On a budget? Purchase a couple tulips and some fake moss. Place them all in an old jar and voila!

Enjoy Decorating Your Edmonton Home This Easter With Our Tips

Forget the Easter bunny and splurging on chocolates! This Easter, I say we celebrate the arrival of Spring. After all, we did survive a harsh Edmonton winter…the thought of walking my dog in 30-something below zero still makes me shiver. So, how exactly does one celebrate Spring? By decorating your Edmonton condo of course! (Think bright colourful tulips, chirping birds, and lush green plants.)

Follow these Easter decorating tips to help you shake away the winter blues and make your Edmonton condo feel like something off a Disney movie.

• Incorporate Natural Elements To Your Edmonton Home’s Interior: Hit up the nearest Michaels or Bed Bath & Beyond for some supplies and incorporate spring-themed natural elements such as a tiny bird’s nest, tulips, succulents, or moss to your home’s interior.
• Transform Flat Surfaces Into A Seasonal Display: Fireplace mantels, side tables, and the centre of your dinette make great locations for a seasonal display.
• Add An Easter Wreath To Your Door: Welcome your guests and passerby’s with a colourful Easter wreath. Simply attach some egg-filled nests, twine-and-raffia carrots, and some moss.
• Create A Zesty Centrepiece: It’s super easy to make, just purchase an all-white Easter Centrepiece then add halved oranges and lemons. All you need to do is cut the fruit, skewer the halves on floral picks, and slide them into arrangements before your guests arrive. It’s enough to make Snow White jealous!

There are so many tips and Easter decorating tips out there that keeping track of them would be a full-time job! Nevertheless we would love to read your tips and tricks for celebrating spring, decorating for Easter, or entertaining kids with Easter-themed activities. Do you have a great Easter decorating idea? Be sure to leave a comment below.

The last half of 2015 was quite the time for Elisse Moreno and all of us here at Home Tribe! Not only was Home Tribe (our new app matching buyers to their ideal homes based on lifestyle) launched in Oct 2015, Elisse was also recognized at her office with two very prestigious awards:

• RE/MAX Excellence Rookie of the Year
• Executive Sale Club – given to RE/MAX Sales Associates whose paid commissions in a given year totalled $50,000 to $99,999. (sales from June -Dec 2015)

We want to thank everyone who helped us achieve such amazing success in 2015:

• This includes our many business mentors
• Our unbelievable clients who help us wake up everyday excited and ready to do more
• Our families including my husband Roberto Moreno and my father Wayne William Heine who is also a rockstar REALTOR is his own right.

2016 promises to be an even more exciting year – we hope you join us on our journey of helping enhance the Edmonton Real Estate market!

Valentine’s Day is a time of fun, flowers, romance and quality time spent with your partner. It’s also a great chance to search for that special place to spend an afternoon or evening with your loved one. Edmonton’s 104th Street is the hub of the city with historical attractions, great shopping and a degree of sophistication loved by locals and visitors alike. This makes it also ideal for an Edmonton Valentine’s Day date to remember! So what’s happening on the street to help you celebrate this coming Valentine’s Day weekend on 104th Street? What about these three fantastic suggestions to get you started.

Credo Cafe

This favourite cafe of Edmonton folk is more than just a place to grab a quick coffee. It is known as a place where all parts of the coffee experience are seen as an art form. With a range of the finest Intelligentsia Whole Beans (including Black Cat Espresso, House Blend and In-Season Single Origin Beans) and delicious fresh bakery products such as: muffins, cookies and the cafe’s famous carrot cake with cream cheese icing, this is a venue that is suited for a romantic coffee and cake afternoon. For more information visit credocoffee.ca

The Cavern

The unmatched Cavern wine and cheese bar is putting on a Valentine’s evening on Saturday the 13th of February that you and your partner won’t want to miss. A fabulous four-course menu for two for $80 ($150 with wine pairings) will be available from 5.30 to 8.30. Bookings are essential, so be sure to visit thecavern.ca for more details.

 Valentine Pairing: Chocolate, Spirit and Wine (just one block off 104th street)

For something really different why not try a wine, spirit and chocolate pairing event? Chocolate connoisseurs Jacek Chocolate Couture are partnering with The Chvrch of St John, an art bar to bring you a special Valentine’s Day-themed exploration of chocolate with wine, gin and whisky. Limited tickets are available for this one-off event. Visit the Chvrch of St John to get more information on booking and times.

