March 2015

Land is a great investment. Finding the best land for sale isn’t always easy though. With a little patience and persistence, however, you can find an amazing piece of land to purchase and develop.

When shopping for land you should consider all of the factors that contribute to its value. Unless you are trying to preserve an area, the land should be usable. Avoid pieces of land that contain or are close to potentially hazardous conditions like swamps or flood land. It should be accessible to main roadways. If you plan to put a house on the land, then the various utility companies should be able to run lines to the home so that you can have water, gas, and electricity.

A good way to find land for sale near Cochrane is to hire a real estate agent. An

Portofino Ristorante has been open in Cochrane for about 10 years. This is an Italian restaurant and one of the top choices in the area for an excellent Italian meal. The comfortable atmosphere is perfect for both family dining and romantic dates.

The Menu

This restaurant has three specific menus: Lunch, Dinner and Dessert. Each is a bit different and provides a great selection of Italian choices.

The lunch menu includes:

• Bruschetta
• Calamari Arabiata
• Cannelloni
• Linguini Bescatore
• Spaghetti
• Salmon
• Grilled Beef Fillet
• Chicken Parmigiana
• Veal Picatta
• And More!

There are also daily specials for lunch.

The dinner menu includes:

• Mussels Calabrese
• Escargots della Casa
• Minestrone Soup
• Seafood Soup

Started in 1998, the Cochran Movie House is a great spot for entertainment. Whether you come for a birthday party, private screening or a regular movie, this is an excellent theater. Here are some of the things you can expect at the movie house.

Doors Open Cochrane

This event is coming up on April 24th and 25th at the Cochrane Movie House. Doors Open Cochrane will allow participants to enjoy a behind the scenes look at movie presentations. Guided tours will be available every 45 minutes on Friday and Saturday.

The events will run from 2pm to 5:30pm on Friday and from 10am to 12pm on Saturday. It's a first come, first serve basis with a maximum of 25 people per tour.

Private Screenings and Birthday Parties

The Movie House provides private

MacKay's Ice Cream is one of the most popular choices in the Cochrane area. It was started back in 1946 when James and Christina MacKay took over the general store. Over the years, the ice cream has expanded and many new flavours have been added to the line-up. Today, the business is in the third generation of the family with Meghan and Mark taking over the business.

Ice Cream Flavours

Many flavours can be found at MacKay's Ice Cream. Some of the flavours are traditions, while others are a bit different. Some of the top flavours include:

• Maple Walnut
• Strawberry
• Chocolate Fudge Chunk
• Tiger
• Cookies & Cream
• Bubblegum
• Chocolate
• Vanilla

These are certainly not the only flavours offered at the ice cream shop, however. They

Painting the exterior of your house is one of the most important home maintenance jobs there is. The paint and caulking is your home’s major defense against weather and water damage. Potential buyers are going to see the exterior of your house first, so it may be time to fix up the paint job outside.

The siding of your house is a surface that is extremely sensitive when it comes to the effects of weather or a poor original paint job. Damage to the siding can often cost thousands of dollars to repair, so you must assess how badly it needs to be repaired before selling.

 Should you tackle the project yourself?

Consider the price difference between a high-end exterior paint job and a low-end one. Paying more money on materials or labour now can

A lot of people are turning to rental units as their choice of investment properties and the reasons are obvious. There will always be a market for renters and the timing is perfect right now to get started.

Here are 3 tips to help you decide on the best investment properties for rentals.

Work with an agent

This is the most important thing you can do if you are serious about looking for investment properties. An agent has the lowdown on the Cochrane buildings that are available and the neighbourhoods that are the best. They also often find out about rentals from other agents and can show you some of the great deals that are available.

Set a firm budget

Sit down with your agent and work with an accountant to set up a workable budget. If this

Finding the right tour for an adventure seeker isn't exactly easy. A historic tour or food tour may not be enough. However, the right trail adventure will fit perfectly with an adventure seeker. Here's the type of tour you may enjoy if you love adventure.

Hidden Trail Adventures

Since 2002, this tour company has been taking people into the Rocky Mountain foothills for fun. Whether a tour for a few hours is necessary or a full day ride, they know the best places to go for adventure.

Riding an ATV through the countryside provides more than just adventure, however. The views are quite amazing and there's plenty of opportunity to see wildlife. Tours can be adapted to fit any type of rider from the beginner to the experienced. You don't need to have

Home staging in Cochrane, either by the owner or a professional stager, is a common practice in real estate today. It involves renting furniture and other accessories to put in a house that would otherwise be empty. This helps prospective buyers visualize how the house would look when it is fully furnished. The furnishing is also done to highlight the good aspects of the house and to give the prospective buyers ideas on how different spaces can be used and furnished.

Staging a house has been shown to increase the selling price and will attract a lot of interest from prospective buyers in comparison to an empty house. A staged house will provide beautiful photographs that can be used online.  No one can question the value of home staging when selling a

Cochrane offers many advantages for small business owners. Whether you're looking to expand or open your first location, Cochrane should be high on your list. Here's why the city is a great choice for your business.

The History of Cochrane Business

Cochrane has a strong history with business. It has been a desirable location for businesses to put down roots for over a century. Even though the city has changed, it still has an entrepreneurial spirit throughout.

The Location is Great

Since Cochrane is found just off Highway 22 and Highway 1A, it's a great location for businesses. The city sits only 20 minutes from the Trans Canada Highway and about 25 minutes from downtown Calgary. This makes it easy to get to the major areas, yet provide a

Located in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, Dragon Flight Archery is a great choice for training, equipment sand more. This attraction is about 90 minutes southwest of Red Deer and about 75 minutes northwest of Calgary. It covers about 50 acres of natural terrain for play, practice and plenty of fun.

The Field Course

Training on the archery field course is a great way to get better with a bow. The course features 14 3D targets and it complies with the IFAA Field Archery standards and rules.

With Spyder Web targets and the best archery technology, this is one of the top courses in the area. The technology makes it very easy to shoot and retrieve your arrows.

The course is set up with four distances for each target. When you go through the