Home and Garden Show

[tpurcell4]

It's that time of year again!!! The Calgary Home and Garden show Starts next Thursday, February 26th and runs until Sunday March 1st!

We have 10 pairs of tickets to give out this year, so lets try something new this year.

The first pair of tickets goes to the member to post our current best 5 year fixed rate from our Mortgage Rates Thread!

[94CoRd]

2.54%

[tpurcell4]

^^Awesome, thank you. Please PM me an address where I can send your tickets to!

Next pair of tickets goes to the first response with the Unemployment rate for Alberta in January of 2015!

Good luck!

[luuluu]

4.5%!

[mo_money2supe]

Originally posted by luuluu
6.6%!

That's the National Unemployment Rate for Jan. 2015. Alberta's was 4.5%.

[luuluu]

yeah read it wrong too late lol

[tpurcell4]

Thank you both. mo_money2supe, as you had the correct response first, can you PM me an address to send your tickets to!

Next question: (also, you can only win once!)

What is last posted price of crude oil (from the Mortgage Rates Thread) in CAD$?

[msommers]

$64.05CAD

[Xamim]

$64.05 CAD.

Edit: too slow haha.

[tpurcell4]

Awesome. Msommers, if you could PM an address to send your tickets to please and thank you!

Next questions:

What was the 5 year bond yield in my post this morning in Mortgage Rates?

[luuluu]

let me try this again

1 Year: 0.400% - closed at 0.445% previous
2 year: 0.387% - closed at 0.432% previous
3 year: 0.367% - closed at 0.416% previous
4 year: 0.596% - closed at 0.674% previous
5 year: 0.775% - closed at 0.851% previous

[muse017]

.775%

[tpurcell4]

LOL, ok luuluu, please PM and address to send the tickets to.

Next question will come tomorrow!

[tpurcell4]

Next questions for two tickets to the home and garden show!

What price did gold close at yesterday? Hint: This number has not been updated in the Mortgage Rates thread, but there is a link to find it!

The second question for the day (and pair of tickets) goes to whom ever can correctly answer which is heavier, an ounce of gold or an ounce of flour?

Good luck!

[snowcat]

They weigh the same

[e36bmw///]

nm

[A2VR6]

Originally posted by tpurcell4

The second question for the day (and pair of tickets) goes to whom ever can correctly answer which is heavier, an ounce of gold or an ounce of flour?

Good luck!

Are you talking Troy oz? if thats the case, a oz of gold is heavier than an oz of flour.

[Sugarphreak]

...

[tpurcell4]

Originally posted by e36bmw///
Gold closed at $1201.90?

Thank you! Please PM me an address to send your tickets too!

[tpurcell4]

Originally posted by A2VR6


Are you talking Troy oz? if thats the case, a oz of gold is heavier than an oz of flour.

That is correct! Thank you, please PM me an address to send your tickets!

[tpurcell4]

Originally posted by Sugarphreak
^^ What if the gold was made into a thin foil and then filled with helium? Because I would go with the flour then...

http://www.balloonsale.us/images/foil_balloons/18-inch-gold-Star-Foil-Balloon.jpg

I give you points for thinking outside the box! Haha!

[tpurcell4]

Next Question for 2 tickets!

What is the Bank of Canada's current overnight lending rate?

[OU812]

0.75

[grampafunk]

Originally posted by OU812
0.75

Yup! What he said.

[tpurcell4]

Originally posted by OU812
0.75

Excellent. Please PM me an address to send the tickets to!

Next Question! Where is the Home and Garden show being held this year!

[JustinMCS]

Originally posted by tpurcell4


Excellent. Please PM me an address to send the tickets to!

Next Question! Where is the Home and Garden show being held this year!

BMO CEntre and Corral!

[SOAB]

BMO centre and Corral!

edit: phuck, too slow!

[tpurcell4]

Originally posted by JustinMCS


BMO CEntre and Corral!

Thank you! Please PM an address to mail your tickets to!

[tpurcell4]

Ok, last two questions!

