Coming up with a great technology product or service is only half the battle these days. Creating a name for said product that is at once cool but not too cool or exclusionary, marketable to both early adopters and a broader audience, and, of course, isn't already in use and protected by various trademarks and copyright laws is difficult - to say the least.

iPod: "Open the pod bay door, Hal"

During Apple's MP3 player development, Steve Jobs spoke of Apple's strategy: the Mac as a hub to other gadgets. Vinnie Chieco, a freelance copywriter Apple hired to help name the gadget before its debut in 2001, fixed on that idea, according to Wired. He brainstormed hubs of all kinds, eventually coming to the concept of a spaceship. You could leave it, but you'd have to return to refuel. The stark plastic front of the prototype inspired the final connection: pod, a la 2001. Add an "i" and the connection to the iMac was complete.

Does your Tax assessment tell you what your house is worth in todays market?

The quick answer is NO, but let me explain this bit further.  The market value of your home today is based on calculations done today, not based on the market values at last years tax cut off day.   On average the market evaluations real estate agents are doing now will be higher than your local tax assessment for 2010, at least in the City of Airdrie.  Now there are a few exceptions such as the community of Reunion that saw a significant increase due to more expensive homes being built in the area.  

Here in a nut shell is what has happened with the Airdrie City real estate tax assessments; 

Residential property value assessments fell -5.74 per cent and saw an average price drop from $363,400 to $345,900 from 2009 to 2010.   The Big Springs community in Airdrie experienced the largest decrease of -11.64 per cent in single family residential property value.  Reunion saw a significant increase due more expensive homes being built in the area in later phases and saw a 33.67 per cent increase.  Duplexes in Airdrie Meadows and Luxstone saw the biggest drops, falling 13.76 per cent and 4.26 per cent respectively.

If you are wondering what your property is valued at in Airdrie or Calgary compared to your current Tax Assessment, contact me (Bill Jones , HomesbyJones.ca).  I will be glad to prepare a Free Home Evaluation and consultation for you.

Airdrie Alberta has some pretty Great Schools from two different Divisions the Rocky View School Division and the Calgary Catholic School Board.  The kids that attend these schools are absolutely amazing, not only do they contribute to the community by erasing graphitti  off community fences as Bert Church High School  students did this past year but they also consider the impact of poverty and disaster world wide.  A good example of this is St. Martin de Porres High School, the students banded together to raise funds for those affected by the Haiti earthquake.  Some of  St. Martin de Porres High School, Students, Staffers and Teachers spent the month of February fundraising foe a 24-hour famine they held on February 26th to raise money for Haiti.

When the final numbers were calculated the students and staffers of St. Martin de Porres High School in Airdrie, Alberta had raised more than $25,000 through the various events held at the school throughout February.  Rob Braille an English Teacher at St. Martin de Porres High School, exclaimed "Our goal was $10,000 and we had 75 kids follow through with the actual famine, so it was more than we hoped for, "It was pretty overwhelming."  

Airdrie Alberta Century 21 Office , Castlewood Agencies doff our hats to these fine examples of young Airdrie residence.  Airdrie Alberta is a fantastic community to bring up our future generation as proven by the fine example of our High Schools students. 

Interested in bringing your children up in this type of community, conatct me Bill Jones , www.HomesbyJones.ca.

Everybody's got a Real Estate story, Do You?

Buying a home or selling a home is not always a warm and fuzzy thing. Sometimes it's Emotional, some times, Tragic sometimes Funny, and sometimes just plain weird.

If you've ever wondered whether the real estate life is for you or if you should keep on with this wacky chosen career then a book by Tom and Kerrie Everitt from Vancouver BC is a must read.  

"Everybody has a real estate story, and which is the title of Tom and Kerrie's this book called  is all about those true stories we've shared with our colleagues at the office.

Foreclosure's  might be great news for a buyer, but on the other side of the transaction someone has lost their home. "It's the human element side of real estate, not just the investment side."

