Taurus, Pisces or For Sale – what is your sign?

Posted on April 13, 2011 
Filed Under Listing and Selling Your Home | Leave a Comment

Some Home Sellers do not want a “For Sale” sign in front of their homes.  It might be that they are private people and don’t want the neighbours to know their business.  It might be that they don’t want to mow around the sign or have their view blocked.  It could be any reason but….  I highly encourage Sellers to agree to a sign.  It is cheap, visible advertising.  It lets neighbours and passers-by know that your home is available.  Some of the best prospective Buyers are the friends and relatives of the neighbours.  Why?  Because they already know the area and know people in the ‘hood’. 

When you are selling, use every form of marketing available

It is spring.  For Sale signs should pop up on the lawn like dandelions.

Keyed Up – Oh where, oh where have my house keys gone?

Posted on April 11, 2011 
Filed Under Staging Your Home, The Ottawa House | Leave a Comment

KEYS

When you finally put your house on the market, the real estate agent is going to ask you for a set of keys that prospective Buyers and their agent can use to get in the house and the yard.  Well in advance of the sale, make sure that you have that set of keys made and then put away all the other keys that are scattered everywhere in your house.

Managing keys reduces time you spend every day locating keys that you need or looking at keys and wondering what they open.  Also, it is a security risk to leave keys all over the house when you have an Open House or unattended visitors.  Here are 5 tips on how to manage your keys.

  1. Always put your keys in the same spot in your purse or briefcase and, when you get home, in the same spot in the house.  This will save you months of time over the years that you would normally spend searching for keys.
  2. Tag all the keys in your house.  Sometimes we don’t use a key for a couple of years and then are left wondering what the key opens.  Especially tag the neighbour’s key and the key to your relatives’ homes so that you can find them in a hurry – should you get the emergency calls.
  3. Find a nice tin and put all the spare and infrequently used keys in this one spot.  You will be able to quickly find those tageed luggage keys, safety deposit box keys, locker keys, shed keys, cottage keys, your parents’ home keys, etc.  We do have a lot of keys to keep. 
  4. Many key shops sell fancy metals for their keys.  If you have trouble distinguishing keys on your chain, try having them made in leopard print, blue and the third one in flowers.
  5. Never leave your whole key ring at the auto repair shop.  Find a key ring where you can remove your key – or better yet – give them your spare key so that you will be able to keep a car key yourself.

Photo credit:  Keys 1

Good Money and Good Enough

Posted on April 10, 2011 
Filed Under Listing and Selling Your Home, Things Buyers May Notice | Leave a Comment

You are getting your house ready to sell.  You have read a lot of advice on things that you should do and buy in order to improve your home and its appearance.  Oh, those ideas are so wonderful but you have at least 3 problems with those ideas. 

First: there is going to be a change and change is difficult.  We just get very comfortable with the way things are and making a change is a little like rattling our brains. 

Second:  Getting the house ready might cost money.  No, not might, it will cost money.  The amount depends on you, the Seller, your ability to make money available and the current state of your home.  It might be a case of spend a little now to get a much better return later.

Third:  It is not just that it is work to do but it will take your time and physical effort.  Painting, shopping, rearranging furniture, raking, washing – all ‘ing’ words that sound like a lot of effort.  It is going to be worth it when Buyers come into your house and do their own ING – as in Buying. 

As real estate agents and stagers we don’t often hear you argue making improvement from those three vantages.  You know that if you talk about resisting change sounds like you might be 100 years old and boring; not spending money sounds like you are too cheap and not willing to work to sell your home sounds like you are lazy.  What do you say?   You may fall back on Good Money and Good Enough. 

Good Money

Good Enough

When it comes to getting your house ready for sale

Be ready for change, to spend money and to exert a little effort. 

Photo credit:  International Money Pile in Cash and Coins

Blinded By the Light

Posted on April 5, 2011 
Filed Under Things Buyers May Notice, Valerie Zinger | Leave a Comment

 

Yesterday I was finally moved to do something that I have put off for years.  Yes, years. 

I have wooden blinds on many of the windows in the house.  They get dusted and occasionally vacuumed on a semi-regular basis.  They do not get washed.  Now, I notice dirty blinds in homes that Buyers and I look at and also those in my own home. Real dirt can accumulate on blinds as they get their fair share of household grease, dust, sprays, air born pollutants, etc.  Over time, dusting no long does a good job.  

Maybe it is because I want spring to really get underway or maybe it is genetic programming to do some spring cleaning but yesterday I finally got the wherewith-all to start washing the wooden blinds.

Oh sure, there are those of you who have metal blinds that you pop in the tub or take out to the driveway.  Lucky you.  Wood blinds, however, are not made to be soaked.  So, with a bucket of warm sudsy water, yellow rubber gloves and several cleaning rags I got the job underway. It took hours and a couple of breaks but it was a start.

Next week if I hear the same call or you hear the call to sell your home, get out the bucket and cleaning rags and wash those slated wooden blinds and shutters.  It will surprise you how much brighter and lighter the clean blinds will make the room.

It was a dirty job but someone had to do it. 

Photo credit:  Blind Perspective

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

Posted on March 29, 2011 
Filed Under Comparable Properties Sales Statistics, Ottawa Neighbourhoods, Valerie Zinger | Leave a Comment

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?

Posted on March 28, 2011 
Filed Under Comparable Properties Sales Statistics, Ottawa Neighbourhoods | Leave a Comment

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

Posted on March 28, 2011 
Filed Under Listing and Selling Your Home | Leave a Comment

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

Posted on March 26, 2011 
Filed Under Buying Your New Home, Ottawa Today / Interesting People, Places and Things | Leave a Comment

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

Posted on March 25, 2011 
Filed Under Listing and Selling Your Home | Leave a Comment

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?

Posted on March 20, 2011 
Filed Under Buying Your New Home, Comparable Properties Sales Statistics, Valerie Zinger | Leave a Comment

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.

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