Archives for Real Estate Information

Home Buyers: To Inspect, or Not To Inspect

November 3, 2015 | Comments Off

To Inspect, or Not To Inspect You’ve just purchased your dream home and your salesperson is recommending an home inspection before signing the final conditions. Is it worth $400-500? Now is the time to ignore your emotional attachment to the property, and make this a business decision. The answer is, “Absolutely!” The inspection is a critical step that ensures the structure, environment and operating systems of your dream home are safe and sound. We are sometimes seduced by facade or the presentation of a property , but the things we cannot see can lead to expensive repairs or health concerns.
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Income Properties: What You need to Know about Buying an Investment Property

October 13, 2015 | Comments Off

“Don’t wait to buy land, buy land and wait” – Will Rogers Income Properties: Are you Ready? Owning a rental property may seem like a licence to print money. Interest rates are low, the Ottawa Real Estate Market is stable …what could be easier? Buy a property, lease it, collect cheques and plan your retirement. But…before purchasing an income property, you should be aware of the benefits and drawbacks. Advantages of Income Properties: You pay less tax. Because your secondary property is a business, you can deduct certain expenses from your income (mortgage interest, property taxes, insurance,
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Best September on record for number of Ottawa Real Estate resales!

October 5, 2015 | Comments Off

What a great month for Ottawa Real Estate! See below a snap shot of what’s happening in the Ottawa Real Estate Market from the Ottawa Real Estate Board published October 5th, 2015 Interested in a specific neighbourhood? We have access to all of the latest real estate statistics at our fingertips! Please contact us and we will send you a no-cost report on the areas you want to know about. From OREB news: Members of the Ottawa Real Estate Board sold 1,244 residential properties in September through the Board’s Multiple Listing Service® System, compared with 1,131 in September 2014, an increase of
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The Inside Scoop on the Best Season to Sell Your Home

September 15, 2015 | Comments Off

Think you need to wait until Spring to sell your home? You may want to think again if you’re ready to sell now. In this HGTV.com post, Gavin Chen challenges conventional wisdom that the best time to sell is spring and the best time to buy is fall. Statistically, spring has the most competing sellers in the market, so you might have to stage your home to get an advantage. Chen suggests it is important to highlight the sellable features of your home in any season. Although there are fewer buyers in the December – January period (holidays, travel),
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Your Annual Home Maintenance Schedule

September 9, 2015 | Comments Off

Following an annual maintenance schedule is an essential step in protecting the value of what will probably be the largest investment of your life – your home. First time home owners, or those lacking experience may struggle with this task and overlook important elements. Here are some guidelines to help you create a maintenance program that suits your needs. Benefits of Home Maintenance Regular preventive maintenance identifies minor repairs before they become expensive, major repairs. It also preserves your home’s market value. One study found that “greater than $5 return for every $1 spent on preventive maintenance is not unusual”.
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CMHC announces new rules to make it easier for homeowners to rent out property

September 2, 2015 | Comments Off

In this Financial Post article, Garry Marr discusses the impact of upcoming changes from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp (CMHC) that will permit homeowners to count 100% of the income from their secondary units when qualifying for a loan. Currently, homeowners with legal units can only count 50% of the income from legal rentals. By making it easier to borrow money, Marr suggests CMHC will be bringing more people into the market, and that is expected to boost affordable housing, especially in hot markets like Vancouver where secondary units make up almost 20% of the city’s rental stock. To read
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Should you let children choose their bedroom paint colours?

August 25, 2015 | Comments Off

Should you let children choose their bedroom paint colours? In this Canadian Living post, Brett Walther suggests a way to let your child participate when deciding what colour(s) to paint their room while also avoiding a choice that is unacceptable to you, or one that they will want to change next week. The key is to guide their choice by presenting a few options that appeal to them while also meeting your own criteria. To read more click here. Source: Blog
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Ottawa Real Estate Market Update: Summer report!

August 10, 2015 | Comments Off

The latest statistics from the Ottawa Real Estate Board have been released. The information below includes market highlights from July 2015 stats and include all of Ottawa and the surrounding area. Are you curious about a specific neighbourhood or property? Please Contact Us – we’d love to hear from you! Typical summer resale market in Ottawa (information from the Ottawa Real Estate Board ) Members of the Ottawa Real Estate Board sold 1,436 residential properties in July through the Board’s Multiple Listing Service® system, compared with 1,440 in July 2014, a decrease of 0.3 per cent. The five-year average for July
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Royal LePage Team Realty in the Ottawa community: Helping provide seniors at St Patrick's Home with gardening supplies for Horticultural Therapy

July 27, 2015 | Comments Off

Royal LePage Team Realty in the community: We were so happy to be able to help fund this great project at St Patrick’s Home in Ottawa with for their new Horticultural Therapy program. // We’re so honoured to be a part of this success story! Congrats to St. Patrick’s Home of Ottawa Foundation – on launching… Posted by Royal LePage Team Realty on Monday, 27 July 2015 Background Story – What is Horticultural Therapy? Horticultural Therapy is a process in which working with plants and active participation in gardening activities are used to improve the body, mind and
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Royal LePage Receives the Consumer's Choice Award…18 years & Counting

July 20, 2015 | Comments Off

Royal LePage is once again the proud recipient of the Consumer’s Choice Gold Award as Top Real Estate Brand in Ottawa for 2014. A big THANK YOU for supporting Royal LePage Team Realty in the Ottawa Real Estate Community, we couldn’t have made this list for the last 18 years without your support.
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