Although when the sun starts shining we want to get outside as much as possible, it’s also the perfect time of year to pull your patio furniture out of storage and get to the things that have been hibernating in your home all winter. Here are our top 5 tips for spring cleaning!

1. Make a schedule: Most people enjoy spring cleaning on a day off or a sunny afternoon when they arrive home from work. Setting aside a day to get down to the nitty gritty is imperative to keeping your home fresh and clean entering into the season we all enjoy. Try to map out which rooms need the most help and go from there!

2. De-clutter: Yes, it’s a tad cliché but at The Jared Gardner Team, we strongly believe this: a clean space equals a clean mind. We all have a tendency to accumulate things, especially over the winter season. Now is the time to do a scan and purge out some of those un-needed items clogging up your home, leaving space for success on all fronts.

3. Walls and Windows Need Love Too: We often neglect the things that surround us every single day; our walls and windows. The dust that accumulates in our busy homes doesn’t just settle on to the floor and furniture. Especially with seasonal changes you’re going to want to wipe your windows both inside and out so you can have a nice sparkly view of the beautiful spring flowers!

4. Make “Light” Adjustments: No, we don’t mean moving the light fixtures around in your home, better yet, with a bright new reason to keep blinds wide open, consider re-arranging your furniture a little bit. Traffic changes drastically once the backyard becomes a hotspot. Making some light adjustments to your furniture and giving your living room a new feel is a great way to enter into the spring season.

5. Delegate: Don’t forget about teamwork. We always need all lines contributing! Some small tasks, that can make a huge difference can be delegated to family members and housemates so you can give yourself a nice break and kick up your feet and enjoy the cool spring breeze. It’s a valuable lesson and great bonding time to show your kids, family or roommates just how much work goes into keeping your home in the wonderful state that it is.

One of the most multicultural cities, with people from all over the world, it’s easy to see why Toronto is a great place to live. Having been ranked as the fourth most livable city in the world, based on factors such as healthcare, education, culture, and environment, it’s also a city of opportunity, growth and excitement. Read our six reasons to live in 6ix (Toronto) below:

1. Multiculturalism

Diversity and strength, two words that are used to describe Toronto. Toronto represents an openness to immigration, multi-culturalism, and ethnicity. “Friendly Canadians” rings true in Toronto, and those that move here just seem to catch on to the phrase. 50% of the population were born outside of Canada, with residents speaking over 140 languages in total.  Although Torontonians may live a busier lifestyle than other places in the world, they still find time to connect with everyone around them.

2. Healthcare 

Toronto prides itself in its excellent hospitals, large amount of health care professionals (321 specialists per 100,000 residents), and accessibility to specialized treatment facilities. It has the highest number of doctors’ offices within all of Canada, having 3,145 to choose from. Ontario is also takes the lead when it comes to health care wait times nationwide. Toronto took the top spot in the ranking of the best communities to retire, largely thanks to its excellent health care services.

3. Seasons

4 Seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter. In Toronto, you experience them all. Winter is filled with a beautiful drizzle of snow, ice skating rinks, snowmobile trails and ski resorts. Spring warms up and you start to see flowers, longer days and higher temperatures. The summers are hot and sunny, with plenty of activities including beach trips, festivals, cottages and outdoor concerts. Autumn brings the picture-perfect fall filler with changing colors, pumpkin spiced lattes and cooler nights. Your unlikely to get bored in Toronto, even during the cold winters you’re not too far from a lovely coffee shop.

4. Canada’s biggest city

Size may not matter, but public transportation, career opportunities, multiculturalism, attractions, and food do; all of which these things, Toronto has to offer. It boasts a large variety of places to go, attractions to visit and things to do, province-wide. With a population of 5,429,524, Canada is ranked as the largest city in Canada.

5. The economy

It’s no secret that Toronto is livable. In 2015, The Economist magazine ranked Toronto as the World’s Best Place to Live in their Economist Intelligence Unit. Toronto offers a high level of safety, affordable cost of living, achievable business environment, great livability, food security and democracy. Toronto is ranked as the fourth safest city in the world, based on digital security, health security, infrastructure security, and personal security. Anywhere in the world, it’s a given that you should still take care, but it’s nice to know you’re safe even in an extremely large city. The growth within high rise condo buildings and the TTC (public transit) has made Toronto an even more appealing place to live.

6. Global center for business and finance

Entrepreneurs are attracted to the opportunity that Toronto has to offer. Toronto is a major city for global finance and business, giving people the ability to step onto or move up the ladder in their careers. It’s also Canada’s number one start-up hub, thinking of starting your own business? Toronto is a great place to do so.

