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Six tips to make your short-term or vacation rental stand out

The difference between an okay trip and a great one could all come down to accommodations. Staying at a lackluster property can leave vacationers scratching their heads and wondering what they’ve actually paid for. If your home doesn’t meet expectations, you’re likely not going to get the best reviews or repeat bookings. But your short-term rental could blow the competition out of the water with a little thought and creativity. Here are some helpful tips...

Seven budget-friendly ways to decorate your home for the holidays

Switching things up in your home can help keep you in good spirits as temperatures drop and the days get shorter, but there’s no reason to break the bank on seasonal décor. Even a small sum goes a long way when you get creative—start by setting and sticking to your allocated funds and chosen theme. Decorating your home for the holidays on a budget can be easy with these fresh ideas. Repurposed items Chances are...

What you need to know about phishing

Phishing attacks are among the most common methods used by cyber criminals to steal personal information. Surprisingly, many people are unaware of just how much of a threat these attacks pose. In essence, phishing attacks use a malicious email or website (designed to mimic or replicate real, reputable entities) to trick a person into divulging private or personal information such as usernames and passwords. They may vary in sophistication and plausibility, but the purpose of...

Five ways to protect your business from cyberthreats

An organization is only as secure as the weakest link in its cybersecurity chainmail—something that’s a much larger vulnerability today with more people working remotely. Information security functions best by limiting exposure to avenues of attacks—something that has become vastly more difficult in recent times. More concerningly, attackers have become much more deliberate in picking targets to attack, at a time when people are inundated with changes to the user interfaces on their apps and...

5 tips for staging your home yourself

Getting a home ready for sale or lease is a big job on its own. For some, the thought of staging your home may be overwhelming. Realtors may offer this service as part of their package, but if not, don’t worry, it’s easy to do it yourself with a little inspiration. Beyond the basic advice of the 3 D’s: depersonalize, declutter and decorate, there’s a lot more that can be done to get your desired...

What you need to know before starting your next backyard project

With all the time spent indoors, recently, most people now have a greater appreciation of the outdoors. Inspired by the longing of lounging in a private backyard, renovations and master creations of outdoor spaces have taken off. The changing landscape of fall brings with it colour and cooler temperatures, perfect weather for building. With lumber prices slowly coming down, a new deck or pergola design could become a reality. Here are some things to consider...

The challenges and opportunities in commercial real estate

There have been a lot of questions about the state of the commercial real estate industry in the last two years. With more people working from home offices and retail storefronts closed to the public, the industry is in a period of transition. Despite these obstacles, there’s good reason to remain optimistic about the future of commercial real estate. Let’s take a look at some of the challenges and opportunities in today’s industry. First, some...

The Bank of Canada’s Monetary Policy Report and its impact on you

The Bank of Canada (BoC) released its latest Monetary Policy Report (MPR) last week, and the outlook is optimistic. With the economy re-opening, vaccinations on the rise, and supply chains finding relief from the bottleneck they’ve experienced, the future looks promising. What impact does the MPR have on you? What are the implications for mortgages? Let’s take a look at some areas of particular interest. Some general points While the economy may be starting to...

Are e-signatures in real estate transactions here to stay?

The pandemic has changed the way we do business. Between home offices and Zoom meetings, our daily engagements have felt a seismic shift. While some of these changes are temporary fixes, others could prove to be the new normal. If you’ve bought or sold a property in the last year, you’ll recognize some of these changes right away. From virtual open houses and appointment-only viewings to online meetings with banks and lawyers, you might question...

How have realtors adjusted to virtual buying and selling?

Now that there appears to be a (somewhat distant) end to the COVID-19 pandemic on the horizon, you can’t help but wonder about all the things that may have changed too much to go back to the old status quo. Sure: with enough time, our comfort with human contact and general proximity to other people will most likely revert to pre-pandemic levels–that’s pretty much a given. But other societal shifts such as remote working and...