How does a mortgage broker get paid?

And

At what down payment amount can you avoid paying the CMHC insurance premium?

[s2k_boi]

Commission and 20% down payment to avoid cmhc

[TomcoPDR]

Mortgage broker gets paid from the lender (i.e TD, CIBC, RBC)

[tpurcell4]

Originally posted by s2k_boi
Commission and 20% down payment to avoid cmhc

Thank you, I will give you the tickets for the CMHC premium. Please PM and address to send tickets!

[tpurcell4]

Originally posted by TomcoPDR
Mortgage broker gets paid from the lender (i.e TD, CIBC, RBC)

Thank you for your answer! Please PM an address to send your tickets to!


And Thank you to everyone who responded and tried to respond!

For those who won tickets congratulations! For those who did not, we will have more tickets for the next show!

Good Night!

Todd

[nj2Type-S]

aww. how did i miss this thread?! :(

[suntan]

Use code BOOM2 to get 2 for 1 tickets for the show.

Not nearly as busy as past years. Still "busy", but I wasn't getting crushed like in previous years. Also there were booth babes, which I have never noticed before.

[TomcoPDR]

Thanks again for these Home and Garden show tickets Todd/Purcell Mortgage Team. To prove I actually went, here's my commentary on the event; not that anyone would care. I'm taking a guess not all your winners actually went, lol, could be wrong though.

I actually gave your 2 free tickets to an OG Beyonder's parents, I ended up paying for my own ticket. (to squash those Beyond rumours that I'm a cheap fuck... but, you do save $3 purchasing online instead of at the door; $15 at door, $12 online)
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r95/Tomcompany/Past%20repairs/Random/DSCF1984_zps4mj1oqhi.jpg~original

So anyway, thought I'd respect the elders, offered my free tickets and spend some time connecting to people. Once I met up and gave the tickets to the Beyonder's parents at the door, they actually suggested all 3 go our separate ways :( lol. WHICH, turned out to be a great decision for H.G. show (yes, auto/truck, RV, boat shows you wanna go with ur eye candy, kids hopping in outta demos, etc...). But for the legit, sincere DIYer, definitely easier to hop in and out of kiosks being an individual party. Good on those parents willing to bring their dually strollers (side by side taking up 5' foot width; they're not even long but narrow tandem front/back anymore, learn that at Disneyworld) and gazing around in the middle of intersection laneways. :rolleyes:

Not mathematically speaking, but I'd say the H.G. show consists of:

- 60% of local common contractors you can just Google in this modern day of social media. Such as your common needed major home maintenance: Roofing, siding, window doors, countertops, cabinets, flooring. (i.e. companies that spend money on H.G. booths, will just as likely spend money on websites/SEO which you can just Google: "best, cheapest, Calgary roofing", etc...)

- 20-25% Product manufacturers, distributors, that already have product placements in large/medium retailers. (Canadian Tire, Home Depot, Lowes, Homehareware, As seen on TV stores, etc...)...

- 20% or less specialist or community related: City of Calgary recycling, Atco gas, small inventors who aren't in retailers, the "sham wow" demo stuff. (This is the sector I love the most myself; the stuff you don't see at stores, lol)



Went on Saturday (third day in, out of four day event), so not sure if the quality freebies have disappeared from Thursday and Friday. All I managed to get free was a few fabric grocery bags, magnets and pens; nothing to go home to brag about. I'd say the coolest freebie was from City of Calgary recycling awareness kiosk giving out free roll of toilet paper with tank leak testing paper. Smart on them to limit one per person.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r95/Tomcompany/Past%20repairs/Random/DSCF1985_zpsyucqclux.jpg~original


Bought a flexible wire drain snake, a company from Vancouver. normally I'd just buy gallons of drain-o/bleach or shove air compressor hose as far as I can. But the demo booth with the clear P-trap looked so cool. So blew $25 there.

