Sometimes, all you need is some good inspiration to start reimagining the possibilities of your living space. I understand – we’ve all been there!

If you’re wondering what to watch for home improvement inspiration, look no further. These are some of the top shows about home renovation and interior design to jumpstart your daydreams.

Dream Home Makeover

A classic on Netflix and for a good reason. The fun and cheery episodes follow Studio McGee founders and husband-wife team Shea and Syd as they turn people’s dreams into realities. And, as an added bonus for viewers, each episode it filled with practical design tips you can use.

Love It or List It

This show has been running on HGTV for nearly 15 years and has a strong following. Designer Hilary Farr renovates a home while realtor David Visentin takes the owner to look at other properties. By the end, the owner gets to decide what to do: stay in their renovated home if they love it or list if to move somewhere else.

Amazing Interiors

This Netflix series takes viewers into some beautiful and unique home interiors, from a live aquarium to a life-sized dollhouse. They may not all be interiors you’d want to replicate, but they definitely show the variety of tastes!

100 Day Dream Home

Watch husband-and-wife team Brian and Mika Kleinschmidt build dream homes from the ground up in just 100 days in this HGTV series. Fun to follow and you’ll get the inside scoop on what it takes.

Tiny House Nation

Inspiration for all of us, regardless of the size of our homes. Take a tour of America’s tiniest homes with John Weisbarth and Zack Giffin, and meet some of the families who have decided to downsize.

Do you have a favourite home improvement show not on this list? Let me know what you’re watching!

The Canadian government is once again making international headlines with an announcement about banning some foreign buyer from buying real estate for the next two years. The move comes as an effort to cool the nation’s hot housing market, after prices have risen more than 20% in many areas in the past year. Rental prices have also increased.

The new rules have exemptions for permanent residents and foreign students and workers, as well as people buying a primary residence.

Analysts are divided about the impact this temporary ban will have on housing prices, however. There is limited data on the exact number of homes purchased by foreign investors in Canada, but experts say it is a relatively low percentage of the overall market.

One analyst from Bullpenn Research & Consulting, for example, estimated that just 1% of homes purchased in 2020 were from foreign buyers compared to about 9% in 2015 and 2016. Instead, rising populations and a shortage of supply are seen as the driving forces behind price increases.

New Zealand introduced a similar measure banning foreign buyers in 2018, with varying results on the real estate market.

Other factors like rising interest rates are expected to also impact the housing market prices.

Parkview is an attractive residential neighbourhood in west Edmonton that overlooks the North Saskatchewan River valley. Parkview is divided into two main sections: East of 142 is Valleyview and West of 142 is Parkview proper.

The neighbourhood dates back to the 1950s and it is one of the larger ones in the city, with tree lined streets and mature landscapes. Most homes in Parkview are single-family dwellings that are owner occupied. Thanks to its proximity to many amenities, several schools and high safety rating, the neighbourhood is increasingly popular which is driving up demand and encouraging newer infill development.

A robust security system is an important way to keep your loved ones and your possessions safe from intruders and would-be burglars. It can also increase the value of your property when it comes time to sell.

There are countless home security system options and many people choose an out-of-the-box, traditional solution. But with the advance of smart technology, homeowners have more choices than ever. Here are a few ways to save money while still having a state-of-the-art security system with the right tools:

Security Cameras: Cameras are a great deterrent to anyone scoping out your home – just the presence of security cameras on their own may be enough to stop a potential burglar. They also, of course, have the added bonus of gathering footage if a crime is committed. Many cameras nowadays can be set up easily yourself and will even live stream what’s happening to your phone.

Smart locks: The easiest way for someone to break into your home is to simply open the door and waltz in. You’d be surprised how many doors are left unlocked … or just as bad, with a key hidden somewhere nearby like under a potted plant or welcome mat. Smart locks let you control your locks from your phone, so you never have to worry about easy access for a burglar.

Smart lights and motorized blinds: The majority of house robberies happen when no one is home. Having smart lights and motorized blinds helps you give the impression of being home even when you’re not. You can set them on a timer so it looks like a normal routine – nights on, blinds down at dusk!

Security window film: If a burglar can’t get in through the door, they’ll often turn to a window. When you install security film, it helps strengthen the glass and makes it harder to penetrate. Depending on what kind of film you use and how you install it, the extra layers can make a glass window strong enough that it takes someone several minutes with a hammer or baseball bat to break though – long enough to deter most people.

Just like buying a car, there are pros and cons to purchasing a new build. And in a real estate market as hot as Canada’s, potential homebuyers should be carefully weighing all the options available to them before making a purchase.