Edmonton’s 104th Street is an eclectic mix of colour, atmosphere, culture and quirky cafes and restaurants. With a rich trading and cultural history, the Street has transformed itself into one of the “go-to” spots in Edmonton for entertainment, festivals and alternative shopping. The street also boasts the popular City Market and annual Al Fresco Block Party amongst its attractions. There’s no place better to explore and spend a wonderfully, romantic Valentine’s Day weekend with your loved one.

On Sunday, I had the opportunity to try a new local restaurant for brunch in the Edmonton region called The Workshop Eatery. Situated in the community of Summerside, the restaurant can be found in The Mosaic Centre, considered Alberta’s most environmentally conscious buildings. The restaurant promises “handcrafted cuisine, inspired by local and seasonal fare, and genuine hospitality”. Overall I would agree with this statement.

Owned and operated by Paul Shufelt, who among his many careers worked with Century Hospitality Group, is bringing his own creative flair to the local food scene in Edmonton. It is always great seeing chefs go there own way and showcase their creative concepts to the world.

The setting of the restaurant is really nice in an unpretentious way with lots of light and an artistic drawing on the feature wall. Some of the selections sounded so incredibly good, like the feature of the day Carrot Cake Pancakes with a maple cream cheese sauce. I almost choose that, but decided to go for the healthier and heartier choice of the “Guilt Free Omelette”. I was not aiming for the least “guilty” meal on the menu, rather I am pescatarian and thus was more limited than my meat eating friends unless of course I wanted to indulge in the super sweet.

We also tried the featured appetizer of Arancini with jalapeno cream sauce. They were absolutely delicious. Overall, it would be a restaurant I would recommend. For southside residents, restaurants like this make a community more vibrant and I hope people will support places like Paul’s.

If I was to change one thing though, it would be the coffee. They individually brew each cup which is great, however you pay a lot for one cup and the coffee mugs are relatively small. I would suggest changing the process or at least increasing the coffee mugs to more “normal” sizes. (think Grande Starbucks size).

This restaurant is the perfect fit for The Mosaic Centre: Beautiful. Sustainable. Healthy. They also serve lunch and dinner and I definitely look forward to going back again in the near future.

Update: Had a great back and forth chat with The Workshop Eatery via Twitter today. First of all, I appreciated their quick acknowledgement of my review. They acknowledged the coffee situation and gave some great insight into their commitment to environmental impacts they create through their restaurant. Part of their goal is to reduce the amount of energy used. That being said, they also said “we hear you” and are looking at coming up with some creative and more cost effective ways that us coffee lovers can better get our fix. Their attention to this, truly shows that they care about their commitment to genuine hospitality. I would like to take a minute to thank Paul and his team for taking the time to acknowledge a minor concern of mine and to share in coming up with new ideas. I am even more impressed with them and look even more forward to recommending their restaurant to my family, friends and client. Kudos – keep up the awesome work.

HomeTribe is excited to have been invited to DemoCamp 29 happening tonight in YEG. For those that do not know what Demo Camp is, it is an event that “brings together developers, creatives, entrepreneurs and investors to share what they’ve been working on and to find others in the community interested in similar topics.”

Tonight, we will be showcasing our latest app tool “Home Tribe Match”. Ryan our lead developer will be demonstrating how people can use our app to find their potential home. It is the personalized real estate experience you have been waiting for.

If you are looking for something fun todo, join us:

When: Nov 26, 2015 @ 6:30 pm

Where: CCIS 1-160, University of Alberta – Drinks and networking to follow at RATT (Room At The Top) – 7th floor of the Students Union Building

There will also be 4 other companies demoing tonight:

• Shelfie
• FitCoins
• CareNetwork
• Run-WithIT

Until tonight, have a great day!

Elisse

On November 11, 1918, representatives of the Allied Forces met with their German counterparts in a stationary train carriage in the Forest of Compiegne, France to agree on terms that would bring about the end of the First World War.

This auspicious day, which originally marked the end of “The Great War”, has become etched into our collective history and consciousness as Remembrance Day. Now, when we reflect on the sacrifices made in our name, the day takes on a wider significance.

