Ottawa West Cottages with the Elder Real Estate Group

Ottawa West Cottages Real EstateDid you know the Elder Real Estate Group can guide you through the process of buying or selling a cottage? And as an added bonus…

Martin Elder is able to access the many lakes far from Ottawa using a float plane. This provides buyers and sellers with greater flexibility and takes a fraction of the travel time normally associated with road travel.

For more information, please visit www.ottawawestcottages.com or call Martin at 613.236.5959

Letter to Moving to Ottawa

Hello Reader,

You’re right, affordability is a prime factor in purchasing home for Ottawa. The average is currently $290,000 (December 2008). Take note; the average price is an average of condos, rows, semi-detached and detached homes. Clearly this average price needs to be examined and viewed with insight. There are far more homes selling in the $250 to $300 range than at the $400 to $600 range and this overloading of moderately priced homes means the average is over weighted on the lower side by about two to one. Homes in Central Ottawa, Ottawa West, and Stittsville are popular and house values tend to begin at the $400 plus range.


Community location is another factor in planning where you wish to live.There are a number of neighbourhoods with good transportation and with many of the same characteristics such as schools, easy shopping, mature homes, trees and parks. Talk to me about community. School districts are very important if you children attend school.

In neighbourhoods such as Castle Hill, Copeland Park, Bel Air Hights, Skyline, Queensway Terrace North, and Britannia a 3-4 bedroom 3 bathroom with garage and garden can be found in the $270 K range. Alta Vista, and Faircrest Hights are also forgotten areas. So much depends on what criteria you have, where you work and recreational needs. Then again mortgage issues may be much more favourable than you think. Speaking with your bank and a mortgage broker clear the way to an effective home search.

I have had excellent service from a mortgage broker. They are very competitive! And also from a Banker. The company I work with; Keller Williams Ottawa Realty has recently partnered with Mortgage Brokers.com and with the Royal Bank of Canada. I can suggest specific contacts, just give me a call or email a request.I’d be happy to arrange a visit to any home when you are ready.


Best wishes, Martin

Thoughtful Agent in Ottawa Speaks Out

REAL Estate professionals have the duty to inform the people of their services and to discuss agency relationships. We have to do this so that people don’t inadvertntly tell us information about their buying or selling needs and discover this is used to to impoverish their situation. We have the duty of representing our clients so that they have current, inside knowledge when they make the decision to purchase.

I treat everyone with the same dedication. At some point early in the visiting of houses I ask clients to make an informed choice as to which Real Estate Professional they choose to work with. It is only when a Buyer contract is signed that the client is considered by real estate people as having engaged a Real Estate Professional to work for them.

Real estate professionals must complete several legal forms when an offer to purchase a house is presented to a selling office. Each of the forms contain affirmations that the buyer has chosen to be represented by a specific Real Estate Professional and office. I find the public is shy of this and as such its often undisclosed untill much later in the process. In my buyer package, not only do I provide maps and lots of useful information, I provide copies of these forms, and I provide a “termination of buyer agency” so there is “a way out” for the buyer should they feel ill at ease. But my Buyers have never needed to use the form I’m pleased to say. So.. there is no specific etiquette. You work with whom you wish. There may be several people at least in the beginning. However the more time a Real Estate Professional spends with an uncomitted client, the more time they’ve invest, the more they are disappointed when they are finaly told if they are in fact told there was another unknown agent also working with the same client. Experienced Real Estate Professionals will often make a conscious decision to avoid Buyers who are not ready to move forward on the paperwork. I’t’s all about making decisions; making the best use of time, the best use of expertise and a personal fit.

Spring is a great time to relocate. Did you know that the real estate cycle has two peaks per calendar year. Generally speaking, one wave occurs in the spring and a second occurs in the fall with the earlier wave being larger in volume with more homes for sale and more buyers. The second wave is still strong but there are fewer of both buyers and sellers and it is short lived. Everyone wants to be moved into their new home by the summer hollidays. Of course at this time, the house you are looking for; your new home is not yet listed for sale! So now is the time to prepare. Learn about community, about value and price relationship and prepare your finances.

I like the areas you are focusing on as potential neighbourhoods. They are dynamic with good infrastructure and special features like mature homes and trees not to mention higher values and this alone may be a valuable. Wealth likes to live with wealth. There is an element of security in this paradigm. Specialty groups seek secure areas.

I’d like to set up an automatic search for you according your criteria. I’ll select the areas you just mentioned. At first you will receive 20 to 40 properties but after you will be notified as properties are sold and new listings will pop up week by week. If you see a specific property tell me and I’ll send detailed info. If you wish to stop the service you have the ability to remove your address. By the way, when the time comes I have the ability to search back into provincial archives to view the complete history and current assesment of a property and to search by block to compare current values. This is helpful when bargaining to know as much or more than the seller about their own property.

Best wishes,

Martin