm

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (https://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/)

CMHC has helped millions of Canadians meet their housing needs. CMHC provides mortgage loan insurance that enables you to buy a home sooner with a minimum down payment starting at 5%. CMHC provides valuable information to walk you through the process before, during and after your home purchase.

Home Buying Step by Step
https://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/co/buho/hostst/index.cfm
The Buying Process
https://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/co/buho/hostst/hostst_004.cfm

HowRealtorsHelp.ca (http://howrealtorshelp.ca/)

When you enlist the help of an expert REALTOR®, you're not just gaining support to buy or sell a house – you're gaining an ally who'll help you make the most out of your home. REALTORS® can guide you through every step of the process, explain the current market, help navigate complex paperwork and offer invaluable advice. When you're ready to make a move, get a REALTOR®.

Your Dream Home Checklist
http://howrealtorshelp.ca/pdf/Dream_Home_Checklist.pdf
Planning you Finances

- Edmonton French Film Festival – Saturday, March 5 – Tuesday, March 22

- Edmonton Boat and Sportsmen's Show – Thursday, March 10 – Sunday, March 13

- Adopt a Block Program Registration – Saturday, March 12

- St.Patrick's Day Trail Run – Sunday, March 13

- Edmonton Cat Show – Saturday, March 19 – Sunday, March 20

- Hop to it! Easter Monday at the Edmonton Valley Zoo – Monday, March 28

- The Sustainable Living Show – Wednesday, March 30

Links

- Edmonton French Film Festival

http://www.af.ca/edmonton/french-film-festival/

- Edmonton Boat and Sportsmen's Show

http://www.edmontonboatandsportshow.ca/

- Adopt a Block Program Registration

http://www.edmonton.ca/programs_services/graffiti_litter/adopt-a-block.aspx

- St.Patrick's Day Trail Run

https://www.events.runningroom.com/site/?raceId=12633

- Edmonton Cat Show

http://www.edmontoncat.com/

- Hop to it! Easter Monday at the Edmonton Valley Zoo

http://www.edmonton.ca/attractions_events/schedule_festivals_events/events-calendar.aspx?trumbaEmbed=eventid%3D117504895%26view%3Devent%26-childview%3D

- The Sustainable Living Show

http://www.global-sustainable.com/

Edmonton, March 2, 2016: Residential inventory saw another significant increase in February, surpassing 6,000 listings on the market, ending the month with 6,681 properties for sale on the MLS® System for the Edmonton Census Metropolitan Area (CMA). That’s a 16.17% increase over last month, and 33.41% more homes listed for sale than February 2015. Sales for February were up 36.54% month-over-month at 837 compared to 618 in January, but 10.1% lower than the 931 properties that sold during the same time last year.

“Sales numbers are increasing consistent with seasonal trends,” REALTOR® Association of Edmonton Chair Steve Sedgwick explains. “Relative to 2015, potential buyers have more inventory to choose from. Despite this inventory growth, prices have moderated only slightly compared to last year, so home owners and sellers can maintain some confidence that housing prices are remaining stable.”
February brought strength back to the average all-residential selling price, ending the month at $363,266, which is 6.93% higher month-over-month and virtually on par with this same time last year. Prices in all categories saw an increase in the Edmonton CMA market compared to just one month ago. Single family house prices averaged $419,940, virtually flat to last month (up 0.24%) but down 2.79% year-over-year (YoY). Condo properties sold for an average of $247,090, up 8.83% over last month, and down just 1.32% YoY. The biggest average price gain came in the duplex/rowhouse category, with the price in February finishing at $354,386, up 8.41% and 1.24% compared to January 2016 and February 2015, respectively.
February’s average days-on-market for all housing types dropped to 57, down from 71 in January but up from 48 YoY. On average, condos sold in 57 days last month, that’s down significantly from the 85 days it took in January, but still higher than the 49 days in February 2015.
“Buyers are still taking their time to consider all of their options before purchasing a new home,” Sedgwick said. “But with warmer weather just around the corner, clients are reaching out to their REALTOR® for support as the busy spring buying season approaches.”