By Shawn Lackie The Real Estate landscape has certainly changed in the last two years (yah think?). What used to be a crazy ride for buyers and sellers has almost died out completely. High interest rates and seller greed finally caught up with the market. Buyers who were once throwing money at sellers with no thought about it are now sitting back and patiently waiting for the next shoe to drop. Or at least interest rates. We had one drop in September, and more are on the way.

by Tina Y. Gerber – McCurley I know from experience, exercise is very effective and beneficial for most seniors. I anticipate a right knee replacement in the new year. I am looking to further improve my strength, balance, and flexibility, as well as my mental and emotional well-being. As we age, we see physical changes that can negatively affect muscles and bone strength, as well as other bodily systems. Moderate physical activity does benefit your overall health. It’s import

by Lauren Walker Have aches and pains beyond normal? Do you find it hard to sleep? Maybe you have stomach pain and have trouble going to the bathroom. No, you’re not facing some life-altering health issue, but there is something going on. What is it? STRESS. People tend to search for physical reasons for why these physical symptoms are occurring. At the top of my list of causes, stress is number one. It has such a distinct effect on both your physical and mental well-being, y

by Jonathan van Bilsen I never planned to spend a night in jail, but then again, few seventeen-year-olds do. Most people never see the inside of a cell, unless it is on television, and that is probably a good thing. It is certainly not the Marriott. Still, I can honestly say, I have done time in ‘the Big House’. It all started with a heartbreak. My first, in fact. She was the prettiest girl in my class, and for two glorious weeks, I thought we were destined for greatness. The

by Tina Y. Gerber – McCurley Sometimes, we beg God, or say, “Why, why me!? Why are things falling apart,” or “Why is this happening? It’s just not fair!” I have no answer to these questions, except, we are here to learn and live a full rich life. For peace at heart, we need to affirm our confidence in Gods power and His ability to overcome any obstacle.   In His paramount wisdom, I understand, the Holy Spirit shows up where there is surrender, obedience, and a cry for genuin

by Shawn Lackie Nobody said it would be easy. But it’s all a matter of perspective. By it I mean finding a good and reliable mortgage broker. In many instances the decision can be an extremely simple one. You have a relative or a very close friend who you trust implicitly to give you the best quality service and really look out for your best interests. Even these scenarios come with a certain level of risk. As long as you ask the right questions and stay engaged in the proces

by Shawn Lackie I was sitting with some close friends, the other night, and we got to talking about needs in a home purchase. Now, I have always believed there is a vast difference between a need and a want. Most times buyers confuse those two, so called, priorities. A need is something you absolutely MUST have, based on necessity: number of bedrooms; good sized living area; large or small lot, depending on your needs; access to schools and transportation; and hospitals, if y

by Shawn Lackie I know the title sounds like a bit of a joke, to many, but there ARE realtors out there who care, and they carry themselves and their business with honesty and integrity; really. However, too often we hear about the “bad apples,” and there are more than a few of those. Recently, a brokerage was in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. Their trust account was audited and there was a $10 million dollar shortfall. The case is still under investigation but may

by Shawn Lackie The title of this week’s piece comes from a classic baseball book, written in 1970, by then Seattle Pilots pitcher Jim Bouton. It is a CLASSIC. If you have never read it, do yourself a favour and set aside some time to do so. What he was saying was loosely based on a line from a Peanuts comic strip which said, “Tell your statistics to shut up.” At any rate, it was credited to his manager, at the time, Joe Schultz. Now, there was a character. What this is all l

by Lauren Walker Since Autumn is upon us, I thought it pertinent to talk about Fall. The leaves are falling and it got me thinking about Fall prevention! My clients have a varying range of mobility issues and a very realistic concern is falling. Fear of Falling Life is unpredictable, so its important to mention, I cannot necessarily prevent people from falling. Sometimes it just happens! Even those who do not have mobility issues can find themselves in these moments. The good

by Jonathan van Bilsen The very first time I went to Beijing was in the late eighties. The tallest building was no more than three stories high, and individuals were not allowed to own cars. It was a city of unadvertised adventure, and I fell right into the middle of it. It was my last day in the capital city, en route to Singapore. I had contacted the airport to confirm my flight, only to be told it was overbooked and I would not be able to leave on schedule. I have never be

by Tina Y. Gerber - McCurley It's certainly been a challenging year for us. We both look forward to a fresh start with hope and anticipation. As believers, we focus our eyes on Jesus and his wonderful ways of coming through. Many see an older person as broken, as if somehow, they need to be fixed. I will admit, our bodies do change and so they suffer. Their parts no longer work like they once did. Most seniors begin to seem to disappear into the background, and this is a grow

by Shawn Lackie I was perusing the listings, the other day, and came across something I have seen far too often in the last 20 years. An agent not doing their job properly and clients dictating what they feel the market should be doing. That, folks, is a recipe for disaster, no matter how you cut it. A good agent, or at least a semi-competent one, will do their homework, prior to going to a listing appointment. Armed with pages of data which are recent, the agent can pretty m

by Shawn Lackie Events over the past few weeks have led me to some navel gazing and asking just what IS the role of a Realtor. Actually,...

by Geoffrey Carpentier In the last column, we explored the lives of some amphibians and discovered they use a variety of techniques to...

By Shawn Lackie This is a question I get asked from time to time and ask my self more times than I care to remember. How DO you build...

by Manley Lavender Upon learning from my neuromuscular specialist, I have something called myasthenia gravis and periphery neuropathy, I...

by Tina Y. Gerber-McCurley As we gathered for Church service, it was wonderful to see and talk to so many friends, after such a long...

by Lauren Walker When my dad started mentioning his wrists were bothering him, we first thought he’d been doing too much sanding with a...