Many people who are currently in the home-buying stage have energy conservation as a high priority on their house hunting checklist. There are several upgrades that can be completed that make homes energy efficient. For sellers looking to implement solutions before putting them on the market, it can sometimes be hard to narrow down exactly what's going to be most beneficial. Here are some solutions that buyers are looking for:

Most of us remember mom reminding us to turn off the lights when we left the room or to make sure the door was shut properly when we came in from the cold. It turns out she was right.

With just a 10 degree drop below zero, a typical Albertan household could see their electricity consumption go up by about eight per cent and natural gas consumption go up by about 40 per cent.

As winter sets in, why not enjoy the cozy warmth of cooking with gas?

When it comes to fire safety in the home, properly functioning smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) alarms are the best early-warning systems.

According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFRA), 60 per cent of fire deaths at home occur in structures with no working smoke alarms or no smoke alarms altogether.

The holiday season gives most people the feels – "most" being the operative word. It's important to keep this in mind when selling your home during the festive season. It's easy to go overboard. (If you're not sure what we mean, watch the notorious house-lighting scene from National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation for a reminder.)

An open house is a great opportunity to welcome eager homebuyers and show off your home in all its warm, wonderful glory. Here are some tips to stage your home for a sale, while keeping it tasteful:

Bathrooms have obvious practical uses, but for many people, they are also a place for relaxation and rejuvenation.

This need for both style and function is why a complete bathroom remodel is a popular renovation, especially for ensuite baths.

Shopping for furniture involves a lot of choices. For each different piece, there are endless size, fabric and colour options.

However, finding the perfect furniture for your home can be a breeze with some pre-shopping preparation and a bit of advice from the experts.

If the siding on your house has seen better days, the good news is there are a wide variety of products to choose from to replace it, each with its own pros and cons. Neil MacDonald, assistant store manager with Home Depot Canada's Beacon Hill location, says it's important to remember that while material cost is a major part of the equation, people also need to consider ease of installation, or factor in the cost of a professional install, when deciding on new siding.

Here is a comparison between the most common siding products (click to expand):

When you're buying a new home, the last thing you need is to inherit someone else's problems. Even if you've done a walkthrough and taken a close look at plumbing fixtures, paint and ceilings, the potential for disaster might be lurking just beneath the surface – literally.