Sunday is Fun Day Recap

 

Campfire and Hockey Fun

Today, the sun was shining and we seized the opportunity to embrace the warmth with a delightful campfire in the morning. Despite a minor disagreement with Mom regarding the early marshmallow toasting (before noon), we all enjoyed the cozy gathering. The kids, as always, reveled in the campfire experience. With the impending spring and likely fire bans due to the sparse snow, these moments become even more precious.

Just as we were soaking in the campfire ambiance, news came in about an unexpected ice time slot for Lucas’s team. We swiftly wrapped up the fire and headed to the arena after lunch. The boys had a fantastic time scrimmaging and relishing the pure joy of playing shinny hockey. It was a refreshing break from the usual competitive spirit, creating a really fun environment for all.

I stopped at the Calm n Ground for a great copy of coffee as always. Apsley was quiet place for a Sunday. That will not last very long as cottage season is coming quickly. Took a quick picture of the new grocery store. Soon, very soon it will open.

Car Cleaning Marathon 

Following Lucas's hockey session, I took on the task of giving our cars a much-needed cleaning session. Despite my typically meticulous maintenance, recent weeks of neglect had taken their toll on the vehicles. With three cars to tend to, it turned into quite the chore. Over three hours were dedicated to vacuuming, scrubbing, and washing each vehicle until they gleamed.

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BBQ Delights and Reflection 

The day's activities culminated in firing up the BBQ to prepare a scrumptious feast of hot hamburgers. It was the perfect end to a fulfilling day filled with various activities. Time seemed to slip away swiftly, a testament to the enjoyment and relaxation we experienced throughout the day.

Conclusion 

As we reflect on the events of the day, it's evident that simple joys like a campfire, hockey scrimmage, car cleaning spree, and a BBQ can create great weekend moments and happiness.

We hope you find this recap of our "Sunday is Fun Day" activities enjoyable and look forward to more memorable moments together. Enjoy the rest of your day.

Photos  &Written for you by:

Your local Realtor®

Waterfront Sales from the Kawarthas to Hastings Highlands to Haliburton, we service your Lake!

705-927-6236

Brad Sinclair, Sales Representative

Royal Heritage Realty, Brokerage

The Inside Source of Waterfront Real Estate

A Day of Exploration and Appointments

Today was a day filled with miles on the road, taking me across different appointments scattered in various locations. Despite the distance between them, the opportunity to explore the countryside and capture some breathtaking sights made the journey worthwhile.

 My first destination was in Douro, leading me to pass through the scenic Burleigh Falls. Entering the back way to Lock 28 along County Rd 36, I made a quick detour to catch a glimpse of Lovesick Lake, soaking in the tranquility it had to offer.

 Additionally, I managed to snap a few photos of the dedicated workers at the Burleigh Falls dam, diligently working towards replacing the structure entirely.
 For more information on the dam's replacement project, you can visit [here](https://iaac-aeic.gc.ca/050/evaluations/proj/80528).

The next leg of my expedition brought me to the peaceful Indian River crossing on the 3rd Line of Douro. The river mirrored the sky, resembling a sheet of glass without a single ripple disturbing its surface. A sight to behold, the bridge aiding the township seemed to carry a heritage dating back to 1966 stamped into the concrete of the Bridge.

 My appointment in Douro entailed revisiting a property that I had previously sold. The current owners had evidently poured their heart into enhancing the property, yet the trials and tribulations of a household filled with teenagers had shifted their focus away from spending time at their cabin. Stay tuned for this upcoming listing in the following weeks.

 Transitioning to my next appointment at Dickey Lake, a cottage under conditional sale, brought me to County Rd 8 in Asphodel Township. En route, a pit stop at the Ouse River crossing presented an opportunity for a few more picturesque captures.

 After the Dickey Lake appointment, situated within the Municipality of Marmora and Lake, gave me a shot of perpetual readiness with the sand truck always poised for action.

