OTTAWA REAL ESTATE BLOG

You’ve done your research, found the perfect Realtor and crunched some numbers. Now it’s time to start looking for houses! When you’re exploring potential homes it can be hard not get distracted by all of those cosmetic things (like new paint colors or upgrading fixtures). Don’t worry though because we’ve created this handy graphic below...

Spring Clean-Up Time in the Capital As spring speckles and the snow begins to melt, it’s time to get busy cleaning up our capital after Jack Frost’s long hold over us. Littered across this beautiful city, left out in the winter’s cold we’ll find discarded coffee cups, old cigarette butts, stray plastic bags and papers...

When looking to buy a home, there are many options. Last week, we took a look at condos as compared to freehold properties but what about a freehold home with a homeowner’s association? In many cases, a homeowner’s association can appear very similar to a condo but this is not actually the case. It is...

When it comes time to buy a home, more and more people are making the decision to buy condos instead of a freehold home. Condos can be a great option if they match up with a buyer’s lifestyle, but it is important to do your research and know the differences between a freehold home and...

Buyers Get a Jump on the Spring Market taken from the Ottawa Real Estate Board  April 5, 2018 Members of the Ottawa Real Estate Board sold 1,660 residential properties in March through the Board’s Multiple Listing Service® System, compared with 1,478 in March 2017, an increase of 12.3 per cent. The five-year average for March...

Buyers Toolkit – Springtime Spring is in the air, and the real-estate market is ramping up for the beginning of buyers’ season.  Things tend to move faster in the spring and houses for sale are often sold shortly after they are listed.  As a potential home buyer, it is important to be prepared as possible...

Landlords and Legalization: What budding weed laws may mean for Landlords With the legalization of marijuana on the horizon, property owners of rental units are wondering what that will mean for them. As all the rules and regulations surrounding cannabis use have yet to be ironed out, it’s only natural that landlords are beginning express concern...

Spring Cleaning 101: Tips On Getting Your Home Ready For Sale Contrary to years prior, 2018 has presented us with a rather mild, wet March. As such, we’ve barely approached the standard season for “April showers” and have already received enough rain and wet weather to rid most of the snow! The month, however is...

Wanted: Ottawa Homes For Sale When the calendar rolled over into 2018 many real estate experts across Canada were speculating the housing market to “cool off” with  tighter mortgage rules and higher interest rates impacting home buyers.  While that may be the case in other real estate markets,  in the Ottawa Real Estate market the biggest...

New Mortgage Rules – Renewing and Refinancing   January 1st, 2018 Canada’s new mortgage rules came into effect and it was big news. These new rules appear to have the greatest impact on those looking to qualify for a new mortgage but if you are looking to renew or refinance your mortgage, you may be...

MILLENNIALS: CHANGING MARKET EXPECTATIONS & TREND REALITIES   When it comes to the future in real estate, all eyes fall to the millennials, who are just beginning to be seen on today’s markets. With the millennial generation however, we are seeing a shift in the previous real estate trends from purchasing a primary residence, to...

College students, and living options   If you’re the parent of a college/university age student, and you haven’t considered it yet, perhaps now is the time you will. As spring is just around the corner, it’s time to think about what investments you can make, and an investment that shouldn’t be overlooked is buying a...

The Ottawa Real Estate board’s recently released statistics show that home buyers are still actively searching for properties.   Sales were up over 7% (year over year) in spite of the low inventory, which is a trend that is continuing from 2017.  January 2018 listings 994 (RES) and 406 (CONDO) compared with the 5 year 1,396 for...

The Winter months in the Capital are arguably some of the most enjoyable for its residents and their families. Christmas has passed, yuletide memories have been made, and we’ve welcomed the New Year with wide opened arms. And with the anticipation of new beginnings in 2018, we take in a deep breath of fresh, brisk...

SELLERS Now’s the time to spring into action if you’re a prospective home seller. Getting your home prepared for the spring market now, will help you move quickly and efficiently  when the time comes to list. Spring is the optimum time to sell a home, as the largest numbers of buyers are actively searching for...