Archives for Real Estate Information

March Market Snapshot

Empty attachment or post type not equal ‘attachment’ 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 sales is 1,339. March’s sales included 358 in the condominium property class and 1,302 in the residential property class. “Inventory continues to fall below normal average, but we are still seeing more sales than last year because
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Buyers Toolkit – Springtime

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 before you start looking at potential homes – that way, the chance of losing your “dream home” to another buyer is greatly decreased. You may be wondering … “What are some of the important things that can help you stay on-top of, and ahead of
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Wanted: Ottawa Homes for Sale

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 factor in February’s 2.8% drop in the number of sales (year over year), is that listing inventory is scarce. “There is no doubt our sales number would have been much higher if we had more properties available for sale.  Buyer demand is there, but our
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New Mortgage Rules – Renewing and Refinancing

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 impacted as well. At the centre of the new rules is a stress test requiring applicants to qualify at a rate at least 2% higher than the rate they will be paying, regardless of the down payment they are making on the home. The new rules
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An Era of Change: 2018

An Era of Change: 2018  Canadian real estate is in an era of change.  2017 closed with a bang, as we saw some of the largest increases in real estate prices in nearly a decade. The curiosity now turns to 2018, and what can we expect to see in Ottawa, and across Canada. Ottawa is climbing the list as a hot spot for home buyers this year, joining popular cities like Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.  Ottawa may hold an even higher interest for buyers, where real estate prices are significantly lower than areas such as Toronto and Vancouver. The pool of potential home
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2017 Recap!

2017 was an amazing year for Real Estate in Ottawa! Records were broken and property values continue to increase. As the year comes to a close, let’s take a look back at some of the highlights with our Top 20 Blog Posts of 2017! #20 – Understanding Multiple Offers This year the Ottawa market became more competitive than ever before and multiple offers have become far more common. Here are some helpful hints to help you navigate multiple offers! #19 – Pets and Real Estate New research emerged this year showing that more and more homeowners are making housing decisions
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What Canadian home buyers need to know NOW about the upcoming changes to Mortgage rules

What home buyers need to know before 2018 As of January 1, 2018, Canadian homebuyers will have to meet stiffer requirements in order to qualify for a mortgage with a federally regulated mortgage lender. Why are the Mortgage Rules changing? As Canada’s financial “watchdog” OSFI believes these new rules will decrease the risks for Canadian households with significant debt if and when the interest rates rise. Are you a Confused by the upcoming changes to the mortgage rules? Don’t panic. Our very own Kent Browne, Owner and Broker at Royal LePage Team Realty, sat down with Mortgage Broker York Polk 
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Residential Landlord Rules: An Update

Over the past year, there have been many significant changes to the rules for Residential Landlords. These changes may seem overwhelming, but we are here to help; if you have any further questions, do not hesitate to contact a Realtor. Outlined below are the major rule changes as well as an understanding of how they may affect you as either a landlord or a tenant. September 2016 – Terminations for Domestic Abuse New rules have been put in place involving the termination of a lease in the case of domestic abuse. The landlord no longer has the ability to challenge
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Ottawa Real Estate Update: October Market Snapshot

posted November 2nd, 2017 by the Ottawa Real Estate Board “Leaves may be falling, but the real estate market is not” OTTAWA, Nov. 2, 2017 – Members of the Ottawa Real Estate Board sold 1,243 residential properties in October through the Board’s Multiple Listing Service® System,compared with 1,214 in October 2016, an increase of 2.3 per cent. The five-year average for October sales is 1,165. “As we enter the 3rd quarter of the year, we continue to see the resale market outpace last year’s performance, which was also a stellar year,” says Rick Eisert, President of the Ottawa Real Estate
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Just Another Day in the Life…

Many of you may wonder from time to time what your realtor’s typical day might look like. Truth be told, however, as a realtor, there really is no such thing as a typical day. In reality, days vary, schedules change, appointments pop up, emails come in – and in between it all, they eat and (sometimes) sleep. You see, from the moment your realtor’s alarm goes off in the morning, to the time they go to bed at night, they’re working hard to serve you and your home buying/selling needs. For them, it’s a lifestyle – and they’re quite accustomed
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