The Heart Of Westboro Village

 Some of the most sought after Ottawa real estate  is located near the centre or down town area.  There are more services in densely populated areas and people like to live near restaurants ,cafes, bike shops and food stores. Sometimes the it is a matter of better transportation choices. You can use bikes or busses. Matter of fact many people don’t use a car, they walk when services are close.

404 Edgeworth is located in the heart of Westboro village. It is one of the many older houses. It has a grand look. Two story brick, with a handsome veranda and deep back yard. There is plenty of room for parking. Lots of trees and it is a short quiet street. Great for families!

Value of Community at Westfest

Some of you are probably gearing up for the annual Westfest: live music, artists, and activities for the entire family. Westfest is an Ottawa street festival that shouldn’t be missed. It’s free and is accessible for people from all Ottawa communities and neighborhoods as well as all age groups!  Living in the Westboro neighborhood, I can certainly say that the festival fosters energy not found at other Ottawa attractions. A celebration of Canadian artists coupled with buskers and street performers, Westfest is a terrific way to cross paths with your community. I really like watching the Buskers. They draw the artistic energy from me.  

What is community? What does community mean to you? It’s often defined as the people living in one place. Broadening this definition to include the building of relationships and creation of experiences is extremely important. This can be as simple as chatting with your local shop owners, bankers, and transportation workers or appreciating the nature around you and enjoying local restaurants. The importance of neighborhood  is immeasurable and can very well determine how at ease you feel in your home. In fact studies show that the closer your house is to a café the higher the value of the property – indicating the significance of a location that encourages business and community  facilities.

Look at Westfest as an opportunity to form new friendships with people: enjoy a cold beer with your buddies while taking in the festivities or discover a new band with your friends. When you develop a sense of community, your home becomes increasingly more valuable to you and your family. Memories and good times with the people around you are worth more than anything you can put a price tag on.
This summer is a great time to meet the community businesses – there are plenty of other events, and attractions taking place in the coming months that allow the same possibilities! Consider the outting goods stores will soon be featuring the canoe and kayak trials. Take a boat for a spin! It’s free. Until then, stay cool and don’t forget the sunscreen!

See you at Westfest; I’ll be easy to spot: the Real Estate broker with the direction sign posted on his shoulder!  Martin Elder

Home with Sizzle!

Once in a while a property appears for sale that surprises me. Totally upgraded with consummate attention to detail. Quality, preservation of architectural richness, space and soft light from south facing windows. Kitchen and bathrooms simple, as in less is more. Lovely stainless appliances. Gas cook top Miele. Fisher Paykel refrigerator and Whirlpool are lovely in the kitchen. White fleck Granite counter tops are clean and sophisticated. Lots of cupboards and pantry. Island to lunch at. Covered deck to review a good book. Lovely quiet bedrooms. Bathrooms with pride. Must be seen! Dare to compare!

Call for details 613-296-8065

So What is Affordable Housing?

Rarely available Freehold end unit offered for sale: $189,900.00



855 Grenon Ave Unit # 1 Ottawa / West Britannia – All brick semi-detached/row home built 1975. Common elements fee of $55 per month for Snow clearing and grass and tree care. Parking adjacent to unit. Not a condominium!

Freehold, three bedroom, two bath, end unit with 5 appliances. Private, west facing, fenced back yard. Mature Jack Pine trees. Finished basement with lavatory hook up.( was once a hair cutting salon ) High ceilings. Five Appliances included. Parquet hardwood on first and second floors. Newer windows, Gas Furnace 2004. Best value in the area!

So what is affordable housing?
Let’s look at the numbers for today’s interest rate which is 2.75%

A minimum of 5% down payment is required to purchase           = $9,450.
Closing costs would be needed out side of the down payment
which would cover Lawyers fees and disbursements                    = $3,780.
If you are a first time buyer you qualify for a provincial tax credit = $2,000.

Total amount needed to purchase up front cash is                      =$11,230.

A Canada Housing and Mortgage insurance fee would be added to your mortgage amount to cover the protected amount that equals about 15% of the purchase ( This fee covers the remaining part of the conventional mortgage amount or 20% down payment.  5% was calculated above)

The monthly mortgage payment would be   $847. 
Taxes calculated monthly would be             $166.
Monthly association fee for grass and snow  $55.
Insurance monthly would be about                 $84.
Monthly Heat and light would be about         $150.

