real-estate / Green Building & Sustainable Home Renovation Information & Advice

For most of us, purchasing or building a home will be the biggest investment of our lives. This section is about knowing what to look for in new homes to get the best value for your dollar, or what to look for in a building lot for the same reasons. What to look for in a home location: Being close to where you work an...

For most of us, purchasing or building a home will be the biggest investment of our lives. This section is about knowing what to look for in new homes to get the best value for your dollar, or what to look for in a building lot for the same reasons. What to look for in a location: Being close to where you work and pla...

Buying a house in retirement Are you planning to downsize, move closer to family, or relocate to your dream retirement destination? While changing homes is typically associated with younger adults, many seniors are making the decision to buy a home in retirement. However, buying at 65 isn’t quite the same as buying at ...

'Age in place' home buying strategies for seniors More and more seniors are buying homes now as the downsizing trend is in full effect. If you’re on the fence about relocating to a new home and dread the thought of house hunting, packing, and moving, you should know that the process is much easier now than it was when ...

Which house features are the best sellers? A market study by AVID Ratings Canada for the Canadian Home Builders' Association (CHBA) surveyed 12,000 homebuyers across Canada to see what Canadians are looking for when they go house shopping. We were pleased but not at all surprised by the results - here they are: The top...

With so many of us being forced to work from home, this has brought many changes to our economy, our priorities and our lifestyles. Not only is there a sudden interest in how to set up a home office, but other green lifestyle choices are popping up; like growing food at home, and safe transportation in terms of commuti...

The following are some things to think about while evaluating a home before making an offer. If you're a driver: Check the route from the house to your place of work on Google traffic maps to estimate how much time you will spend in a car every day. If you're a cyclist: Check maps for bike lanes, bike paths and general...

How to build homes ready to face climate change? We often think of the land underneath our feet as fixed and unmoving. On a calm day, if you sit next to the ocean, it seems quite stationary. It does change though - with the shifting of tectonic plates, erosion, wind, super tides and flooding.  These changes are most no...

Important to note: some programs may be discontinued, some new ones may be out there. Please help us keep this page updated if any of these don't work out or you know of others out there and drop a note in the comments at the bottom. According to the EnerQuality Green Building survey in October 2009, 40% of Ontario hom...

It is not illegal to sell an unbuildable lot, so buyers beware. Any number of roadblocks can prevent you from building the house you want, or any house at all, so before you make a purchase make sure you can proceed with your plans. Issues to consider before making an offer: Zoning: First check that you are allowed to ...

Landmark Homes Inc. In Calgary Alberta, In partnership with Brookfield Residential Properties, has just started construction on a community of 27 prefabricated net zero energy homes, the first of its kind in Alberta. A ‘Net Zero Energy’ home on an annual basis generates as much or more power than it consumes, and each ...