Archives for Real Estate Information

Getting Your Home Ready to Sell in the Spring Market

March 6, 2017 | Comments Off

It’s that time of year, the spring market is quickly approaching and if you’re thinking of selling your home, now is the time to start getting ready. It may seem like a daunting task but there are things that you can do to make sure that your house is prepared for the droves of spring buyers this upcoming season. Remember, there will be many houses on the market at the same time as yours so you want to make sure that yours is ready and sticks out for buyers! Prioritize Repairs One of the first things you will want to
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Why Move? A Look into Canada’s Homebuyers

February 28, 2017 | Comments Off

How many times have you moved (so far) in your lifetime? Once? Twice? For a brief time while in school? Work? Or have you moved far too many times to even count? What about those times that you have moved from one place to another, were they on your own? Were they with your family? Your partner? A few friends? And did you live in these homes for long enough to consider it a home? Sure, the vast majority of us may answer differently to each of these questions, but we do share one common factor: the overall experience. Truth
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The Bank of Mom and Dad: Living as Millennials

February 21, 2017 | Comments Off

It’s no secret: the cost of living is expensive. Regardless of who we are and what we do, we live and breathe steep living costs day in and day out. It’s a fact of life: if we’re not saving our pennies, we’re spending them; if we’re not paying off one bill, we are another. It’s the never-ending cycle of our (financial) lives. Enter: mom and dad. For the vast majority of us, mom and dad means home; and home is where the heart is, after all. It’s become a common trend among many baby boomers to take part in
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Beating the Winter Blues

February 7, 2017 | Comments Off

It’s winter time in our Nation’s Capital! The New Year is well underway, and as we’ve carefully selected our resolutions (and have spent the majority of these last few weeks trying to abide by them) we reminisce on the post-joys of Christmas and the excitement of a New Year. However, regardless the amount of joy in our hearts and happiness in our homes, the cold weather tends to overstay its welcome far too often. Admit it, we’ll soon catch ourselves wishing for less snow, warmer weather, and oodles upon oodles of sunshine. Wishful thinking, I’ll say. Truth is, we live
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Housing Trends in 2017

January 30, 2017 | Comments Off

The New Year is officially underway and we are ready to reflect on the year that has passed, as well as plan for the year that’s to come. With the housing market being consistently ever-changing, new trends tend to surface as old ones seem to fade. 2016 was a big year for the housing market and, as a result, we saw some pretty impressive reports, results, and trends. This year, the housing forecast and its trends will predictably be as follows: The Canadian Real Estate Association has released recent information on Canada’s housing trends and how they’ve evolved since
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Canada’s Housing Rules in Full Swing

January 11, 2017 | Comments Off

Happy New Year, folks! 2017 has finally arrived, and for the real estate world, change is in sight. As most of us already know, 2016 brought forth a lot of chatter about several significant changes (decided upon by our government) toward our country’s mortgage and housing rules. Those who will primarily be affected by these implementations will be anyone who, is not only looking to perhaps qualify for government-backed insured mortgages, but also those who may be looking to purchase their first home and/or are looking to refinance their existing mortgage. Having said that, the Government of Canada has been
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Ottawa Real Estate Update: December 2016

January 6, 2017 | Comments Off

2016 was a record breaking year for Ottawa real estate resales! 715 sales in December brought the total number of properties sold throughout the year through Board’s MLS® to 15,537, a 6% increase over 2015. With more properties selling over $500K December also had the highest average sale price ever recorded $420,750, considerably higher than the 2016 average sale price of $371,987. Information below from the Ottawa Real Estate Board’s Latest new’s release on January 5th, 2017. 2016 proves to be a record-breaking year for Ottawa resales OTTAWA, January 5, 2017 – Members of the Ottawa Real Estate Board sold
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Top Housing Trends of 2016

December 28, 2016 | Comments Off

The year is coming to a rapid close, and – as comparable to most facets in our lives – we choose to reflect on the 12 months that have passed, and are committed to planning for the next dozen that is to come. In the exciting world of real estate, there are many trends that tend to surface with each passing year. In 2016, some of those trends were as follows: One of the most recent housing trends that we saw in 2016 (and arguably one of the most talked about) were the changes to Canada’s housing rules. Over
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The Perks of Buying a Home in the Winter

December 7, 2016 | Comments Off

There is a great majority of people who think that winter is not the best time to shop for a home. Contrary to popular assumption however, buying a home over the winter months may, in fact, be something worth considering. Sure, there might arguably be less homes for you to choose from, but the sellers might also be more motivated – playing to your advantage. You see it’s likely that, “the sellers will want to get the deal closed, especially for tax purposes. It’s the end of the year and they want to tie up loose ends. This is
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Real Estate Update: Latest news in Ottawa Real Estate

December 6, 2016 | Comments Off

As snow hits Ottawa, November sales slowed slightly, while “Condo sales continue to bolster Ottawa resale market“ Highlights: Ottawa condo market appears to be on the upswing 14,825 homes were sold in the first 11 months officially making 2016 a record breaking year for number of sales Average prices were up, $405,320 in the residential class, an increase of 6.5% over 2015. While these statistics are useful in establishing market trends they should not be used as an indicator that specific properties have increased or decreased in value. If you’re interested in a property evaluation or statistics for specific neighbourhoods please email
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Kim MacDowall