Month: October 2011

How to Compost

Make your Backyard Greener

Composting is an easy, inexpensive way to ensure your planting soil is getting the nutrients it needs. Compost and leave and grass mulches improve soil texture, prevent erosion, better hold moisture and encourage healthy plant growth. A healthy yard often means a healthy home – less opportunities for water to seep in through the foundation or stagnate in areas where it could lead to rot.

How to compost is simple. Your local municipality or town site should provide compost bins for a subsidized fee – about $35 for a new bin. If not, they will be available at most home hardware shops or you may locate a gently used one on a sell site such as kijiji. Alternatively, you may wish to craft your own Continue reading “How to Compost”

Calgarians Rank City Housing C+, Neighbourhoods B-

Recent Survey Finds Vast Majority of Calgarians are Happy – and Satisfied with Financial Well Being

The Calgary Foundation released its 2011 Vital Signs this week, an ‘annual community checkup that measures the vitality of the community, identifies significant trends, and assigns grades in 12 areas critical to quality of life.’

According to the 2011 report, Calgarians graded most issues the same or as slightly improved over last year. Safety, arts and culture, learning, and work all received B grades; citizen engagement, health and wellness, financial well being and neighbourhoods B-; getting around took a C; and housing, aging population and environmental sustainability garnered a C+.

Despite these rather average grades, an overwhelming 91% of participants described themselves as happy Continue reading “Calgarians Rank City Housing C+, Neighbourhoods B-“

Four Year Fixed Rates Down 40 Basis Points

Low ratesMagnifying glass

As of Monday the best mortgage rate available on a four-year term came down 0.40% to dip under prime rate and station at 2.99%. This was the first mortgage rate change to be seen at CanEquity since the second week of September, wherein the best variable rate available rose 0.20%, while the two-year fixed rate, the three-year fixed rate and the five-year fixed rate saw declines of 10 to 50 basis points (0.10-0.50%).

A qualified mortgage broker can help you deduce if the financing you are requesting to attain is indeed fitted to your budget.

The next interest rate announcement will be made by the Bank of Canada on October 25, and on October 26 the fall Monetary Policy Report will be issued.

Home Energy Audits: Government Rebates to Fix up your Home

It’s a win-win situation: renovate your home, improve energy efficiency, lower your monthly bills and get up to $5,000 back in an ecoENERGY grant to pay for a portion of it. That’s exactly what the Government of Canada is offering through the ecoENERGY Home Retrofit Program, which was extended June, 6 2011.

In order to qualify for rebates, homeowners must contact a local energy advisor to book their home energy audit. These can be found by calling Service Canada (1-800-622-6232) or conducting a quick Internet search for energy auditors in your area. HomePerformance, for instance, provides energy audits in British Columbia and Ontario while Alberta Energy Audit provides eco-energy evaluations for both residential and commercial properties located in Calgary.

Continue reading “Home Energy Audits: Government Rebates to Fix up your Home”