Blog - Paul Lamba

3 Days To Getting Your Finances In Order For 2023" Challenge: DAY 2!

 DAY 2: CHECK YOUR CREDIT

If you plan to buy a house in the next year, checking your credit score is something you should consider doing now. Credit plays a huge role in qualifying for a mortgage. As a homebuyer, your credit score will positively or negatively affect your loan options, interest rates, mortgage terms, and how much house you can afford. Even if you aren't looking to purchase a home anytime soon, annually checking your credit score is a good financial habit to build. Doing so will allow you to:

1. Regularly dispute any errors to your credit bureau.

2. Build and maintain good credit by consistently assessing your current credit position.

3. Stop identity theft and credit card fraud early on.

4. Manage your finances and…

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Getting Your Finances In Order For 2023 Challenge: DAY 1!

Now is the perfect time to review your finances and set yourself up for financial success in 2023. Each Wednesday for the next 3 weeks, I will be sharing a tip or task to help you reevaluate your budget, assess your spending habits and expenses, review how you manage your money, and set new goals to build a better financial future.

To kick off our "3 Days To Getting Your Finances In Order For 2023" Challenge, let's start with day 1!

DAY 1: SET A SAVINGS GOAL 

We all know that saving money is important, yet very few of us put money into our monthly savings accounts. If saving money has been a challenge for you in the past, here is my suggestion. Make a realistic savings goal for 2023. Your savings goal needs to be specific, measurable,…

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People Are Sharing Why They Chose To Live In Edmonton Over Calgary & It Was Pretty Brutal

Moving to a new city is a big deal, and deciding where to pick can be tricky. A Redditor asked Edmontonians that chose the city over Calgary for their reasons why and people didn't hold back.

The Reddit post asked people to share why they preferred Edmonton over Calgary as a person that had visited both cities didn't see much of a difference.

"Calgary downtown is nicer, but otherwise, both cities are very similar," the post said. "I feel more at home in Edmonton because it’s not trying to be Toronto."

People on Reddit were pretty vocal about their decision to move to Alberta's capital, Edmonton, over Calgary, and the debate got heated.

For many people, moving to Edmonton over Calgary was mainly a financial decision as housing in the city…

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What’s Happening in Canadian Housing Markets as We Head into 2023?

On Thursday, December 15, the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) released its national housing statistics for the month of November. Below, CREA’s Senior Economist Shaun Cathcart provides an update on the current state of housing markets in Canada and explains what the data means for REALTORS®:

Just as one car does not make a parade (at least not a very good one), one month of data does not make a trend. To wit, it looks like that little sales increase we saw in October was something of a head fake, because activity started trending back down again in November.

Sales in November were down 3.3% on a month-over-month basis, rejoining the trend of moderating sales that began back in February.

The Aggregate Composite MLS® Home Price Index…

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Will a Home Inspection Help Sell your Home Faster?

Usually, a home inspection is done after an offer is made to buy a home. The offer will typically include a condition that the property must pass such an inspection. The buyer then hires the inspector, who goes through the home, top to bottom, inside and out, looking for issues.

You can also get an inspection done as the seller. In this case, you are paying for an inspector to produce a report on your home — before you sell. This is often called a pre-sale home inspection.

 Why would you do this?

A pre-sale home inspection can make your property more attractive to buyers. This is especially helpful if you’ re selling in a buyer’s market, where there are more homes like yours for sale than buyers. The report serves as an enticing feature of…

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2023 New Year’s Eve In Edmonton – Fireworks, Family Activities and Adult Parties

Wondering what to do on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day 2023 in Edmonton? Here is a list of events, activities and parties in and around Edmonton to enjoy New Year’s Eve.

Free New Year’s Eve Bus & LRT Service — Edmonton Transit Service — Riders can board buses, LRT and DATS for free from 6 p.m. on December 31 until the end of service at around 3 a.m. on January 1.

I. New Year’s Eve Fireworks and Festival Edmonton

This year’s celebration will include an early fireworks show for families, as well as a traditional midnight fireworks display. The fireworks shows, which will be approximately 12 minutes long, will be launched into the skies over the pyramids of City Hall. It will also feature grand celebrations starting at 6:30 pm.

Details

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11 things to do in and around Edmonton this week (December 19-23)

It’s the last week before Christmas! If you need a break from shopping, grab your loved one/s, and head out to the events around the city all week! Here are the best things to do in and around Edmonton this week.

A LIGHTLY CLASSICAL CHRISTMAS

Get deep into the holiday spirit at this Christmas concert! Described as a “pageant of richly orchestrated carols through the centuries and around the world performed by the orchestra and the Richard Eaton Singers,” you can expect everything from Silent Night and O Come All Ye Faithful to sacred hymns like O Sanctissima and Break Forth, O Beauteous Heav’nly Light.

When: Thursday, December 22nd and Friday, December 23rd
Where: 4 Sir Winston Churchill Square
Cost: $32+

LUMINARIA

Luminaria is still…

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Canada's Greener Homes Initiative

The Canada Greener Homes Initiative provides grants and a loan for home evaluations and for retrofits. The eligible retrofits include home insulation, windows and doors, air sealing, and mechanical and renewable energy systems.

It is important that you read all the eligibility criteria and initiative requirements to be sure that you will qualify for the grants and/or the loan at the end of the process. You must undertake both a pre-and post-retrofit EnerGuide evaluation to be eligible.

As part of the initiative, you have access to:

Grants from $125 to $5,000

To get a part of your costs back for eligible home retrofits

Up to $600

As a maximum contribution toward the total costs of your pre- and post-retrofit EnerGuide evaluations

…

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Plans to Make Before Closing Day

When you sell your property and buy your next dream home, closing day can come faster than you might imagine. Before you know it, it’s just weeks away! So, it’s important to make the proper plans to ensure everything goes smoothly.

Here are the most common plans you’ll need to make:

1) Contact the post office to get your mail forwarded. No matter how thorough you are in updating your address with companies you deal with regularly, you’re bound to miss a few. Using the mail forwarding service will ensure you get that mail.

2) Double-check that your home insurance will be transferred on closing day so your new home is covered from day one. Also, don’t forget to update vehicle and personal insurance (medical, life, etc.)

3) Make arrangements…

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Managing Home Insurance

Home insurance seems to be getting costlier every year, with basic premiums continuing to rise as more homes are exposed to added risks attributed to extreme weather events, accidents, vandalism, and outright theft. 

This leaves homeowners in a difficult situation, but there are things that can be done to help ease rising costs. First, examine your current policy and talk to your agent/broker about your coverage and premiums. You might, for example, agree to increase your deductible to decrease premiums. Meanwhile, you may also be eligible for discounts, based on client profiles such as bundled policies (e.g., auto & home), claims history, and payment punctuality.

Other discounts may be available based on steps taken to protect your home from…

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