Posts from October 2014

For many this Halloween holiday season will be their first in a house. With sales rates at an all time high this summer, many buyers made the leap from condo or apartment to a home of their own. This means the opportunity to participate in the festivities by decorating, party hosting, or the time honoured tradition of handing out candy.

For seasoned veterens with a backlog of decorations this task may not loom so large on the horizon, but it can be daunting for the rookies with no idea where to start. These links to the cutest and kitschiest party and decorating tips will leave you with a spooktacular house this Halloween without haunting your bank account:

1. Ping Pong Ball Ghost Lights 

This is seriously easy and inexpensive. Ping Pong balls sell for $3 at Canadian Tire. And you probably already have Christmas lights and a sharpie lying around somewhere right?

2. Severed Finger Party Invitation

Gory, yet strangely artistic, Martha Stewart would never lead you astray. This simple project will make everyone want to RSVP to your holiday event.

3. Haunted House Silhouettes

One of the easiest, and most inexpensive ways to haunt up your house with no artistic skill required! Additionally, this website provides more scary and unique free printable silhouettes to add to this project!

4. Crisp Candy-Corn Treats

This recipe is a win-win. Let’s face it, nobody really likes candy corn, so why not make it into a delicious childhood favourite.

5. Wall Spiderweb

As the instructions insist, all TWO items for this project can be bought at the dollar store, but you would never guess this adorable decor was made on a budget.

666. Glowing Eyes

If you’ve been earth conscious this year and saved up all your old cardboard paper rolls this project can be done in a snap.

7. Bloody Shirley Temples

This party cocktail is simple to make, provides the sugar rush that Halloween is all about, and is alcohol-free for the kiddies.

There’s still time to start looking for a home before the mini-monsters come knocking, CLICK HERE to look for available properties in the area of your choice!

It is a common expectation for real estate sales to boom in the spring and summer and to then see buyers and sellers retreat for the autumn and winter months. Though certain years have proven to this to be occasionally true, September sales figures show the Edmonton region remaining very strong as it enters the fall season. According to REALTORS® Association of Edmonton president Greg Steele:

“There is a false idea out there that people only buy houses in the spring and summer. People buy and sell their houses when the time is right for them. Consulting with your local REALTOR® is the best way to see if the time is right for you.”

Expectations should remain high as we move towards the winter sales season. There is no reason to believe the economy within the industry will weaken anytime soon, based on recent statistics provided by the EREB. Averages appear to have remained the same, or even increased in some circumstances. Days on market have remained stable (at 49 days on average) carrying over from August to September, while prices, listings, and sales are all up when compared with September of last year.

For pricing details, click the following sales chart to expand:

Changes in the price of various residence styles showed negligible differences, with single family dwellings dropping a mere 0.4%, while duplex and row houses increased 0.3%. Sales of single family dwellings increased from August to September showing almost a 5% increase in total number sold.

Out of 2291 residences listed over the month, 1568 of those were reported sold. Steele commented that “we normally see a decrease in sales and average price when fall arrives. The strong market we saw in August continued on into September with surprisingly little to no changes in prices.”

Into our fall season interested buyers are continuing to snap up houses as quickly as they are listed while sellers continue to list their homes in record numbers. Click Here to view recent listings in your neighbourhood, or find an agent to help sell your home this October.