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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.

For many people, the most dreaded words and phrases are "spring cleaning", "clutter", "clean out" and "get rid of it!"

Despite our affection for watching others go through the intervention of needing to clean up, renovate, clear out, de-clutter and in the worst case scenario, stop hoarding, none of us actually wants to go through with it.

But for a growing segment of Canadians, whether due to age or health, downsizing is a necessity.

According to Viraf Balliwalla, the owner of The Transition Squad, he saw a growing need to make the process easier. "My business started out as a way to help people move and organize, but as we've evolved we realize we're a project manager for those needing to downsize."

When my parents downsized, they sold their house and bought a condominium. That was in the seventies. Condo and apartment living was the way to go for retirees of the time and it was expected that, when baby boomers retired, there would be an oversupply of single-family homes on the market.

Fast forward three decades and things have really changed. Downsizing baby boomers are shunning condo living. A report by Royal LePage finds that boomers like their garages and backyards too much.

Those of us who've been through the process a couple of times know that it takes more than plunking a For Sale sign on your front lawn to sell your house. Repair and maintenance work, for instance, cost money. But, other things, just as important to a successful sale, take only your time and a little effort.

You don't have pay a home stager. I learned these four no-cost ways to prepare your home for a quick sale from our real estate agent, as we prepared for the sale of our last home.

Hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, blizzards - the weather is a bigger story than the recent US election or even who's dating who in Hollywood.

From flooding to having no power, there's plenty of people around the planet that are dealing with the lack of essentials - running water, electricity, heat, shelter, food - due to the recent effects of Mother Nature's wrath on the planet.

For those of us in urban areas that may face a power outage or lack of running water for a period of time due to a storm, here's some tips to help keep the homestead protected from further damage until everything is back to normal.

Oh summer - a time of vacation, spending time in the backyard by the bbq and trying to avoid paying too much money to keep the house cool every night.

So when we spend money on the latest smartphone or add a tablet or blu-ray player to the arsenal of home electronics, we get excited about what we can now do.

But what about the house? Doesn't the house deserve some TLC and a technology tune-up?

No matter if the house is a vintage model or a newbuild, there are five choices that can help save money and make the home tech-savvy efficient.

It seems like every year we get collective amnesia as tax season rolls around. It's like we've all forgotten how much we hate it.

We grumble as we reflect on how much of our hard-earned cash is deducted from our paychecks but at least the rationale for income tax is pretty straightforward: as a society we have to pay it in order to maintain a decent standard of living.

What really drives us all nuts are those taxes that are not at all clear, and just seem downright unfair. In honour of tax season, here are the top five most irritating money grabs:

PHOTO GALLERY: Click image below to see "The Five Most Hated Taxes."



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It doesn't look like it but spring might be coming. And with its arrival, people are going to intensify their house selling and buying activities. Why it always picks up in the spring, nobody can say with any certainty: better weather, more conducive to moving, can't be the only answer.

Still, with the increase in this field of human activity, there pop up numerous proposals on how to pay for a new home, especially when it comes to mortgages.

While the basic rules stay the same throughout eternity (throughout the time period mortgages have existed, that is), some specifics change with time and, in particular, with the current macro-economic situation.

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I have a secret addiction - I love watching shows that show people with clutter.

It started with TLC Clean Sweep, which I would watch with fascination as people would haul enormous amounts of items out of just two rooms of their house and go through the process of getting rid of the clutter.

But then my obsession got kicked up a notch with A&E Hoarders - these poor people were in need of more than just a clean out, they needed emotional help to overcome the overwhelming piles of stuff. But I still watched their clutter and their pain, fascinated by the items that had become a physical and emotional burden.

Everytime I watched these shows, I kept thinking of all the money spent - and what amount of money was contained in this home that wasn't being enjoyed, used or needed.

This week's recall reports is a wide range of products - keep your eyes open for these items:

Health Canada has issued a recall for eight foneGEAR Fuse cell phone chargers, none of which comply with Canadian standards for electrical safety.

The eight phone chargers were sold between June and September 2011 at Wal-Mart, HMV, Zellers and Winners stores across Canada.

The models included are: iPhone Travel charger, Dual USB 120V adaptor, Samsung travel charger, Mini USB travel charger, Micro USB travel charger, 2 in 1 Travel charger, Micro USB 1.5 amp travel charger and Samsung 1.5 amp travel charger.

Consumers are asked to stop using the product and exchange for a certified product, by contacting foneGEAR at 1-877-366- 3432 or cs@fonegear.com.