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Does your yard need some love? Maybe you want to make more use of it year-round, or add a few new features to transform it into something more functional or stylish, or perhaps entertain more? Whatever your goal, we’ve got some great tips for homeowners to upgrade your outdoor space. Not only will you gain more enjoyment, but you’ll increase your home’s value and impress potential buyers when it comes time to sell. To inspire you, these are a couple of our favourite upgrade ideas to get you started on your yard makeover when the time comes:

1. Improve your privacy

Tired of peering into your neighbour’s windows or having them watch your every move? Having some privacy can really improve your outdoor experience. Additionally, the bonus is that these options look great and offer much-needed shade too:

• Install a fence – the neighbours might even share the cost with you
• Plant small to medium-sized trees and flowering shrubs in layers throughout the yard
• Plant a hedge – just be sure it’s something you can maintain
• Use big, bold containers for large plants
• Add lattice – instead of a full fence, you could install panels and add climbing vines
• Put up outdoor curtains

2. Have a space for entertaining

This is where things can get really exciting! Depending on your space and your budget, there are endless opportunities! You can add a gorgeous outdoor room complete with TV, plush furniture, outdoor kitchen, dining area, wet bar, hot tub and more! If that’s not your style but you still love to entertain, start by installing a low deck or patio stones, an outdoor rug, table, and chairs. Add some lighting, then jazz it up with your own style and flair.

3. Amp up the fun

There are so many fun ways to get fresh air and exercise in your own yard while having a blast. Install a swing or climbing set, horseshoe pits, volleyball or badminton nets, an obstacle course, a slackline, sprinkler, sandbox and so on. Make it a space where kids and adults of all ages want to play. However, don’t forget to make sure you have great storage for all the toys and accessories. A swimming pool is also a great option and offers tons of enjoyment. Just make sure you understand the pros and cons of inground pools before ‘jumping in’.

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​A lot of people cringe at mortgage renewal time and think it’s a complicated, awkward process. However, when armed with a bit of time to research and shop around, renewal time doesn’t have to be difficult at all. It will also help make future renewals a piece of cake.

​When we arrange for our first mortgage, we agree to terms and rates that typically expire anywhere from 6 months to 5 or even 10 years. Sometimes there may be a drastic change in interest rates during that time. Other times there is very little or no change. However, mortgage renewal time is an important time to assess your current finances and ensure that your next mortgage is a truly great match. Renewals don’t have to be a headache, especially when you can save a lot of money on interest payments, consolidate debt, or pay down your mortgage more quickly.​

How renewals work​

Your lender or bank who holds your mortgage is responsible to notify you in writing within 30 days of its expiration, most often by means of a renewal form sent by mail. This renewal form or slip will outline your proposed new mortgage term and rate. Typically, all that’s required is for you to send it back signed and dated. Voilà, your mortgage has been renewed for another term. Easy, right? What many Canadians don’t know is that at renewal time, you can not only negotiate new mortgage terms and rates, you can also switch from your current bank, lender, or broker to another one if you so choose.​

Take time & get prepared​

A lot can change in our lives between one mortgage term to the next. Some examples are a new baby, new marriage, new job (or no job), and so on. The mortgage you signed 5 years ago may not work for you anymore. Thus, you wouldn’t want to renew without looking at options that will better suit your financial needs. However, when it comes to mortgage renewals, you can’t leave it until the last minute. The best time to start shopping around is 2-3 months before the renewal date. You can talk to a financial advisor, your current lender or other potential lenders. You can also do online research during this time. When you are doing this, be sure to ask questions related to…

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While it’s always advisable to update your will whenever there are major life changes that impact you or your family, it’s particularly essential when you get married, divorced, remarried or separated. In Ontario, there are strict laws around wills and asset distribution when it comes to marital status. Some of them you may be surprised to learn about. Let’s review a few key takeaways so you can be sure you have all the information and that you’ve carefully protected your family and assets when drawing up a new will.​

Marital status and the law​

Are you currently married, living common-law, separated or divorced? These different marital statuses matter more than you may think. With regards to your estate when you pass away, it can have a significant impact that may, or may not, benefit your loved ones.​

• Married

As soon as someone legally marries, it instantly revokes or cancels their current will; it’s as if it never existed. A new will should be drawn up whenever someone marries. If there is no will, the current, legal spouse is entitled to the estate. However, there are instances where a previous spouse can claim support or maintenance either with or without a will (also called ‘dying intestate’).​

• Divorced

In Ontario, your will isn’t canceled or revoked when you get divorced. However, any mentions or references in your will to your now ‘ex-spouse’ will be removed and they will not have access to your assets or estate. Further, if they were previously named executor or trustee, this too will be withdrawn. Everything else outlined in your will remains the same.  ​

• Separated

If you’ve separated from your legal spouse 10 days or 10 years ago, it still does not impact your will if you haven’t updated it since the separation. The courts still consider you legally married. As a result, your spouse is entitled to your estate unless otherwise stated in your will, even if you now live with someone else.