Bought some stuff from this booth that sold those oil extracts (like air freshener/gel) lavender, eucalyptus kinda stuff. A family business from Winnipeg. They had this muscle/joint temporary relief spray (kinda gives a cooling/heat sensation); their married daughter asked if I had any aches and pain, before you know it she was spraying my tramp stamp lower back area. Walked around for 5-10 minutes like they suggested. (I think you can achieve the same result from Chinatown over the counter ointments)... Chatted with the family for a good 15-20 mins, but for some reason, I guess I'm the type where the parents owners made sure I understood these sprays are not for your genital area. Which I wouldn't disagree, it'd be like rubbing Tiger Balm on your balls. Can't even make this up even if I wanted to.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r95/Tomcompany/Past%20repairs/Random/DSCF1986_zpsubcstpgo.jpg~original


I'm sure I missed about 10-15% of the booths, but out of the live demo's I've visited, most were quite interesting to watch, but I'd say the demo product that got my attention was the non-stick frying pan. (Yes, I know there're tons of "non-sticks")... but the guy doing the demo had extremely greasy hair, the most professional Hawaiian style button shirt, whitest teeth. He did his demo for me twice, and I was sold. Was excited to try his demos once I got home.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r95/Tomcompany/Past%20repairs/Random/DSCF1987_zpsh1xrjnls.jpg~original http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r95/Tomcompany/Past%20repairs/Random/DSCF1988_zps2dutwzah.jpg~original

First was a cheese demo, where he just wiped burnt cheese off a paper towel. CHECK.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r95/Tomcompany/Past%20repairs/Random/DSCF1990_zpsu5z9czf7.jpg~original http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r95/Tomcompany/Past%20repairs/Random/DSCF1991_zpszrevgjn0.jpg~original

Then he said a true test for pans are eggs. CHECK. Though I couldn't blow as gracious as the demonstrator, swirled spread scrambled eggs softly flows like crepe under a Disney like true love's kiss. But anyway, this product does work. (I should clarify, in his demo, he blew gently on the frying pan and his eggs flew softly like a piece of paper; didn't work for me exactly)
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r95/Tomcompany/Past%20repairs/Random/DSCF1992_zps7n0njuzm.jpg~original http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r95/Tomcompany/Past%20repairs/Random/DSCF1993_zps5eu5spww.jpg~original


Not that it involves the show organizers or consumers. (just being informative to Beyond about H.G.S)... A lot of companies IMHO, sent the wrong people to represent their business. Either they over staff and the staff ignore customers and socialize themselves. Or under staff (respect given when someone's busting their balls, but some just keep their head down) Then there are those who simply just don't give a shit (I believe it shows and people notice). Yes, there are those family business where the wife owners don't want to be there, neither did their teenager/college aged daughters to be hosting daddy's booths. Don't want to waste Rage2's time dealing with those cease demand letters mentioning shitty represented companies on subjective opinion.

But here are some businesses that for me really stood out positively and I would like to compliment them for their efforts at the H.G.S. putting a smile on my face spending $12 and time there; attention to customers (made eye contact with everyone regardless who they are, willingness and genuinely want to interact with the public), good booths, good information, good paperwork, etc...

- The vendors I bought products from (above) obviously.

- Apri's gas fitting/HVAC (disclaimer: I'm a past customer), had a replica of owner's original classic work truck, their guys dressed in 60's-70's overall's, free draw.

- Allstate insurance, the guys from Country Hills office; free draw for $500, I told them I'm client with other insurance companies (i.e. Touchstone/Masked Bandit, and another for commercial needs), I was honest with them so they didn't push the issue trying to get me to spend 15-30 mins for a quote and promised not to remove my $500 draw ballet once I leave.

- Atco gas (they had 2 booths): Atco blue flame kitchen for having patio heater draw, Atco gas line safety prevention (call before u dig) demos on gas lines others have damaged.

- City of Calgary recycling/information kiosk: free toilet paper, informative and attentive reps. Nenshi, give these ppl a raise.

