Grace Bay beach in the Turks and Caicos islands is heaven on earth. It's where white, soft sand meets the glorious turquoise ocean water. I describe the little known island, as "first world caribbean." I say this because, workers are paid a living wage and there is plenty of work. The food quality is of north american standard, and as a tourist you can walk around safely and without worry. The resorts are not gated. They are also not massive in size, like some in Mexico. Rather, I liken it to Hawaii. It's a safe, relaxed area, where accommodations are almost always condominiums rather than resorts or mega-hotels. Again, similar to Hawaii, your rental accommodation will have a kitchen and you can save money preparing your own meals. There is only one resort on the island that is indeed massive and all-inclusive. It's Beaches family resort. (The family-friendly version of the Sandals chain.) Grace Bay beach is a small area, just a few miles and you can comfortably walk the whole beach at sunset. You will do well to stay at any resort on Grace Bay beach. I have personal experience with Ocean Club and the Royal West Indies condominiums. Both are mid-range in price, well kept, and ideally located. If you haven't heard the stories of how the Turk and Caicos wanted to join Canada, you should google it. (Oh, how I wish they were a Canadian territory!) Regardless of their commonwealth affiliations, they have welcomed many Canadian businesses and you will be quite surprised at how "Canadian" this island feels. Drive past the Napa Auto Parts store, and the Home Hardware you could stop at Scotiabank on your way to IGA to pick up groceries. You might also be surprised to learn that you can get a return flight with Westjet, from Brandon for $524. Yes, that includes taxes. Hotel/condo rental is extra. A great price from Winnipeg, is about $485. Packages can often be found at $1200-1500 per person. However, if you plan to go at Christmas, or Spring Break, expect to pay three times that price. Definitely one of my favourite destinations, and almost always listed as one of the top 10 beaches on earth, regardless of the publication or author.  

As the days slowly get a bit shorter, and I notice the odd leaf on my lawn (tear), I still am in awe with how quickly our summer in beautiful Brandon goes by. I reflect back on the summer and realize that my intention for a healthy balanced lifestyle maybe didn’t happen exactly as I had hoped. Ok, it wasn’t just me right? The more frequent socializing, the bbqs, the beers around the fire, the snacking, may have somehow out gunned my exercise routine (ok it sure as hell did) and now I’m aching for that balance and routine again. I love the feeling of new beginnings that September brings. It goes back to school days where it was a fresh start to a new year at school. I have never lost that feeling. I still feel like it’s a fresh start and a brand new chance to hit my goals that I set at the beginning of the year. I love setting up a plan and a routine and getting back to my yoga practice and my healthy eating even though I still desperately mourn our long summer days. The Zen Zone has added a few more classes to our fall schedule that we would love for you to come check out and maybe add to your own fall routine. It’s a new beginning for us too as we have new instructors, fun new classes and exciting workshops all lined up for the fall. Whether you come once a week or want to join the Unlimited club we would love to have you come and get back at it! Those of you who haven’t been in a long time, always know that we keep your card on file and we will honour any old classes you have! I know I’m gonna be there with bells on. Will you join me? Carmen

The Assiniboine River in Brandon, MB. I was driving north on first street when this caught my eye. On my way to Mark's Work Warehouse to buy socks which by the way is peculiar since I almost NEVER wear socks. Especially ones that go any higher than the bottom of my ankles because that makes me feel like I'm wearing shackles. Again. Kidding. I knew I'd be waiting until next Christmas to make a left hand turn back onto 1st street on account of the construction on 1st street bridge. There's this huge metal wall/brace structure there for the new bridge and every time the kids and I drive past it my 8 year old asks me if that's Donald Trump's wall......oh boy. I'm gonna tell him Donald Trumps socks are obviously too tight. Love those big rolling clouds.

This week Chris is tackling one of our frequently asked questions "Can't I just add money to my mortgage to pay off all my debts?" There are many reasons people want to refinance their home and this video briefly explains what needs to be considered when refinancing your mortgage.      

You put your home up for sale. You work hard to make it look attractive to potential buyers. Then, you finally get an offer. But there’s a catch. The offer comes with a string or two attached… a couple of “conditions”. Should you be worried? First of all, don’t panic. It’s common for offers to come with a condition or two. Sometimes an offer is conditional upon the buyer securing appropriate financing, or your property passing a home inspection. These types of conditions are usually dealt with in just a few days and then the offer becomes firm. (In other words, you’ve likely sold your house!) However, there are some types of offers that can be worrisome. For example, a buyer may make an offer to buy your home “conditional” upon him selling his current home for a specific price. Of course, there is the concern that the buyer won’t sell his home. Then the deal will fall through and you’ll have to put your home back on the market. As your REALTOR®, I can help you decide if a particular offer is worth accepting.