When Buying or Selling a home, it can be very inconvenient. Prepare yourself for this fact, be realistic, and the journey shall be much more tolerable and even enjoyable.

When selling your home, make sure your house is priced properly and be prepared leave for that "ever-important" showing at a moments notice. After all, those potential buyer could be "the ones". The more you give, the more you get. Have your house clean, have fresh neutral colours on your walls, de-clutter, and de-personalize. There is no better way, or more economical way, to showcase your home for minimal dollar. Chances are, you'll make it all back, and more!

As a Buyer, be prepared to move quickly with an offer should that dream home pop up for sale. Too many times we see people "sleep on it" and lose their dream home. Don't be that person! Also, as buyer, you want to make sure that your Realtor does their job and has you Pre-approved, in writing, from their lender. It will give you the upper hand in putting forth a stronger offer. After all, your Lender has given you the confidence to move forward!

Prepare yourself and you will not be disappointed.

The Alta Vista area is an oddly shaped region bordered by Smyth Road, St. Laurent Blvd, Walkley Road, Heron Road, Bank Street and Riverside Drive. The area is home to 10 communities which include, Applewood Acres, Billings, Canterbury, Elmvale Acres, Faircrest, Guildwood Estates, Playfair Park, Rideau Park, Urbandale and Urbandale Acres.

Alta Vista is a  vibrant area  with a rare mixture of upper to middle class citizens. This mature area boasts some of Ottawa’s most gorgeous homes, snuggled away on tiny streets; mixed with many older bungalows and newer architectural marvels. Mature trees line the streets, providing a picturesque landscape unseen in the majority of Ottawa’s urban neighbourhoods.

Alta Vista is located 15 minutes south of Ottawa’s downtown core, 10 minutes from Carleton University and the University of Ottawa. The area is host to many well-known schools, including St. Patricks, Ridgemount, Hillcrest and Canterbury High School.

Many locals visit the area for numerous destination reasons. Alta Vista is home to The General Campus of the Ottawa Hospital and The Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario. Elmvale Shopping Centre and Billings Bridge Plaza, Ottawa’s first mall, generate large amounts of traffic on the outskirts of this highly residential region.

Large amounts of green space, beautiful parks, vital amenities and dazzling homes, make Alta Vista a great area to raise a family or to retire. This area has homes that are mainly single detached, with the average cost of buying a home in the area at $400, 000.

Looking for small town living near the city? Navan could naturally be your answer! This week's Ottawa Real Estate Buzz is all about Navan!

Navan is a small community in the east end of Ottawa.  Only minutes to Orleans, Navan is a community that has it's roots in rural traditions, but the population has been growing steadily as it has become a desireable suburban area for people to raise their families.   Within the village of Navan itself, there are several subdivisions that have accounted for it's growth over the past decade- Clarke Woods 1 and 2, as well as Smith Ridge Meadows and Skyview Estates.  Further outside the village, a large residential subdivision borders the Bearbrook Golf Course.   Large private lot sizes, combined with small town hospitality only a short drive from the city, Navan has become a popular location for people who want to enjoy small town life.  Not your typical cookie-cutter suburban subdivisions, Navan's residential areas are predominantly custom homes, of various styles and sizes.  The heart of Navan is, without question, JT Bradley's store, a family business which has been in operation since 1898.  In addition to providing grocery items and an LCBO outlet for Navan's residents, JT's also sells tickets for the Cumberland Grads, a Jr A hockey team that plays out of the Navan Arena.  There are a number of other small businesses who make their home in Navan- restaurants, services, even a winery.  The Navan Fair is the annual event of the summer, offering agricultural exhibits as well as rides, live concerts, and other events for the community, including a parade.  Navan is a great place to live for people who enjoy an active lifestyle- it boasts a park with a ball diamond, tennis courts, as well as the Navan Curling Club, a popular destination for many east end curlers.   The Navan Nugget provides a monthly newsletter for community residents with updates about local happenings.

 

Location: Navan, suburb east of Ottawa

Type of Properties: single family homes, bungalows, 

Price Range: $300k-$800K 

Best for: young families

The Mattamy Summerside in Orleans development will be coming to the Avalon area in just over a year, and will be located just south of the Portobello & Blackburn Bypass intersection.  This new development is being marketed by Mattamy as an attractive area for families who are “recreation-minded”. The neighbourhood has plans for new soccer fields, parks, nature trails, and a new community center all being built right in the development. Additionally, when considering its proximity to already established recreation areas such as Millennium Sports Field, the Mattamy Summerside in Orleans neighbourhood is going to be very attractive to younger families with active lifestyles.

The Mattamy Summerside Development in Orleans will showcase multiple styles and types of homes, ranging from the exceptionally priced Village Townhomes which are two to three bedroom row units with a single car garage, all the way to their 2417 sq ft double garage detached homes. Though this neighbourhood will attract young families who are recreation minded, it has something to offer to all families. We can’t wait to see what it looks like when they put the shovels in the ground! The sales center for the Mattamy Summerside in Orleans community is on Tenth Line just south of the Blackburn Bypass.

 

Location: Orleans

Type of Properties: 1100 sq ft townhomes to 2417 sq ft detached homes

Price Range: approx 200k to 400k

Best for: First time home buyers and younger families. 

If you are thinking of buying a piece of Ottawa Real Estate, it is important that you know the neighborhoods this vast city has to offer.  Convent Glen is a mature area of Orleans bordering the south banks of the Ottawa River. Convent Glen is located north of Highway 174 and west of Jeanne d'Arc Boulevard. With a majority of the neighbourhood built in the 1980’s, the area contains a broad range of properties including condo buildings, terrace homes, townhomes as well as detached properties. In common to all these types of properties is the how easy it is to distinguish the area regardless of property type as a mature area of Orleans filled with desirable traits such as trees, parks, and established amenities such as the Convent Glen Mall, and multiple schools. The two high schools within one kilometre of each other, St. Matthew High School and Carine Wilson High School, serve as the primary catholic and public high schools respectively to not only Convent Glen, but neighbouring areas as well. Just within Convent Glen’s borders is the Orleans Park & Ride, and within a two minute walk is Place D’Orleans with its accompanying bus station, making it very accessible for students and commuters to get downtown and across the city.

 

Location: North West in Orleans
Type of Properties: broad – ranging from terrace homes to detached triple garage.
Price Range: approx 175k to 550k
Best for: families, young and mature. 

New Edinburgh is a neighbourhood of approximately 4000 people located slightly east of the downtown core. It is a very desirable location for Ottawa residents to live and it is also the home to two of the Nation Capitals most famous houses, the Governor General’s house and 24 Sussex which is the official residence of the Prime Minister. The fact that New Edinburgh is bordered by the Ottawa and the Rideau River and is walking distance to downtown Ottawa makes it a very popular location to live. The New Edinburgh neighbourhood is home to many of the Embassies and consulates. Spain, South Africa, France, India and Slovakia can all call New Edinburgh their home from home. New Edinburgh has become popular for investors as they are able to buy some of the older properties. A it is such an in demand area, the rents can be high and re developed properties close to downtown can achieve good return on investments. There is a real mix of the older generation and the young population looking to move into this trendy area. The main language in New Edinburgh is predominantly English with the bordering neighbourhood of Vanier attracting more of Ottawa’s French population. The average sale price for a house in New Edinburgh in 2010 is $589,189 with the average detached home selling for $638,681.