Happy Holidays!!

The Holidays are finally Here!

I would like to wish everyone a very Happy, Healthy and Safe Holiday Season, on behalf of the Corcoran Team and myself.

Thank you to my wonderful family, friends and clients for an amazing 2012.

Let's make 2013 even better!

All My Best,
Dan Corcoran

Budget Friendly Holiday Decorating Guide

There is no need to spend  a lot of money on over priced Holiday decorations.

With a little creativity and time, you can decorate your home in a unique way that is tasetful and full of the Holiday Spirit.

From the innovative editors from Readers Digest, these ideas will have your family and friends very impressed with your decorating saavy.

Decorating Tip Number 1: Fill a Martini Glass with old fashioned candy.

Decorating Tip Number 2: Take any old cans and decorate with Christmas Illustrations or Wrapping Paper to make a unique holder or for a gift.

Decorating Tip Number 3: Make Your Throw Pillows into festive pieces

For even more Tips and Tricks, visit the Readers Digest Website:

http://www.rd.com/slideshows/16-easy-and-cheap-christmas-decorating-tips/#slideshow=slide21

Holiday Table Settings for 2012

The Holiday season is just around the corner and we all need some fresh and inspiring ideas for our place settings. At the Turning Houses into Homes blog, The Corcoran Team strives to bring you fresh and innovative ideas to make your comfortable and loving for you and your family.

One great way to make your table fun and unique is to mix and match your place settings which creates a warm and inviting atmosphere for your guests without being too overdone or 'stuffy'.

Another idea is to choose a fun and unique theme for decorating and pick up various pieces from different stores to make sure the look is not to 'matchy matchy'.

Here are some great Table Looks from the experts at HGTV and the style guru herself, Martha Stewart:

http://www.marthastewart.com/274744/holiday-table-settings/@center/276958/holiday-entertaining#202078

http://www.hgtv.ca/blog/3-holiday-table-settings/

Just Listed: Great Opportunity for a Condo Alternative

Modern, updated condo alternative with an open concept renovated kitchen. The kitchen overlooks the light filled back solarium with hardwood floors in the living room and main floor bedroom. The separate detached, one car garage makes parking easy. Conveniently located close to the subway & Taylor Creek Park.

Check out The Tour Here:

http://pfretour.com/10985

Open House is

Saturday November 24th & Sunday November 25th (2-4pm)

Just Listed: Fabulous Home on the water: $1,949,900

Capture The Magnificent Sunrises And Sunsets From The Gazebo Or Balcony Of This Lakefront Property. Grand Kitchen Opens To The Living And Dining Areas. Wall Of Windows Across Across Back Of The Home Offering Unobstructed Views Of The Lake. Within One Kilometre To Brant Street Allowing For Convienence Of Walking To Restaurants, Shopping, Galleries And Local Festivals. Great Opportunity!

Extras: *Second Floor Bedrooms Have Electric Baseboard Heating* Alarm System, Auto Garage Door Opener, Fridge, Gas Stove, B/I Dishwasher, B/I Microwave, Clothes Washer/Dryer. OPEN HOUSE: Thursday November 8th 2012: 10am-12pm OPEN HOUSE: Sunday  November 11th 2012: 2-4pm Please contact the Cocoran Team for more details. 416-465-4545

Unique Decorating Tips for Halloween

Stuck on ideas for how to decorate your home for Halloween in a unique way?

Best to turn to the experts at Better Homes and Gardens for their advice and guidance on to achieve a truly unique look for this Halloween.

One more weekend left, so start looking at these pictures for inspiration and turn your home into a spooky House of Horror! (with a unique a tasteful flair of course).

Which ones do you like the best for your home?

http://www.bhg.com/halloween/indoor-decorating/

Fun with Pumpkins - not your same old Jack-O-Lanterns

Looking for some fresh ideas for your pumpkins? 

Check out Pumpkin Planters and Jack-O-Lanterns with Hair!

Just Listed: 20 Cambrai Ave $299,888

Open House Saturday October 6th and Sunday October 7th from 2 pm until 4 pm. 

Opportunity awaits you here with this detached home! Features include large lot, private drive and double car garage. If you are a handyman, contractor, builder or designer, 

this is the property you've been looking for. 

For more information contact Dan Corcoran at 416.465.4545

www.TheCorcoranTeam.com

Just Listed: 84 Hertle Avenue in Toronto

Open House Saturday & Sunday 2 pm until 4pm  

  

Intelligently and thoughtfully renovated home in Leslieville/Beaches. Gorgeous gourmet kitchen with granite countertops. Open concept living room and dining room with oversized french doors walking out to west facing deck and garden oasis. This house is a true find!