A new construction, also sometimes known as a pre-construction, includes any property from a single-detached home to a condominium to a townhouse. It also includes planned new constructions, where the purchaser is involved in the design process.

One of the big benefits of purchasing a new build is that the property is, as the name suggests, brand new. No one else has lived there before and it’s in pristine condition on move-in day.

No renovations are needed and the stress of expensive repairs down the line is alleviated. This means it is much lower maintenance. An added bonus is that most new constructions are also more energy efficient, which will save you money in the long-term.

On the flipside, those benefits come with a price. A new build is usually more expensive than similar pre-owned properties. And the timelines to get the keys can be much longer – sometimes pre-constructions can take months, or even years, to be completed.

This means the homebuyer is on the hook for the cost of living somewhere else while waiting (although in today’s market, many people who purchase new builds find that by the time they move in, their property has appreciated significantly).

And while it can be great to have the option to design and customize the home before it’s build, those upgrades are often more expensive than getting the work done by a third-party.

Ultimately, the decision of whether to purchase a new build or a pre-owned property is up to your budget and your timeline – for many people, it can be a great option. A word of advice, many developers required a prospective purchaser to arrive to the first showing or meeting with a real estate agent if they plan to use one they chose. Otherwise, you may have to go with their in-house real estate brokers who might not be able to negotiate on your behalf as effectively.

Laurier Heights is a residential neighbourhood in west Edmonton that overlooks the beautiful scenery of the North Saskatchewan River. The community is bounded by
87 Avenue, Buena Vista Road, 149 Street and Whitemud Drive. It also runs along the river valley to the east and south east.

Most of the development in Laurier Heights began after the Second World War, with a significant portion of homes built between the mid-1940s to the 1970s. The area is well loved among young professionals and families alike. It is near some of the most popular parks and trails in Edmonton including Laurier Park and Buena Vista Park. It is also home to the popular Valley Zoo, several schools and a shopping centre.

With the rising costs of bills in Canada and a growing concern for the environment, green renewable energy is becoming increasingly popular. The dream, some say, is to have a fully electric car powered by the sun – no gas, no electricity bills!

Of course, solar panels don’t come without their own costs. It can cost on average between $15,000 to $30,000 to install solar panels in your home – a significant investment upfront. In some cases, there may be government incentives or grants to help offset this cost, or low-interest loan programs.

The best way to determine if solar panels are right for you is by looking at how long it will take to pay off the installation compared to not using solar energy. Solar panels usually last between 25 to 30 years so if the system pays itself off in 10 years, for example, then it’s likely a good option.

Part of this equation is comparing how much energy you use to how much solar energy you can harness with your panels. Take an average over the last 12 months of your bill to get an idea of your kWh usage. Then, consider how much sunlight your area gets and how much energy your solar panels could produce. In the average year, British Columbia gets just over 1,000 hours of sunlight and Alberta gets about 1,200 hours.

In addition to the money savings over time, installing solar panels can also be a way to reduce your carbon footprint. It also raises the value of your home, so you can recoup the cost if you end up selling before you have time to fully realize your savings.

Crypto mortgages hit the headlines recently when a lender in Miami announced they would allow homebuyers to pledge their Bitcoin as collateral – no other down payment needed. Previously, Bitcoin and other digital currencies had to be converted to U.S. dollars and be sourced from an eligible account to make it more traceable. With the new mortgage plan by the lender in Miami, a company called Milo, no dollars are needed.

That has some Canadians questioning whether something similar might be on the horizon here. There have been some rumors circulating social media that banks may soon be accepting cryptocurrency as a source of a down payment, but nothing official has been confirmed. That said, a digital asset platform called Ledn in Toronto has announced plans to offer a Bitcoin-backed mortgage soon.

 

So, what does this all mean for the real estate market? For some people, paying in crypto could be a huge benefit. By pledging their bitcoin, they don’t need to sell it and pay tax on the proceeds. And once their mortgage is paid in full, so the proposal goes, their Bitcoin is returned. This could open up the market to a whole other sector of investors, for good or bad.

 

But this new kind of mortgage comes with a host of possible risks. Bitcoin, and other digital currencies, have a history of volatility – with four major crashes in the last four years. If Bitcoin was used as collateral for a home purchase and it ends up sinking to less than 65% of the mortgage amount, the borrower may be asked to pledge more Bitcoin to the lender or be forced to liquidate. This leaves consumers vulnerable.

 

For the time being, experts are predicting it will take a long time before crypto mortgages emerge in Canada because of how tied the country is to government-issued currency. So, for now, prospective homebuyers will simply have to sell their investments and use the cash for a traditional mortgage.