- Stone Source Tile Source International www.bolderpanels.com with their Bolder Panels. Great staff, I'm sure they know I'm most likely not a buyer, but still took time describing the product. (imho it's a baller home décor product, and I don't look baller whatsoever)

- Nuautomations: Well staffed, young crew, modern looking booth. I told the guy I'm not in market for full home automation. He still spent time and attention showing me their products. Really cool stuff.

- Liberty: (security systems/cameras): Attentive, spent the time with me (i.e. not snobby, compared to similar competitors at the show). After being informed I'm serious about cameras, but not committing; comparing between Costco/Futureshop plug play systems as a DIYer; or get it done by professional companies for 2.5x plus DIY systems.

- The Deck Store www.thedeckstore.ca big booth, their staff is always making sure they're interacting with someone, instead of idling ignoring customers and just chatting among themselves (I watched them, lol) given a more mature sales crew. I talked with Ken. Yes, I am in the market for their products (things you can't get from Home Depot/Lowes), I might be 2-3 summers out. But great experience chatting with Ken.

- Liquid Granite Coatings www.liquidgranitecoatings.ca IMHO, for the past 6-9 years, I've been noticing the whole mancave, garage storage is among the fastest growing sector within home improvement. And unfortunately, at the H.G.S. I noticed this sector attract one of the cockyist sales/companies. (might be easiest to get into, seems like it's more "drop ship" home based business... where you design a garage for someone no inventory/staff to the business, then custom order your products from manufacturer from USA or China, and make your money as middleman or installer/designer)... Anyway, I actually am serious about getting some cool garage flooring (not sure when), or whether it's tiles or proxy. L.G.C. to me had a more unique product result from the others, Mike (sales? owner's son, owner/install); really humble and well spoken. I went to at least 4 garage flooring businesses at the show. L.G.C. imho, best attitude, nicest looking product result.

- The Garage Door Depot: (didn't tell them AndyL off Beyond is my top go to garage guy), had AndyL install higher end opener before. But future, I am in the market for 2 high end openers. If AndyL can't fit me in his schedule. I'd definitely call these guys. Great friendly staff. (I mean, I'm sure everybody gets it from the same suppliers, so the better attitude wins)



I would say, if the tickets are free and you have the time; go for it. Otherwise, a true DIY Tim Taylor would just keep his head down, improvise with items laying around or a minor short trip to hardware store to truly, improve, his home. Arrrr arrrr arrrrrrrrrr

[suntan]

Blue Grass Nurseries was giving out $10 GCs, wife and me got one each. Paid for the trip right there.

[TomcoPDR]

Originally posted by suntan
Blue Grass Nurseries was giving out $10 GCs, wife and me got one each. Paid for the trip right there.

Anyone want my blue grass nurseries $10? I'll mail it out. (it doesn't say limited one per person)

[JustinMCS]

Thanks for the tickets. I went on friday night. Found the Tile Shoppe and Stone Source and actually picked out my next flooring :) Some nice hardwood tile, 6 x 36.

[killramos]

Looked at a few garage flooring providers. And picked up a rotisserie 6 skewer kebab attachment for my BBQ lol.

yay for not having to flip skewers lol

[quick_scar]

Had a good time at the show scoping out roofing companies to replace my roof this year.

Everything was going great until the very end of the show.

We went Sunday afternoon and were there till just after 5. Best friend had 3 free tickets from Art Smart, and I was able to snag one from someone handing out free tickets near the counter to buy them at the show (walked up to the counter, someone ran over from the side and handed me a free ticket before I could buy one, :) ) So it was my friend and I and our girlfriends. We finished walking the show just before 5 (show closes at 6) and wanted to stop by the Art Smart booth to say thank you for the free tickets. Our GFs were getting tired and wanted to sit down so they stopped at the Patioline booth to enjoy the furniture for a couple minutes while buddy and I went to find the Art Smart booth. We were gone for about 10 min and then joined them at Patioline again. I said I wanted to take a quick look through the Trail Appliances booth for a minute then we would go home. Friend and I get up and head over to Trail (across the walk way) and not 30 seconds later our GFs are standing right behind us. I asked why they weren't sitting down and they said the sales guy came over and kicked them out. Turns out it was more then that. Guy was a complete asshole to the girls after we left. He walked over and picked up my friends GFs lemonade and handed it to her and motioned for her to stand up. Simply said "you have been here to long". I can understand it if the show was packed, people coming and going and others wanting to see the furniture, but it was 5PM on the last day and at the time not a single person in his booth except us. One, you don't touch other peoples stuff, two he could have been a hell of a lot more polite in asking them to move rather then just "you have been here too long". I rebuilt the first part of my deck last summer, and am building the extension this year. Once i'm done I will be needing furniture for it. Guess where I definitely wont be looking/buying.

