Here is an interesting article from HouseLogic.com on the value of maintaining your home:

If you think home maintenance is an unavoidable series of weekend-eating chores, remember the age-old advice of Benjamin Franklin: "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." The fact is, proactive maintenance is essential to preserving the value of your home-without it, your home could lose 10% of its value. Regular, routine maintenance enhances curb appeal, ensures safety, and prevents neglected upkeep from turning into costly major repairs.

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Getting your home ready for sale can take anywhere from one to six months, depending on the condition, age of the house and how long you've lived there.

So before you list your house, go over the property to determine what needs to be repaired or possibly replaced. Make a list of both major and minor jobs. Tackle big projects first.

It's tempting to wait until the home inspection and offer to adjust the price in lieu of repairs, but doing so may put the entire sale in jeopardy and may ultimately cost more. Buyers generally tack on extra dollars to any estimate. Most importantly, a major repair left undone creates the impression that the house has not been maintained.

So here is a timeline to help you prepare your home for sale:

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When you decide to renovate or upgrade we always suggest that you get at least three estimates from trusted professionals before you hire someone to complete work on your behalf. However, if you would like a "ball park" estimate of the cost to complete a project, this may be the tool you are looking for...

This tool, provided  by Pillar to Post Home Inspection, provides a list of the estimated costs to upgrade or replace the major systems and components in a typical home. It also provides a general guideline for the life-expectancies of those systems.

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This video provided by LOWES will provide you with useful information on how to choose and use a fire extinguisher.

A fire extinguisher can save lives and property, but you have to use it properly. When used properly, a fire extinguisher can keep small fires from becoming big ones.

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Cozy and comfortable, nautical style, subtle, serene, sporty, vibrant or just plain fun! Update your children's bedrooms with style but not a whole lot of expense. Here are some great suggestions provided by HGTV.com

Get lots of good ideas here!

Here are some items to consider to better winterize your home in this video from Lou Manfredini and Marvin.com

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Wouldn't it be great to know just how must impact a basement renovation will have on the market value of your home? Wouldn't it be great if we could supply some definitive figures here on our blog to tell you just that?

Unfortunately, definitive figures are pretty much impossible to calculate. Every home is different and every buyer's needs are different.

However, we took a quick and dirty look at some MLS® figures to see if we could find anything interesting...

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Here are the first ten items from the 100 ways to conserve energy list on the Count Me in Ontario website.

Consider them conservation inspiration!

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This "Two Minute Expert" video from This Old House maps out the pros, the cons, and what to expect from buying a fixer upper.

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Learn five easy upgrades that should help raise the value of your home in this video from This Old House

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A 360-Degree Farmhouse Makeover from This Old House

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