Casselman, Ottawa, ON - Blog

Boost Your Home's Value: Curb Appeal Campaign & Contest Launches!

laura.keller@century21.ca — Mon, 13 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

The CENTURY 21 Canada System is launching a Curb Appeal campaign and contest on May 8, 2013 due to the incredible consumer excitement surrounding the recent CENTURY 21 Canada Open House Weekend Blitz contest! Enter to win a landscaping consult and curb appeal blueprint from celebrity outdoor designer Carson Arthur by visiting century21.ca/CurbAppeal.

"Homeowners are seeing the true value of their green spaces," Arthur said, regarding the response. "Curb appeal is a buyer's first impression, and everything from trees to decks adds assets to a home."

Throughout the contest, Arthur will be providing curb appeal improvement tips on the CENTURY 21 Canada Facebook and Twitter pages along with proven statistics to help homeowners make informed landscaping choices.

The educational side of the Curb Appeal campaign helps homeowners discover the true value in upgrading their green spaces. Who better than the CENTURY 21 Canada local experts to provide curb appeal insights, from both their markets and consumer feedback, to the buyers and sellers they assist every day?

Good luck to all entrants! The contest closes on May 31, 2013 at 11:59pm PST. Visit century21.ca/CurbAppeal for complete contest details, terms and conditions.

***originally posted by Century 21 Canada***

Spring Market Finally Arrives!

carol.jefferies@century21.ca — Sat, 04 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

It would seem the City of Ottawa has finally shaken off the covers of winter and the memory of one of the longest coldest snowiest winters in recent memory and now that they can get out the rakes and seed spreaders they are ready to List and Move. Personally the shelves of our office have now started to fill and we are finding buyers out just in time for the OPEN HOUSE BLITZ this weekend.

My featured property is http://www.century21.ca/Property/100847746

The statistics from the Ottawa Real Estate Boards says the sales are up 0.03 % over last year at this time. Read the column from the board president : An upswing in sales for the April market

Members of the Ottawa Real Estate Board sold 1,573 residential properties in April through the Board's Multiple Listing Service® system, compared with 1,568 in April 2012, an increase of 0.3 per cent.

"The Ottawa market is doing well, and gaining ground back since the "cool-down" of the market for the past five months," says Tim Lee, President of the Ottawa Real Estate Board. "We are on par with the strong sales of last April, and the resale market is up 34.9 per cent since last month. With the late onset of warmer weather, the traditional "spring market" saw its upswing a little later this year. With interest rates continuing to be low, Ottawa remains a healthy, stable market."

April's sales included 302 in the condominium property class, and 1,271 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.

The average sale price of residential properties, including condominiums, sold in April in the Ottawa area was $371,565, an increase of 2.1 per cent over April 2012. The average sale price for a condominium-class property was $266,596, a decrease of 2.3 per cent over April 2012. The average sale price of a residential-class property was $396,507, an increase of 2.9 per cent over April 2012. 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.

The Ottawa Real Estate Board is an industry association of over 2,900 sales representatives and brokers in the Ottawa area. Members of the Board are also members of the Canadian Real Estate Association.

Looking forward to seeing you at 14 Norice (http://www.century21.ca/Property/100847746

now is the time for an offer. Make it a Great Week!

Help the Cause! What an Incredible Story!

elizabeth.laplante@century21.ca — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

My friend / colleague Allison McBrine is a Mortgage Broker here in Ottawa. I have known her for more than a decade and have been part of her life through many trials and tribulations. Not only is she a great Mortgage Broker, but she has a huge heart, looking out for the better interest of her clients and willing to lend a hand to those in need.

A couple of years ago she lost her beloved Mom. Her mother was diagnosed with Cancer and a short few weeks later passed on. This blog is not about sadness, this is about a person using their loss and sorrow in a better way. Allison has been part of The Butterfly of Hope Team for years (to help end Women's Cancer's). She is a fundraiser extraordinaire. She has thrown parties, raffles, held different at home parties to raise funds for the cure. This year, She is part of Alice's Angels walking in the Epic Walk for Women's Cancers.

When you are raised by a Woman that has such drive and compassion, it's hard not to have some of that selflessness enter your DNA. This brings me to the important part of my blog today!

(Before) (A short time ago)

Meet Alex Mallette. This is Allison's youngest child.

Two years ago, Alex's Grandmother (Allison's beloved Mother) was diagnosed with Cancer and succumbed to the disease within a few short weeks. Alex started to grow his hair at that point with the plan to grow it long enough to donate it to make a wig for those fighting this horrible disease.

He also wants to raise some funds for the Cure. He has decided to sell tickets $10 each and the winner of the draw will be the one to cut his hair off!!!!! What a fantastic idea. In Alex's own words,

"Tired of all of those people with Long hair?? Well here is your chance to get back at all those "long haired hippies"!!

On May 17th, if you have the winning ticket...you can chop of my long locks!!

Now remember...this will be help in so many ways.....first, you get to cut my hair.....2nd.....the hair will be donated to the Cancer Centre to be made into a wig for Cancer patients and also....the money raised will be donated to the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation benefiting the Queensway Carleton Hospi...tal and the MapleSoft Centre.

2 years ago, my Grandmother was diagnosed with Cancer. I watched as a woman who was a very big part of my life go from a stong, energetic woman to a frail lady breathing her last breath in 20 days!

I vowed then and there to do something to make a difference.....I started growing my hair then and there.

It's taken me two years, but my hair is now ready to be cut...so...together, let's make difference.

Buy a ticket( I will send you your ticket number) and sharpen the scissors.....let's CUT CANCER!!"

To Help Alex in his quest (and to make this as profitable as we can for Cancer), please go to the Event and sign up. Message for tickets and donate some money.

To Help Allison Achieve her fundraising goal, go to Her Fundraising Site and read her story and help as generously as you can! Remember, every penny counts!

It's people like Allison and her Fabulous Family (son Alex included) that make the changes in our world! Remember that we can make a difference!

Strategies and Pricing for the Ottawa Spring Market

szabolcs.pall@century21.ca — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

OK Spring is here, when should I get my house on the market?

The answer to that question really depends on your motivation. If you absolutely have to move by a certain date, then you need to give yourself enough time to properly market the home and not be forced into making early price reductions. You also want to make sure that you’ve given enough time so that you can deal with some unforeseen issues. The reality is that not all conditional offers firm up. And if the Buyer pulls the plug on a deal because they are unable to secure financing or are unhappy with the home inspection, you could easily lose a week, perhaps more. As you can imagine, if you haven’t thought of these things, they can create an enormous amount of stress once the clock is ticking.

To avoid some of these stressed, I recommend you consider the following: Allow 45 days for the marketing of the home, and be ready to consider a 60 - 90 day closing period. This is approximately 4-5 months to sell and close on the home.

You may be thinking that there is always the option of bridge financing, but don't forget, that option is only available to you if you have an accepted offer on your home. Otherwise you may be dipping into private financing or line of credit to get you through those few months. Not really a way to alleviate stress is it?

The Spring market while favourable with Sellers, still requires sharp pricing. Especially in today's real estate market, Buyer's simply won't over pay. There is great concern about the real estate market in general, we're getting mixed reports from the news outlets, and overall activity is down about 20%. It's crucial now more than ever to get the price right the first time, it's the best way to have a stress free transaction so you can enjoy the Spring and look forward to a Summer of new possibilites.

If you’re thinking of buying or selling in 2013, let’s get together and discuss these pitfalls and come up with a customized strategy to help you with a successful Spring sale or purchase!!