Total monthly living cost would be             $1,302.

The average of 82 rental listings in Ottawa today, excluding apartment building style living is  $1,992. per month with the lowest rent at $1,925 per month.

With low interest rates, stable world markets, it is a good choice to purchase a home instead of renting.

Executive Downtown Condos Ottawa

Rarely offered, executive Condos in downtown Ottawa Under 500K penthouse, low rise unit with views of Rideau River, Court Yard, Vanier Village, Rideau Tennis Club. Two balconies, Hardwood floors, freshly painted in designer colours, Southern Exposure, Two bed, two bath with additional loft for guests or office. Condo supplies fireplace wood. Elevator, Spectacular views!

Receive a complete list of executive condo units in central Ottawa North of the Queensway visit www.martinelder.ca and request your executive condo list. To learn what your home is worth or what STAGING will do for your home value. Call Martin Elder for a no obligation home evaluation. Knowledge and experience you can trust.

Provided courtesy of Martin Elder, Broker, Keller Williams Ottawa Realty 613-236-5959

Advantages of Hiring an Ottawa building inspector

Hiring a building inspector

In Ottawa the climate has extremes of winter freezing with mid January rains and summer hot spells that cause asphalt roads to ooze black tar. Home buyers should be aware that these extremes have an adverse effect on the exterior of a house shell. The roof shingles are made of asphalt and fiberglass with a granular top coat and the sun will dry out the shingle making it curl and fail. The winter will cause ice damming close to the eves of the roof and this will cause cold water to leak into the roof in winter and penetrate into the interior drywall.

The basement concrete or block foundation is exposed to additional freeze thaw cycles in the early winter unlike winters of 20 years ago when more snow insulated the ground from a deep penetrating freeze. I’ve seen basement walls crack and buckle from winter stress and it is expensive to rebuild a foundation wall. Assessing structural matters requires and in depth knowledge of building practice and force analysis.



Electrical wiring, insulation, furnaces and cooling systems are often a mixture of old and new. It takes experience to identify what is adequate and what could be dangerous. Your Ottawa real estate agent in conjunction with a certified building inspector will help to put it all in perspective and protect you from future difficulties.

Call now for the advantages of a pre-inspection for home sellers and for strategies to have the seller pay for the home inspection for the buyer. Be informed!

When to call your Ottawa Home Inspector, before or after an offer?

At today’s Open House I was asked when to do a home inspection, before submitting an offer or after?

That’s a great question. So much depends on the market energy and the ability of the buyer to perceive possible problems and solutions. Imagine if four people are lined up to make an offer on the Ottawa house you want? It is smart to ask your real estate agent in advance what experience they have with building inspectors, building practices, old and new and what their track record is with the building report once completed. What is a home inspection supposed to do?

I’d be inclined to secure the house you want with an accepted offer. Then I’d proceed with an inspection. This way the buyer can always renegotiate when something is discovered that causes concern.

There are two emotional peaks buyers and seller experience when moving through a purchase transaction. The offer stage is a big emotional stress for everyone, then it calms down a bit when both parties agree on a price and date. The building inspection is booked and another worrisome period begins. Many sellers don’t know what is in the attic or how the foundation is holding up. Who knows if the wiring is adequate or a safety hazard. Will the insurance company insure your Ottawa home? Just because the seller has lived in the house for 30 years doesn’t mean the buyer wants to inherit the problems!

Sometimes there are minor concerns that are taken care of by the seller before the sale closing date. Sometimes the price is reduced to compensate for larger problems. Your real estate professional is the key to “pulling it all together” .Talk about the Ottawa home buying process and discuss the “what ifs” with your agent.
      

Electrified mouse in the panel!

Westboro Condos – Churchill Ave







Gracious steps lead to the front entrance of your new condo building. It is the first level unit as depicted left of the entrance. Master bedroom facing south and bathroom windows shown above the juniper bushes.
Recently built, this low rise condo in Ottawa West Westboro is ready to move into. choose from several available from a two or three bedroom and spa -like bathroom freshly painted. Hardwood flooring and Tiger textured granite counter tops in the kitchen make this a very attractive condo for the price! 

