Summer is here, and so are the outdoor renovations and projects!
You've got the whole house looking great, but now it's time to make your yard look great too.
Some outdoor lighting can be just what you need to take advantage of your yard in the evening and night. You can choose between LED lights and solar-powered lights, depending on what fits best with your budget and lifestyle needs. You might want a few solar-powered lights around your pool area or patio. LED lights can provide more light for larger areas like patios or larger yards. Whether it's a single spot light or an entire landscape lighting system that turns on automatically when it gets dark out, there are plenty of options available online today!
Garden maintenance can go a long way to improving your outdoor space. Remove any dead plants and trim back anything that is unruly or too large for the space. You can add some simple annuals for colour. These won't come back next year. If you want to have them return year after! ...

This year most of us saw a significant change in our tax assessed values for our homes on Vancouver Island. You may be wondering - What is the difference between the tax assessed value as determined by BC Assessment and the market value of my home?

Assessed value is determined by BC Assessment. It’s an estimated value that provides the tax authorities a basis to calculate your property taxes.
Market value is the price a home is listed for when it goes up for sale. It’s typically determined by a realtor and can be based on comparable homes in the area. Before a property is sold, the buyer and seller must agree on the price.


Assessed Value
Imagine if every home had to be appraised in person. That would take a lot of time and money. Since government can’t send appraisers to every individual property, they still need an estimation of a homes value to determine property taxes. 
Even though you receive your BC Assessment in January, it’s ba ...

Looking for some easy and inexpensive DIY home improvement projects for your home? Here are some home improvement tips and ideas you can tackle this summer. DIY projects are a great inexpensive way to upgrade your home and improve your living space. You can learn new skills and save the money it would take to hire out work for your house.
Add trim to your doors
Add trim to basic doors. This is a simple trick to add character to solid panel, slab doors. It is easy and cost-effective. This is much cheaper than replacing your doors entirely. Also, it really elevates the space.
Paint your front door
When it comes to DIY projects in your home, paint will be your best friend. Painting your front door is an incredibly easy and impactful DIY that anyone can do. You can buy paint that is inexpensive and take your door to a whole new level. A fresh coat makes it look brand new. Additionally, try adding a nice door knocker to complete the look.
Paint your fence or railing
Paint your f! ...

Top Beaches on Vancouver Island
Spring is here and as we think about getting outside more, there is no better place to hang out than on the beach on Vancouver Island! 
Here are some of the top beaches that Vancouver Island has to offer residents and visitors. Add these to your list of places to visit this summer!
In the Pacific Rim area:
Chesterman Beach
Locals living near Tofino and tourists alike know Chesterman’s as the Pacific Rim’s favourite beach and one of the regions most meaningful locations.
Long Beach
Long beach is officially 16 km long with both hard and soft sand and is the longest sandy beach on the west coast of Vancouver Island.
Cox Bay
Cox Bay or “Surf Beach” is one of the area’s most popular surf breaks as well as a common tourist location. A small parking lot and short walk give easy access to the bay.
Florencia Bay
Nicknamed Flo by locals, it is another popular place for surfing and paddle boarding, Florencia Bay is surr. ...

What is a Walk Score?
A Walk Score is a metric of measurement that looks at how far you are from various amenities and community locations like schools and parks. It gives you a ranking out of 100. The closer you are to 100, the more walkable you are to places.
Walk Score in real estate listings plays a role in analyzing a property, especially for prospective buyers. There is a lot that goes into determining where to stay and where to live. It is affected by what is close to the real estate property. How close is the property to your workplace? How far is it from the grocery store or the nearby park where you want to take your dog? 
Those kinds of things really play a role in determining where you are going to end up. So being able to look at a Walk Score gives buyers an idea of how walkable a location is or not. 
A Walk Score also helps sellers provide information about their home. If the listed property is in a very walkable location, that is a great selling point to hi; ...