Like many Canadian snowbirds, I have flown to Phoenix to spend some time in the warm dry climate of the southern USA.  I have been reading articles in the paper about Canadians buying up properties for their winter vacations.  This time, I am staying with my brother is on his third winter here and looking at buying.  He is constantly looking and from Calgary to Phoenix it is a 2 day drive - much the same for me from Ottawa to Florida.  So, what are the pros and cons that he and his lovely wife are considering? To set the stage, he is looking at housing in an active adult community (aka retirement village with benefits) Pros: Right now the price is at an all time low.  The Canadian dollar is above par. The people in the community have similar interests and age (this is a newer community... 03/11/2011

This is the story of House Sellers Mark and Lou. As we learned earlier, Home Seller Mark has moved out and we are now dealing with Home Seller Lou.  With the good news about the Grow Op, Lou is ready to bring in a Home Stager.  Agent Valerie had given her three referrals:  Sally Worthy, Janice Anytime and Judy Klean.  All three were well known experts in getting houses ready for market.  Lou called Judy because her name sounded just right.   Agent Valerie intended to be at the initial appointment with Lou and Judy but one of her deals went into an offer / counter offer situation.  Judy said she was looking forward to the challenge and would send Valerie an email with updates on how the work was progressing.  A week later Real Estate Agent Valerie received the following email:  From:  Ju... 03/08/2011

A little silver-haired lady calls her neighbor and says, "Please come over here and help me. I have a killer jigsaw puzzle, and I can't figure out how to get started." Her neighbor asks, "What is it supposed to be when it's finished?" The little silver haired lady says, "According to the picture on the box, it's a rooster." Her neighbor decides to go over and help with the puzzle. She lets him in and shows him where she has the puzzle spread all over the table. He studies the pieces for a moment, then looks at the box, then turns to her and says, "First of all, no matter what we do, we're not going to be able to assemble these pieces into anything resembling a rooster." He takes her hand and says, "Secondly, I want you to relax. Let's have a nice cup of tea, and then," he said with a de... 03/08/2011

Have you noticed that the edge sealer around your tub / shower stall is poorly applied and turning black in the corners and along the edges.  This is a sign of mould.  If you notice it, rest assured, so will Buyers notice it.  It worries Buyers.  Water may have leaked behind the sealer.  Is there damage somewhere?  If the tub has TILE around it, caulking that bottom joint  is exactly the wrong thing to do and is what causes the black line.  The caulk is blocking the drainage from behind the tile and trapping water behind it.  It should be grouted.  If it is a tub surround or glass panels then it is likely caulk.  Refer to Charles  and Dana's comments for the problems with using the wrong material.  BIG TIP:  After taking off the old sealer, fill the tub and sit or stand in the tub when... 03/07/2011

This is a photo of a window in my house.  I am especially proud of my creative way of decorating this problem window but this photo should never be part of a listing.  At a recent Digital Photography course for real estate people (worth a couple of CE credits) and using this photo as an example,  I learned the following: Never shoot a photo towards the light.  As you can see the cream coloured walls look black. Use an external flash to fill in the room with enough light.  The built-in flash on the digital camera is not strong enough.  Again, the walls around the window disappeared. No fancy frames around a photo or soft focus edges.  A house listing is about seeing the rooms not the wonderful options available in Picnik or Photoshop. People love to see windows in a room.  You will cert... 03/06/2011

This is a story about House Seller Mark. Now that the house was going to be listed through a real estate brokerage, there would be requirements for the grow op history of the house to be disclosed.  Before determining what would be said,  Real Estate Agent Valerie asked House Seller Mark and wife Lou to tell her everything they knew about the history of the grow op and any fixes or changes they had made as a result of that knowledge. Mark and Lou had bought the house a couple of years after the discovery of the grow op.  In fact, they were the second owners after the raid.  Lou and Mark were told by their agent that the then owners had done the work to make the home safe after the grow op.  Mark and Lou were a bit naive and bought the house based on taking the Sellers' word that all was... 03/05/2011

This is a story of House Seller Mark.  Finally the Friday morning of the meeting arrived.  When Lou and Mark arrived, it was clear that Mark was there under duress.  He leaned way back in his chair and crossed his arms.  He said that he had asked around and found out that Valerie wasn't the worst agent in the area but he felt that selling through an agent was just a waste of good money.  With that, he shifted his gaze to the window.  For most of the meeting, Lou took the lead and asked questions about fixing the house and the establishment of a reasonable selling price.  All Mark could say was that they now needed to get the most money out of the house as possible and that that the sooner it sold the sooner they could get on with their individual lives. Valerie pulled out the listings ... 03/04/2011

