Metcalfe – Just one drive up Bank Street to the Parliament Buildings

I am in the process of putting together a listing for a 4-5 bedroom / swimming pool / 3 car garage home in Metcalfe.  This is a great village just one very long drive down Bank Street in Ottawa.  While the listing price has not been finalized, I have been doing some research into the prices in Metcalfe.  This morning there were 33 listings on the  MLS®.  They were:

Notice that there are no condo units available.  Metcalfe is not on city water and sewage.  Properties are large and sufficient for a well and septic system.  Not all of Metcalfe is on natural gas.  Not all of Metcalfe can receive high speed internet.  This is a more rural setting.

Of the 18 Residential units, the price range is between $244,900 and $1,299,000.  The average asking price is $507,670.  It may be rural but no one said poor. 

In the past 6 months 21 residential units sold ranging from $160,000 to $623,500 and an average number of days on the market of 48 days.  This is likely to drop as homes usually sell quicker in the spring market.

If you were looking for a home in the Metcalfe area, with lots of parking, 3 -5 bedrooms and built since Year 2000 then, in the past 12 months, you would have seen 12 homes sell.  They ranged in price from $370,000 to $719,000 with an average of $500,908 and sold on average in 45 days.

There are schools, a doctor, a great golf course, lots of friendly people (somewhere around 1,700 to 2,000) and the best fall fair in Eastern Ontario – The Metcalfe Fair.  There is a true sense of community here and of belonging.

When my listing finally is available I hope to see you or hear from you.  Make your rural dream a reality.

Westboro – What is new?

Today the MLS shows that there are 59 properties available in the Westboro areas 5001, 5002 and 5003.  These properties are either active or conditionally sold.  There are:

The price range for the 18 residential units ranges from $349,900 to $850,000 with an average of $720,194

The price range for the 21 condo units ranges from $227,900 to $1,600,000.  The average price is $512,945.

Westboro is a wonderful place to live – active, commercially vibrant and involved.

Market Conditions – Pease porridge hot

When the market is really hot, you will want to have your house listed right away.  You want to be selling when the going is hot and Buyers are out there buying, buying buying.  Now, think twice.  Even if you have decided not to stage your home (and that may be a foolhardy decision), you will increase the value of the house by doing necessary repairs and cleaning.  It is spring so add some colour to the yard.  Buyers are picky and want to get value for their money. 

When it comes to the market;  Some like it hot, some like it cold .

Some like it on MLS, nine days old.

Photo credit:  Oatmeal Porridge with Poached Quince – Richmond Hill Cafe and Larder

Red River Blues – Living Along a River

Before buying your house along a river find out the history of flooding on that section of the river.  Most rivers, with residential property on the banks, have a conservation authority that established building rules (such as proximity to the bank, type of construction and plantings).  Go to the Authority and find out the flooding history.

Don’t get sandbagged into buying the wrong property. 

Photo credit: 090325-F-0681L-066

In 1997 I lived in Winnipeg, Manitoba.  The Red River flows north through the city up from Fargo and Grand Forks, North Dakota.  What a river!!!  Because it is situated on the prairies there is flat land all along the this northern part of the river.  Flooding is an annual concern.  In 1997, there were devastating floods.  Downtown Fargo was under water.  Millions of dollars was spent saving lives and livestock.  The military in both countries came to the rescue.  Sandbagging, that hard back breaking work, was carried on day and night. 

It is my hope is that the snowmaggedon of winter 2010/2011 will not result in a repeat of the flooding.

Swimming in Contract Details – Represents and Warrants

In the Offer to Buy, the owner usually is required to represent and warrant that all fixtures and finishings will be in working order when the new owner takes possession.  If there is a pool, the period will extend until spring when the new owner can determine that the pool is in full working order.  Things that cannot be used/tested need to be identified and the good working order period extended. 

If you are selling, ensure that you leave everything in good repair.  If you are not able to warrant the condition of something, it could be identified in one of the clauses as sold ‘as is’.  This does not make Buyers happy so the fewer items that are identified, the better.

You will not want to make many unhappy returns to your old house.

If I had a Million Dollars (or more) what could I get?

The Bare Naked Ladies said they would buy a house.  What would they get?

Today there are 125 residential listings of $1,000,000 or more.  In fact, the prices range from  $1 Million  to $9Million.  Of the 125 homes, 26 are priced at $2 Million or more. 

Almost all homes are in the defined Ottawa Real Estate area (there are a couple of listings outside of this area).

There are:

The number of bedrooms range from 0 to 8.  Most of these homes have 3, 4 or 5 bedrooms. 

One home has 9 bathrooms.

It is Sunday. Can I buy a house for $300,000 or less?

Yes.  There are many options available in residential homes.  There are also a myriad of condos available (the subject of another post).

Right now there are 1,716 units available.  They are located throughout the Ottawa Real Estate Board MLS areas. 

There are:

640 homes cost between $250,000 and $300,000.

360 homes were built in Year 2000 or later.

1,278 homes had 3 or fewer bedrooms. 

Buying in Ottawa is about budget, location and condition. 

5 Photography Tips for Listings

 

This is a photo of a window in my house.  I am especially proud of my creative way of decorating this problem window but this photo should never be part of a listing.  At a recent Digital Photography course for real estate people (worth a couple of CE credits) and using this photo as an example,  I learned the following:

  1. Never shoot a photo towards the light.  As you can see the cream coloured walls look black.
  2. Use an external flash to fill in the room with enough light.  The built-in flash on the digital camera is not strong enough.  Again, the walls around the window disappeared.
  3. No fancy frames around a photo or soft focus edges.  A house listing is about seeing the rooms not the wonderful options available in Picnik or Photoshop.
  4. People love to see windows in a room.  You will certainly want to include them.  Try taking a minimum of 4 photos in each room, one in each corner.  If there are slate blinds, have the homeowner raise them as the blinds will give a moray pattern on the photo.
  5. Try to get 90% of what you want in the original photo.  Most listing services have standard landscape and portrait sizes to upload.  Anything unusual, like this square cropped photo, will not show well on the 10 or 12 photo spaces available. 

I like to take a few photos of homes that I list but I always hire a professional photographer for the all important MLS® photos and I use every allowable space. 

Don’t shoot your listing in the foot with bad photography.

Valerie Zinger  email: vzinger@royallepage.com  (613-723-5300)

Royal LePage Gale Real Estate,  Ottawa, Ontario, Canada