On my journey back, I encountered Wollaston Lake, where the sight of a truck sitting on the ice with portable ice huts hinted there is much more ice on the lake than I figured.

 Taking a slight detour, a drive past The Gut led to some great pictures of the mesmerizing Crowe River in Lasswade, adorned with icy embellishments.    

Embarking on this expedition not only fulfilled professional obligations but also granted me the chance to witness the untouched beauty that nature paints in the countryside. I am glad I took some extra time to make the stops which enriched my experience, offering a unique perspective and a moment frozen in time through the lens of my camera. Till the next adventure unfolds, the memories captured today shall remain etched as a reminder of the vast wonders awaiting exploration in our own backyard.

Photos  &Written for you by:

Your local Realtor®

Waterfront Sales from the Kawarthas to Hastings Highlands to Haliburton, we service your Lake!

705-927-6236

Brad Sinclair, Sales Representative

Royal Heritage Realty, Brokerage

The Inside Source of Waterfront Real Estate

Find Out What You Don’t Know-Septic Systems

 Find Out What You Don’t Know-Septic Systems

If you have been on municipal sewer systems all your life a septic system can be very foreign topic. I have had clients exclaim “it goes into the ground?” When you explain what happens to human waste. I usually can’t help myself put immediately state, yep, it goes into the ground and on the other side of the cottage you pull your drinking water from the same ground! People can’t believe this all until you take a few minutes to explain how it all works. First you have to know that since municipal services are not available everywhere in the province there has to be individual systems to deal with human waste. These systems are septic systems, composing toilets, holding tanks and just a hole in the ground with a building overtop called outhouses. We can discuss the other systems at another time. Today lets talk septic systems. Septic systems are fairly simple. The system is a series of pipes caring the waste to a tank called a septic tank. The tank can be concrete or plastic. The tank is where the magic happens! It is a biological process that reduces the solids to a combination of sludge and liquids called effluent. The effluent flows from the tank to the drainfields from distribution pipes. The soil around the distribution pipes are layers of sand and gravel that helps filter the effluent into clean water If all that goes down the drain was human waste, these systems would work great forever. But users can easily alter the biological process by introducing things that stop or slow down the process, like chlorine, grease, excessive amount of water, soap, large amount of toilet paper. Trees can be unfriendly as well to a septic system as well. Roots can find their way into the distribution pipes and clog them. Effluent does not flow through a pipe that is filled with roots very well! Every municipality has guidelines on minimum sizes of systems, setbacks, clearances and absorption area. Be sure to know these guidelines.

HOW TO FIND A HOME THAT HAS YOUR “BIG THREE”

How do you find the home of your dreams within a price you can afford? Most buyers start by making a “wish list”. But, it’s easy to get frustrated when you have a long wish list and expect you’ll be able to find a home with every one of those features. You might, for example, have a “mature backyard tree” as number 23 on your list and become disappointed when an otherwise ideal property doesn’t have one. But when you really think about it, your ideal home probably comes down to three or four core characteristics. 

For example:

1. Nice, safe, family-oriented neighbourhood.                                                                  2. Good-sized backyard.                                                                                                  3. Four bedrooms and two baths.

Sure, there might be other features you were hoping for, such as “move-in ready” or that big tree, but your “big three” are the ones you can’t do without.

So, when shopping for a new home, list the features and characteristics you desire. After all, properties on the market might be available that check off most, if not all, of those boxes.

But also circle those three or four characteristics at the core of what you want. That will help make your property search much more focused, and you’ll be more likely to find your next dream home.

Another advantage of coming up with your big three (or four) is that you’ll quickly discover how many homes with those characteristics are selling on today’s market. Once you know that price range, you can pre-arrange financing with a mortgage advisor. That will make your offer on that dream home even stronger.

Whatever you choose for your “big three”, I can help you find and buy that home. If you’ve been entertaining the idea of selling your property and finding your next dream home, call me. 