It now symbolises a recognition of the bravery, valour and tragic circumstances of the men and women who have given their lives to protect us in all conflicts, as well as that of the servicemen and women who continue to risk their lives to keep us safe.

The Beverly Memorial Cenotaph

The area of Beverly, Edmonton is home to the city’s oldest cenotaph memorial, The Beverly Memorial Cenotaph, which was erected in 1920. The history of this region became tragically entwined with that of The Great War when, in 1914, what had previously been a village became incorporated into a town.

Less than two weeks later, the dark clouds looming over Europe gave way to all-out war, and it wasn’t long before the town’s young men were called up and shipped across the Atlantic to join the struggle.

Nowadays, the cenotaph stands as a reminder of the loss and sacrifice of those young men, and that of the young men and women who continue to serve Canada so nobly to this day. Every year, the Beverly Memorial Cenotaph becomes the focal point for Edmonton’s Remembrance Day ceremonies, and marks the culmination of the city’s annual Remembrance Day military parade.

The Poppy

One of the most instantly recognisable symbols of our remembrance is the poppy. This pretty flower grows naturally on the fields of Belgium and France, where once, a century ago, millions of young men were locked in a deadly, tragic combat.

The poppies were first sold in Europe shortly after the war to raise funds for veterans charities, and began to gain popularity in Canada in 1921. Nowadays, showing our gratitude, respect and remembrance by wearing a poppy is a common occurrence each November, when we all bow our heads in reflection and consider the immensity of the gesture our servicemen and women made, make and will continue to make in the future, for us.

“The torch be yours to hold it high

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep

Though poppies grow

In Flanders Fields”

– Lt.-Col. John McCrae, Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps. Died on January 28, 1918

Start-up week is finally upon us! A week to celebration entrepreneurship and innovation and we are extremely excited to be a part of the excitement. This year, HomeTribe has been included as one of the start-up’s being featured at Launch Party 6 this Thursday, October 22, 2015.

What Is Edmonton Launch Party?

Launch Party Edmonton, the city’s flagship startup event that celebrates and showcases the hottest startups in town. Launch Party gives you the opportunity to meet our city’s brightest entrepreneurs, demo their products, and celebrate everything that our startup community has to offer.

Many amazing companies that have been a part of this amazing event have gone on to reach new heights. I’m sure many people have heard of Poppy Barley or Pogo Car Share for example. These are just 2 examples of many.

So, who exactly made the cut for the class of 2015, preview some amazing companies that will be cheering on tonight as well:

Chitter

Brought to you by: Mark Galloway, Tamara Bain, Kyle Kaiser, Ben Lavin, Sabby Choudhary

Get To Know Chitter: “Chitter is a mobile social media app that gives college and university students a digital way to engage with each other and keep up with what is going on around them in the fast paced environment of higher education.”

FitSet

Brought to you by: Tim Gourlay, Jake Stief, Raj Gandhi, Leila Panjvani, Bindesh Rach

Get To Know FitSet: “Fitset is a single membership to thousands of group fitness classes every day in 5 major Canadian cities — including yoga, spinning, obstacle course training, dance, boot camps, ballet barre and so much more. Our membership gives you the ability to try a new workout every day or visit each partner studio up to three times per month — for $99/month. Whether you are looking to diversify your workouts, discover your next favourite studio, or just explore your city, chances are we have studios close to wherever you live, work, and/or play. We aim to make fitness exploration as simple and convenient as possible.”

Carenetwork.com

Brought to you by: Dr. Noel Gibney, Kyle Fox, Emmet Gibney

Get to know Carenetwork.com: “CareNetwork.com is the easiest way for teams of hospital doctors to stay in sync. With teams working in shifts to provide around the clock care to dozens of patients with complex problems it is incredibly challenging to stay organized. CareNetwork.com helps these doctors to keep track of who their sickest patients are, what their patients’ stories are, and what needs to get done now. Collaborating through the CareNetwork.com app ensures this typically ephemeral information gets shared during shift change. Happier doctors, safer patients.”

instaMek

Brought to you by: Asem Alsaadi, Uzair Ahmed

Get To Know instaMek: “instaMek removes the hassle and struggle associated with traditional automotive service and repair by making the process as simple as ordering a book online. Within seconds this on-demand service allows car-owners to request and schedule a fully certified mobile mechanic (“Mek”) to their home or workplace – all at a price up to 30% cheaper than a shop. All work is guaranteed with a warranty on parts and labor and Meks are reviewed after every job to ensure top notch workmanship. Since its launch in February, instaMek has serviced over 500 vehicles and currently operates in 11 different cities across Canada.”

