Home Trends from Ciaran O'Neill

All Stars Realty Ltd.

CIARAN O’NEILL

780.445.8109 ciaran.oneill@century21.ca www.ciaranoneill.com

Ciaran O’Neill

HOW TO HANG PHOTOS PERFECTLY It can feel a bit daunting to hang photos – especially on a freshly painted wall. You may find yourself worrying about the height, the size and the placement in relation to other photos. The most foolproof way to hang photos is to trace your frames on paper. Then, cut the tracings out and tape them where you’d like them to go. Take a step back and assess how they look. Move or rearrange as needed. Next, measure the distance from the top of each frame to the hook or wire on the back. Mark the papers where the mounting hardware is located and then hammer in nails or drill in screws and simply pull the paper off the wall. Hang your photos and enjoy.

780.445.8109 • ciaran.oneill@century21.ca

Ciaran O’Neill

SUPPORT DOCUMENTS CAN HELP SELL YOUR HOME FASTER

Do you remember when you first bought your home and it came with paperwork such as a property deed, land survey and copies of permits and inspections? Or maybe you built a custom home and received contracts, invoices and warranty information along the way. If you’re planning on selling and you’ve held onto all of this documentation – good for you! For a potential homebuyer, knowing the history of a home and the fine details can help them feel more comfortable making an offer. If you’re worried that giving them too much information will make them shy away from the purchase, know that it’s best to be up front. It’s much better for a buyer to have all the information from the get go rather than running into surprises further into the purchase process.

780.445.8109 • ciaran.oneill@century21.ca

Ciaran O’Neill

HOW TO ORGANIZE A SMALL SPACE Whether you live in a space small due to square footage, or one that simply feels small because of all your stuff – there are ways to organize everything without sacrificing additional space for extra closets, bins and shelves. Perhaps the best way to accomplish this is to choose furniture and accessories that do double duty. Shoes spilling out of your closet? Swap your coffee table for an ottoman that has built in shoe compartments. Another way to create more closet space without having to renovate is to install a corner hanging bar. Not only does it utilize the often unused space where wall meets wall, you can use it to display a few of your prettiest dresses or coolest tees, letting your clothes act as decor. And if your home office is overflowing with papers, pens and notebooks, install a wall-hung organizer that folds open when you need it and – most importantly – closes when you don’t.

780.445.8109 • ciaran.oneill@century21.ca

Ciaran O’Neill

WHY YOU SHOULD GET A BUILDING PERMIT Thinking of making changes to your home? If you want to do more than paint or install built-ins, you’ll likely require a building permit. Building permits are designed to keep tabs on the changes homeowners are making to their residences, but they’re also in place to protect the homeowner. The greatest risk of not applying for a permit when one is required is that of injury to the homeowner. For example, unpermitted DIYs involving electrical or plumbing could result in a serious accident, one that could have been avoided if the homeowner’s plan was reviewed by the town’s or city’s permitting department. Another reason to get a permit is for eventual resale. Potential sales can fall through if unpermitted work is discovered. But avoiding any of these unfortunate situations is actually quite simple. Talk to your municipality’s building permit division. They’ll know when you need a permit – and when you don’t.

780.445.8109 • ciaran.oneill@century21.ca