Low key energy efficient windows, casement style, freshly painted walls and darker stained hardwood are decorator features. Call for details and a list of services in the neighbourhood.
Tel: 613.296.8065

Popular Condos in Ottawa

There are a number of condos built in the 1970s to 1985 period that are excellent value compared to newly built condominiums. They are high rise properties located in pockets along the east west corridor of Ottawa; Richmond Road, Carling Ave, Parkdale Ave, Baseline Road, St. Laurent Blvd and Rideau Streets .

  • These early units can be characterized as rental buildings which were later converted to condo ownership. They have grand entries and wide halls. There is underground parking and open landscaped areas around the building. Frequently the laundry is on every other floor or is located in the basement. Balconies are deep and spacious. These condos have rooms for wood working, libraries, and social gathering areas. The buildings often feature an indoor pool, guest room suites and bicycle rooms are growing in popularity. There are active social environments in these buildings because the layout promotes interaction between owners.

  • The price for a two bed two bath condo with a balcony ranges from $220,000 to $260,000 and condo fees are from $360 to $530 a month for heat hydro, A/C , water and management fees. Most of these condos are located in low density residential areas. A walk to the grocery store or coffee shop is possible. Bus transportation routes service these condos. Many are located close to the Ottawa River so park land is a walk away to forests quiet water settings where ducks and turtles are found.

Northwest One, Halcyon, Marina Bay, The Barclay are some popular condos in this group. The Poulin of Northwest One is pictured on the left below and the Barclay is to the right.

Hoarding in Ottawa, Scary happens too!



Earlier I posted the thought that scary happen too! So I had to ask what’s so scary about visiting fine homes for sale with potential buyers? Most homes are clean. organized, clutter free and staged. Right? They smell good. They look good and have curb appeal. That is the usual scenario….. But lurking in the neighbourhood is something that shocked me and frightened my buyer clients!


Here’s the scene: Two story detached home in Ottawa east. Built about 1980. Garage It is nearly night fall on our last home visit for the evening. People on the street have arrive and many have had their supper. Cars have their lights on and some neighbours are strolling idyllically on the street. Warm evening with the wind in the trees and many leaves have fallen to the ground.


OK, I have to do some house visits with a young couple now and I’ll be back to night…Done! So it isn’t two story house that he wants its a bungalow for the lady. Glad we have that established! Back to the story of Scary!…


So back to the scary story and just in time for Halloween. When I take a couple to a house I have a lock box code to access the front door key. When I arrived at the door it wasn’t unusual to see the interior light on. That’s when the front door opened and a youngish lady invited me in. I ask “were you expecting a visit from a real estate agent tonight?” Yes she said as I walked in. An older overweight lady was sitting in the main hall putting on some shoes. The house smelled of cleaning product and the humidity of cooking.


I have to go put up my open house signs. I’ll be back in an hour.


Back! So I asked It looks like you’ve done some painting, may we look at the kitchen? Her reply; Yes we’re paintin and fixin the house to sell. You can’t go in the kitchen cuz everythings still wet and we’re cookin. So I see a lot of boxes on the floor are you moving tonight? No we’re just storing stuff till we sell. May I get past you to Mam to visit the basement please? No you can’t go down there, there’s live wires hangin form the ceiling. Dangerous down there! One of the buyers asks about the powder room. No you can’t use it! All the plumbings plugged right up. Can’t use it. Buyer and I exchange alarmed looks! I go to open the walk in garage door. Oh! she cries, you cant go in there it’s full of….. that’s when I open the door and the boxes begin to push out toward me from the garage …like the boxes are wild animals trying to escape the garage darkness. At this point I’ve had enough of the chemical product smell and the heat and the presence of the owner and her daughter, the gunk and disorder. I don’t want to be polite any more. I want out fast!


Once outside, out of curiosity I look around the side of the house. There I spy is a chaos of shiny chrome shopping centre carts piled up in the darkness. For me this house is not ready to sell and its my first encounter with hoarders! and it gives mea a creepy feeling even weeks after the visit! For the buyers, They don’t want to visit the neighbourhood again! That’s what real live hoarding is like!