Source: RE/MAX Newsletter

After years of careful planning, searching, and saving to buy a home, it’s normal to take pride in your home. However, that doesn’t mean you plan to stay in the same place forever, and you can’t control who your neighbors are and whether or not they maintain their home. If you’re getting ready to list your home and the condition of your neighbor’s home is negatively impacting your own home value, here are some steps you can take.

Talk to your neighbors.

Your neighbor may want to improve their home’s exterior but may not have the time, tools, or know-how necessary to accomplish their tasks. Consider offering your neighbor your lawn mower, ladder, or some of your time to help them.

Consult your HOA.

If your neighborhood has a homeowners association, there are most likely covenants and restrictions which dictate acceptable standards for the exterior of your neighbor’s home. If you suspect your neighbor is in violation of these standards and don’t want to be the person to alert them, notify your HOA.

Speak to housing code enforcement.

Even if your neighborhood doesn’t have a HOA, if your neighbor has an overgrown lawn or abundant yard debris, they may be violating local housing codes. Contact housing code enforcement to see what guidelines are being abused and what steps can be taken to address problems with your neighbor’s house/yard.

Selling your home when you live next to difficult neighbors can add to an already stressful process. However, the final results will be worth it. Once you’re ready to start looking for your next home, I can help you identify bad-neighbor warning signs to help you avoid a similar situation in the future.

Source: https://www.remonline.com/why-everyone-should-have-a-will/

Scene one: After you die, if you’ve done everything right, your family will sit around the living room looking at pictures and talk about love and family.

Scene two: Your family will gather in a court room to battle it out over their inheritance.

Which scenario? The choice is yours, says lawyer Les Kotzer of Fish & Associates of Toronto. (He provides the following information based on Ontario law. Because laws vary from province to province, he recommends speaking to a wills and estate lawyer in your jurisdiction.)

Kotzer, a wills lawyer since 1989, has seen it all and says he knows how to avoid the family fight. There are lots of points to consider. Even parents who divide their assets equally between their heirs can be unintentionally setting the scene for sibling spats.

Drafting a will that divides assets equally sounds good, but if you have given more money to one child in your lifetime (such as help with university, a wedding or purchase of a house) it may be seen as unfair because one child has already received more than their sibling or siblings. Or if one child was the caregiver, giving up their life to look after a parent, is it right that the siblings who never helped out get the same amount, Kotzer asks.

And if that child/caregiver lives in the house but it’s left to be divided between three children, if two want to sell, the caregiver may be left without a place to live.

“Don’t assume the kids will work it out,” he says. “You decide. And don’t assume goodwill.”

Assumptions can create trouble. Don’t, for example, assume your eldest child should be the executor. If there are two children, make both executors and they will have to work together. If there are three executors, majority rules.

Personal items, such as jewelry, can also ignite fights. Kotzer says he and associate Barry Fish returned to their office one day to find a woman in their parking lot. “She was waving around a crystal vase and screaming that the vase belonged to her and not the estate because she bought it,” Kotzer says. When he and Fish, who were handling the estate, explained that it was part of the estate because it wasn’t specifically listed in the will, she smashed it so no one could have it.

The best way to avoid such problems is to “give personal effects in your lifetime,” he says. You could list specific items in the will, but there is even danger in doing that.

Kotzer says it’s best not to include a list of items in a will. “If your will says you leave your house on Yonge Street to your son Bill, but your will was not updated when that house was sold and a new one purchased, Bill won’t get anything because you no longer own the Yonge Street house” and the will didn’t provide for him to inherit the new house, Kotzer says.

If something is listed in the will but is no longer owned, that person will get nothing.

Here’s another Kotzer tip: it’s best not to make your children partners in an asset like a cottage or second house.

One woman left her Arizona condo equally to her two children. Kotzer says one was a slob and one was a neat freak. After many arguments, the neat freak got fed up and threw out the slob’s possessions. The slob then tossed out his neat sibling’s belongings. “It was a war zone,” he says, adding that this situation often arises when the family cottage is left to share. One may not want to pay for repairs.

Another important consideration when it comes to wills is assets that have named beneficiaries, for example life insurance policies or RRSPs. “The bank overrides the will,” Kotzer says. So if one child is listed as a beneficiary, that is who will get the asset. Because it’s not part of the will, that beneficiary is not required to share.

“Seeds of destruction are planted by the parents if they leave it up to one to share with the other,” he says.

When it comes to second marriages, even more care needs to be taken to have a proper will drawn up. “Second marriages are a potential landmine,” Kotzer says.

Marriage revokes a will, so when you get married, get a new will to ensure your assets, and those of your heirs, will be divided as intended. You don’t want your second spouse to cut out the children from your first marriage, for example.

