Do you remember the last time you viewed a home for sale? What do you recall about that property? You likely remember the features and characteristics that stood out, such as the gorgeous hardwood floors, the spacious kitchen with the long island, or... the faucet that was dripping in the main floor washroom! Obviously, you want potential buyers to notice the great features of your home rather than those things that are less appealing. So, when preparing your home for sale, pay particular attention to what a buyer is likely to notice and remember. Say, for example, you have a small unused bedroom that has become the unofficial storage room. If something doesn’t go anywhere else, it gets put in that room! Now it’s a cluttered space. What will buyers remember about that room after a viewing? Will they see the potential for a home office or comfy reading room? Most likely, they will just remember a small, cluttered, potentially unusable space. Buyers will also notice a dripping faucet, a scuff in the wall, or the lingering odour of spicy cooking in the kitchen. They will remember all the things that stand out, regardless of whether they are positive or negative. So, when you list your property, make sure that what stands out for potential buyers are the desirable features of your property. If you have a wonderful sitting room with large windows and a great view, make sure that space is clean and comfortable. You may even want to “stage” it a little, perhaps with some fresh flowers and a good book sitting on the end table. As your REALTOR®, I can help you determine the most marketable features of your property and how to ensure buyers notice – and remember – them. Call me today.

Rock and Roll, a term coined by a skinny radio DJ with a big voice in the 1950s. It was controversial at the time, but Alan Freed of WJW 1590AM in Cleveland Ohio was the pioneer in bringing rhythm and blues, jazz, ragtime and the sounds of the south to his radio show. It was called the Moondoggy show, a midnight music show. Rock and Roll was his term.... music plus sex. Imagine the controversy at the time though? First Rock and Roll concert that he organized was met with great criticism, but even greater turn out. The Moondog Coronation Ball was held at the Cleveland Arena on March 21st, 1952. Over 20,000 tried to crowd in and be a part of the groundbreaking event, thus causing the Fire Commissioner to shut it down in the first act. But, Rock and Roll was here to stay! That's the story behind Cleveland Ohio being named the birth place of Rock and Roll. In 1983 The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was established. An evolving collection of music artifacts, museum displays and special events, it is a MUST SEE when you visit Cleveland. Admission for an adult and child, was about $40. We stayed a mere three hours, but I could have stayed twice that long. By noon, on a weekday, the place was crowed with retirees and seniors reliving their youth through music. But honestly, whether you were alive in the 1950s or not, there was something that would grab your attention and make you say "wow! Cool!" Elvis, David Bowie, Aerosmith, The Beach Boys, The Supremes, Jimi Hendrix and so many others have had their stage presence immortalized with displays. The stage fashion was so garish and loud, just like the music. Today's costumes, in the 'modern music' section was equally outrageous. They had the steel ball corset that Lady Gaga wore. All of it, so fabulous to see! There were interactive displays, listening zones, mini-movies, a whole hall of autographs and an enormous gift shop. I thought that a couple of adults, who enjoyed each others company, would have an amazing date night at this place! There's even a cafe on the 3rd floor and indoor/outdoor patio where you can have a glass of wine and a view of the lake. It's situated right at the harbor and next to the Cleveland Browns stadium. So much to see in the area. Each year new members are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The event takes place in April and features a concert jam session. The 2016 class of inductees included the bands Chicago, Cheap Trick and Deep Purple. There is no bad time of the year to visit. Concerts and special events are ongoing. Visit www.rockhall.com for updates and more information. Rock on, Cleveland. Rock on!

New Leaf Airlines is boasting about $59 one way flights to Edmonton, from Winnipeg. While they have a catchy headline, I'm reluctant to get on board with their low-cost, bare bones offerings. When things sound too good to be true, they often are. First of all, they charge for carry on luggage. So, haul that shaving kit and a change of clothes with you in a sports bag and it will cost you a minimum of an additional $31 per one way flight. Now that flight is up to $90 per one way. If you didn't understand that you pay for carry-on baggage when you booked on-line, they will ding you an extra $10 or so at the airport check-in desk. With this in mind, no doubt, Westjet has engaged in little price matching. They have done it silently and without big ads flashing $99 to Edmonton. But it's there. In fact, it's there every day in September. I looked. You can book the Westjet bargain directly on their website, or, you can book yourself a package and get an even better deal through Expedia.ca. When you bundle flight and hotel, there's additional savings. It's like paying regular price for the flight and getting your hotel stay FREE. I looked. So, in reality, you can take a weekend trip to Edmonton for $300 ($600 per couple) and that includes both flights and hotel, plus all that taxes. Kinda ridiculous, isn't it? And awesome! Why doesn't the same flight deal apply to Brandon departures? New Leaf doesn't have a Brandon route, so there is no need for Westjet to undercut the price on this route. Air Canada ignored New Leaf's entrance into the market, until just very recently. They had not previously acknowledged or discounted the matching routes....until now. I see today that Air Canada is also offering $99 one way YWG to YEG. Why would you book with Westjet, or Air Canada and not New Leaf? Well, and this isn't just my opinion, it's fact. New Leaf doesn't fly each route every day. In fact, they only fly this Winnipeg/Edmonton route on Thursdays and Sundays. And since the same plane (they have a very limited fleet) works other routes, it could get stuck in Hamilton or Abbotsford, for example. If your scheduled departure is delayed, it could be affected for several days. So, in this case (fleet) size really does matter. Westjet and Air Canada can typically get you out within a few hours, regardless of the issue. Secondly, I appreciate the opportunity to bundle hotel flight, for additional savings. Since New Leaf is only booking their own flights, and not using re-sellers like Expedia, there is no opportunity for package savings. Therefore I recommend the Westjet/AC/Expedia bargain like I have shown here in the photos. Expedia has all kinds of hotels at a variety of price points to choose from. I show a few in the screen-shot example.   Lastly, track record and customer service. I'm a low-risk traveler. I like the assurance of experienced pilots, mechanics and customer service agents. No problem should ever be 'uncharted territory' when I'm counting on people and equipment. I also appreciate the convenience of (multiple times) daily flights. I can't afford to get stuck in Edmonton (or anywhere else) because I got a 'great deal.'    

