 Fresh and Bright
Are the colours of your walls and cabinets too dark? Does wallpaper need to be removed and replaced? Are your curtains heavy and outdated? Are you doing everything possible to let natural light in? Since the weather is starting to get nicer in the spring, making your home more appealing by letting light in compliments the new spring weather. By changing the colours in your home, as well as letting more natural light in is the easiest way to complement the new spring weather. Declutter Another important task in preparing your home for the spring market is to declutter. Focus on target areas such as the living room, bedrooms, and storage spaces. It is also very important to throw away things you may not need anymore. Donate usable goods to charity, and move other items to temporary storage units. Home Inspection Obviously, knowing what your home is worth is essential. Pricing your home correctly is imperative to ensure a smooth entry into the market. Get intouch with a local realtor to evaluate your home. Watch for Water Damage The Winter Months also come with the risk of water damage. Inspect your home for areas such as ceilings, inside sink cabinets, and around toilets. Also look on the deck of cabinets for any drips that are collecting.
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 Stable Market
Real estate markets like Toronto have increased at staggering rates over the last few years. This is a direct cause of the booming economies in those cities. When business is good, the real estate market is good. When it’s not, the market crashes. Ottawa’s employment is largely based on two very stable sectors; government workers and high-tech. According to Statistics Canada, Federal employees comprise nearly 20% of Ottawa–Gatineau's employed labour force. Nearly 1 of 3 federal government workers work in Ottawa. Also according to Statistics Canada, nearly 47,000 high-tech jobs are fulfilled in the capital region. Foreclosures and Vacancy Rates Ottawa’s vacancy rate in 2019 was almost a full 0.5% lower than the rest of Canada. Ottawa’s vacancy rate was 1.8%, compared to the 2.2% vacancy rate across the entire country. Considering the stable industry found in Ottawa, it is more likely to fund tenants with secure and higher paying jobs. Ottawa reported a median household income of $102,000. Despite a very high median family income, Ottawa has an average housing cost of $394,000 which is relatively low. Growing Areas Ottawa is expanding and is set to grow over the next 25 years. The urban boundary is set to grow between 1.350 and 1.650 hectares between 2021 and 2046. Communities like Overbrook and Bells Corners for example are going through major stages of growth. This will also increase the value of Real Estate in the core of the city! Quality of Life Quality of life in Ottawa is impeccable. Ottawa was ranked #3 by Macleans as one of the best communities in Canada. Ottawa has great transportation, beautiful neighbourhoods, and an impressive connectivity with nature. Ottawa offers a very clean city, with various parks, bike lanes, and of-course the beautiful canal right in the middle! Ottawa also offers great post secondary education with Algonquin, Ottawa U, and Carleton! Of-course, Ottawa offers great entertainment. With various major sports teams, and music festivals in the summer.  1) To Much Wallpaper
Wallpaper is heavily reliant on personal taste. Can it liven up a bathroom or a guest bedroom? Sure! However, it may scare buyers. Check out this blog from HGTV talking about how to use wallpaper without involving walls! 2) Sunroom Sunrooms are lovely. They can bring light into a home and help the home feel more welcoming. However, they don’t actually bring a home any more value. By brightening the colours of your walls, you can actually make your home seem brighter without the expense of adding a sunroom. Check out this article on how to brighten up your home! 3) Solar Panels Although Solar Panels do seem like a strong selling point, installing them for the sole purpose of adding value to your home isn’t worth it. 4) Swimming Pools Swimming Pools are a great luxury, and in most places around the world, they will add value to your home. However, in Canada the idea of maintaining a pool to only use it for a few months turns buyers off, and potentially doesn’t add any value to your home. Consult a local realtor before installing your pool, especially if you are considering moving in the next 5 years! 5) Wall-to-Wall Carpeting Carpeting is definitely something that relies on personal touch. When buyers move into a new home, it is highly likely that they will replace the carpeting with something more of their taste. Considering this, maybe hold off on installing new carpets before selling.  With my favourite hobby being kiteboarding, I would love to share my 4 favourite beaches in the province to kiteboard on!
Cherry Beach Address: 275 Unwin Avenue Toronto, ON M5A 1A2 As well as a top kiteboarding spot in Ontario, Cherry Beach is one of the best spots for a beach day in the heart of Toronto! The water is warmest at the end of August and coldest in the Spring. Be prepared to bring a wet suit, or even a dry suit if needed! IKO Kiteboarding offers great lessons at Cherry Beach for beginners! Sandbanks Address: 3004 County Rd 12, Picton, ON K0K 2T0 Sandbanks offers great waves and relatively shallow waters. Spring and Fall offers the best conditions. Airtime Kiteboarding Offers great lessons at Sandbanks for beginners. Holmes Point Park Address: 101 Holmes Point Rd, Georgina, ON L0E 1N0 This beach is the perfect spot for any beginner kiteboarder's in Ontario! Shallow waters, sandy bottom, and a very large grassy park to set up for the day. There is also a kite anchor in the launch area! Just remember to bring your toonies for parking if you aren’t a Georgina resident! UKITEBOARD Offers great lessons at Holmes Point Park for beginners! North & South Oliphant Address: (N) 341 Shoreline Ave, South Bruce Peninsula, ON N0H 2T0 (S) 125 Bay St, South Bruce Peninsula, Ontario My personal favourite place to kiteboard in Ontario, Oliphant is the provinces Kiteboarding mecca! North and South Oliphant boast shallow waters, sandy bottoms, and the ability to have cars drive right out onto the beach! Both the North and South bays can get busy, and can house upwards of 50 kiteboarder's in the water! IKO Kiteboarding offers great lessons at Oliphant for beginners!  COVID-19 has not put the real estate industry in a favourable light. With the amount of transactions down 44% since last May, people have been hesitant to enter the market.