*When your recreation or waterfront property is no longer rainbows and sunshine, we offer concrete solutions to Life‘s curveballs. Call us today for a clear path. We will look after it. 705-927-6236 *

Brad Sinclair

Team Lead “The Brad Sinclair Team”

Sales Representative

Royal Heritage Realty, Brokerage

Visit my website! www.bradsinclair.ca

Call Or Text me 705-927-6236

Your Cottage Country Inside Source

Waterfront-Commercial-R.E. -Investing

Is now the best time for you to buy a house?

Is now the best time for you to buy a house? 

 

 

The market has seemed to have cooled down a bit, this is what you've been waiting for right? But now you are just really concerned about rising interest rates, and what the banks are up to, interest rates are just so "high" now compared to last year. There are no longer a whole bunch of multiple offers to complete with buyers are now more in control than they have been in the last couple of years. A higher interest rate can work in your favour if you are currently renting.

Here's how:

Every payment you make gets your mortgage down building equity in your home. How much equity are you building while renting from someone else, and waiting for the time to be right in the market? 

The reality is a 6 or 7% interest rate is way more appealing than the 100% interest rate you are paying to your landlord. You are building equity for them when you could be building equity for yourself. It just makes more sense to want to build equity for yourself and not someone else. Don't be off-put by the interest rates talk to your bank or your favourite mortgage person today, and if now is time for you to buy a house, give me a call so we can get you on the right track to finding your dream home.

 

 *When your recreation or waterfront property is no longer rainbows and sunshine, we offer concrete solutions to Life‘s curveballs. Call us today for a clear path. We will look after it.* 705-927-6236

To receive market updates, new listings, tips, tricks and more subscribe to our newsletter!

Brad Sinclair

Team Lead “The Brad Sinclair Team”

Sales Representative

Royal Heritage Realty, Brokerage

Visit my website! www.bradsinclair.ca

Call Or Text me 705-927-6236

Your Cottage Country Inside Source

Waterfront-Commercial-R.E. -Investing

**Not intended to solicit buyers or sellers under agency contract**

Kawartha Cottage Rentals IGuide Photography System

 

Kawartha Cottage Rental IGuide Photography System is another tool in your rental toolbox to attract and secure more bookings.  A brief overview of the pros of using this system.

Why iGuide?

Our iGuide system is a proven system that we use to sell our waterfront properties. It is the most efficient system that showcases a home, and cottage to prospective buyers. It allows for faster decision-making, better planning, and easier navigation, including accurate floor plans, 360° images, room dimensions, photos, and more!  IGuide Waterfront Cottage Photography offers a host of features sure to impress potential renters

Here are the main reasons why prospective buyers and agent prefer virtual tours over videos of listings:

1) iGuide Virtual Tours Are Self-guided: One of the biggest and most important differences between a video tour and an iGuide Virtual Tour is that iGuide Tours are solely self-guided/interactive.

2) iGuide Virtual Tours Are Fully Immersive: iGuide is an immersive experience that provides the sense of actually being at the property.

3) Virtual Tours Don't Rely On Long Attention Spans:  Kawartha Cottage Rentals IGuide Photography & Virtual Tour places the controls in the hands of the viewer and allows them to explore the property as they'd like, on their time frames. Whereas a video experience is linear and guided by the camera operator. The viewer has to wait for the camera operator to take them through the home, or strategically fast-forward the video until they find the room they are wanting to see.

 

A quick look at images and floor plans offered by the IGuide System.[/caption]

4) Video Tours Cannot Achieve HDR and Bracketing: Regardless of whether too much or not enough light is flooding a room, the essential professional feature of HDR and Bracketing will be absent from most video tours.

5) iGuide Waterfront Cottage Photography Separates The Serious Buyers From The Tire Kickers: Prospective buyers that contact an agent after taking an online virtual tour are far more likely to be serious about buying the property than a neighbor and their friends who show up at an open house for something to do on a weekend. Kawartha Cottage Rentals IGuide Photography & Virtual Tours are valuable in that they can make people want to see a property and they have the ability to show people that they don't want to view a particular property for whatever reason.