Second tiered flagstone upper deck with separate hobby room (or Man Cave) with Hydro. Separate entrance to basement with working kitchen and bathroom. (Previously Rented)

Extras include: Stainless Steel Fridge, Stove, Built In Dishwasher, Built In Microwave, Clothes Washer And Dryer.

This property features many upgrades including upgraded water service, new furnace in 2009, landscaped back yard, new driveway in 2011, new eaves troughs in 2011,  all the hardwood was replaced or refinished and so much more. 

Open House Saturday July 21st and Sunday July 22nd from 2 pm until 4 pm.     

Fences: Urban Looks and Fence Design Ideas

Thinking about replacing your fence? There are so many fabulous design ideas that can transform a boring fence into a feature that enhances your out door spaces.

Curb Appeal Ideas

It's what’s outside that counts! Check out these 11 exterior upgrades that’ll give your home simple but effective curb appeal.

Your home’s curb appeal sets the tone for what potential buyers expect of the home they’re walking into, explains Darren Brand, owner and lead stager at designedtosell.ca. “Since most people’s buying decisions are based on an emotional response, the curb appeal starts the love affair, or terminates it immediately,” he says.

Advertisement

But you don’t have to completely overhaul the exterior of your home in order to sell. Just pick and choose what you think will have the most impact and go from there. No matter what state the economy is in, dealing with curb appeal issues are important since even in good times, you could be leaving money on the table by not doing needed work, Darren says. When times are tough, there are also a lot less potential purchasers and a lot more competition, so you have to make your home stand out in a crowd.

Darren provides 11 simple ways to improve your home’s curb appeal for maximum impact.

1 Start with the most obvious things
If you can only do a few things to spruce up the exterior of your home, start with the most glaringly obvious. For example, if your garden is overrun with weeds, the front lawn hasn’t been cut in so long that you need a machete to get to the door and remnants of last spring’s garage sale still adorn the front porch, mow the lawn, pull the weeds and get rid of the mess. A messy front yard will be the first thing a potential buyer sees and it might tell them not to look any further. You don’t have to have a prize-winning rose garden to attract potential buyers, just a yard that looks tidy and well cared for.

2 Add planters
Adding planters (even store bought, ready-made ones) can go a long way toward creating the perception of a well loved home. They not only add colour to a porch or patio, they’re eye-catching and give the impression you spend time improving your surroundings.

3 Ensure consistent window treatments
Matched blinds and curtains can add a lot to the perception of quality and thought put into a home, says Darren. “A lot of people don’t even think about how this interior element affects the look of the exterior.” He also stresses the importance of washing your windows; this is also something that has an impact on the inside as well as outside of your home.

4 Wake up your driveway
Since the driveway is one of the first things prospective buyers will notice, it’s a good idea to freshen it up. Adding a sealer can refresh a tired driveway. This is an inexpensive makeover that can be accomplished in a short time by almost anyone, Darren says.

5 Add cedar mulch Adding red cedar mulch goes a long way to freshening up flowerbeds even in early spring when plants are small or non-existent. The mulch can be any shade but Darren suggests red to add a nice punch of colour.

6 Create a welcoming porch
An empty porch can look stark and cold. If you have a porch large enough to accommodate furniture, set up a welcoming grouping such as two exterior club chairs and a table or a bistro set for dining. It’s also a good idea to add some colour with plants in containers.

7 Put down new sod
A lawn in poor condition does not create a good first impression and is something you should consider replacing if you’re trying to sell your home. It’s a lot faster to put down new sod instead of seeding and waiting, Darren says.

8 Add mature plants
When working on flowerbeds, adding larger mature plants is a lot easier (and in some cases, less expensive) than buying several flats of annuals, says Darren. Larger, more mature plants also tend to have a greater impact.

9 Spring for new accoutrements
Adding a new mailbox, house light and house number is a cheap and cheerful way of updating your home’s exterior. Big box stores like Home Depot and Rona usually stock simple yet stylish, well-priced options for these items.

10 Repaint
Giving the exterior of your home a fresh coat of paint can do wonders for curb appeal. Darren suggests painting your house in the colour of homes in a more expensive neighbourhood as a great way to create the perception of quality while doing something you probably already need to do.

11 Replace windows
Replacing windows is expensive but has a definite impact on curb appeal, says Darren. It can make your home look polished and give the impression you’ve upgraded more than just the windows.

Thanks to Style at Home for the article!