The millennial generation (people born between 1981 and 1996) is facing struggles to pay off burdening debts, pursue or grow within their careers, build their families all while investing in their future. Stagnant wages, record-breaking debt and strict paycheck-to-paycheck budgets are the means of finances for most millennials, making it difficult for them to look into the future.  As an investment coach, with multiple investments, I welcomed the opportunity to utilize my knowledge to help the millennial generation (or anyone in general) to start investing, grow your funds and better plan for the future. Starting to invest can be intimidating, especially with little education, that’s why I’ve decided to share my top tips for investing as a Millennial:

1. Think of the long term when investing.

What are your goals? What do you need to do in order to reach those goals? Factor this in when investing. Always remember, investments don’t always go as planned, keep market fluxuations in mind and be ready to let it go if it isn’t working well for your account – or your goals. Ensure the ROI is worth it. You can do so by choosing an asset/investment that builds money for you over time.. my recommendation: Real Estate.

2. Think long-term, while setting short-term goals.

Putting a system in place that allows you to hit little goals, with the large goal in mind, can help keep you motivated. Building up small amounts of cash can allow you make larger investments in the future, and you will learn about investing along the way, with less of a risk.

3. Balance your debt.

Canadians have hit a record high for debt carried. Student loan debt can weigh you down, but it doesn’t need to entirely control your financial situation. Balance your funds for loan repayment and saving for your future. It’s important to pay off your debt, and try to do so as quickly as possible. But remember, having something that can grow is also important. Avoid building up more debt by focusing on the future instead of the present – struggle now to enjoy later.

4. Find the investment style that works for you.

One of the most successful learning tools is Trial-and-Error. Mistakes don’t always have to be a bad thing, as long as you learn from them. That’s why it is important to start your investments off small, and research them before diving right in. Test different investments, and find the one that works for you and your lifestyle.

5. Explore investing tools.

Online toold and apps that help you learn how to invest are readily available to us. Digital investing can help you to be more hands-on with your investments. Having a mentor or someone who is experienced with investing can help to make you feel more comfortable with the investments you are choosing.

6. Have a game plan.

Although it is important to explore in the world of investment, it is important to go into it with a game plan. Don’t just pick a few investments at random and hope they work. Try planning out your investments by using personal knowledge and research. Have a goal for the future and how much you want to earn by a certain point.

7. Don’t invest in what you don’t know.

If you don’t understand it, don’t invest in it. Period. It can be a person, asset or a financial decision, either way, learn something about it before you invest in it. As you plan for the future, start in an area that you are familiar with, or have some knowledge about and then grow from there.

8. Understand the numbers.

Returns over 12% are unlikely, and if you find that, be very vary. Understand the numbers when your making an investment – how much are you putting in, how much will you be taking out etc. One of the biggest mistakes an investor can make is allowing someone else to make their investments for them without taking the time to understand the investment itself.

When listing a home, there are certain upgrades you can do that help increase the value of your home, which in turn leads to a higher sale price.

Yes, of course there are large renovations which can become costly and some sellers choose to opt out of those, however there are some very simple and affordable ways to increase the value of your home and one of the greatest ones, is paint.

Painting your home before you list is very benefitical, and there are many upgrades you can do throughout your home with paint.

Making a room look Bigger

• The Use of Off-White Paint

Off-white is the most widely used paint color on walls. When using off-white, either paint everything in off white, to make your home feel open and bright, or paint your walls one color and then paint the trim off-white. Contrast creates an illusion of expansion.

• Paint the Ceiling

People often question wether or not painting their ceiling is a good idea because almost every home ceiling you see is white. When you give your ceilings some color, it draws the attention from the actual room, directing eyes away and ultimately making the room feel larger.

• Brighten it Up

Darker paint colors can make a room feel smaller and constricted, while a brighter color will make it appear larger. There are certain rooms where a darker color may be applicable (Dining room) to create an intimate feel, however, bedrooms can benefit from brighter colors to make them feel larger and more open.

Aside from classic wall painting, there are many other ways you can use paint to increase the value of your home.

Painted Fireplaces

Painting a fireplace can change up the overall feel of a room, making it more inviting for your family and your friends. It also makes the room look much more updated and gives a sense of renovation for the mere cost of $300-$500.

Stair Banisters and Spindles

Painting your stair banisters and spindles adds so much more life to a dated set of stairs. You can really make your staircase pop with a fresh set of paint. This may be a bit more tideous, but you can accomplish it if your willing to spend around $500-$1000.

Kitchen and Bathroom Cabinets

Replacing cabinetry can become expensive, painting them is a great alternative if you’re looking to make a dramatic change to the room, especially considering the kitchen and the bathrooms are one of the most used rooms in your home. This project costs approximately $400-$600 but in comparison to replacing the cabinets, its fairly inexpensive.

Not only can you use paint to make some drastic changes inside your home, but you can also enhance the curb appeal by making some minor changes on the outside.

Front Door

Changing the color of your front door can dramatically change the overall look of your home. Choosing a vibrant color will make your home stand out. Changing the front door is one of the most cost efficient changes you can make to your home, costing you only $100.

Exterior Brick or Siding

Color is just as important on the outside as it is on the inside. A color scheme that is reflective of your taste and your homes architectural style. This change isn’t considered the easiest or the cheapest, however it is probably the one that would have the most dramatic affect on your home. Painting the exterior costs anywhere from $1500-$3500.