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Brad Sinclair

Team Lead “The Brad Sinclair Team”

Sales Representative

Royal Heritage Realty, Brokerage

Visit my website! www.bradsinclair.ca

Call Or Text me 705-927-6236

Find out what you don’t know

**Not intended to solicit buyers or sellers under agency contract**

Here is a handy credit tip

 Take advantage of pre-authorized payments 

If you are finding it hard to keep up with your credit card payments and are falling behind and missing payments each month. A great option to utilize is pre-authorized payments. This allows your credit card company to go in and take your minimum payment every month making your payment on time. This option is fantastic because you will never be late or miss a payment. Then you can later go in and make another payment when you have the money to do so, therefore, paying off the balance more quickly.

 Missed payments affect your credit score greatly, so if you are having a hard time keeping up and are falling behind utilize this option. But remember don't just set it and forget it. Paying bills and dealing with debt can be so stressful why not take some of that stress away by setting up pre-authorized payments for your credit cards? It's fairly simple to set up and fairly easy to cancel - each company has different policies - most cards have online/app. options or you can call the credit card company to get set up. Start to take control of your debt.  

*When your recreation or waterfront property is no longer rainbows and sunshine, we offer concrete solutions to Life‘s curveballs. Call us today for a clear path. We will look after it. *

To receive market updates, new listings, tips, tricks and more subscribe to our newsletter!

Brad Sinclair

Team Lead “The Brad Sinclair Team”

Sales Representative

Royal Heritage Realty, Brokerage

Visit my website! www.bradsinclair.ca

Call Or Text me 705-927-6236

Your Cottage Country Inside Source

Waterfront-Commercial-R.E. -Investing

Thinking about a retirement move to waterfront?

Making the transition to retirement life can be difficult for some, if you are thinking of retirement perhaps you see yourself enjoying a beautiful waterfront home in the Kawarthas.

Some key things to consider when moving towards retirement are:

Type of Home - What type of home will best suit your new lifestyle? Will you need lots of room for extra visitors or do you just want something small with very low maintenance?
Activities - What types of activities will want to be doing on the water? Some of the smaller lakes do not allow for motorized boats so the activities you plan on doing will affect which lake you want to be on.
Taxes and cost of living - When moving you need to consider what that cost will be especially in your retirement years. A cheaper option for waterfront retirement life could be deeded access to the waterfront or waterfront nearby. We have a great option for this type of home to check it out Click here
Knowledge of your surroundings - How familiar are you with the area you want to move to? Since this is going to be your last move you want to be as comfortable as possible.
Healthcare - What is your health like? Will the location you choose have easy access to medical care if you need it?
Family - What will be your proximity to your existing family, do you want to be close to them?
Population density - How close are the other people that you will be sharing the lake with?
Services - Do you want to be able to have cell phone and internet services? Most lakes nowadays have these services but there are still areas that have no services.

Whatever your retirement plan may entail if it includes a waterfront home give us a call we will look after your real estate needs from beginning to end!  705-927-6236.

To receive market updates, new listings, tips and tricks and more subscribe to our newsletter!

Brad Sinclair

Team Lead “The Brad Sinclair Team”

Sales Representative

Royal Heritage Realty, Brokerage

Visit my website! www.bradsinclair.ca

Call Or Text me 705-927-6236

Your Cottage Country Inside Source

Waterfront-Commercial-R.E. -Investing

Fancy Ways To Drink The Booze You Have (Non-Alcoholic Options Too)

 

Picture this...It’s summer and you are relaxing in the sun at the lake – Nothing tops that off quite like a good cold drink. Aside from the go-to drinks (beer, coolers, lemonade, pop etc.) below are a few drinks, including a couple non-alcoholic options, to try that are easy to make. Best part: They are made with simple ingredients you will likely have in your kitchen.