However,  all of the stories in the collection are sad, although some are certainly a little dark -- like the real estate agent who arrived at a home to find the owner in a wedding dress unconscious in the master bedroom after a drug overdose.

Tom & Kerry Everitt have divided the stories into themes, from drama to horror to family entertainment, so you can select from Sad or Ghost stories to the light and entertaining ones. The book's inspiration came from the Everitts' personal experiences.  One of the stories even talks about the discovery of a tomb stone in a backyard when it was being re-sodded.

A call was put out  for submissions and the Everitt's sorted through hundreds of responses to find the mix they wanted.

True Real Estate Stories ($22.95) is available through Chapters/Indigo stores and online at truerealestatestories.com.

Why not share your Real Estate Story here for the rest of us to enjoy!

Real Estate Agent Kills off his Clients - in Advertisement

It seems trying to be clever by utilizing humorous marketing tricks may not be the best solutions for all of us, especially Shannon Daniels in Australia. It appears he was engaged to sell a home for a couple who had complete faith in him.  They were sure they could concentrate on getting the home ready for swings and their Real Estate Agent would look after the rest.

They decided as many of our clients do to go on-line and check out their home listing, however when they saw it , it stopped them dead in their tracks - literally. Unfortunately their agent had not shown the couple his plans for their advertising, it read; " Deceased Estate (Vendors Dying To Sell)"

THE owners were shocked at the news of their demise as they were expecting their second child.  The concern over the Advertisement went all the way up the ladder to  the Minister of Fair Trade in New South Wales , at which time the agent was order to remove the advertisements which also appeared in the local paper. He also had to print an an apology in the next weeks newspaper.

What Was He Thinking! 

If you would like t see the full and original version of this story that I have paraphrased follow this Link:  DAILY TELEGRAPH

Is your dog your best friend? Is your cat? 

Either way, it is up to you to ensure that they are kept out of harm’s way! 

Most of us assume that our home is the safest place for our pet, but there are common household items that can be potentially harmful to your pet – sometimes even lethal. Sometimes we don’t even know that they are a danger.

Who doesn’t enjoy the taste of chocolate or a hot cup of coffee? How about the smell of fresh flowers? Well, if you like these things then you can bet your pet does too! 

Foods and plants left within your pets reach may seem like a great treat for them, but they may actually cause more harm than good. Here are some common foods and plants that can be toxic if ingested by your dog or cat:

Coffee (all varieties)

Chocolate (all varieties)
Onions/onion powder
Raisins and grapes 
Lilies (most kinds)

This is just a small list of items to watch out for! 

Some may not have surprised you but there are many that we are not aware of. The easiest way to prevent your best friend from ingesting harmful foods or plants is to keep them out of reach. 

Sometimes you will need to be inventive with your hiding spots, because if your pet wants to munch on something they are not supposed to, they certainly can be creative!

“Keep out of reach” is the motto for keeping your pet safe! This applies not only to food and plants, but to household cleaners, gardening equipment, and other various items. 

Adding antifreeze to your vehicle? Make sure to clean up any spill in the correct manner, as a small amount of the sweet-tasting liquid can be very harmful, even lethal. The best way to clean it up is to cover it with sawdust, or better yet, clumping cat litter! This will absorb all of the liquid, and allow you to easily sweep it up. 

Keep in mind that this not only applies to your driveway or garage, but to the roadways as well. Any dog or cat walking by could easily lap up this harmful substance before their owners realize that it is there!

Fertilizing your lawn? Make sure to follow the manufacturer’s directions carefully, paying close attention to the time that should lapse before your pet can walk on that area again. Most fertilizers are harmful if ingested, and can cause damage to little paws as well.

If you think that your pet may have ingested a toxic substance, please contact your veterinarian immediately.

For more information on what the items mentioned above, as well as many other potentially poisonous or toxic items, please visit the

 ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control Center