However, there is pent up demand stemming from pre-covid and that demand will be fulfilled by a stable economy is the nation's capital. The average sale price for condos in May increased to $343,589 from last year! That is a 15.5 percent increase. Residential homes also saw an increase to an average sale price of $548,140! That is an 11.2 percent increase from last year. OREB also reminds us that the CMHC’s “bleak forecast” is “broad-based analysis for the country as a whole does not accurately reflect what is transpiring in our local market as evidenced by the steady increases in average home prices in Ottawa” OREB President Deborah Burgoyne credits Ottawa’s average sale price increase to the current sellers market, our region's stable employment, and a continuous influx of newcomers.  If you want to list your house in the summer, curb appeal is of the utmost importance. How can you improve curb appeal?
If the exterior paint may be looking out of date, don’t think twice about investing in a new paint job. Exterior paint is generally pretty cheap and it can make a huge difference. If you have a deck, you may want to consider refinishing it or touching it up. A safe deck with a new look adds liveable space and value to your home. Landscaping can make a huge difference to the curb appeal of your home. Trimmed hedges, a well maintained garden with edging, and freshly cut grass doesn’t cost very much, but can increase the value of your home tremendously.  It is our pleasure to introduce Lori Meyers, and her Yoga studio Bodyvida!
BodyVida by Lori Meyers is a Yoga/Pilates studio that focuses on the pure practice of pilates, the liberation of yoga, and the incorporation of natural movement and nature.Her four pillars of focus for her classes are form, breath, function, and fun. By focusing on these four pillars, Lori goal is to“improve strength, and stay within our body’s needs to maximize healthy development”. With over 20 years of yoga teach experience, Lori’s perseverance and ability to not take herself too seriously has guided her way through an impressive career in fitness. Lori has her degree in Kinesiology and holds a deep and diverse background in exercise therapy, life coaching, and leadership training.Lately, Lori has picked up baking as a hobby and has ramped up her virtual classes. We got the opportunity to ask Lori a few questions: 1. What made you decide to live in the National Capital Region? The big city, small city feel with great access and opportunity to the outdoors and all the activities that go with it. 2. How did you choose your career path? I knew I did not want to sit at a desk and I like people and interacting and teaching. I taught and coached swimming in my teens. 3. What does an inspiring life look like to you? One that involves always learning and being open, maintaining a sense of play, be it through travel or interacting locally. 4. When your business faces adversity, how do you respond? Well this is timely. I had to switch up my business overnight to online. So how I respond is through adaptation and innovation and learning through successful models. 5. What is the best advice that you have been given? To have gratitude. To always be ok with the plan not going according to the plan. Try something even if it is a little scary, that is where the breakthroughs happen. Check out her website at: http://www.bodyvida.ca/  One of the hardest parts of selling your home is pricing. Everyone wants the most value for their home, which may incline them to price their home as highly as possible. This isn’t always the best approach. If your home is priced too high, it may turn off potential buyers and prolong the selling process.
If Your Price is Too High
 The most crucial aspect in maximizing your home’s value is to price it correctly. Your home will likely get the most attention as soon as it goes on the market, so setting the right listing price is integral. Too high, and you risk turning potential buyers off or not even showing up in their searches. Too low, and you could lose out financially.
If a house is full of personal clutter, it may be difficult for prospective buyers to envision themselves in your home. De-personalize your home by only having out the basics and neutralizing your home as much as possible. If necessary, a professional home stager might make the necessary difference. That being said, a house should always be ready to show. You never know when a showing may pop up, and those people may be ready to buy!At the very least you should make sure that the floors are always swept, and the kitchen and bathrooms are clean!  Health and safety should be everyone’s number one priority right now. That’s why we are taking necessary precautions to help you sell or buy a home safely! Here are some things we have started doing to help keep people safe.
1)Working From Home We made the decision to completely work from home and avoid going into the office as much as possible to avoid necessary contact. By having designated hours on the computer in the morning and comfortable working spaces, we are striving to maintain the same level of productivity as before. 2) Sanitation Before and after showings and inspections on our listings, we completely sanitize and disinfect the house. We do everything we can to limit exposure to our clients, and prospective buyers. 3) Virtual Tours We have upgraded our virtual tours on all of our current/upcoming listings. Instead of just pictures and videos of certain parts of the house, we have upgraded our tours to give people the opportunity to guide themselves through the home and see every nook and cranny virtually! Check out on our social pages and website to access our current tours! |
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