Contractors can Save You Money

So how can Contractors save you money?

1. They have the knowledge
As it is their job, they are working day in and day out on home projects just like yours. They’ve seen the issues and challenges you will likely face in completing your bathroom renovation and understand how to overcome them. Through their years experience, they’ve made costly mistakes that have taught them real lessons. They plan for the pitfalls that cost so many do-it-yourselfers the savings they were trying to achieve.

2. They have the resources
Contractors don’t have to rent the tools and equipment needed for a job because they already own them. They know where to buy the right materials for your job, and if they don’t have the answer, they have a network of renovation professionals to consult for advice.

3. They save you time so you can earn a living
While you’re busy working and bringing in a paycheck a good bathroom contractor can get the job done for you. Instead of taking costly vacation days to paint, fix, and build, you can sit back and have your bathroom completed while you do what you do best.

The right contractor can save you more then just your money. It can help take the stress away from a bathroom renovation. By allowing a certified professional to shoulder the responsibility of a successfully completed renovation project, you are able to concentrate on the things you do best without the worry. As a former Home Depot employee, I can tell you a thousand stories of people who get into a do-it-yourself project, only to find themselves in way over their heads - AND QUICK! The costs add up when you’re doing everything yourself. A good contractor or project manager can help you minimize costly mistakes and have you enjoying your new bathroom in no time flat!

Eureka Moment! You Control Your Future

1. Do the Math
If a $500,000 mortgage seems like a lot to you then you’re like the 90% of us who don’t make $250,000 a year or more. Regardless of the enticing interest rate, calculate how long it will actually take to pay off your investment. If you’re making $30,000 a year, it’s likely that a $500,000 mortgage will never be something for your consideration. It’s just not a good decision!

2. Read the Fine Print
Yes, your mortgage contract is long, boring and really difficult to read. But some things worth doing are hard to do. You don’t want to get stuck with additional payments, extra fees, or unannounced rate hikes (and consequent increases in payments), so read your contract and understand what you’re signing.

3. Get Advice from Qualified Advisors
Lawyers, accountants, and financial advisors are there for a reason - they help people like you make big important decisions at a less than earth shattering cost to you. The advice of a pricey lawyer can save you thousands while lowering your personal liabilities. Some advisors are free, while others pay a consultation fee. Find the one that works for your budget and take the advice. Whatever you spend will likely save you much more in the long run.

4. Ignore the Heart
Some people truly believe in love at first sight when they find the home of their dreams. Many more find themselves convincing their partners to stretch the budget and get this one because it’s perfect and just for them. Problem: the heart doesn’t pay the bills, you do. Does taking on an extra job and reducing small daily luxuries really make it worth having an extra 500 square feet or a luxury hot tub? Some say yes, but think about what the added costs means to your lifestyle as a whole rather than squeezing out the extra pennies for just one purchase.

5. Beware the No Payment Promise
When furnishing your home, you need to know where to draw the line. I’ve known countless people who start off their first month in a new home by buying all brand new furniture, paint, and accessories for their home. Again, all good things! But if you’re financing it on a no payment, no interest plan for 18 months while you figure out how to actually afford it, you’re digging your financial grave.

Ultimately buying a home can be a lot of fun and excitement for most of us. It’s when the bills come in that it becomes a reality. Making the right purchasing decision for you and your wallet will ensure a happy home buying (and home living) experience. Choose wisely by thinking things through, reading the fineprint, and recognizing the difference between wants and needs. In the end it’s not just about where you live, but how you live that will make you happy.

Jeff and the rest of the Habidoo Team were so excited that Habidoo is live and that homeowners can now post your home projects online and get help from local contractors, realtors, and much more! We’re really looking forward to helping homeowners and professionals connect with the Habidoo community. Best of luck!

How to Edit Your Professional Profile

In this video, you’ll learn:

1. How to add your professional description, services and contact information

2. How to upload and crop your display picture

3. How to add your company’s logo

4. Some quick tips on how to get found on Habidoo Search Results

Save Money with Federal Tax Credits

How The Federal Tax Credit Saves You Money

Great time of year for a homebuyers’ stimulus package! With spring coming (real estate hot season), and financial incentives to boot, this should be a pretty good season for the real estate industry. Homeowners who have cowered in fear over the current Recession can rest a little easier knowing that the end is in sight. While incentive plans only slow, rather than stop steep housing value declines and marginally improve consumer spending, they definitely prove that our governments have decided to do something about the mess we’re in.

