Naveen Vadlamudi's blog

When you make or receive an offer to buy a property, it’s important that you read and understand every clause. It is especially important to understand any conditions or any changes that are made to the standard offer.

An offer may contain several types of conditions. The most common are “conditional upon arranging financing” and “conditional upon passing a professional home inspection.” However, there may be other conditions as well.

You should be aware of - and fully understand - all of them.

In addition, the wording of an offer may change during the back and forth negotiations that...

Most people feel confident that they know the basics of home security. For example, they know to: keep all doors locked; have a light on in the house while away; and, never hide a key outside in an obvious place, like under the mat.

Yet, almost a million and a half properties get burglarized in North America each year. So, how can you prevent that from happening to your home? Here are a few lesser-known home security basics:

• Actually, never hide a key outside. Thieves know all the hiding places. Instead, make sure all family members have a key.
• Two-thirds of home burglaries occur during...

When you make an offer on a home, it’s a smart idea to have a professional home inspector check it out from top to bottom. This inspection will ensure that the property doesn’t have any unexpected “issues”.

After all, you don’t want to buy a home only to discover that the roof needs to be replaced, immediately, for thousands of dollars.

Nevertheless, you might question whether you really need to invest the few hundred dollars it costs for a professional home inspection. “The home we want to buy looks like it’s in very good shape,” you might be thinking. “I can’t see anything wrong...

Many seniors are reaching the stage in their lives when they are choosing to downsize their homes for lifestyle or financial reasons. Other seniors are faced with a more difficult decision. Health and/or mobility concerns may require them to either retrofit their existing home to meet their changing needs, or to seek a more accommodating home.

The decision can be difficult because many simply don’t want to move. In such cases, especially if mobility challenges are arising, wheelchair accessibility may be necessary, not just at the home’s entrance, but under counters, in bathrooms, and...

If you want to improve how your home shows to potential buyers, you don’t necessarily need to invest in a costly remodelling or renovation.

In fact, there are some simple - and relatively inexpensive - things you can do to make your property look significantly better.

Let’s take a look at some of the options available:

1. Paint it.

There’s no doubt about it. A fresh coat of paint will significantly improve the appearance of just about any area of your home. In fact, compared to other home improvements, painting will give you the highest return on investment when you sell your property....

Choosing new or replacement eco-friendly flooring is one of the emerging trends among house and condo owners.

Eco-friendly flooring is generally identified as being made from and with more sustainable resources; materials that don’t deplete or permanently damage the environment (such as toxic laminates); or, material that is easy to reuse or recycle after its intended purpose. Here are some examples:

Renewable/Sustainable: Bamboo and cork are popular natural resources that renew relatively quickly. It should be noted that traditional woods are also renewable, as long as they are...

One of the most prominent features of any home is the windows. If they are well maintained, they will have a positive impact on the impression potential buyers have of your property. Of course, the opposite occurs when your windows look old and worn.

So, does that mean you should replace your windows?

That depends on a number of factors. Window replacement can be an expensive renovation. Here are a few things to consider before making your decision.

• Do you see water infiltration or mildew on the interior sides of any of the window sills? This means that moisture is creeping in from...

If you take care to price your home correctly - that is, at a price that is in line with what similar properties in the area have sold for recently - then you have a good chance of selling it at or near your asking price.

That doesn’t mean you won’t get a low-ball offer. You might. So, what do you do when that happens?

First, understand that the buyer may not necessarily be trying to steal away your home at a bargain-basement price. He might simply be mistaken about its true market value. Of course, he might also be coming in at a low price in the hopes he’ll get lucky.

You will never...

The following tips will help you avoid waste when watering your lawn:

• Use a low-angle, pulsating sprinkler. Water sprayed high into the air produces a mist that loses much of its moisture through evaporation.
• Water the lawn, not the sidewalk or driveway.
• Lawns need about an inch of water per week. To determine how much watering time that requires, place an empty tuna tin within your sprinkler’s range, and note how long it takes to fill.
• When watering, account for recent rain.
• Use an automatic sprinkler system that allows you to adjust the area, frequency and/or duration. Set the...

It has become standard for retailers to offer low cost supplementary “insurance protection plans” on appliances and electronics. These plans may seem like a good idea, but before you buy one, be sure the plan actually offers real added value. Often, these plans overlap with other protection programs you already have.

For example, reputable retailers usually sell products with solid manufacturer warranties, because they don’t want the bad reputation or the hassles that come from unhappy customers. In fact, in today’s competitive world, many retailers already have a “satisfaction...