Hiking on the Bruce Trail in the Burlington - Oakville - Hamilton Area. There is an international treasure in our own backyards and it beckons quietly to nature lovers from around the globe.The Bruce Trail, starts in Queenston, Ontario, near Niagara Falls and ends in Tobermory on the Bruce Peninsula.Stretching just over 900 km ( 560 miles) from end to end, it is the oldest continuously traveled footpath in Ontario.The Bruce Trail runs along the Niagara Escarpment and here in the Oakville and Burlington area, we are blessed to have this World Biosphere Reserve within sight of our own communities.Winding and green, it shelters many ancient trees and threatened species of plants and animals. For those who enjoy hiking, the Bruce Trail holds many unexpected surprises as it snakes it's way... 11/05/2012

Burlington Santa Claus Parade   The Burlington Santa Claus Parade is right around the corner and elves everywhere are busy preparing the floats and costumes that will highlight this year's parade. With 65 entries, including festive floats, lively bands, silly clowns and of course, Santa Claus himself, this year's parade will be held on Sunday, December 2, 2012.Volunteers are needed! It is the efforts of the community as a whole that make the Burlington Santa Claus Parade the success it is every year and once again the parade organizers are looking for volunteers. If you have time or talent that you're willing to donate, call 905-335-7600 or festivalsandevents@burlington.ca . The parade will start at 2pm on the corner of Prospect Street and Guelph Line (near the Burlington Mall). Traveli... 11/02/2012

Liven your senses and renew your spirit with a visit to Crawford Lake Native village near Burlington, Ontario. Located within Crawford Lake Conservation Area, the village is one of the most accurate reconstructions of a 15th century Iroquoian settlement in the entire world. A walk through the village takes you back to a time and place where mankind lived softly upon the earth, respecting and cherishing the riches that nature had to offer. Re-enactments of a gentler time find a small child's eyes widen in wonder as the White Pine Dancers take the weekend visitor back through time. A time when Crawford Lake, a very rare meromictic lake, teemed with fish and the happy calls of young children as they played on it's shores. Today Crawford Lake Native Village and Conservation Area keeps the k... 09/18/2012

The beautiful Viamede Resort and Conference Centre will be the setting for a wonderful retreat workshop put on by Chrysalis Yoga of Burlington this weekend. Clayton Smith and Shanine Dennill, life partners to one another and the owners of Chrysalis Yoga in Burlington, will be instructing and leading the way as they take participants through partner yoga classes and discussions. The weekend starts Friday, June 8th at 6 pm with dinner and then a workshop immediately following. Saturday looks like a busy day with a class in the morning, then free time in the afternoon, then another class before dinner. The final class will be held Sunday morning before the final lunch and goodbyes.Included in the retreat price are two nights accommodations, all meals and classes. Taxes and gratuities will ... 06/06/2012

Turkey Vultures of the Niagara Escarpment.   Soaring high overhead, with wingspans reaching 6 feet across, the Turkey Vulture is a common sight along the valleys of the Niagara Escarpment in the Burlington area. Amongst the most skilled gliders in North America, the Turley Vulture is able to glide for hours without so much as flapping it's wings even once. Rising high on warm air updrafts, it reaches a peak and then gently glides downwards using it's keen sense of smell and excellent eyesight in search of food. The Turkey Vulture's diet consists mainly of carrion and is our most adept cleaner of roadsides and forests. Their bald head makes it possible to reach far inside the body cavity of dead animals without getting too messy. The Turkey Vulture will also feed on vegetable matter such... 06/01/2012

Ben's Song is a wonderful story about a young man that cares. It's also a story about other young men who you would probably see and not think about how giving they could be. It's a story about a new song being written for a Mom by a son and his friends. It's a story about how others joined their journey and donated their time to make it happen. It's a mixture of Rap and Melody. The Rap is the son's thoughts and the Melody is the mother's voice. I hope you will follow the link to find out more. Click on the links there for the full story. Help my son's friend, Ben, raise funds for Princess Margaret Hospital by downloading the song when it is released February 4th, World Cancer Day.   01/26/2012

