With the volatile nature of stock markets in previous years a great alternative to investing is purchasing income producing properties and becoming a landlord. Real Estate historically has always been a sound investment in the Ottawa area as evidenced by steady increases over the years. While real estate is a great investment and always increases, there is a negative side to this type of investment. Real Estate is a tangible asset and needs time to liquidate, while on the other hand, stocks, an intangible asset, can be sold within the same day. However, if you have the staying power to hold
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It’s really never too soon to begin planning for a move, and veteran movers have found that a comprehensive timetable and checklist is the best strategy to ensure a smooth relocation. It’s also a great way to involve the entire family in the move and to spread some of the responsibilities to each person, including your children You’ll feel a sense of accomplishment as items are checked off. Moreover, as the weeks roll by, your checklist will help ensure that nothing has been overlooked or omitted from your planning, and that alone will go a long way toward relieving some
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With the exception of Rockcliffe Park, the City of Ottawa now allows secondary   suites. So a home owner can build one (with a building permit) or get the city’s stamp of approval on an existing one, provided the home owner brings it up to building and fire code standards. This is often a basement apartment, but the more correct description is “secondary suite” or “secondary dwelling unit”. If not built in the basement, a secondary suite can only take up 40% of the overall upper floors. A suite can be built in a garage, and each half of a semi-detached can have its own secondary suite. Also, each (legal) duplex is allowed one secondary unit – effectively making it into a triplex.
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When purchasing rural property it is critical that your Offer to Purchase contain provisions for the testing of the property’s water supply to ensure that it is safe for human consumption and usage. Your Royal LePage Sales Representative will advise of areas around the Ottawa Region that are known for water problems and will ensure under all circumstances that the proper clauses needed for the testing of well water are included in your Agreement of Purchase and Sale. How Can Ground Water Become Contaminated? Any addition of undesirable substances to groundwater caused by human activities is considered to be contamination. It
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Health and Fire Safety When buying a home with any type of wood burning appliance, including a wood burning fireplace, wood stove, forced air furnace etc., it is critical that you have the appliance inspected to ensure that there is not a build up of creosote. This inspection will also identify if any liners or chimneys have been violated which could possibly cause dangerous toxic gases to escape into your home environment. Insurance companies and mortgage lender will require that these appliances have a W.E.T.T. Inspection, (Wood Energy Technology Transfer).       Your Royal LePage Representative will help guide
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The Buyer  ultimately determines the true value of your property, …in other words what would a willing Buyer pay for your home in today’s market place given an arms length transaction.  To help determine what a potential Buyer may be willing to pay for your home,  a clear understanding of how your Royal LePage Representative assesses your Market Value will educate  you on how your sales representative evaluates your home and why the market evaluation is an essential part of helping you get the results you are looking for which is… Selling your home for the most money in the shortest time period. What is the
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Remaining objective can be a difficult task for buyers when viewing homes.  It’s easy to fall in love with a home’s appearance, blind to problems that may make it unsuitable. While aesthetics can be an important consideration, it’s necessary to look beyond window-dressing. A qualified home inspector should be hired before purchasing a home, but there are areas that you the buyer can examine on your own. This will  help shorten your  list of potential homes that you may be  considering and reduce the likelihood that a home inspector will reject it as unsafe or unsuitable. Here are some considerations and common problem areas
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