(Here is the link to these and many other summer drinks: insanelygoodrecipes.com/summer-cocktail-recipes/)

 

Summer Sunset Cocktail

(www.foodwinesunshine.com/summer-sunset-cocktail/)

Ingredients:

- Vodka
- Peach Schnapps
- Lemonade

- Cold orange juice
-Cold fresh cranberry juice
- Lots of ice cubes

How to make a pitcher of Summer Sunset Cocktails

Directions:
- Add almost a quarter of the pitcher full of ice into the empty pitcher

- Pour in 1/2 cup vodka

- Add 1/4 cup Peach Schnapps

- Fill the pitcher half full with lemonade and stir

- Mixing is essential as is makes sure the alcohol is evenly distributed and is not just sitting at the bottom

- Fill the rest of the pitcher orange and cranberry juice, about half of each

 

Frozen Mudslide

(https://insanelygoodrecipes.com/frozen-mudslide/)

Ingredients:

- Vanilla ice cream

- Ice cubes

- Whipped cream

- Vodka, Kahlua, and Baileys Irish Cream will get you tipsy fairly quickly.

- Chocolate syrup and sprinkles aren’t necessary but add ‘em if you’ve got ‘em!

Directions:

- Start by placing the serving glass in the freezer for a good 20 minutes before you start. This helps keep the cocktail frozen and cold for longer.

- In a blender, add the ice cream, vodka, Irish cream, coffee liqueur, and chocolate syrup. Blend until the mixture is nice and smooth.

- Before pouring, you can decorate the walls of the serving glass with chocolate syrup.

- Pour the mixture into the glass

- You can serve it at this point, but you can also freeze it for 5 to 10 minutes to make it extra cold and thick

- For a prettier presentation and added flavor, top with whipped cream, chocolate sprinkles, and even more chocolate syrup

 

Sweet Tea Sangria

(https://www.thewickednoodle.com/sweet-tea-sangria/)

Ingredients:

- 6 cups sweet tea (iced tea)

- 1 bottle white wine

- 2 cups raspberries

- 2 cups sliced peaches

- Fresh mint, for garnishing (optional)

Directions:

- Make/buy sweet tea (iced tea)

- Mix it with a bottle of white wine

- Toss in the above fruit or whatever fruit you have

- Let it sit a few hours before enjoying

 

Dark and Stormy

(www.acouplecooks.com/dark-and-stormy-cocktail/)

Ingredients:

- Dark Rum (traditionally Goslings Black Seal Rum)

- Ginger beer

How do you get the layers in a Dark and Stormy? 

Directions:

- Pour the ginger beer in the glass

- Top off with the rum

- Make sure to stir before you drink it

 

NON-ALCOHOLIC RECIPES: 

Frozen Lemonade

(https://www.southernliving.com/recipes/frozen-lemonade)

Ingredients:

-4 cups of vanilla ice cream

-2 cups of lemonade

-2 tbs orange juice (fresh from 1 orange, if you have it)

-I tbs fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)

Directions:

- Process all ingredients in a blender on high speed until mixture is completely smooth, about 1 minute

- Serve immediately

 

Sparkling Punch

(https://www.southernliving.com/recipes/pink-sparkling-punch)

Ingredients:

*To make things easier, I’ve made suggestions, for the ingredients, with items that you’re more likely to have in your fridge*

- Recipe calls for 1.5 cups of pink lemonade, but I’m sure regular lemonade would be just fine

- 4 cups of white cranberry juice (again, I’m sure red cranberry will work too)

- 4 cups of club soda (ginger ale if that’s what you have)

- Fresh mint (optional)

 

Directions:

- Stir together lemonade and cranberry juice cocktail in a large pitcher

- Stir in club soda just before serving.

- Garnish (optional)

**Champagne version: Substitute 1 bottle of champagne or sparkling wine and ¼ cup of orange liqueur for club soda

 

 

 

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Brad Sinclair

Team Lead “The Brad Sinclair Team”

Sales Representative

Royal Heritage Realty, Brokerage

Visit my website! www.bradsinclair.ca

Call Or Text me 705-927-6236

Find out what you don’t know

**Not intended to solicit buyers or sellers under agency contract**