Neighbourly Ottawa – Why “Old” Ottawa South?

Yes, the community is old but it is difficult to imagine a community so close to the centre of Ottawa being called Old Ottawa South.  Why? 

Southerly.   For the longest time the area was called Ottawa South but as the suburbs grew further and further south, the community added “Old” to Ottawa South to distinquish it from areas further south.  This community is bordered by the Rideau Canal on the north (separating it from the Glebe) and the Rideau River on the south.  On the west side is the continuation of the canal and on the east is Main Street. 

Old Ottawa versus the Glebe.  Old Ottawa South is a wonderful place to live.  You can hear the little jibes that go on between the Glebe and Ottawa South.  In Old Ottawa, the houses are a bit younger.  The most telling architectural feature is that so many of the houses were built with verandas.  So, unlike the Great Glebe Garage Sale, Old Ottawa South has the Porch Sale which is announced in the community newsletter. The proximity to Carleton University means that there is a  seasonal influx of students living in the neighbourhood.  The Mayfair Theatre has managed to keep open with the large student population and the university faculty being so near.  It is a bargain evening.

Laundry, shopping and relaxing.  When we first moved to Ottawa, we rented the second floor of a house on Hopewell.  I still have “fond” memories of sitting in the Majestic Laundromat on Bank with a tall cafe latte grande –  to see me through the process on a Sunday morning.  While sitting in a laundromat may sound like a couple of hours of boredom, it was one sure way of getting all the clothes washed, dried and folded in the shortest time possible.   In addition to the laundry, there is an excellent library branch, a wonderful kitchen shop called Grace in the Kitchen and pubs and places to eat.  The May Court, a well run hospice, is located in Ottawa South. Almost every picture in my home has been framed and re-framed at a shop called Framed .  I love their little knick knacks and the service. There is a lot to see and shops to visit. 

Antiques in Old Ottawa South.  The area is well known for the number of antique stores.  Some may think that that is why it is called

Old Ottawa South

Valerie Zinger ~ PH. 613-723-5300 ~ Email vzinger@royallepage.ca

Neighbourly Ottawa: Hail Britannia

Valerie Zinger would love to list your home in Britannia.

Where else can you live in Ottawa, be a 15 minute drive from the office and go swimming at the beach every morning in the summer before driving to work?  Hail Britannia.  This was once a cottage community for the people of Ottawa.  Now, it is home to Britannia Park, Britannia Village and greater Britannia.  This is a neighbourhood with a collage of low and high income housing, parks, apartment blocks, town homes, new builds and former cottages now renovated to year round homes.

Located on the west side of Ottawa.  The area is bounded by Richmond Road, the Ottawa River, conservation areas and Carling Avenue.  From the top of Carling there is a spectacular view across the Ottawa River of the Gatineau Hills. 

Britannia has a sense of being a village.  While I hosting an Open House in February, the visitors all commented on the wonderful location.  Almost every visitor was from the area and looking to find a newer home in the neighbourhood that they refused to leave.  This says a lot about Britannia. 

Shopping is close, mostly along Richmond Road.  With 5 bus routes going in and around Britannia, there is no need to worry about downtown parking.  If you want to bike, and in Ottawa most people do bike, the bike path goes through the park and goes along the river for 12 kms to the Parliament Buildings.   Ottawa has an amazing network of bike paths.  While the picture below was taken at Dows Lake,  I chose it because it is such a good photo of the bike paths.

Bicycle Friendly City

Britannia Park, a draw for people all over the city, has two beaches, tennis courts, concession stand, a banquet hall and close to the Britannia Yacht Club.  It is a city oasis.  People love living in the homes bordering the park.  While it is quiet in the winter, dog walkers and cross country skiers abound, the summer brings life, laughter and fun to the area.  My first introduction to Britannia Park was the company picnic – with baseball, beach volleyball, sand castle building and karaoke contests.  It is a wonderful place to visit and have fun.

Come See the Wonder of Britannia

Photo credit:  Bicycle Friendly City by:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/laserstars/502593231/

Valerie Zinger ~ Ph. 613-723-5300 ~ email:  vzinger@royallepage.ca

Ottawa Melt Down as Market Heats Up

We are getting record breaking snowfalls that may lead to some flooding  This is happening  just as the Ottawa housing market is heating up.  You will want to ensure that you are protecting your housing investment. 

PA030014To reduce the likelihood of flood damage in your home the Public Safety Agency of Canada    recommends that you: 

Based upon my personal experience, a sump pump seems to click on and off at peculiar times.  It is not right during the thaw or during the rain storm.  The pump kicks in when the water has infiltrated far enough into the ground to get near the sump pump / basement drainage hole.  Sometimes that takes days.  Now, after you are accustomed to hearing the pump go on and off at all hours, you will have to remember – it is not the sound of the pump but the absence of sound that indicates that you might be having a problem.  Check out your pump from time to time to ensure that it has not failed.  When living in Winnipeg, we found water around the edge of the basement in the lowest corner – where the floor and the walls met – because the sump pump had failed.  Lesson learned.  Right after that we had 2 pumps (an heir and a spare) and started listening for the absence of sound. 

