With spring almost here, many of us are considering shaking off the last throes of winter and starting the refreshing task of cleaning up the place.  Spring cleaning always seems like a great idea – and a time for renewal - until you actually get started. Then quite often it turns out to be more work than expected!

The good news is, there are proven techniques to make the job easier so you can get it done faster. Here are a few suggestions to get you going:

• Before you start spring cleaning, make sure you have everything you need: hammer and other tools, storage boxes, tape, garbage bags, cleaning supplies, etc. Think of what you’ll need on hand, and the tools that will make each task easier. You don’t want to be wasting...

Setting out to purchase a new property is an exciting time, and when you think about your price range, you always hope to find the ideal property within that budget, however, the housing market is hugely variable, and it rarely works out that way.

There are many circumstances in which you may have to rethink your budget, and quite often you’ll need to increase it to get the home you want.

For example, you may find that properties in the neighbourhoods you’re looking to buy in are actually selling for more than you expected. With this eventuality, you’d have to either look for a home in a different area, or see if there’s a possibility that you can increase your budget.

Another scenario that comes up frequently is changing...