David Armstrong - Blog

2 Fabulous Open Houses for you to visit this weekend - January 15th from 2-4pm

david.armstrong@century21.ca — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Want a great family home in one of Barrhaven's most popular neighbourhoods? Enjoy outdoor living, want the kids to be safe playing on the street? This is the ideal home for you - 16 Yarwood Court (www.16YarwoodCourt.com).

This Minto Princeton model is approximately 2750 sq feet of living space with 4 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms and a main floor family room. It's located on one of Barrhaven's premium courts and features a pie shaped yard with in-ground pool. Drop by for a visit on Sunday and see for yourself.

Need privacy and more space in a tranquil, upscale community with great amenities? Take a look at this stunning home 1278 South Beach Blvd, Greely (www.1278SouthBeach.com). This custom built 4 bedroom, 2 storey features many quality features throughout the home. It's located in the very popular South Village in Greely. The community is built around many of the man made lakes and comes with access to the community pool, tennis courts and community building as well as the lakes. A wonderful place to call home for a family or professional couple. Approximately 3400 sq ft of living space, triple garage and huge lot help make this home special.

Drop by and visit either of these two great homes on Sunday January 15th from 2-4pm and take a look or just to chat about real estate.

2011 Ottawa Real Estate Market typical according to Ottawa Real Estate Board

david.armstrong@century21.ca — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The year end statistics are in and OREB states that the market was typical for Ottawa. Joanne Tibbles, President stated that "it epitomized Ottawa's real estate market: no dizzying highs, no dramatic lows, just slow and steady growth over the long term". This is very true of the Ottawa real estate market, slow, steady growth. The average price rose by 5.2% in 2011, slightly below the 7.7% increase in 2010 but ahead of the 4.9% increase in 2009. The number of sales in 2011 was 14,412 which was above the 5 year average of 14,326 and 1.7% more than the number of homes sold in 2010. (Full Report)

Ottawa is a great real estate market to invest in! We benefit from the steady but diverse employment from the federal government, high tech, service and tourism sectors. We have a population that are, on average, among the highest earners in the country and yet relative to other major cities (Vancouver, Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton) our real estate prices are still affordable. We also live in one of the best cities in the world. It is naturally beautiful, culturally diverse, and has all the amenities of a world capital but still maintains that small town feel.

Owning a home in Ottawa makes solid financial sense as does owning investment property. The average annual house price in Ottawa has declinced only 3 times since 1980 and the total of those 3 declines equals 5.2%. Compare that to your investment portfolio or RRSP's. The average house price in 1980 was $62,748 and today is $343,701. Combine this with the fact that Ottawa has a very low vacancy rate for rental properties and that with today's low interest rates allow many properties with minimal down payment to carry themselves Ottawa is a very secure market to invest in.

What will happen in 2012? I believe that the market will level off further. The world economy is in a mess and the federal government is talking about downsizing. These influencers will be offset by continued low interest rates and affordable housing options resulting in a balanced market. Some neighbourhoods and market sectors will continue to show strong growth while some neighbourhoods and market sectors will decline slightly but overall i believe the market will stay solid. My mentor, John DeVries, told me many years ago "don't wait to buy real estate, buy real estate and wait" it has been a quote I have used over the years and it has benefited myself, my family and my clients. Want more information about investing in Ottawa's real estate market call us at 613-867-9921 or e-mail me at david.armstrong@century21.ca

21 Reasons to list with The Armstrong Team - Reason #3

david.armstrong@century21.ca — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT

A website designed and created for your home.

For every home we list we create a unique website for the home. It showcases the property with professional photographs, virtual tours, mapping, and detail descriptions that are designed to encourage potential buyers to call or view the home. These websites make it easy for potential buyers to easily obtain information about the home and to see in great detail what the home has to offer. This helps us sell you home, when buyers call they are better qualified and have already determined that a viewing is the next step.

These websites are exceptional marketing tools as we advertise the URL and QR codes for the website on the for sale sign, in our print advertising, on our just listed e-mails, on our highlight sheets and through social media sites. The exposure of your home is enhanced and the buyer gets much greater detail than they otherwise would. These sites also allow you the home seller to share the information about home with friends and family easily and quickly, this can result in more exposure and a potential buyer.

Visit a sample site at www.16YarwoodCourt.com . See what a potential buyer can do. The can work out financing options, book an appointment, print a feature sheet, e-mail the information to a friend/partner, family member or their Realtor. They can also view the High Definition, full screen pictures & read the details.

We have links to these websites from all of our listings on Realtor.ca and the MLS system so buyers and their agents can easily get details and further information.

When you list your home wouldn't you want this kind of exposure for your home. Another reason to call The Armstrong Team

21 Reasons to list with The Armstrong Team - Reason #2

david.armstrong@century21.ca — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Experience - We have been selling Real Estate in Barrhaven, Nepean, Kanata and Ottawa for the past 25 years. Joyce was born and rasied here and David has lived in Ottawa since 1974. We have raised our two children in Barrhaven were they attend school, participated in sports and cultural activities, worked, socialized and grew-up. We also own properties in Barrhaven and Kanata. Why does this matter to you? We know the communities we work in, we have a vested interest in the real estate market and we love to share this knowledge with out clients.

As Real Estate Brokers we both have taken additional courses to ensure we are knowledgeable about our business and the technicalities that it entails. This will benefit you when you are writing an offer, establishing a marketing plan for your home or looking at potential homes to buy. We will advise you of any potential pitfalls or difficulties, direct you to professionals that can answer specific problems and make sure your interests are protected at all times.

David has been very involved in organized real estate. He is currently the chair of the Ottawa Real Estate Board (OREB) Discipline Committee and is the Vice Chair of the Real Estate Council of Ontario's (RECO) Complaints, Compliance and Discipline Committee. He is also the Past President of OREB (1998) and was a Director of the Ontario Real Estate Association (OREA) representing Eastern Ontario for 2 years from 2000 - 2002.

We take our business very seriously and try to make sure that our clients get answers to their questions, guidance that helps them make good real estate decisions and results they are happy with.

Thinking of buying or selling call us for a free, no obligation consultation and let us show you first hand how our experience can benefit you.