​Don’t have a will?

There are a couple of different scenarios if you pass without a will. The courts will appoint an executor to help manage your estate distribution. In some cases, they will also assign a trustee. Dying intestate is naturally a complicated, time-consuming, legal affair. It can also be quite costly and eat away at your estate in legal and other fees. Here’s what can happen:

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A picture is worth a thousand words…and may also be worth thousands of dollars if your home is professionally photographed when it goes on the market. Naturally, most people these days search for homes online. They browse through MLS listings and click away through every picture – even before reading about the property descriptions, so the photography quality matters. As all Realtors® know, when homes are professionally photographed, people take notice! There are a lot of things we can DIY when it comes to our homes. However, trying to get those listing photos done yourself shouldn’t be one of them. Let’s learn more about the benefits of going with the pros when putting your home, cottage or condo on the market: ​

1. Keep them looking​

When photos capture the warmth, lighting, depth or ambience of a space, we are inclined to keep looking. If they look dark, flat, grainy, blurry, off-centre or just too plain, we’ll move on; we aren’t emotionally invested. Buying a home is an emotional experience, so why not invest in revealing all that’s great about your property both inside and out? Remember, we only get one chance to make a great first impression.

​2. More expansive views​

The growing trend of offering 3D home tours, virtual tours and drone photography allows prospective buyers to see and feel the whole home experience. You actually feel like you’re walking through the front door and up the stairs yourself. Drone photography is great for capturing those impressive views, landscapes, and proximity to amenities such as waterfront, green spaces, schools, and so on.

​3. Capturing the details​

Professional photographers notice things we don’t and they have the high-tech equipment we don’t. They know about composition, focus, exposure, lighting, angles, balancing, distortion, horizon lines, HDR (High Dynamic Range), and wide angles, just to name a few, and the result is high quality photos that capture more of what’s awesome…and less of what isn’t.

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Imagine your surgeon telling you she did an “OK job” on the operation, or a contractor saying that the furnace installation is “good enough”. We’d all be pretty shocked and upset at the lack of effort for something so important. Yet, for many things in life, we tend to settle for ‘good enough’ far too often, particularly when it comes to our own efforts. What if…we made going the extra mile a new standard? What could we achieve, and how would it change our lives? In this month’s blog series, I’m going to go the extra mile to share and explore the ways we can put our best foot forward to not just do more, but be more.

​What it means

The phrase to go the extra mile actually has an ancient origin. In Christian scriptures, there’s a story of Roman soldiers having the authority to order Jewish civilians to carry their heavy gear for one Roman mile, but Jesus suggested they instead go two. Going the extra mile has since become less literal. It simply means to put forth more of an effort than is expected; to go above and beyond the minimum requirements.

Why it matters

Do you know that feeling of handing in a report or essay you know you didn’t work very hard on? Or, giving up on a diet or fitness commitment you only started yesterday? Yeah, that feeling. While we may make an excuse or two to feel better, we know deep down that we just didn’t try hard enough. Letting ourselves down can be equally or even more disappointing as letting others down. Additionally, it can eat away at our self-confidence and motivation over time.

We feel better about ourselves when we engage in doing things that we can give our best efforts to. Whether we’re going the extra mile at work, at home, with our relationships, health and fitness or within our communities, it boosts and inspires us to continue to try harder and reach new heights. When we don’t have any internal motivation to care about our efforts, it often means we don’t care about ourselves.

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In order to keep your business running like a well-oiled machine, one of the most important factors is keeping on top of your bookkeeping, remittances and business expenses. Keeping an organized record can help you to maintain a payment schedule and stay on budget. It can also help you to have everything in check when it comes time to file your income taxes. Let’s take a look at a few ways to keep on top of your bookkeeping to lower your tax season stresses.

Get Your Invoicing Down Pat

While everyone is specific to the way they organize information, the key is just that; organization! The most important factor is to find a way to organize that works for you personally. You should always be using a numbering, tracking and a filing system, whether digital or literal. It will help you keep all of your records in order and in place. This means everything will be ready to go when you need it. It can also help you keep track of your day to day business affairs, such as missed payments, payments owed, incoming cash etc.

Use Separate Business Accounts

In the fast-paced business world in which we live, it can be tempting to take the easy route and mix your personal accounts with your business accounts. This is a big no-no if you want to keep your business expense records clean and catalogued. Dividing your personal and business accounts can also prevent any confusion.  It especially helps when the risk of erroneous tax claims and their relative penalties could be on the line.

Keep Up To Date

Not only is it important to keep your bookkeeping organized, it is important to keep everything up to date. Much like you would with a cheque book, taking a small break each day to ensure all records are up to date can really help you out in the long run. This can help you to stay organized. It can also give you a day-to-day briefing of your budgets, balances, revenues and payments. This is great for keeping you on track when it comes to your business expenses.