Protect your investment.  Go to the Public Safety website and find out what more you can do.  Your house will be easier to sell if it is dry and there is evidence that you are taking care of it. 

Photo credit:  PA030014 on Flickr http://flickr.com/photos/mtneer_man/751152855/

Valerie Zinger ~ Ph.  613-723-5300 ~ Email:  vzinger@royallepage.ca

The $100 House Tip for March 5, 2008, in Ottawa Canada

tulips_102.jpgThis bouquet is for Gus.

I just wrote a cheque for $99.75 to Gus-N-Air Systems Ltd. for a home visit.  This morning the furnace stopped and it was not until the house got to 18 degrees that I realized that there was no forced warm air coming through the vents.  I called Gus at 613-823-0523.  Despite the snow storm and the terrible road conditions, Gus and his wife were here within 2 hours.  After looking at the furnace, he said that everything was fine BUT no fresh air was coming into the furnace to allow for combustion.  What???  So we trooped out of the house and yes, the three black plastic pipes were covered in snow.

Pipe 1 – Hot water tank exhaust pipe was visible but getting close to being covered.  Pipe2 - Gas Furnace exhaust pipe was like the hot water tank pipe BUT Pipe 3 – the fresh air intake for the gas furnace under 12 inches of snow with a plug of ice at the mouth of the pipe.  I got out the shovels and, with Gus’s help, we dug down to remove the snow.  It was literally that deep.  When the snow was removed, the furnace finally was getting air and everything is back on track. 

My $100 hintfor today is to check that snow is not covering your furnace and hot water exhaust and intake pipes.  These used to be on the roof of houses.  Newer houses have the pipes on the exterior side of the house near ground level and closest to the side of the house where the furnace is located. Remove the snow around your pipes and your gas meter.

Bless Gus.  Thank you.

Valerie Zinger~Ph.  613-723-5300 ~ Email:  vzinger@royallepage.ca

Should you call the “Stage Coach” to your Ottawa home? Five Things to Do.

Stage CoachyYou are going to sell your house and have seen all of those TV shows about getting your house staged before putting it on the market.  What should you do?  I will meet with you and provide an opinion of the amount of work that may or may not be required. 

We are all sensitive to criticism.  It is tough to hear that your house isn’t perfect.  Before spending money on the services of a professional stage coach, you can do the following five things.

Tart up the yard and your front door. The front of your house gives buyers their first impression of your house.  As you know, you only have one chance to make a good first impression.  So…. if there is snow – shovel; if grass – mow; if you have flower beds – weed; windows – wash (inside and out); front door – paint.  You can take a picture of your house to a paint store such as Randall’s and the staff will help you pick an accent colour for your door. 

Clean your house.  Start scrubbing.  This is not the 3 hour blitz that you do every week or two but a thorough top to bottom clean.  If you have the money, bring in a cleaning service and work with them to get the job done.  Wash your windows to let in the light.  You want to watch out for mold in the grout in the bathroom.  This area bothers people – a lot.  Sometimes buyers will love your house but be looking for every single fault just to justify their first offer.  Reduce the reasons and increase the offer.

Remove clutter.  I will do a long article on this at a later date but for now think – clutter is taking up valuable real estate.  Your house will look smaller if every nook and corner is stuffed.  To make the house look bigger, remove unnecessary things.  Think of this as your first round of packing for the move.  One caution, don’t strip your house so much that it looks artificial.  Over-staged homes are beginning to bother buyers almost as much as homes with too much clutter.

Be selective on personal items.  Buyers are curious.  Remember, they are out looking and by the nature of this function they start getting curious about who lives in the houses that they are visiting.  Do you want people to know where and when you graduated by the degrees hanging on your walls, how the family enjoyed Disneyland by the photos everywhere, what medicine you take by the bottles left in the kitchen cupboard, what items you purchased at an ’adults only’ shop?  Yes, you live in the house but some things are just better left private.  Look at your house and see what it will tell strangers about you. If it is too revealing, remove it or store it out of sight. 

Fix the broken bits.  You don’t need me or a professional stager to tell you that the leaky faucet, the broken window, the running toilet, the missing knob on the cupboard door and the broken air conditioner all need to be fixed or replaced before the house goes on the market.  Several houses ago, I lived with a hump in the middle of the wall-to-wall living room carpet.  It became invisible to me until I needed to sell the house.  The first person I called, after my real estate rep, was a carpet installer to stretch the carpet and get rid of the excess material.  I only wish I would have taken the time to remove the flocked wall paper.  It drove me crazy and I am sure every potential buyer was put off by that paper.  Well, that was at the beginning of my habit of moving and I would not make that same mistake now. 

Now that we have the ‘bones’ done, we can consider the services of a stager.  There may or may not be a payback on getting the house painted, furniture rearranged and furniture leased for the duration of the sale.  We may want a stager to give us his or her most valuable advice.  Telling us to clean the house or fix the tap is just something that we can do without being told. 

Photo Credit:  Stage Coach by:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/thivierr/773614933/

Valerie Zinger ~ Ph. 613-723-5300 ~ Email vzinger@royallepage.ca