What people don’t realize about me is that in addition to my passion for home renovation, I am slightly obsessed with residential real estate. After twelve years of home buying, renovating and selling, I feel that I have mastered the hunt for the perfect house. Here is my method for finding the perfect place to call home.

Research, research and more research!

I spend several hours per week surfing the net for the perfect house, street, and neighbourhood.

My favourite real estate sites are :

www.mls.ca - the tried and true grand-daddy of Canadian real estate sites
www.grapevine.ca – the locally owned for sale by owner site which has increased significantly in popularity in the last few years
www.zoocasa.com – a recent, interactive addition to the on-line real estate business.

All three sites provide detailed listings, photos, neighbourhood maps and tools. Often, houses are listed on more than one site and this increases the amount of information available to seekers.

In addition to finding the perfect house, I am obsessed with finding the perfect neighbourhood. Before I consider any house, I use the local school board’s school locator to determine the local elementary and high schools. Next, I research the provincial rankings for the local schools. Once I have found the perfect neighbourhood with the best schools, I start my “drive-bys”.  I will literally drive down every street in my chosen neighbourhood to familiarize myself with the house styles, parks, residents, community centres, amenities and tree varieties. Additionally, I like to visit at various times of day to track traffic and activities. This may seem excessive, but your home is your biggest investment, where you spend most of your free time and where your family sleeps, you can’t be too thorough when planning your next move.

I want to know what you think…how do you find the perfect home? Share your tips in the comments!

1. I will try to eliminate bottled water from my everyday life. It is unbelievable how much waste is created by water bottles and I have been guilty of ignorance until recently. Did you know that only 30% of plastic water bottles are recycled and that the other 70% will take up to 700 years to decompose in trash heaps? I need to make this change right now. How, you wonder will I achieve this goal?

This Brita Ultramax has a fresh filter and a full tank and is currently chilling in my fridge. I promise to drink this water, refill the tank and replace the filter every three months. I have tried it, it tastes great, there is no excuse.

2) I will try to use only washable reusable containers in my kids lunchboxes. It wasn’t until yesterday, when a friend of mine (and fellow parent) pointed it out, that I realized how much garbage is produced in an average week from a lunch box. One child’s lunch box can produce 38 kilograms of waste per year! I have been a fan of zipper sandwich bags for a long time, but I must break this habit! From now on, when my kids open their lunchboxes they will find their edibles in containers like these:

and these bottles for their drinks:

3. I will REALLY compost. I will no longer take a passive approach to composting. The City of Ottawa has made it very easy for its residents to participate in composting. I will take this program and the enormous benefits more seriously. This is something that I will use daily in an effort to reduce the amount of waste that I produce.

These may not seem like big changes, but that’s the point. By sticking to these goals I will dramatically reduce the amount of waste produced by my household, I will be more aware of the impact that I make and hopefully, I will positively influence my children.

If you are wondering, I haven’t had a single cigarette in nine years. I take my resolutions very seriously.

What are your Earth Day resolutions?

1) Fresh Cut Flowers
Whether you pick them or purchase them, flowers are a simple and scented way to bring the outdoors in.

2) Decals
A simple and inexpensive way to change the look of a room. There are thousands of decals to chose from, or you can design your own. The best thing about decals is that they are not only easy to apply, but also easy to remove if you want to change the look. These ones are only $10.99 at Amazon.ca (affiliate link).

3) Spring cleaning!
There is nothing better to make your house feel fresh for spring than a good cleaning. Something to consider if you haven’t already is purchasing or making you own “green” cleaning products.

4) Cushions
It is amazing how a decorative cushion can change the whole tone of a room. This one is bright, fresh and contemporary, and only $2.99 at Ikea.

5)  Drapes
Open the drapes or remove them all together.  In rooms that don’t require privacy consider removing heavy draperies and letting the sun shine in.  If you feel too revealed, try a light weight simple drapery panel instead.  These drapes are only $14.99 for a pair at Ikea.

After all of your hard work, pour yourself a cold drink and enjoy this wonderful season!

Dream big, dream often. Every good reno project starts with a vision, but if you haven’t even got that part down, then the project might never get off the ground! Looking to renovate your bathroom? Pick up some magazines (not just home decor mags, either!), grab your scissors, and start a book of clippings of colours, furnishings, and styles you love. Visit web sites and save pictures of fixtures, paint, tile, and linens. Watch home renovation and design shows (like The House Healers!) and get inspired. Record them on your PVR so you can refer back to them. Surround yourself with the kinds of design and decor features that appeal to you. You’ll start to see some patterns emerge and begin to zero in on your preferences. Most of all, don’t rush it. Inspiration takes time. Yours will come, with patience!

Live in the space. Many people are in a huge hurry to get their home in perfect condition the second they move into it. But often, it’s better to wait. If your home is new to you, then take some time to live in the space for a while. Figure out which rooms you use the most, and for what purposes. Make note of the parts of the space that you love, and what doesn’t work well for you, either aesthetically or functionally. Keep an ongoing list of issues, and determine ways to improve upon the spaces. Taking some time to really understand how you and your family function in a space can go a long way to helping you to make it work.

Design your dream space, but keep resale in mind. Once you’ve been inspired, and figured out how to design your space so it’s functional and beautiful, it’s time to really get the plan down solid. You’ll need to start thinking about what kinds of materials and finishes you want, and how you want the space to look and function. This is often the point where budget becomes a concern. Let’s face it, we’re all working with limited resources, but by making good decisions on finishes and features, you can not only maximize your enjoyment of the space, but improve the resale value too. Always get the best quality finishes you can find within your budget.

Do your homework. Take the guesswork out of your renovation by finding out how much it’s really going to cost, and what it’s going to take. Start by perusing the big box home renovation and decor stores. Not only will this be a source of inspiration, you can get a really great sense of what your materials will cost. Also, there are plenty of experts on hand at these places to answer your questions. Maybe sign up for a workshop or two, too! For kitchens, IKEA has a wonderful online planning tool that will not only help you design your dream space, but will tell you exactly how much it will cost to do the job! It doesn’t get much easier than that.

Planning a renovation doesn’t have to be scary. All it takes is a little inspiration, research, and preparation. Once you’ve got it all planned out, getting underway is a breeze!

What are some of your best tips for planning reno projects?

Photo credits kevinmarsh and kpwerker on Flickr.