Unfamiliar with what a “Stimulus Package” can do for you?

Well, first of all, it means the things you want will cost less. With tax incentives, like Obama’s $8,000 Home Buyers Tax Credit, and Stephen Harper’s Home Renovation Tax Credit put the money back in your pocket when making big purchases for your home. By spending the money on buying or renovating your home, you’re essentially paying for it with pre-tax dollars.

If you’ve ever visited a good accountant, she’ll tell you that spending pre-tax dollars is even better than sliced bread! Pre-tax means that you spend the money that is normally taken by the government in your payroll deductions. It means that at the end of the year, your tax refund check will be much larger than usual if you choose to spend your hard earned money on home improvements (in Canada) or home purchases (in the U.S.).

What are other benefits?

Since you’re actually living in these hard times, it’s likely that you know someone who has been laid off recently. Not only does it harm their family, but layoffs as a whole negatively affect the standard of living for all citizens. By making large purchases, like buying a home, we create more jobs and more opportunities in the industries that have crumbled as a result of economic hardships.

The real estate and auto industries are what provide the backbone of our economy. With real estate values slumping and auto sales nearly disappearing, much of the cash generated from these industries no longer filters back into the public, thereby increasing the cost of living, and reducing the need for employees. By purchasing or renovating a home, you put the cash back into places that keep our economy going. So by remodeling your bathroom, you’re actually doing your part to move our economy out of this Recession.

The Bottom Line

Whether you read the news or not, you’ve noticed something’s not quite right lately. The doom and gloom is in the air and frankly we’re getting sick of it. Using tax incentives to encourage big purchases is our governments’ version of a life line. We only benefit from taking these incentives and profiting from the value they provide.

Ask yourself this, “Is your money really better off in the tax man’s hands?” Or could you see yourself finally improving the upstairs bathroom courtesy of the federal government?

Social Media provides Real Advice and Inspiration

In an industry as traditional as Home Renovations and Improvements, it’s surprising how much social media plays a part in the planning and design phase of your home projects. When deciding on what counter-tops to buy, or what kitchen cabinets are in style, Google tends to get used quite a bit. But now that we have new technology like Habidoo.com, homeowners can find all the inspiration and advice they need right from one website.

So what is Social Media?

It is the easy technology people use to share information online. People have always loved to share their newly renovated basement with their friends and family via pictures and personal visits. New technology allows them to share with their extended personal network through Facebook, Flickr, and even Habidoo. Just take some before and after pictures, post them, and share the link with your Twitter followers and Facebook friends!

So why should you care?

Well, with all the pictures and stories you can find online, it’s easy to get inspiration for your next home project. Take a room you saw on HGTV last night? Look it up online the next day and save the picture. Read the stories of what the homeowner did and who they chose to complete the work.

No more having to drive to branded stores with commission based salespeople to get the quality information you need to start your next home project. Get real advice from real people, who share because they like doing so. Learn what works for you and what others have done by reviewing project photos, and reading references and reviews on home professionals.

The Bottom Line

The truth is that the advent of the Internet has provided us with access to a wide range of information, pictures, and advice. Social Media has taken this technology and expanded it to provide real value to those who don’t like searching a thousand websites to find an answer. If you like authentic information from real homeowners, join a social network, read and write comments, reviews, and the like. The more you’re involved, the better your home remodeling project will be.

Of course if you could get all the inspiration and advice you need to complete a successful home project right from your desk at home, why wouldn’t you?

I really am one of the most organized people you will ever run across. I actually like organizing, colour coding things and streamlining systems. Its not even a control thing, I swear! Its a convenience thing. The time I see people waste looking for things… my goodness, create a spot for it, put it in that spot… simple right?

Apparently not as I have observed.

Its not that people are lazy, un-intelligent or simply don’t care about organizing their homes. I really think that it is that they don’t know where to start. I am going to share with you some simple things that you can do to get started. This will cost little to no money. This is about keeping your life streamlined, clutter free and focused on making YOU more productive. It doesn’t have to be pretty, although that is an option if you are so inclined, it just has to WORK.