Air Canada has surprised Winnipeggers with a one-day sale on flights.  And before you yawn and dismiss it as "just another sale" what would you say to these prices?  Seattle $324 Boston $296 Halifax $439 Victoria, BC $237   There are, I'm certain, many many more bargains to be had. Even out of the ordinary destinations like Yellowknife are on sale from Winnipeg. ($437).    Prices noted above are return flights, and INCLUDE taxes. See why it's a bargain worth dropping everything to write about?    These prices are for flights in October, some deals are also available in September and early November.    Westjet has jumped in and has offered a few gems too. The best deal I say there was from Winnipeg to Moncton, NB $332 tax in. Yes, can you even imagine flying to the Maritimes cheaper than it typically costs to fly to Edmonton? Bargain!  (Oct 24th-Nov 1st)    The booking window closes at midnight September 1st. Visit Aircanada.com for more details and specific routes.    To see these deals and more, you can also join the Facebook group She Talks Travel.         

Here's how Wednesday went. It's Thursday now but I'll try to remember the events as they actually happened. Got up. Didn't mow the lawn. Are 5 Oreo cookies. Twice. As a mother of 2 busy boys, always on the go, sometimes you need to grab something to eat that's quick. Side note: Kids weren't here and I wasn't going anywhere. Irrelevant. Anyways. Cleaned the house a bit. Pinned. Oh yes. I'm a Pinner. Pinny McPinnerson. I'm also a do-er. This combination can result in some serious multitasking. And intermittent twitching under my right eye. The beauty of Pinterest and Utube? You can learn anything. From hand painting bamboo trees on a refurbished dresser to changing the tail light on your own car. All before noon. That totally didn't all happen on one morning before noon. My point is anyone can do these things. The only difference between those who do, and those who don't is believing that you can. It never occurs to me that I can't try at least. Of course not everybody wants to paint dressers or change their own taillight. Or sew. Or pinch flowers. I didn't want to change my own taillight. I also didn't want a ticket. So I tried. And I did. Back to the Pinterest addiction. I love LOVE decorating, a good quote, anything funny, music, painting, photography, and also to DIY. Which has led to pinning. So much pinning. So I like to think of myself as an extreme DIY'er. To clarify, extreme DIY'ing is not to be confused with skilled DIY'ing. The difference is, that no specific experience or skillful knowledge doesn't stop me. This is where the part I think is "fun" starts. So between my own wild imagination, Pinterest inspiration, and Utube....monkey see monkey do, I've learned everything from how to make your perennials bloom all summer long by strategically pinching the stems, to sewing, to building a bed frame from scratch to how to change my own mitre saw blade. Thanks Bob Villa. There's a chance you saved my life. Or fingers at least. So the extreme part of the "DIY" is more about the potential for things to go straight sideways. So then I got my hair done, somewhere after the Oreo cookies, but before the marshmallows. And nibs. Which brings to mind how easily I could public sleep while in the hairdressers chair. It's never actually happened (at the hairdresser anyway) but something about that chair and getting your scalp massaged and then that nice warm hairdryer after being cold from having wet hair....goodnight. So after the hairdresser I thought I'd see if I could find any tornadoes. Or funnel clouds. Or just clouds. I love taking pictures. I've learned everything I know about that from Utube. And practice of course. I headed out of town to find something cool. First I found a beautiful rainbow. And some really wild looking clouds. I drove up the road a mile and decided to take a turn down what appeared to be a road, in my opinion. Ok it at least appeared to be an opening, and coincidentally right as I slowed to turn, a truck that had passed me earlier, a mile before (as I was parked on the road and running through the ditch to take a picture), just happened to be turning up that same "not really a road-road". This confirmed, for me anyway, if they were gonna drive up that road then it must be one. I put the 4 cylinder in low, a little lipgloss, and began my journey into the abyss. At this point they were likely wondering what I was doing. This isn't new to me. I'm aware that if you're in the middle of nowhere, running around in the field/ditch/swamp/bush, and somebody sees you, they will watch you. People will stop and ask me if I need help. That's always nice. Thankfully it's never been an axe murderer. See parents? I'm all grown up, but it's still nice that I know you want me to be safe. So anyway I started up the not a road-road and part way in, could see it was more of a mud bog event waiting to happen, and my car definitely wouldn't make it through. Based on experience from "trying". I told you I like to try. So I backed up the not really a road trail, and then parked on the side of the real road to continue on with my obsessive photo taking. Within 2 minutes I could see the truck coming back up the road behind me. They were slowing down this time. They asked if I needed help. I said I did actually. That I needed a 4x4. The nice gentlemen told me I could hop in with them, since they were driving one. I asked if they had any candy. They didn't. So I thanked them anyway, but politely declined. We smiled and waved goodbye, and I took a few hundred more pictures. So here's some projects I learned how to do from Utube and Pinterest, and some shots from the last few days around the area.