Evented

Brought to you by: Ramneek Purewal, Avneet Purewal

Get To Know Evented: “Evented is a web-based platform geared towards serving the event industry. Evented works by offering people who are planning events a consolidated, comprehensive, and current directory of local vendors who can service their events. Users can use features such as sorting filters and user reviews to make finding and finalizing vendors a more streamlined and efficient process. Evented is also able to eliminate the need for vendors to advertise on multiple platforms by providing a marketing tool that specifically targets their intended audiences. Evented works to create something useful for you; your city’s essential event vendor directory.”

VR Bike

Brought to you by: Peter W Wood, Pierre Boulanger, Stephanie Shaeffer, Ga Young Kim

Get To Know VR Bike: “MedROAD Inc. is a company designed and formed to act as a portal for delivering to the general community the exciting and state-of-the-art research and innovation developed out of the Advanced Man Machine Interface Laboratory, University of Alberta. These areas of innovation include: 3D virtual reality, telemedicine and enhanced image viewing. We at MedROAD Inc. are very excited to deliver some of the exciting and unique projects we have been worked on at the University; connecting our clients and consumers with the very forefront of research and development.”

PFM Scheduling Services

Brought to you by: Dale Schuurmans, Csaba Szepesvari, Martha White, James Neufeld, Jason Harder

Get To Know PFM Scheduling Services: “PFM is a company that came out of Alberta Innovates Center for Machine Learning (AICML) at the University of Alberta after 3 years of ground breaking research. PFM has developed a scheduling product suite that automates schedule production, optimization and analysis for shift workers in complex organizations that contend with sophisticated rule sets such as collective bargaining agreements. Currently, PFM is focusing on healthcare and is partnering with Telus Sourcing Solutions as a distribution channel and United Nurses of Alberta Union and Alberta Health Services as clients.”

Varafy Corporation

Brought to you by: Werner Biegler, Justin Sharp, Ken Fyfe

Get To Know Varafy Corporation: “Varafy gives Educators the power to create an unlimited number of fresh and unique problems and their detailed solutions in minutes versus hours – and have fun doing it!”

JumpSeat

Brought to you by: Mike Priest, Paul McCarthy, Trevor Dell, Christian Dendy

Get To Know JumpSeat: “JumpSeat is a product of Ten Speed Technologies and transforms how organizations onboard, train and support their employees. By providing in-context, interactive, step-by-step task guidance, users learn what they need to learn, at the moment they need to learn it. Our unique training method keeps the user in the browser, away from your support desk, and since it overlays on top of your existing web-applications, keeps them productive while learning. No code integration is required and no developers are needed to create your interactive guides.”

and last but not least last:

HomeTribe

Brought to you by: Elisse Moreno, Ryan Ramage, Luke Wang, Chantelle Maris and the rest of our awesome crew

Get To Know Home Tribe: “Home Tribe is a technology driven real estate team dedicated to creating a more personalized real estate experience. We do this by combining traditional real estate services, technology, Big Data and Analytics. Our first technology application, “Home Tribe Match” helps buyers find the perfect home based on their lifestyle needs. We take into account safety, commutability, neighbourhood dynamics and more to determine the homes currently for sale on the market that are most desirable to a buyer. This time-saving, easy to use app makes it simple for a buyer to move through the buying process.”

We hope to see a lot of friendly faces at this awesome event. Until tomorrow night. 🙂

Happy Thanksgiving To All Our Wonderful Clients & Friends!

Did we mention how lucky we are to have great people in our lives. Our success is truly only possible because of you “the believers” who entrust us to help you make one of your biggest decisions in life: To buy or sell real estate.  We have been honoured to serve you and look forward to the opportunity of being able to work with you, your family or friends in the near future. We hope that you have an amazing Thanksgiving! Enjoy your long weekend filled with good cheer, good company, good food and good drinks!

“We must find time to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives.” – John F. Kennedy

Teachings From Marianne Williamson: What’s Wrong With Being A Pollyanna?