Another way to protect your adult children is to include a family law clause in case they get separated or divorced. This will ensure that a son-in-law or daughter-in-law will not benefit from what you leave your children.

Keep your will up to date. If you prepared your will when your children were young and they’re now adults, you may want to make them executors.

A basic will can cost between $500 to $1,000, which may seem expensive. But it’s worthwhile to have it done by a professional to avoid legal problems and family feuds after your passing. “A will is a living and breathing document,” Kotzer says. It needs to be updated when family situations change (such as a birth of subsequent children and grandchildren, when the children are grown, change in marital status or death). And having no will means the government steps in and makes decisions on your behalf.

A will is also of utmost importance for parents of young children because wills include guardians. Should you and your spouse die, having a named guardian will avoid fights between grandparents or others for custody of your children.

It’s also best to name your blood relative as guardian, not your relative and their spouse because if they were to get divorced, there may be a custody battle.

Everyone, regardless of age or marital status, needs a will in order to ensure their assets go to the people they choose. Without a will, the government has rules about who gets what.

Source: https://www.real estate professional.ca/blog/postpage/10978/1363/top-considerations-when-putting-an-exercise-room-in-your-home

As we approach the New Year, it’s as good a time as any to start making positive lifestyle changes and more health-conscious choices. It’s a time when well-intentioned people flood the nearest gym, fully intending to commit to a healthier routine year-round, only to abandon their fitness goals by Easter.

What better way to kick your fitness regime into high gear than from the comfort of your home? With an at-home gym, you never have to pack a bag, there’s no need to account for travel time and, best of all, you can blast your music sans headphones! Instead of looking up gyms and fitness centres nearest you, claim some space in your own home to dedicate to health and exercise. 

So you’re motivated. But where do you start? 

Amanda Hamilton, an internationally-known interior designer based in Calgary, Alberta, says most of the time, people automatically think of putting exercise rooms in basements but that may not be the wisest decision. Basement rooms can often be unattractive, they get the least amount of light and they’re sort of depressing spaces to go into. Plus, when something is out of sight, it’s also out of mind. 

“For most people it’s a matter of convenience. We’re all very busy. If you create a gym in your home and it’s in front of you all the time, it’s going to be easier for you to use the equipment and you’re going to build better habits,” says Hamilton.

When designing and building your home gym, the possibilities are endless but there are a few things to keep in mind.

Layout

The first thing to consider is the layout of the room. Ask yourself what type of equipment you are going to have and how it will be placed in the room for efficiency sake, as well as ease of movement (for example, an elliptical machine might not work in a room with a low ceiling). It’s also common for people to centre their equipment around a television so they can pass time while they are sweating it out, so you’ll want to consider your options for placement of electronics relative to equipment.

Flooring

Flooring is an equally-important consideration. The wrong flooring can lead to injuries like slips and falls and even cause chronic joint pain. The right flooring, on the other hand, can help increase stability, reduce body impact and reduce the noise escaping your workout space. From rubber and foam to artificial turf, there are a number of flooring surfaces that will make your gym more fitness-friendly.

“We generally try to use an actual rubber gym flooring, especially if people are doing weights. If they’re dropping weights, a rubber floor helps prevent some of the noise and it can also help protect your floor from damage,” says Hamilton.

Lighting

Training in a brightly-lit environment is a game changer! Nothing beats natural light, but sometimes there’s not enough to go around. If natural light is limited, use LED lighting when possible as it’s often the most cost effective and can come close to replicating actual sunlight. Mirrors are not only helpful for providing feedback on your form during exercises, but they can help make a space appear larger (and brighter) than it actually is.

Storage

An essential component of any at-home gym is storage. Using a pegboard to hang resistance bands, jump ropes and ear phones not only keeps them off the ground and out of the way, but it also keeps them from tangling (“I love untangling knots,” said no one ever). Heavier items such as kettlebells and weights can be stowed away on a rack, in cubbies or an ottoman, which can also double as a workout bench. 

Power 

No gym is complete without a power source. It is recommended to have your cardio machines and other workout gear plugged directly into the wall outlet or surge protector and not run through extension cords.

Budget

Getting into shape doesn’t have to mean spending a lot of money. Knowing your workout goals can help you budget both your money and your space. Gym equipment can range from affordable to thousands of dollars. To keep costs low, start by purchasing a few of the basics: a flat bench, yoga mat, free weights, jump rope, kettlebells and resistance bands – and then add new items one at a time. Before opting to go with new equipment, consider scouring garage sales and secondhand shops or sites, first. Sometimes you can find great deals and equipment that’s barely been used.

Tunes

An efficient and invigorating workout needs a great soundtrack. While you can get your groove on using your smartphone and headphones, consider investing in portable or smart solutions you can bring with you to your gym when you need them.