LeRoy Wolf's blog

As the seasons shift and cooler weather arrives, now is the perfect time to give your home a little attention before winter sets in. A few simple steps now can save time, money and headaches later.

First, inside your home test smoke and carbon monoxide detectors to make sure they’re working. This should be done at least twice a year, so now is a great time to test them out and replace the batteries if needed.

Next, check for drafts around windows and doors. Even small gaps can drive up heating bills. Weatherstripping and caulking are inexpensive fixes that help keep warm air in and cold...

Purchasing a home, whether for the first time or the tenth, is a complex and often intimidating experience. There is the large financial commitment of course, but there is also interaction with various professionals including (but not limited to) REALTORS®, lawyers, home inspectors, bankers and others. As with any profession, real estate has its own distinctive vocabulary and terminology which can seem mysterious to the uninitiated. To help dispel some myths, here are a few core terms used when buying or selling a home.

 ·         Closing date: As expected this simply means the date on...

Like some multi-talented actor or athlete, someone who can do just about anything and do it well, Douglas fir is considered one of the finest, most adaptive building materials on the market today. With two known species, coastal and interior, Douglas fir is a type of coniferous softwood that has found a place in all aspects of residential and commercial construction.

Durable, rot resistant, flexible and having an excellent strength to weight ratio, Douglas fir is widely used in framing and as a structural timber – but is just as commonly used in the manufacture of decorative doors and...

When looking for a new home you should always consider the neighbourhood it’s located in; after all you’re going to be living there a long time. The thing to remember is that your home does not exist in isolation, and neither do you. What style of home do you like? What needs must be satisfied for you to be happy? Where do you see yourself in the future? These and countless other questions need to be asked before settling on the right home and area for you.

Your present situation will help to determine the home you finally settle on. If you’re single, part of a young couple, a growing...

Unless you’re independently wealthy, buying a home will require the use of a mortgage – a financial instrument used by banks that is defined as:

“A legal agreement by which a bank or other creditor lends money at interest in exchange for taking title of the debtor’s property, with the condition that the conveyance of title becomes void upon the payment of the debt.” (Oxford)

With a payback calendar that typically takes years if not decades, a mortgage is the usual way of purchasing real property. The key to buying a home is to determine beforehand how much you can spend. This is...

Finding the ‘right’ property for you and your loved ones isn’t something you can do without a lot of thought. Today, while you’re still saving for your down-payment, look at your present situation and think about where you want to be in the future. Try to envision the type of life you want to be living in five or ten years. Let that vision guide you while you’re considering the type of home you ultimately will want to buy.

Are you the sort of person who must be part of the action? Then a stand-alone house in a distant subdivision might not be the best option. For you a city center...

A tree is a beautiful thing and adding one or several to a property can transform its charm and character dramatically. But taking that step also requires some careful thought, especially when it comes to available space, location, and clean up. Unlike with most plants a tree isn’t just for one season – a tree becomes a permanent part of your personal landscape

Planting: Unless planting a sapling, most trees will come from the nursery partially grown with its root ball wrapped in material of some sort. Do some research before you plant to learn how big your tree of choice will grow and if...

In the 21st Century, the concept of a ‘home’ can take on many different forms. One of the least understood, but likely most affordable and easiest to build is the modular home. But what exactly is a modular home?

Sometimes incorrectly thought of as a mobile home or trailer, a modular home is a permanent structure offering all the amenities and benefits of a traditionally constructed single-family home but one that has been built in a factory-like setting. In essence, a prefabricated dwelling, the various components of the structure are typically loaded onto trucks and are transported...

If you’ve spent any time at all exploring the intricate world of real estate sales then you’ve no doubt heard the phrase FSBO. An acronym for the term “For Sale By Owner” – a FSBO simply means a home being sold by the person currently owning it, without the aid of a real estate sales professional.

But why would someone engage in what is likely the largest sale of their lifetime without the support and knowledge of professionals? Often the key motivator is money, namely saving themselves from paying a sales commission.

But does any perceived cost-saving benefit the seller in the long run?...

Whether for the first time or the tenth, buying a home is a complex and often confusing undertaking. It involves a huge, long-term investment. It commits the purchaser to an acquisition with a value that might rise or fall dramatically depending on the local marketplace, and it requires significant legal entanglements. So before signing on the proverbial dotted line make certain the property you settle on is the right one for you today and tomorrow.

The best way to stave off potential problems is to ask questions of your REALTOR® and any other professionals involved with the purchase...