Ever heard this?: A place for everything and everything in its place. Sigh… genius words!! But if you don’t know where to put things… then they pile up. Stuff needs a HOME. If you have a complete lack of a filing system, its not wonder papers pile up! So this is what you need to do. Pick a “problem area” that you want to focus on. Lets say the computer area or home office. This might be a big project to start but don’t fret!

Look at the piles of stuff laying around.
What comprises these piles?
Lets say its: bills, bank statements, receipts, greeting cards, paper clips, pens, photos, craft supplies… etc.

Remember that the reason you have a random pile of things is that they don’t have a home, not that you are messy. So categorize the items in the piles. Paper is one pile, office supplies (pens, clips, printer ink, usb cords, etc) is another, craft supplies would be one, and there may even be misc things that don’t go in a home office (laundry, shoes, toys). So do you see what I mean? It depends on the stuff you have so create your own categories if you don’t like these.

We deal with “Paper” first.
F.A.T
F = File it
A = Act on it
T = toss it

Each piece of paper MUST fit into F, A, or T. Be ruthless!!

Buy a filing cabinet or small filing system, label each folder according to what you need to put in it. For example I have one for bank statements and credit card statements. One is for Insurance (any and all kinds), one for Warranties, etc. Once you have done this file all the paper in the “F” category into its proper category. Now put this away, either in the filing cabinet or on shelves designated for this use. If you are using shelves try to use ones close to the main desk so you will actually USE the filing system you created.

The “A” category requires that you keep this “in sight, in mind”. Its where currently due bills would go, or other time sensitive items, papers, etc. Those handy mini stacking shelves made of metal or plastic do the trick!! Keep them on top of the desk for easy access. Then once a bill is paid, FILE IT away.

Toss it is easy, recycle away!!

Now the office supplies.
If you use it often, keep it near you, if you use it seldom, keep it away yet accessible, if you never use it, WHY do you keep it?

My system is good so I will share what I do: I have one large yet somewhat shallow desk drawer. I pile everyday things according to type: notebooks with notebooks, clips with clips, pens with pens, etc. You can use drawer dividers to help keep things separate. If you want you can use a basket, old coffee mug or plant holder for holding pens on top of the desk if you like too.

My seldom used items are things like markers, extra printer ink, extra usb cords. I have a box for each of these things, they stack neatly together in my office cupboard. A great tip is using old shoe boxes or go to the dollar store, they have great stuff there! Always remember to keep things together though, like me and my cords: my usb cords, camera cord and charger, I Pod cord… all those go together so I know if I am looking for a cord of any kind, it is most likely there.

And Crafts? Scrapbooking supplies?

Easy. Again, buy a shoebox, photo box, whatever. Label what is in there and place neatly on a shelf. You will be extra motivated to work on these projects because the items are sorted and right there! How you choose to sort your art supplies is your choice of course, I would settle for you just keeping art supplies with all other art supplies in one place.

But if you want to get creative, use see through plastic containers for small items (ribbons, stamps, stickers). You can place these smaller containers within a larger box if you like or just on the shelf. If you decide to place on a shelf, label the shelf “Scrapbooking Supplies” in red ink, then label each small container or box in red ink. Then you know in a pinch where stuff goes, as does the rest of the family. Do gift wrapping supplies in blue ink, kids art stuff in green… etc.

Rogue Items!!

Now that all the important stuff is filed away, colour coded and boxed appropriately we have random items that don’t go in the office.

Get an empty laundry basket and fill it up with the stuff. Now visit each room of your home and take out everything from the basket that belongs in that room and put it away. Do not simply place it in the room, put it away. Do this until the basket is empty. Done!

Actually the laundry basket things works for all rooms, I do this on a regular basis. It allows me to carry lots of things at once. As I visit each room and put away items that belong there, I can pick up things that don’t and bring them to their rightful spot. The first time you do this it may be time intensive, but that is usually the hardest time.

These tips apply to all areas of the home: If the garage tool area is messy, the kitchen cupboards have no system or the kids play area is a disaster zone… apply my tried and true techniques and let me know how it goes!

Not because they found it less effective, or that they’ve discovered a better, free way to advertise. But because they’re worried about the economy and want to spend less money.