  You have decided to sell your home. By putting it on the market you have opened it up to the public. Your home will not only be viewed in person by buyers, it will be viewed on the MLS by many many more. While this helps sell your home so you can move on with your life, it does present security issues that should not be ignored. As a Stager, it is part of my job to inform my clients about any issues I see in their home. Often they are surprised. Lock boxes are used by many agents as a secure way to provide a key to your home. The combination is given out to other agents who will be showing your home to a potential buyer. Public Open Houses are used to draw people in to view your home. Discuss the benefits with your Realtor. Find out if they feel it is the best route for your home. Wi... 01/04/2012

  Just sitting on the market going nowhere is no fun. It disturbs your daily routines causing stress. You have to keep the house clean and tidy and be ready to leave on short notice for viewings. No one likes to live this way. Let's look at the reasons why houses just sit instead of selling.     Price: Everyone thinks their home is wonderful and worth just as much if not more than the competition. Unfortunately, your view may be skewed by your emotional attachment. Did you listen to your Realtor when they appraised your home? Is your home realistically priced? Buyers do not have that emotional attachment. To them your home is just another house to look at. Buyers are not going to overpay if they can help it. Location: Is your house sitting unsold because of it's location? Are you situa... 12/29/2011

Burlington's Paletta Mansion is joining in the Christmas Events around Burlington this year. Everyone is invited to experience the magic of the holidays in high style at Paletta Lakefront Park and Mansion. Donations of unwrapped toys and canned food will be collected for Salvation Army.  Enjoy the music of Erin Bree Pierce operatic performer at 11:30 a.m. and the Priase Chorus at 1p.m. I can hardly wait to see the Mansion again! Don't forget your food or toy donation to the Salvation Army.   Experience the Magic of the Holidays at Paletta Mansion       Monday, December 19, 2011   11 a.m. - 3 p.m.    Admission is Free       Paletta Lakefront Park   905-632-7809 ext. 3   www.burlington.ca/paletta         12/12/2011

  When you are part of the Industry that sells houses you tend to deal with the same issues over and over again. They become very obvious and common place to us. The thing we have to remember is that to each client it is very new ... especially if they have not sold a house for many years, if ever. Yes, to the seller it is anything but business as usual. They are selling their home and that means a lot of upheaval for them. Their home and lifestyle must change for a successful sale. Clients come to us with expectations and dollar signs in their eyes. To the seller their home is wonderful and should get just as much as the house down the street brought in. As Professionals we know this is not always the reality. Realtors do a Comparative Market Analysis to find a List Price for each hom... 10/28/2011

  Like most Burlington parents you're busy this August getting your children ready for school. You are working on their calendar of events for this school year and out buying things on their school lists. Don't forget to go over their trip on the school bus - what time does it pick them up? Where does it drop them off? How do they identify their bus? What is good bus behavior? Safety rules? Once the kids are back in school, you may feel that this leaves you enough free time to start looking for your new home. You may look for open houses but that would mean weekends and the children will be with you. Perhaps it is better to work with a Realtor and go during the week. Ask your Realtor to show you Staged homes. Staging is about preparing the home for sale. A fully staged home is a home t... 08/13/2011

  August means it's time to get ready for school. Burlington parents will be setting up their school calendar for 2011/12. While you are scheduling sports events and after school sessions be sure to work in time to upgrade your home. Keeping your home up to date on a regular basis makes it so much easier when it comes time to sell. What sort of things should you be scheduling for yourself while the kids are in school? How about: updating that lighting. Check out the latest in ceiling fixtures, chandeliers, exterior lights and lamps. a trip to the paint store. Keep your walls and trims in good shape. Keep the colors current. looking for accessories in the latest colors. Changing throw pillow, throws and vases etc can add wow to that neutral envelope. taking a good look at that carpeting... 08/11/2011

Today's Burlington buyer wants more than a patch of weeds to BBQ on. When you decide to sell create that outdoor room for buyers. If all you have is a balcony, make it an inviting place to sit with morning coffee or a glass of wine after work. Make sure the patio or deck is in good shape. Set up inviting eating and sitting areas. Create a place for kids to play. If your master is on the first floor, create a doorway to a private little sitting area for morning coffee. Trim those shrubs and trees. Weed the grass and beds. Repair the fence. Add flowers for color. Can't afford flowers or new plants? Mulch the beds for a clean cared for look. Keep the lawn cut. Show the buyer your outdoor room. If you can't afford to develop it, show them a well maintained space ready for development. Other... 08/02/2011