This weekend, 100’s of people had the opportunity to experience Bloom, a festival in Edmonton founded by Myrah and Robrindra. A beautiful couple that you can tell truly love our city and the boundless possibilities that we as a humankind can achieve. While, I would loved to have attended the whole event, Edmonton Real Estate was calling. That being said, I did get the amazing opportunity to experience the keynote of the very own Marianne Williamson.

To be able to be in the presence of a woman that has been spoken about so highly from authors such as Wayne W. Dyer and Deepak Chopra, speaks volumes about her vast knowledge and insight into our world. Her most notable work of literature “A Return To Love” is a book that I personally have grown from and continue to read to this day.

It is fantastic to see that Edmonton’s community is growing and that a speaker of her caliber was included in this 2 day event. It was filled with spirited energy both in the physical means and mental means. Participants of the day, enjoyed classes in yoga, meditation, and creative speakers in a collaborative environment. The Winspear Centre embodied the Bohemian vibe including a back drop of many large dream catchers.

For those who do not know who Marianne is, let me provide a brief introduction:

Marianne Williamson is an internationally acclaimed spiritual author and lecturer. Marianne has been a popular guest on television programs such as Oprah, Larry King Live, Good Morning America and Charlie Rose. Six of her eleven published books have been New York Times Best Sellers. Four of these have been #1 New York Times Best Sellers. A Return to Love is considered a must-read of The New Spirituality. via Marianne’s Website

Not only was her talk both thought provoking and enlightening, I was amazed at how calmly and brilliantly she answered some of the audience questions.

One of the key moments from her event that I took away is that it is okay to be the Pollyanna of the group. If one starts to think about it, Pollyanna was truly a transformational figure in the sense that she was able to transform a group of unhappy people and show them how to be happy.

In Real Estate, I strive to be the Pollyanna for my clients. This does not mean that if a true problem arises that I don’t confront it, but more so that I address it and focus on finding a solution. Over the last fews months, I continue to learn each and every day because every transaction is unique, however, I also know that my clients are counting on me for answers, or at the very least finding them.

One case occurred this year  were there was some potential structural issues with the property. My client was distraught by this news, but even then still wanted to find a way to move forward with the purchase. I could have left her to her own merits to find the solution, but rather I suggested that we obtain some contractors to come in quickly to advise on the cost of remediation. We worked together to get quotes from the contractors. Thanks to the quotes, we now had knowledge on our side and were able to go back to the negotiation table to resolve the conflict.  The key solution was to ensure that she was able to move into a place that she could not only repair the issue, but that a majority of the costs were covered.

By staying optimistic through out the process, I was able to find a way for both parties to move forward in win-win manner. With this, I will leave you with a compelling quote from Marianne Williamson:

“When our minds move in harmony with love – through forgiveness or prayer or the simplest tender thought – then mountains move and the universe shifts.”

As it’s name states, The Quarters in Edmonton’s downtown will comprise of distinct districts, each reflecting their own unique design and character. The four quarters will be connected together by a central  linear park corridor called The Armature.

What Will These Districts Be?

The Armature

The Armature will be the pivotal point for the entire area of The Quarters. Designed as a linear park corridor, it will stretch across four and a half city blocks. (along 96 Street from 103A Avenue to Jasper Avenue). The Armature’s development plan consists of residential mid-rise/mixed use buildings that will front the park.

Civic Quarter

As it’s name is drawn from, the Civic Quarter will be connected to the downtown and arts district of Edmonton. For development, it is planned to include both civic and provincial institutions, along with medium and high density residential development.

Heritage Quarter

Edmonton’s original downtown is getting a face-lift. This quarter, is named the Heritage Quarter because it will be located where Edmonton’s original downtown resided. While new development will complement this quarter, there will be a strong focus on preserving all buildings that hold any historical significance.

McCauley Quarter

The McCauley Quarter is considered a continuation of the existing residential neighbourhood to the north. The concept of this quarter will be to keep the residential charm and character, building on a smaller scale to match the surrounding neighbourhoods.

Five Corners Quarter

Featuring higher-density residential development and taller buildings, the five corners quarter is named after the 5 corners on the intersection at 95 Street and Jasper Avenue.

Original Source: City Of Edmonton

– See more at: http://www.condotribe.com/2012/09/#sthash.gej8bfeT.dpuf