Smart marketers are increasing their spending at this time. They know that the clutter will be less and the adspace rates will be too!

Share Your Message, Be Heard

Use this economic downturn to solidify your company’s position in the minds of your customers. Expand your advertising and see a positive return on investment unattainable in recent years.

Take a chance and see how pleasant this environment can be for those companies with the resources to survive. Get more business through smart advertising with opportunities that previously were out of reach. Your customers will respond in kind!

So, I ask, is the sky falling in Canada? Will we have a repeat of the 80’s when mortgage rates rose so swiftly seemingly overnight that people were losing their homes in the blink of an eye? Will home values crash?

One of the more common themes in the media over the last few months is the progression of the mortgage meltdown debacle in the United States, the “economic crisis” and how that has parlayed into a Canadian recession that we have yet to feel the real brunt of here. Its a disconcerting thing to read all those reports isn’t it? Yet for every doomsday report on a National level, there is one detailing how Winnipeg’s housing market is still holding strong. I do not discount we are heading into financially trying times, however I think we are living in a unique city in that we seem to be “bucking the national trend” as media outlets have put it.

The most recent report released by Royal LePage echoes the one released by RE/MAX. The report suggests that Winnipeg is holding strong entering 2009. How is this possible some people ask? Well, Winnipeg’s home prices have risen dramatically over the last half decade or so, however comparing our statistics to those of other major city centres such as Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto we are still way below the national trend. This fact is helping us avoid a major crash in our market. What you can buy for $200k here, will most likely cost two to four times that in other major cities. So, what you can buy here in Winnipeg, with all the comforts, services and benefits of a major city, we are not doing too badly!

So this is my challenge to you home buyers and sellers on the Manitoba home front. Try to think critically about what facts the media is presenting to the public as a whole. Remember that a lot of those articles are spin offs from the associated press in other provinces, and are also often national reports that don’t focus on our unique situation here at home. Read the local reports, talk to local agents and brokers to see their thoughts on the market. Make up your own mind as to what is going to happen. We do not deny that we are facing economically trying times, that we will feel the squeeze eventually is inevitable.

Lastly, don’t put off buying a home if you can afford it. If you want or need to move, there is no sense letting anxiety take over; fearing that we will all be thrown out into the streets because of an impending recession will do nothing for your current quality of life and sanity. Are bidding wars over? Most likely. Is the market headed for a balance? I think so.

Here is to happy house hunting and selling for everyone! Cheers!

Let me pre-face by saying that I do not begrudge you your dreams, I want the amazing restored character home on the river with the re-done hardwoods and brand new kitchen too! While most savvy home-buyers make a wish list and stick to a budget, some buyers have a dangerous tendency to lean towards that mindset of having it all, whether they can afford it or not.

Often I find myself in the situation with a buyer who has fallen in love with a type of home or home “ideal” that they simply cannot afford. It happens! They are out for a Sunday stroll to the cafe and happen upon an open house featuring a restored brick beauty from 1920, or maybe they visit a friend who just built a brand new home full of light and space, or the chic warehouse condos on the waterfront. Some buyers can view these places as homes they will have one day, or simply wonderful pieces of art, architecture, and dreams. Then they can continue on with life and regular home hunting with positive gusto, never once comparing the home they can afford to the one they could not.

That is group one.

Now group two. Another story… Not that I don’t love the zest for life, and the visceral appreciation for amazingly beautiful homes that I get from this camp, but often a painful reality check is in the works for these wonderful home buyers. Its not an easy thing to do, convince someone that if their budget is $200 000, homes that would otherwise be worth more are simply not a viable option. Value is value, and while wiggle room can exist, its best not to count on it.

My advice for you: Don’t look at what your friends have, or what your parents think you should have, or the pretty house down the street that you really want but won’t work in your budget. Its a tempting thing to think you are willing to sacrifice Tim Horton’s coffee, football tickets and shopping trips just to have that brand new kitchen you are drooling over. But just stop!

Remembering what is truly important in life should be a daily venture, never living to regret something should be another one. So in this instance, appreciate beauty and dream homes for what they are, put owning one on your to do list for sure, but make sure to remember to live in the here and now. There is nothing wrong with just starting out somewhere, working your way up in the world.

Remember that owning a home that needs some work, or is not “perfect” is one of life’s adventures all on its own.