Another area for Burlington sellers to concentrate on is the Master Bedroom. This is the owners retreat from the world. Today's buyer has much higher expectations for this area of a home. How do you make your master speak to the buyers? paint can freshen up this space. Chose a neutral color with perhaps a deeper shade as an accent wall behind the bed. make the decor coordinate with the en suite. upgrade lighting. upgrade flooring. This could mean freshly installed carpeting or hardwood. modern window treatments. replace your tired bedding. This is one expense that will be going with you when you sell. address closet issues. It's time to sort and pre-pack. If you can steal a little space create a walk-in for the buyer. install a fireplace if there is room. create a sitting area. The bed ... 08/01/2011

Burlington home sellers should use their budget wisely and concentrate on the areas important to the buyers. So far in this series I have talked about: Curb Appeal because that is what creates that great first impression. Kitchens because they have become the heart of the home and much more open to the rest of the house. Bathrooms because they hold many of the 'I wants' for buyers. Another area where buyers will see themselves spending a lot of time is the Family or Great Room. Today this room is usually open to the kitchen and part of the entertaining center of the home. How do you update this area? paint the walls a neutral color that allows the buyer to bring any color of furnishings and live comfortably right away. upgrade lighting. install new carpeting or change to hardwood. updat... 07/31/2011

If you are selling your Burlington home and have a tight budget for preparing it, where should you spend your staging money? In part one I discussed Curb Appeal which draws the buyer out of the car and into the house. In part two I talked about the kitchen. Kitchens hold many of the buyer's 'I wants'. Now, in part three I want to look at bathrooms. Kitchens and bathrooms are big ticket items that buyers would like to see ready for them. Today's buyers are looking for: a home with a powder room. a home with a family bathroom. a home with an en suite. Each of these bathrooms has its list of 'I wants'. The powder room should be on the main floor. It can have a pedestal sink or a vanity with sink. The family bathroom should be accessible to all the bedrooms. In some homes they have a Jack a... 07/30/2011

Now that your Curb Appeal has drawn the buyer into your Burlington home, you need to keep them loving what they see. One of the important areas of a home is the kitchen. Today we spend a lot of time in the kitchen. Not only do we prepare meals there, we entertain our guests. Kitchens are now open to the other parts of the home. Buyers have lists of 'I wants' and the kitchen contains some of them: granite or granite look counters under mounted sink tile or hardwood flooring island with pendant lights tile or granite back splash stainless appliances If you are planning to do a major renovation you should do it so that you can have time to enjoy it. But there are other ways to update without going to the expense of a major renovation. These updates will help you show the buyers a kitchen t... 07/29/2011

You can't sell your Burlington home if the buyers won't get out of the car! You can't sell a home if you can't see it. That's why Curb Appeal is so important. Your Curb Appeal is the 'first impression' the buyer gets when they arrive. It should appeal to them but also reassure them that your home is well maintained. If your budget is tight, you can still up your Curb Appeal with sweat equity. Wash down the front of the house. Windows, lights, doors and porches all collect dirt from the air. Make sure the lawn is cut and weeded. If your walkway is patio stones, make sure they are all level. Trim those bushes or remove some to make sure the buyer can see the house and its features. Weeds should not be poking out of cracks in the sidewalk or flower beds. The front door should be the focal ... 07/28/2011

During the selling process you might say the seller and buyer become symbiotic. The seller is processing the change from home to house while the buyer is processing the change from house to home. As the seller prepares their home for sale, it becomes less like their home and starts to turn into the house they had on 'X' street. This separation process is necessary for them to be able to let go and move on with their life. Treasures are put away in the process of de-cluttering. They may have to paint out their favorite color on the walls of their bedroom because it is too personal to their taste. The furniture placement no longer focuses on their needs like watching TV. While they are selling the house must be cleaned and tidied every day. Items in their closets and cupboards will be sor... 07/10/2011

  When you are in Living Mode, your house is set up to facilitate your lifestyle. There may be a room where the kids play that doesn't get tidied daily and that works for you. It doesn't matter if there is good traffic flow through a room. You are only concerned that everyone has a good view of the TV. That rack full of shoes by the front door is very convenient and saves a lot of running around looking for kids shoes. When you want to store something in the basement, you can just plunk it anywhere and come back to it later.   But when you put your house on the market, you have to switch to Selling Mode. There are very different guidelines. No longer are your needs the focal point of the home. Now you must focus on the buyer's perspective. Now the house has to be picked up daily. There... 07/09/2011