On Monday Edmonton city council unanimously voted to approve changes to zoning bylaws allowing suites in semi-detached, duplex and row housing. There is no longer a minimum lot size requirement for secondary suites, which opens up the opportunity to add suites on smaller lots. They also loosened restrictions on the size and location of secondary suites, relative to the primary dwelling. All secondary suites must have one off-street parking space on the property unless the home is in an area with access to high-frequency transit, including 600m from LRT or transit centres, and 150m from transit avenues. One of the benefits of these changes is that many suites that currently exist illegally in semi-detached homes around the city can be legalized. In…

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Everyone likes a trooper; especially when it comes to appliances. Sometimes the best ones are those we rarely have to think about: quietly standing by, doing their jobs; making us more comfortable. Occasionally, they last well beyond their normal lifespan. For the most part, these are the major appliances we want. But, this is Edmonton. We rely on our furnaces more than most. Ageing furnaces are more likely to need repairs. They should be inspected for safety and cleaned regularly. When the signs of ageing appear, it might be time to start thinking about a replacement.

How Does a Furnace Work?

A basic gas furnace uses a series of individual components to control two airflows. Each is critical for delivering warm air into your home.
  • Airflow…

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Most homeowners would love to spend more time outdoors on the deck or patio, but sometimes the weather can keep you inside. A motorized, retractable awning in Edmonton, over your patio or deck, can enhance that outdoor living space and make it more comfortable and enjoyable for relaxing, spending time with family and entertaining.

Create more livable space, regardless of the weather.

A retractable awning allows you to enjoy your outdoor living space, regardless of the weather. You won’t have to worry about scorching under the sun and you can still enjoy being outside when it starts to rain. Plus, you won’t have to worry about your awning getting damaged in heavy weather. When a big storm rolls in, you can retract the awning, so it will not get…

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You may have seen reports in the past referencing the MLS® Home Price Index (HPI) in other parts of Canada and noticed Edmonton was not included, well, the tool is now available in Edmonton! This means will be able to include "benchmark" prices and trends with our monthly stats, giving greater insight into what is happening in the Edmonton real estate market. We can also more accurately compare our market, with other markets across the country. What exactly is the HPI? It's a way of following pricing trends that is more accurate than using averages and medians which can swing dramatically when the volume of high-end or low-end sales change over time. A "benchmark home" is set for each area (based on the most common attributes of homes traded in that…

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Like going to open houses? There's now an easy way to search open houses in the Edmonton area and Calgary area open houses. On EdmontonRealEstate.pro just click the "More Search Options" button beneath the search bar, then click features and "Search Open Houses." Or, you can just bookmark our Open House search page. You can also filter search results by any of the other options in our search, such as location, size, price, property type etc. As you can see below, there are 305 open houses coming up in the MLS® database currently: If you click on any listing, you can view the date and time of the open house: To search Calgary or Banff/Canmore Open Houses, you can bookmark Calgary Area Open Houses or Banff/Canmore Open Houses, go to our Advanced…

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People looooovve making lists - best this, top that - and I've seen a lot of lists of the best places to live in Edmonton. Many are based on surveys, some are based on market stats, and some are just based on personal opinion. A number of these lists have been released in the past few weeks, so I thought it was good time to bring in a brokerage's perspective on things. Everyone has different reasons for choosing a neighbourhood, whether it is proximity to something (work, school, amenities, relatives), affordability, property types... the list goes on. What I can say for certain is no neighbourhood will be on the top of everyone's list, or even half of everyone's list. Most people choose a fairly broad area when looking for a place to live and narrow it…

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If you live in or are looking at a home for sale that was built before 1990, it might have asbestos in certain building materials like older tile and drywall compound. It was a widely used construction material because of its thermal resistance, strength and sound absorption. In those days, asbestos was commonly used in ceiling and floor tile, siding, insulation and in the compound used on seams between pieces of drywall. Older vermiculite attic insulation may also contain asbestos. Learn more about asbestos in the home.

What is asbestos and why is it bad?

Asbestos is the generic name for 6 different fibrous minerals that occur in nature. There are two major groups of asbestos: serpentine and amphibole. Asbestos can be a hazard to health when the…

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A recent B.C. Supreme Court case favoured the buyer, who backed out a deal to purchase a mansion in Vancouver. She claimed she was misled by the seller and their agent when she asked why the seller was moving. Their answer was that the seller's daughter was switching schools. What they neglected to include in their answer, was the fact that she was forced to switch schools because of bad press surrounding the murder of her father, which took place on the property. Her father was allegedly a leader of the notorious "Big Circle Boys," a gang with roots in China. The buyer heard rumours about the murder after she removed conditions (back in 2009), and a simple Google search revealed the gruesome details. This story comes as welcome news to thousands of…

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According to an article in the Edmonton Journal, 140 residents in homesteader received notices from the Government of Alberta warning about soil and groundwater contamination, with a “laundry list of cancer-causing substances.” The notices were posted on doors of homes in a new development called Renaissance Estates just north of Yellowhead Trail near 44th street, where a wood-preserving plant called Domtar was once located.

In a concurrent article titled “Residents of Former Domtar unsure what to make of contamination news" a homeowner is quoted as asking: “what happens to my property value in Homesteader?” No one gave an answer in the article, so here is ours...

While it's impossible to speculate on the future value of the properties there, I can…

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Have you noticed a drop in your home’s water pressure? While running multiple plumbing fixtures at the same time could cause you to lose some water pressure, a consistent and constant weakening of pressure could mean there is something wrong with your plumbing. Here are some common causes for low water pressure:

Clogged shower head.

If the water pressure seems weak in the shower, but okay in other parts of the home, it’s probably a problem with your showerhead. Check to see if there are mineral deposits built up on your showerhead and use a vinegar and water solution to clear the blockages. This should improve water flow. Learn how to clean a shower head.

Waterline valves shut off.

Sometimes water valves are accidentally shut off. If the home’s main…

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