TLDR: Patioline sales guy was as asshole and completely disrespectful to both my GF and best friends GF once him and I had stepped away. Don't buy from them.

[killramos]

^ They were pretty greasy to me as well. Extremely condescending when i was looking at a 6000 dollar outdoor coach set with a flame table. Fuck that shit 50 year old guy selling furniture can get bent.
:rofl:

[suntan]

Interesting, I wonder if that was the same guy I talked to on Saturday, it seemed like the show was the last place he wanted be at even though he sold 5 of those sets that day.

[tpurcell4]

Thank you again for everyone who had participated in our contest! And thank you for your feed back on the show!

TomcoPDR, fantastic review of the show! And I am glad to hear that you were able to put the tickets to good use, even if you ended up paying your own way in!

We look forward to the next show and another opportunity to give away tickets!

Cheers!

[InRich]

Originally posted by quick_scar
Had a good time at the show scoping out roofing companies to replace my roof this year.

Everything was going great until the very end of the show.

We went Sunday afternoon and were there till just after 5. Best friend had 3 free tickets from Art Smart, and I was able to snag one from someone handing out free tickets near the counter to buy them at the show (walked up to the counter, someone ran over from the side and handed me a free ticket before I could buy one, :) ) So it was my friend and I and our girlfriends. We finished walking the show just before 5 (show closes at 6) and wanted to stop by the Art Smart booth to say thank you for the free tickets. Our GFs were getting tired and wanted to sit down so they stopped at the Patioline booth to enjoy the furniture for a couple minutes while buddy and I went to find the Art Smart booth. We were gone for about 10 min and then joined them at Patioline again. I said I wanted to take a quick look through the Trail Appliances booth for a minute then we would go home. Friend and I get up and head over to Trail (across the walk way) and not 30 seconds later our GFs are standing right behind us. I asked why they weren't sitting down and they said the sales guy came over and kicked them out. Turns out it was more then that. Guy was a complete asshole to the girls after we left. He walked over and picked up my friends GFs lemonade and handed it to her and motioned for her to stand up. Simply said "you have been here to long". I can understand it if the show was packed, people coming and going and others wanting to see the furniture, but it was 5PM on the last day and at the time not a single person in his booth except us. One, you don't touch other peoples stuff, two he could have been a hell of a lot more polite in asking them to move rather then just "you have been here too long". I rebuilt the first part of my deck last summer, and am building the extension this year. Once i'm done I will be needing furniture for it. Guess where I definitely wont be looking/buying.

TLDR: Patioline sales guy was as asshole and completely disrespectful to both my GF and best friends GF once him and I had stepped away. Don't buy from them.

Please call me for a roof quote. We do excellent roofing, best materials, and my roofing crews have been with me for over 8 years. So I know you'll get the best install aswell.


Originally posted by tpurcell4
Thank you again for everyone who had participated in our contest! And thank you for your feed back on the show!

TomcoPDR, fantastic review of the show! And I am glad to hear that you were able to put the tickets to good use, even if you ended up paying your own way in!

We look forward to the next show and another opportunity to give away tickets!

Cheers!

Thank you for the tickets, much appreciated. me and my dad loved it, made a good connection aswell with several contractors.

[tpurcell4]

^^
You're welcome. Glad you got good use out of them!