It has been my privilege once again this year to serve and partner with you to make your homeownership dreams come true. For others, I am very much looking forward to working with you in the coming year.

These are the times that turn a house into a home, that special place to celebrate your own unique traditions. I wish you and your family a holiday season and New Year filled with health and happiness.

Warmest holiday wishes.

Home improvements can make a home more pleasant to live in and may also increase its value.

Here are some things to keep in mind:

• Think about changes that would appeal to someone buying your home in the future

• Updating the bathrooms and kitchen in an older home can increase its resale value

• Updating the paint on the outside of your house, installing a new roof, redoing your walkways and driveway, adding attractive mailboxes and landscaping will improve your home’s appearance

• Some renovations...

The Bank of Canada is once again keeping its key policy rate unchanged, although continuing to signal that rates will move higher at some point.

The Bank's statement noted that in Canada "although underlying momentum appears slightly softer than previously anticipated, the pace of economic growth is expected to pick up through 2013," and that "it is too early to determine whether the moderation in housing activity and credit growth will be sustained."

The prime rate for most lenders...

Happy Holiday Season to you and yours.

For your information please use the link below to review the Real Estate activity statistics for November 2012 as provided by the Realtors Association of Edmonton.

http://www.ereb.com/News&Events/LatestMarketStatistics.html

As always, I encourage you to look closely at the trends within these statistics in conjunction with your current and future Real Estate endeavours.

Please call me anytime to discuss these trends or just to...

You know how you're always asked at the checkout counter: "would you like to apply for our fill-in-the-blank Store Card? You can save $X dollars on your purchase today..."

Don't do it. These pitches – a common part of the retail experience – are a potential credit pitfall. Applying for these store cards generates a "hard" inquiry that goes on your record, and is visible to lenders looking at your report. Every time you seek credit by applying for a credit card, store card, or loan...