Looking for House Insurance? Protecting your loved ones and belongings is part and parcel of purchasing a home. Doing your research and figuring out what you need and at a fair rate is important. Consider these tips..

Dont Procrastinate-Don't wait! As soon as you put an offer in on a house, start contacting insurance companies right away.

Know Your House- Understanding the age and quality of the roofing, plumbing and other aspects of your home are important to know so you can provide information to insurance agents and receive the most accurate rate for your home. 

Get At Least Three Quotes-  To determine which company will provide you with the best price for your needs search around and get a few quotes to determine who will offer you what covers your needs. 

Figure Out How Much Insurance You Need- The amount of insurance needed is not always based upon the market value of the house, there are things to consider such as the property value and evaluating how much it would cost to rebuild the structure (The cost to rebuild is generaly far below market value of the house).

Decide On A Deductable-  Insurance companies will generaly provide a lower premium if a higher percentage deductable is established. Deductables generaly range from 5 to10% and should an incident occur must be paid before insurance is claimable.

Prepare To Pay For Insurance You May Not Want-  Depending on where you live, you may need to purchase insurance that covers flooding, earthquakes, or any other potencial risks that can harm your home. Although you may be insured for something, policies in place can prevent you from claiming insurance for unintentionaly violating the agreement.  

Choose The Right Policy Option- Different policies protect against different liabilities. A home surrounded by liabilities (pool, trampoline,etc) may require what is known as "Umbrella Policies", usually a small increase in premium that will provide protective coverage should somebody be harmed on your property and decide to sue. 

Take Advantage Of All Applicable Discounts-  Discounts are available for a variety of reasons. Age, location, as well as how you're home is prepared for an incident are all ways to recieve discounts on your premium.

Update Your Policy Every Few Years-  Contact your agent every few years to update your policy. The value of your home may have fluctuated altering the amount of insurance needed, and incase disaster strikes you should always have an up to date policy that coordinates with your needs. 

For more details, check out the original article here. 

Image Source: JB Martin Law

This Sunday- May 4- we will be hosting an open house at

6486 140 St in Surrey from 2-4pm. 

Come by and view this beautiful home for yourself featuring:

5 Bedrooms & 2 Bathrooms on a spacious 13,000+ square foot lot

with a in- ground pool!

Click here for more listing details.

What are your plans for the weekend? We look forward to hosting this great garage sale on Saturday. We enjoy supporting the community we live in. We hope to see you there!

Having a lush, green lawn is a prized achievement for many homeowners. It also adds curb appeal and makes a good first impression when you're trying to sell your home. A well- tended lawn shows that you take the time to care for and maintain your property- helping put buyers more at ease as they continue their viewing.

Here are some lawncare tips to help keep your lawn green & healthy through the Spring & Summer

1. Water & mow in the morning or evening to avoid water waste & burning the grass

2. Make sure your grass gets an inch of water per week (most types need this much)

3. Maximize sprinkler coverage by postitioning properly; avoid spraying driveways, etc & wasting water  

4. Don't cut grass too short- longer grass= shade, which helps the roots retain water

For more great tips to help with pests, maintenance, & spot treatment, check out the full article by Homes.com.

Image Source: Home.com

Here's some good news for anyone looking to get into the market (or hoping to attract buyers): The Bank of Canada recently announced that it will be holding interest rates at 1%. For buyers this means that mortgages will be affordable with lower lending rates; for sellers it means that there will be more buyers in the market looking at properties. A win- win for everyone.

For more information, check out the full article on the CREA website here. 

Image Source: http://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2F3things.org.au%2Fblog%2Fstory%2F17633&h=0&w=0&tbnid=pVWtdYZL_51w9M&zoom=1&q=piggy%20bank&tbnh=183&tbnw=275&docid=gQV0URRXNYPVgM&tbm=isch&ei=y3VdU47oDuTeyQGLmIDACw&ved=0CAUQsCUoAQ

It's that time of the year to get outside and do some outdoor TLC. As we head into the weekend, here are some Spring Maintenance Tips from HGTV:

- Inspect brickwork & stucco

- Replace & repaint siding

- Clean gutters & downspouts

- Inspect your roof & attic

- Inspect your air conditioning system

For more tips & advice, check out the original articel from HGTV here.

