Blog

WHY YOUR REALTOR® MATTERS

  Early this year my clients were all set to hit the market. We had a price locked in and papers were signed. Before hitting the MLS my stager Heather met with my clients and put together a game plan to get the house ready. They had it freshly painted and every room was wonderfully […]

VIRTUAL REALITY AND THE FUTURE OF REAL ESTATE

  Of all the applications for virtual reality,  real estate might be the most practical. How would you like to view a home sitting in the comfort of your living room? I believe this will be the way initial showings will be conducted in the years ahead. The technology already exists to complete a great […]

LAWYER’S LETTER: WHAT HAPPENS ON CLOSING DAY?

  As an Ottawa Realtor I am often asked about the closing process with a lawyer. I have included an example letter from an Ottawa lawyer to highlight what happens behind the scenes. The closing date is the day when you finally take legal possession of your new home. This date is specified in your […]

A BANK ROBBERY & A SHOWING

  It was a beautiful sunny morning in the capital. I was driving on Arlington Avenue, a quiet Centertown street with a speed limit of 40km/hr. heading to show a house to a great client. As I approached the house I saw my client and waved. I had to do a 3 point turn to […]

QUALICUM’S ANNUAL MARKET REPORT 2016

I am pleased to provide you with my year-end review of the real estate market for the Qualicum area. The average sale price of a home sold in Qualicum rose by 3.4% to $542,971. When we look more closely, we can see that it is the 2-storey, hi-ranch, and split level category that supported this […]

STITTSVILLE’S ANNUAL MARKET REPORT 2016

I am pleased to provide you with my year-end review of the real estate market for the Stittsville area. In December, 17 homes were sold in Stittsville compared to 12 homes in December 2015. In terms of sales since January, Stittsville has seen 472 sales this year compared to 481 over the same period last […]

A BIDDING WAR… AGAINST ONE OF YOUR BEST FRIENDS!

  Imagine going into a bidding war on a house against one of your best friends. Well, I was the Realtor caught in the middle. It was a cold, snowy night in Ottawa. I was on my way to show a house that had just come on the market to some really close friends of […]

OTTAWA MARKET UPDATE, NOVEMBER 2016

Members of the Ottawa Real Estate Board sold 995 residential properties in November through the Board’s Multiple Listing Service® System, compared with 986 in November 2015, an increase of 0.9 percent. The five-year average for November is 939. The November’s sales included 230 in the condominium property class and 765 in the residential property class. […]

ENCOURAGING FIRST TIME HOME BUYERS

  On Monday, the Ontario Liberal Government announced it is doubling the rebate on the land-transfer tax for first-time homebuyers to $4,000. This effort is to encourage first-time home buyers. The increased rebate will take effect January 1, 2017. According to the Ontario Finance Minister Charles Sousa doubling the refund will result in over half […]

OTTAWA MARKET UPDATE, OCTOBER 2016

Members of the Ottawa Real Estate Board sold 1,214 residential properties in October through the Board’s Multiple Listing Service® System, compared with 1,159 in October 2015, an increase of 4.7 per cent. The five-year average for October sales is 1,130.  This is the third straight months of record-breaking resales. Residential sales are identical to that […]