Posts by curiousprojects

7 Deadly Sins of Home Renos

March 9, 2016 | Comments Off

Homeowners who renovate only to boost resale value should aim for a return on investment (ROI) of three dollars for every dollar invested. Resale renos should be neutral in colour and conservative in tone so they appeal to the maximum number of potential buyers. And, cost control always trumps elegance. In fact, some renovations can actually damage your home’s value. These supposed improvements not only add nothing to your bottom line, they may make your home less attractive to potential buyers and bring down its value. Here are seven such expensive mistakes to avoid. Pools A pool
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Real Estate Snapshot February 2016

March 3, 2016 | Comments Off

What a difference a day makes! An extra day in February saw 46 sales on that day (February 29th) as per the Ottawa Real Estate Board’s news release March 3rd. See the full Ottawa Real Estate market snapshot for February and the full story from the Ottawa Real Estate Board below. With spring around the corner, we’re starting to see more homes come on the market, if you’re thinking of selling now is a great time to get your home listed with a real estate professional. While statistics are useful in establishing trends they should not be used as
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Saving Strategies for Every Age

March 3, 2016 | Comments Off

We all want to save more money, but doing it requires a plan. And, the best approach to saving depends on the stage of life you’re in because each phase has unique financial commitments. Although individual circumstances vary, these generation-specific suggestions will point you in the right direction. Millennials (19-35) Millennials, born between 1980 and 1996, are actually better than Gen Xers at money management, according to financial journalist Vera Gibbons. But, they tend to live in the moment and prefer instant gratification to long-term financial planning. And, because personal finance is not a core subject in
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First Time Homebuyers Government Incentive Programs

February 25, 2016 | Comments Off

Thinking of buying your first home? If so, it may be time to get on with it, especially considering the possibility that interest rates will rise. Using government incentive programs that encourage first time homebuyers to enter the real estate market, you can realize additional savings. And, mortgage financing has been almost free for some time, but economic signals point to those costs rising. Mortgage rates may increase Several factors are threatening to push Canadian mortgage rates higher even as the Bank of Canada tries to hold its overnight lending rate down. Fixed mortgage rates are
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Why Listing In January or February Can Make Sense

February 19, 2016 | Comments Off

Although it may seem odd, listing in the winter months can be advantageous for sellers. Statistically, there are indeed more buyers in the spring market. However, there are also more homes for sale, including properties similar to yours. With more competition for the pool of buyers, your chances of finalizing a deal may actually be reduced. Here are several reasons to list in January or February. Financial Planning And Taxes Many families check their finances at year end and start planning their tax returns. And, because of the holiday festivities, it’s often the time for discussions and
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Congratulations to our Award Winners

February 16, 2016 | Comments Off

At Royal LePage Team Realty helping YOU is what we do and we couldn’t do that without a dedicated network of real estate professionals. We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate our 2015 Award winners and thank them for their hard work and dedication. We are so proud to work with those who consistently go above and beyond to ensure their clients are provided with excellent real estate service. Looking forward to an awesome 2016! jQuery(document).ready(function($) { var mpImageSlider = $(“.motopress-image-slider-obj#56e5df6483fc4”); if (mpImageSlider.data(“flexslider”)) { mpImageSlider.flexslider(“destroy”); } if (!true) mpImageSlider.css(“margin-bottom”, 0); mpImageSlider.flexslider({ slideshow: true, animation: “fade”, controlNav: true, slideshowSpeed: 3000, animationSpeed: 600,
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Why Homeowners Should Beware of Icicles

February 13, 2016 | Comments Off

Ottawa’s freeze-thaw weather patterns often create sparkling icicles that look magical. But, they actually identify a dangerous — and potentially costly — hazard, an ice dam. Imagine coming home from work to find water streaming down your interior walls and soaking into the hardwood of your foyer. What would you do? What Is An Ice Dam After frantically tracing the flow, you would find that a pool of water had formed behind a thick ridge of ice in the gutters – hence the term ice dam. Snow on the roof had been melted by heat loss, causing
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Ottawa Real Estate Market Eases off with Cooler January Weather

February 4, 2016 | Comments Off

Ottawa Real Estate “Market Snapshot” January 2016 Statistics are useful in establishing trends but should not be used as an indicator of an increase or decrease in value of specific properties. If you are curious about the value of your home and/or specific neighbourhood statistics we would be happy to provide you with information, no obligation, please contact us at info@teamrealty.ca if you have any questions. We look forward to hearing from you! _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ *provided by the Ottawa Real Estate Board Members of the Ottawa Real Estate Board sold 601 residential properties in January through the Board’s Multiple
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Record-breaking December, contributes to a strong 2015

January 7, 2016 | Comments Off

Record-breaking December, contributes to a strong 2015 – Latest News from the Ottawa Real Estate Board Ottawa, January 6, 2016 – Members of the Ottawa Real Estate Board sold 703 residential properties in December through the Board’s Multiple Listing Service® System, compared with 638 in December 2014, an increase of 10.2 per cent. The five-year average for December sales is 653. The total number of residential and condo units sold through the Board’s MLS® System throughout all of 2015 was 14,658, compared with 13,919 in 2014, an increase of 5.3 per cent. Separately, residential and condounit sales each outperformed the 2014 numbers. “Looking back
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Don’t tax my dream campaign succeeds

January 1, 2016 | Comments Off

The efforts of the Ontario Real Estate Association (OREA) and the Progressive Conservatives were recently rewarded when the provincial government decided they would NOT be expanding the municipal land transfer tax program. Liberals keep election promise In an unexpected announcement during the legislature’s question period, Municipal Affairs Minister Ted McMeekin ended concerns that the Liberals would break their election campaign promise and allow other cities and towns to introduce the tax. “There has been no call, at all, for a municipal land transfer tax,” he said, “nor is there any legislation before the House that would allow
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