Image Source: http://dailymom.com/nest/homeowners-maintenance-checklist-spring-edition/

We're excited to be hosting this great event this Saturday. Hope to see you there!

Fresh herbs are wonderful to cook with. They're also a great way to add fragrant foliage throughout your garden or potted on a patio or terrace. The great thing is you don't need a lot of space to plant & enjoy herbs; they're also fairly low maintenance. If you've been looking for an attractive, space- saving herb garden, here's a DIY from Martha Stewart just in time to get your herbs planted this Spring.

For materials & instructions, click here.

Image Source: http://www.bonbonbreak.com/stacked-herb-garden/

Spring is officially here and with it, the busy season in the real estate market. If you're considering buying or selling it's always a good idea to know how the market is fairing.

The Fraser Valley market is doing well with detached home & townhouse sales up over the same time last year & condo prices remaining competitive given the amount of inventory available. To get the most recent market information & to read the full article from the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board, click here.

So you've made the decision to sell. And by now you've probably heard about staging your home- declutter, clean, & de- personalize... But have you considered the little touches to showcase what makes your house a home? In addition to keeping your house clean & show- ready, make sure you showcase the merits of how warm & cozy your house can be. Help potential buyers not only see how beautiful of a house you have, provide them with visual cues to help them envision what it would be like to live there. 

Since we are well into Spring and have the Easter long weekend to look forward to, consider how you can further set your house apart from the competition: Bring some seasonal touches into your home.

Some inexpensive suggestions:

- Vases of bulbs, such as tulips, daffodils, & hyacinths make beautiful arrangements and help bring the outside in

- Consider your colour pallette: use accents such as pillows, candles, & other accessories to freshen the look of your home

- Set your kitchen and/ or dining room table as if it were ready for entertaining company; help potential buyers feel like they've been invited into your home as guests

- Arrange some inexpensive planters of annuals by your entryway, front door, etc to make a good first impression and add a splash of colour & curb appeal

- Add special touches such as fresh Spring flowers, candles, and accent towels in bathrooms to give them a spa- like feel

- Remove any decor & accessories that are heavy and/ or reminicscent of Winter; think fresh & bright

Image Source: http://www.stonegableblog.com/2011/03/daffodil-table.html

Can you believe it's already Easter? Where does the time go? With the warm weather & light nights back, why not enjoy this twist on the classic S'more- just in time for Easter.

Simply replace a regular marshmallow with a cheerful Peep. It's also a great way to help use up all of the chocolate that's sure to be lying around after the Easter Bunny has visited.

From Team Steeves, we hope you & your family have a wonderful Easter weekend.

Image Source: http://travelhome.com/

Buying a home is likely the most expensive purchase you'll make. While a mortgage is inevitable, there are a variety of ways you can pay your down faster, thus saving money in the long term. Here are 3 ways you can pay down your mortgage early from RIS Media:

BIMONTHLY PAYMENT PLANS

Monthly payments are split in two equal amounts; the additional payment mid- month reduces the balance owing for the following month, thus decreasing the interest paid (since the interest paid is calculated based on what is owed on the principal, reducing the principal results in less interest paid over the long- run)

BIWEEKLY PAYMENT PLANS

Payments are made every two weeks, each equal to half the monthly total. This results in 26 annual payments instead of 24, significantly shortening the length of the term. However, there are no intra- monthly interest savings as found with the bimonthly option.

ROLL YOUR OWN EXTRA PAYMENT PLANS

Based on what you can afford financially, make additional payments within the guidelines of your mortgage. You can increase your incremental payments, or make lump- sum deposits to reduce your mortgage faster. This is a flexible option to consider when you have put extra cash aside.

For more details & info, view original article here.

Original post: Alternative Ways to Pay Off Your Mortgage Early

By Jack Guttentag 

Image Source: http://rismedia.com/2014-04-05/alternative-ways-to-pay-off-your-mortgage-early/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+RismediaConsumerNewsAndAdvice+%28RISMedia+»+Consumer+News+and+Advice%29