With raindrops hitting our roofs more and more these days, it’s time to plan for cozy evenings inside, and the best of this city’s cultural events for when we’re looking to get a little more social. From the famed Cirque du Soleil to melody-filled evenings and catching the big games, here’s the fall line-up.

1. If you’ve seen the yellow and blue tents by the Georgia viaduct, then you already know that Cirque du Soleil has returned to Vancouver with Kooza; the story of a melancholy loner “The Innocent” in search of his place in the world through acrobatic performance and bold, slapstick humour. Kooza runs from October 29th - December 27th. Get your tickets for one of the greatest shows on earth!

2. The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra has a number of upcoming shows to choose from, including a reprise of one of VSO’s most successful Pops concerts: Fifty Years of James Bond.  Enjoy memorable screen-stealers from Dr. No all the way up to the Oscar-winning Skyfall, just in time for 007’s twenty-fourth installment coming to theaters this month.

3. For more intimate evenings, the Friends of Chamber Music present a monthly classical concert series. Featuring world-class musicians playing some of the most timeless and evocative music from the masters, FoCM concerts offer a truly unique experience not to be missed.

4. Love them or hate them, the Vancouver Canucks have a couple of home games this month. Check their calendar and get your tickets for a night indulgent of the city’s spirit through an iconic hockey team.

5. Get a jump on the Holidays with the Canadian premiere of A Christmas Story and the acclaimed It’s a Wonderful Life at The Arts Club. With runs November through December, these tales as told on stage through live theatre is as traditional as the season can get.

Love it or hate it, Halloween arrives each year with the same demand: decorate and hand out candy to neighbourhood children. For people looking to sell their homes, this extra “landscaping” might not be at the top of the To Do list. However, if done right, getting into the spirit of All Hallows’ Eve is a good opportunity to appeal to your target buyers.

The #1 thing to remember for decorating: Keep It Simple. Use decorations that go up easily and don’t leave traces behind. That means no extra nails, paint, etc. that could prove difficult to remove. If a quick closing date is on the table, you don’t want to be spending precious time taking down everything that just went up.

The second thing to keep in mind is: Keep It Tasteful. You might love haunted houses, gore and spiders galore, but your potential buyers might not. The last thing you want to do is give the wrong impression or turn off viewers before they’ve even stepped in your home. Traditional pumpkins, tasteful door wreaths (you’ll find an abundance of beautifully pre-made ones at Michaels), and ghostly ghouls out of cheesecloth are always seasonal favourites.

If you’re feeling a bit more adventurous, these easy-to-whip-up decorating ideas for your porch and front lawn from Martha Stewart will enchant trick-or-treaters and visitors alike.

Got any Halloween decorating tips that you’ve discovered do the trick? Share with us!

Whether we admit it or not, we love looking into everyone else's beautiful homes. So, here for your viewing pleasure is a list of some of Canada’s most spectacular mansions from Coast to Coast!

1. The highest priced mansion on the list is in Vancouver’s own Point Grey neighbourhood. This 25,000 sq.-ft. property is so beautiful, we almost understand the price tag. On three lots with a movie theatre, tennis courts, and a 10 car garage, it sold for more than $51 million in December 2014.

2. We’d brave the Calgary cold for Kettle Lake Ranch, which went on the market for $38 million in February of 2014. The house itself is a modest 5,000 square feet with a beautiful rustic-chic appeal. The real value is the 240 acres of land on which it sits and includes two private lakes and a number of creeks. The property was once owned by the Ford Motor Family, and only adds to its historic charm.

3 Saskatchewan may not be the first place that comes to mind when imagining where one might find the most expensive homes in Canada, but this incredible 35,000 square foot home is most notable for its movie theatre and grand architecture. Owner Jeffrey Smith, CEO of First Impressions Theme Theatres, Inc., had it designed in the most opulent style available; reminiscent of grand Opera Houses and Ballrooms from colonial era Europe.

4. Compared to its fellow mansions in Vancouver and Toronto markets, a Manitoba listing this year went for a mere $11 million dollars. The 27,000 square foot estate is comprised of 28 rooms and promises impressive luxury (just look at that indoor pool) in modern minimalism.

5. Listed at $25 million dollars, 68 The Bridle Path is simply palatial. Not every home purchase also affords you a golf cart included in the price to transport owners and guests around the vast property. Along with a forty car garage, this classic mansion reminiscent of its European forebearers is impressive to say the least. The gardens alone make us feel like we’re in high society.

6. It is no great surprise that Quebec would not only have dozens of magnificent mansions, but castles indulgent of its French heritage. Sitting on 12.36 acres of waterfront property just outside Montreal and listed at $11.4 million, this exquisite 20,000 square foot mansion lives up to exactly what one would expect from one of Canada’s oldest cities.

Living in Vancouver means living with the rain. To coexist happily with this potentially damaging element, weatherproofing is a homeowner’s best friend. It not only keeps your home toasty warm from the wet and cold, but will also help keep your heating bills in check. The most crucial areas are windows, doors, basements and decks.

Weatherproofing your windows and doors will prevent the elements from infiltrating your home and heat from leaking out. Check around windows for caulking that has gone stiff or crumbly. Removing it is fairly simple with a screwdriver; take care to remove all of it before laying down a new bead of caulking in its place. Weatherstripping is common around doors to protect against drafts. Replacing peeling, cracked, or missing weatherstripping with new flexible vinyl weatherstripping is an important but quick fix.

More involved steps to fully weather-proofing your home include ensuring your pipes are cold-weather friendly to prevent bursting in extreme temperature changes, decks are weather-proofed against mould and mildew, and basements are properly insulated and crack-free. Easy for the ambitious DIYer, or research the best Pro in your area to help out with these last three.

If you have any weather-proofing tips for fellow Vancouverites or can recommend a good Pro, don’t hesitate to share below!

As a key economic driver in BC, the real estate market is happily humming along in our fair city. There was a 14.5% increase in residential property sales this September; 3,345 compared to the 2,922 sales reported in September 2014. This is only a slight 0.5% decrease to August 2015 sales.

Let’s review the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver’s September Stats as a big picture. Knowing where your homes stands in the grand scheme of Vancouver’s market will help you prepare to sell it, or know what’s a good buy and what isn’t. 

September sales were 32.9% above the 10-year average, even though the total number of properties for sale listed on MLS® was 27% less than September 2014, and .8% less than August 2015.

Sales-to-Active-Listings ratio: 31%

Benchmark price for all residential properties in Metro Vancouver is $722,300

A 13.7% increase from September 2014

Detached property sales totaled 1,272; a 0.2% increase from September 2014
Benchmark price for a detached property is $1,179,700

Apartment property sales totaled 1,529; a 28.7% increase from September 2014
Benchmark price for an apartment property is $415,100

Attached property sales totaled 544; a 17.2% increase from September 2014
Benchmark price for an attached unit is $518,600

(Photo: Alex Costin)