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If you have never been to Meaford, you’re missing out on a real gem of an area! With a population of almost 11,000, it’s situated in Grey County, northwest of Collingwood, The Blue Mountains and Thornbury, and only a 30-minute drive from Owen Sound. While “Meaford” can refer to the larger municipality (including Georgian Bluffs and Grey Highlands), it also is the name of the small urban centre which is situated right on the shores of gorgeous Georgian Bay! Let’s learn more about this fabulous little town and why it’s a great place to live, work, relax and play.

• Recreation

We all know that there is plenty of downhill and cross-country skiing in this area. However, there’s also a lot more to keep you busy. If you like hiking, be sure to check out the Bruce Trail, Beautiful Joe Park, Bighead River Conservation, and Bayview Escarpment Provincial Nature Reserve…just to name a few. There’s boating, sailing, golf, snowmobiling, apple picking, live music, festivals, shopping (the Meaford Factory Outlet is fun), curling, kids’ sports teams, various clubs, a ton of daily activities going on at the Meaford & St. Vincent Community Centre, and so very much more.

• Downtown area

Meaford has such a quaint downtown core that’s reminiscent of days past, but with busy shops, bakeries, cafes, grocery stores, restaurants, banks, a library, and a museum…you name it, it’s got it. It’s nice not to have to drive around to big box stores when you can support local business owners, feel like part of a true community, and find everything you need in one amazing downtown area!

• Home Values

Home prices in and around the GTA are pricing many people out of the housing market. However, in Meaford, you can get a whole lot of house (and acreage) for a lot less than you’d think possible. There are many options for properties, ranging from luxury waterfront, century homes, townhomes, condos, farms, commercial, and even vacant lots.

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​A family cottage passed down from previous generations is a very special thing. The memories, the history, the various transformations over the decades…it’s nice to keep it in the family whenever possible. However, transferring ownership of property isn’t like giving someone a nice watch or a used car; there are specific laws (and taxes!) involved. If you’re thinking of giving the kids the cottage, be sure you know what this means for all parties:

​Make sure everyone’s onboard​

This may come as a surprise, but there’s a chance your kids or grandkids won’t be interested in the family cottage. If it’s too long a drive, if it needs a lot of work, or if they just aren’t able to manage the bills or the upkeep it’s better you learn now than after taking steps to sign it over to them. The best advice is to hold a family meeting and find out who’s in and who’s not. Then, discuss options for the cottage succession and your estate plan. You may find that instead of passing it down to them, you’ll rent it out or put it on the market.

​The taxman cometh​

There’s no avoiding paying capital gains taxes in Canada when you transfer or sell an asset such as a second (or subsequent) property unless it decreased in value since you bought it. When it’s transferred, the government views it as being sold at ‘fair market value’. This means you’ll have to pay capital gains taxes. For example, if you and your spouse bought your cottage for $300,000, didn’t put much work into it, and it’s now worth $800,000, that’s a capital gain of $500,000, of which you will be taxed approximately $130,000 – $150,000, depending on your income and other tax considerations. That’s a lot of money to pay for a gift you want to give someone!

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Throughout the calendar year, Ontario has several different types of holidays; statutory, public, civic, commemorative and celebrative. While only some of these holidays entitle employees to a paid day off, the pay rate for said holidays can vary. Let’s explore some of the different types of holidays and who is entitled to paid holidays verses unpaid holidays.

Statutory Holidays

A statutory holiday is any of the 8 days that the Ontario government deems as set paid days off for all federally regulated employees. In Ontario, our statutory holidays include New Year’s Day, Family Day (Ontario), Good Friday, Victoria Day, Canada Day, Labour Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Basically, each of these days allows an employee a day off, with pay calculated from their previous earnings. However, these rules and pay rates change depending upon whether those effected are in provincially regulated jobs,  are part-time employees or those working in private sectors.

If a statutory holiday falls on a weekend, when an employee would already be off work, they must be given a day off in compensation. Traditionally, if the holiday falls on a Saturday, the Friday before will act as the holiday, as will Monday if the holiday lands on a Sunday.

Federally regulated employees have a set equation to calculate their earnings for a statutory holiday. Basically, an employer will calculate the total earnings an employee has made in the last 4 weeks of work. They will then divide this total by 20 to give an average daily earning. This amount, plus vacation if applicable, will be the rate of pay that employee will receive for a statutory holiday.

As for employees who do not fall into the category of federally regulated employment, their statutory rules and earnings are a little different. These employees may be required to work as they are not entitled to a holiday, however, they are entitled to extra wage compensation. Typically, those required to work on a statutory holiday receive 1.5 times their regular wages. However, after the first 12 hours, they are entitled to wages of double time and a half until the end of their shift.

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