Offered @ $259,900

Introduced in Canada in 2001, the ENERGY STAR symbol was first used in 1992 in the United States as an indicator of energy efficiency for computers and monitors. The program proved to be so popular that it was expanded to include other office equipment. Today, Canada promotes the symbol on almost 40 types of products, including:

Six types of major electrical appliances

• Clothes Washers
• Dishwashers
• Dehumidiers
• Freezers
• Refrigerators
• Water coolers (Bottled)

Other product categories include:

• Consumer electronics such as TVs and DVDs
• Cooling Equipment (for the home)
• Heating Equipment (for the home)
• Lighting Products (fixtures, compact fluorescent lamps)
• Office Equipment
• Ventilating Equipment (for the home)
• Windows and Doors

The international ENERGY STAR symbol displayed alone or as part of the EnerGuide label, identifies major electrical appliances that meet or exceed technical specifications designed to ensure that they are among the most energy efficient in their class, without compromising performance.

Almost half of Canadians considering buying a recreational property will do so to improve their lifestyle, despite concerns about increasing taxes, rising interest rates and new regulations that require higher down payments on second homes, according to a nationwide survey of Canadian attitudes towards recreational property ownership conducted by Angus Reid and commissioned by Royal LePage Real Estate Services.

When buyers were asked why they plan to purchase recreational property, lifestyle was the number one reason given, at 47 per cent.   Only one in four buyers say new Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation regulations reduce their desire or ability to purchase a recreational property. The changes will require Canadians to pay a minimum 20 per cent down payment on any residential or recreational property they purchase that is not their primary home.

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1180 Bayview Drive, Constance Bay

Sunday July 18th,   2-4 PM 

Offered @ $474,900

 Members of the Ottawa Real Estate Board sold 1,615 residential properties in June through the Board’s Multiple Listing Service® system compared with 1,897 in June 2009, a decrease of 14.9 per cent.

Of those sales, 418 were in the condominium property class, while 1,197 were in the residential property class. The condominium property class includes any property, regardless of style (i.e. detached, semi-detached, apartment, stacked etc.) which is registered as a condominium, as well as properties which are co-operatives, life leases and timeshares. The residential property class includes all other residential properties.

“For the first time in 2010, inventory increased year-over-year in June, by almost six per cent. The Ottawa housing market is now moving towards balance, rather than the seller’s market we have been in for most of the past year,” said Board President Pierre de Varennes. “Sales last month were very close to the five-year average for June, so what we see here is a return to the stable, steady market conditions that Ottawa tends to experience. Home sale prices continued to grow at a healthy rate in June,” he added.

The average sale price of residential properties, including condominiums, sold in June in the Ottawa area was $326,572, an increase of 6.4 per cent over June 2009. The average sale price for a condominium-class property was $256,969, an increase of 8.3 per cent over June 2009. The average sale price of a residential-class property was $350,878, an increase of 7.4 per cent over June 2009. The Board cautions that average sale price information can be useful in establishing trends over time but should not be used as an indicator that specific properties have increased or decreased in value. The average sale price is calculated based on the total dollar volume of all properties sold.

158B Waterbridge Drive

The vacancy rate in Ottawa seniors’ residences climbed to 17.4 per cent in 2010, according to recent data from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp.

That’s an increase of 5.8 percentage points over last year and is higher than both the provincial and national average.

In Ontario, the vacancy rate climbed to 14.9 per cent in 2010, compared to 12.5 per cent a year earlier. Across the country, the vacancy rate is 11.6 per cent, up from 9.9 per cent.

The vacancy figure is for units where occupants pay market rents and do not receive more than 1.5 hours of daily care.

Ottawa has a total of 5,489 of these “standard spaces.”

CMHC says the vacancy rates for seniors’ residences is typically higher than the those in traditional rental markets because of higher rents and more frequent turnover.

In Ottawa, the average monthly rent for a unit in a seniors’ residence where meals are included is $2,822, according to CMHC

http://ottawa.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20100623/OTT_earthquake2_100623/20100623/?hub=OttawaHome

One of the most severe earthquakes ever recorded in Eastern Ontario rocked the region around 1:45 p.m. on Wednesday, swaying buildings and pushing pictures off the wall across the area.

The United States Geological Survey pegged the tremors as reaching magnitude 5, which is severe enough to cause building damage. Several government buildings in downtown Ottawa were evacuated in the moments after the quake, although most people were let back in after only a few minutes.

Geologists say there could be aftershocks around magnitude 2 in the hours after the quake, which had an epicentre in Val-de-Bois, Que., about 85 kilometres north of Ottawa.

Tweets talked about evacuations, most of them temporary, although Algonquin College kept buildings closed until 5 p.m. One person tweeted that the Blossom Park high school graduation was briefly interrupted by the tremors.

“The Roger Guindon building of uOttawa was evacuated after the earthquake, we’re back now thankfully,” tweeted Jason Anthony Tetro.

Thirty seconds of tremors

Tremors in Ottawa lasted about 30 seconds, with thousands of tweets talking about the sensations and the damage that each person felt in the area. Power was also knocked out in many areas of the city temporarily, although it was restored within an hour and a half of the quake.

Early reports from area hospitals indicated surgeries were proceeding as usual. One doctor who works at CHEO, Eric Benchimol, told CTV Ottawa by Twitter that no evacuations took place and work was continuing on patients.

Although the O-Train was pulled off the tracks as staff checked for damage, VIA trains began moving again through the busy Montreal to Quebec corridor. Officials said the vehicles may have reduced speeds for the time being. However, trains between Toronto and Montreal are still awaiting CN track inspections before running again.

Residents as far away as North Bay, upstate New York and Vermont felt the shake.

With files from The Canadian Press

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!

from

Father’s Day is a day honoring fathers and celebrating fatherhood, paternal bonds, and the influence of fathers in society. It is celebrated on the third Sunday of June in 55 of the world’s countries and on other days elsewhere. It complements Mother’s Day, the celebration honoring mothers.