With so many of us working from home right now, our home lives and work lives are more intertwined than ever! So how can we maintain a healthy separation between our home lives and our work lives when they happen in the same space? We reached out to our client, Courtney, who went from working Monday-Friday from 8:30am-4:30pm in an office to working from home full-time. Courtney's had to make a few adjustments not only to her regular workday, but to also ensure the lines betwe

If you've ever considered bringing a pet into your home, you've probably done some research on what kind of pet, what breed, and where it would come from, right? But it's important to remember that there is so much more that goes into this kind of life change than just how cute the pet is! For Joan and Marcus, adopting their bonded pair of rescue dogs was not only exciting, but also a brand new experience! "Neither of us had any pets growing up," Marcus explained, "but we had

If you're planning a move with kids, then you've probably experienced some amount of stress around the idea of telling them about it, let alone preparing them for it! Kids need time to adjust to major life changes, so it's important to consider when and how you'll tell them they are moving. For Stephanie, including her 10-year-old and 12-year-old kids right from the beginning was top priority! When searching for the dream home for her family, Stephanie wanted her kids to feel

With an industry like real estate, where people are making some of the biggest personal and financial decisions of their life, establishing a strong client-agent relationship is the key to success. In the spring of 2021, Judy began the adventure of not only selling a home, but buying one as well! Taking on both these tasks during a pandemic might seem daunting, but Judy knew she was in good hands when she met REALTOR® Angela Gervasio. Judy, who had originally lived out in th

In November of 2016, Jessica and Wayne were thinking about purchasing their first home together. While they were excited at the prospect of moving in and having a place to call their own, they admit they weren't certain about how to get things started. "I remember it all happened really fast and neither of us really understood the process," Jessica explained. "Now that I work in real estate, looking back, there are so many things I would've done differently." While the couple

There's a lot of talk in real estate about finding your "dream home," but what exactly is that? The truth is that it's different for everyone. When it comes to buying a home, no two people have the exact same wish list as one another. But it's also true that for even one person, their idea of a "dream home" is not static and often changes over time. This was the case for Kelly and her husband Steve, who bought what they thought at the time was their absolute ideal dream home,

For the average person, buying and renovating a house from top to bottom seems like a massive undertaking, but for Sharvin and Natalie, they looked at the challenge as an opportunity. Although today Natalie is a top real estate agent in the Niagara Region and Sharvin a successful developer, property flipping was something the pair primarily taught themselves. "When we bought our first home together, we had basically no renovation experience," Sharvin explained, "and that prop

It all happened so fast, but despite the quick timeline, homeowners Brianne and Dan said this was the most stress-free real estate experience of their lives. As St. Catharines locals who were living in the starter home they purchased in their early 20s, the couple was ready to upgrade their space. "We bought it almost 11 years ago and this house has been great for us," Brianne started to explain, "but our boys are 9 months and 4 years old now, plus we've got our dog, so we de

First time home buyers, Jordan and Manas, found the home of their dreams, but they found it just days before the Covid-19 pandemic first shut down Ontario. "Talk about timing eh?" Jordan remarked when thinking back on the situation. "We never expected to go through the process of buying our first home while a contagious virus was wreaking havoc on the world. It definitely made for a interesting experience." The couple had been renting in St. Catharines for the past six years

When Tony's mortgage was coming due for renewal, he saw this as the perfect opportunity to move out of the big city and start thinking about retirement. "I lived in Scarborough for many years," Tony explained, "but now I only have about seven more years of working, so it's time to start thinking about what I want to do and where I want to be for my retirement." Tony decided to sell his city home and look towards the Niagara Region for the future. "I was looking for about a ye

The word "REALTOR®" is synonymous with buying and selling homes, but when it comes to renting, some people don't realize that a licensed agent can help. Many renters think their only option is to scour hundreds of Kijiji and Facebook Marketplace ads, but that's not always the case. Lots of great rentals are listed with agents too and sometimes having an expert in real estate can make a world of difference in your rental experience! This was the case for Dayanna. "I have rente

We're sure you've heard the common belief that spring and summer are the best times to list your home, but what about the other seasons? With the fall season upon us, we wanted to speak to someone with experience listing outside of the usual spring and summer seasons. The Kesh Group REALTOR® Kara Speth, who is planning on listing a property this fall, was the perfect person for the job! "One advantage is that people are indoors more and start to feel like they need a change o

Have you ever been watching HGTV and heard someone say "this home has good bones" and thought to yourself, "what does that even mean?!" If so, I promise you that you're not alone! When someone says a house has good bones, they are typically referring to the layout and overall feeling of the home, not the current aesthetic. Reading a little between the lines here you can typically deduce that the house might not look the prettiest or have the newest updates or best finishes, b

You may have heard that when you are looking to buy a home, it is best to use a "buyer's agent." But how do you trust a total stranger to guide you through one of, if not the biggest, purchase of your life? How are they supposed to look after your needs? Or protect your part of the sale if you hardly know them? The answer is actually quite simple. You and the Sales Representative need to, first and foremost, build rapport. This was the situation that Jim and Chelsea faced. As

"How are we going to sell now?" That was the thought that kept spinning around inside Lisa's mind as she and her husband considered putting their home up for sale. Getting ready to sell your home can be an overwhelming experience to begin with, and listing during the ongoing COVID pandemic brings forth an onslaught of new concerns for sellers. "Our biggest hesitation was how many people would be coming through our house. These days you don't know if someone might be a carrier

"When I look back now, I'm surprised our REALTOR® didn't fire us!" Shannon reminisced with a laugh. "We dragged our feet for way longer than we should have until it finally clicked what we had to do if we really wanted to buy our dream home." Shannon and her husband Kamal were first time buyers looking to get out of the rental market and settle down in a place of their own where they could raise their young children. They contacted The Kesh Group to help them on their house h