Your Home

Clearly the best way to use aluminum foil is to fashion it into a cone-shaped hat to block aliens or the "Government" from reading your thoughts. However, aluminum foil has other uses -- even beyond cooking.

Here are a few ways to transform a cheap and durable kitchen staple into a marvel of home economy.




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Selling your home can be stressful and, like most things, it's what you don't know that can cause the most grief. Asking the right questions before you hire a real estate agent will prevent unpleasant surprises from happening later.

Here are five things real estate agents won't tell you unless asked.

You're tired of dreading summer because it means more time in shorts and a swimsuit so you've made a commitment to get back into shape. That's great but... How? Unless you're part of the one per cent, personal trainers may be out of the question. Gyms are fine but at $60-$100 a month they add up too. Even purchasing home exercise equipment can mean spending a large sum of money at first. Here are five ways you can re-discover your best bod without having monthly fees or investing big money into a home gym.

The frost has finally had it for the season, which means it's time to open some windows and doors, and Clear Out The Clutter. The sentiment is pretty widely shared: spring cleaning (whether we do it, or just think that we should do it) is a culturally engrained thing.

As with most culturally engrained events though, there's a whole industry that exists in response, trying like mad to get you to part with some of your hard-earned dollars as part of the festivities. (Think storage tote sales.)

In and among the multitude of links to sell me something when I searched the phrase, "get organized," I found one article, thankfully, that had this very salient piece of advice:

"Hold off on container shopping... getting organized does not start out with a shopping trip."

WebMD, 10 Ways to Cut Clutter in Your Home. Retrieved May 7, 2013.

Even just getting started, though, can sometimes require professional help. Do you sometimes wonder where to start? You're not alone. Enter, the professional organizer.

If you're craving a freshness in your home that won't be satisfied by simply moving a few things around, maybe it's time for a change. In my case it was a loveseat my two young sons have outgrown (since they started wrestling on it) that sparked our home renovation. It was time to get a new, bigger, plusher couch. Now that we've purchased said couch and it's arriving in six to eight weeks, it's sparked even bigger changes. But I've learned through our renovation there are certain areas where it makes sense to splurge and certain areas where it makes more sense to save.

Here are some tips on affording a room renovation you'll actually finish:

Entering the housing market for the first time can be an intimidating task. It requires careful budgeting and most likely some large sacrifices along the way. For young buyers (the average age of the first-time home buyer is 34), the money saved and put for a down payment will likely be the largest sum of money they've ever had to hand over. That's why it's important for first-time home buyers to realize that there are three different programs designed to reduce the cost or return money back to the buyer.

The RRSP Home Buyer's Plan (HBP):

This program allows first-time home buyers to withdraw funds from their registered retirement savings plan (RRSPs) to pay for a home without incurring the usual tax penalty. An individual is allowed to withdraw up to $25,000 from their RRSP, but must pay it back over 15 years. If that person is purchasing with a spouse, both the individual and the spouse may withdraw up to $25,000 each.

When it comes to corner houses, people are divided. Those who live in them love them for their surplus of natural light and plus-sized gardens. Others complain about traffic noises, trespassers, and lots more yard work. Who's right? The answer depends on who you talk to.

Statistically speaking, corner houses are burglarized more often than houses that have neighbours on each side. But common sense would suggest that because they're more visible, would-be thieves should be more visible as well.

We thought we'd pull together the pros and cons of corner houses, so you can decide for yourself. Click on the image below to launch a gallery of reasons for and against buying a corner house.

SLIDESHOW: PROS AND CONS OF BUYING A CORNER HOUSE

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The Pantone folks have put their 50 years of expertise in colour into an infographic that gathers together the defining colour trends of the past five decades. From the Psychedelic 60's to the Expressive 00's, the palettes are a distillation of what was cool in design, fashion and home decor for half a century. Plus there's some info on top colours mentioned in social media and a collection of famous logos in a rainbow of colours. Jump to the next page to see the graphic in all its technicolour glory.

Good weather is flirting with us. It's tossing its hair and making some serious eye contact. My advice is to enjoy the attention but don't get too attached just yet. Still, you know that sometime soon a long term relationship is coming and that a lot of quality time will be spent in your backyard.

Here are five inexpensive things you can do to prepare your outside space for the coming love affair.






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Home Improvements that Get Your House Sold

Spring is the busiest season for the housing market. When it comes to selling your home, first impressions count. Having it neat and tidy on the outside is just as important as the home's appearance on the inside.

Here are eight tips to help you improve your home's exterior for a quick spring sale.