You must remember this, a price is just a price, and a sign is just a sign.  The fundamental things apply.  As time goes by.  It may be the same old story but the wrong price means no glory.  A case of do or die.  The world will always welcome Buyers.   As time goes by. Sell it Sam. Photo credit:  Bogart and Bergman 03/02/2011

For I'd slippy and I'd slidyOver everybody's hideyOh I wish I were a little bar of soap Okay, now that I have that tune and image firmly planted in your brain, on to a little sticky staging hint.  Just before an Open House or a booked showing of your home, remove old bars of soap from sinks and tubs.  For the same reasons that you would be put off with old soap in a hotel room, don't leave them in your "show" home.  Buy some of those wonderful liquid soap containers and use them to decorate your sinks and tubs. Don't wash out  a Buyer with old bars of soap. Photo credit:  What Is This? 02/28/2011

You might want to show off how big your dining room is by taking the leaves out of your table and pushing in the chairs.  Your thinking may be that the room will look bigger because there is more free space around the table.  In fact, as long as there is enough room so that the chairs can be pulled out, leave the leaves in the table.  Most Buyers want to know if a crowd will fit around the table at Thanksgiving.  Now look at the floor, do you have hardwood or tile with a puny little rug under the table?  If you pull out the chairs to sit down, do the chair legs come off the area rug?  If that happens then your rug is too small.  It will make your dining room look off balance and odd.  The fastest and cheapest correction is to remove the rug.  Remember, your house will be a product not ... 02/27/2011

This is a story of House Seller Mark. Real Estate Agent Valerie had agreed to meet with House Seller Mark's wife Lou.  When she got to the coffee shop Lou was sitting in a booth at the back of the room.  Well, something was going on, that was for sure.  Valerie sat down with her coffee.  Lou looked up and her eyes told a story.  They were red rimmed as though she had been crying for days.  Without any preamble, Lou launched into her story.  Apparently she and Mark were having marital problems.  They thought these could be solved with a new project - a move.  However, their house stayed on the market as a FSBO for months and every day they fought.  Things were so tense now that Lou just wanted out - out of the house and out of the marriage.  She needed her share of the sale proceeds to ... 02/26/2011

We all know that home Buyers are buying the house, not the contents.  However, Buyers are influenced by how the house is decorated / staged.  It gives a message about lifestyle and care and attention.  If you have a couch that is beyond redemption but getting it re-upholstered would be cost prohibitive, you have three choices: Leave the sofa in the room as is and keep on believing that no Buyer will notice or care (but they will, trust me). Remove the sofa entirely and try to rearrange the furniture to fill in the gap.  As everyone living near a university knows, old sofas are abandoned at the end of term.  If you have one of those sofas, no amount of beautification will work - Give it up.  Please be responsible and at least have it removed not just tossed on the street. Finally and my... 02/22/2011

Winterlude is a great way to spend some time with your friends and family during winter time. Many activities surround Winterlude. You can take a look at the video below which will give you a brief overview of what Winterlude is all about.     Another very interesting video that was created by Carleton University students is also featured below. A flash mob on the Rideu Canal. What is a flash mob you ask? Take a look at the video and you will see what I mean. This is pretty cool to see! Check it out and let me know what you think. Is it cool or is it a waste of time?   Make sure to take a few minutes this week end to stop by at Winterlude. Hopefully the weather will be co-operating to keep the canal open for all the festivities. 02/17/2011

There was an era when plasterers were hired during house construction to finish off the lath and plaster walls and to do decorative swirls and curls and strange designs on the ceilings.  If I had to guess the time frame, it would be around 1920 - 1970.  Do you know what I mean?  You can see some these designs in older homes in Sandy Hill, the Glebe, Ottawa South, etc. Some of them are beautiful and reflect real craftsmanship.  Others - well - not so much.   I was out with a buyer looking at homes built in the 1950s.  In the basement of one home the ceiling had been plastered - BUT - it was as though they had paid for the plaster by the truckload and were moved to use it all.  The ceilings were low, especially where the heating pipes had been encased.  The plaster, dried and hardened aft... 02/16/2011

With housing being one of many possible investment opportunities, some Buyers are in the market for more than just meeting their housing needs.  A Buyer client and I made many visits to "handyman specials".  It is clear that there is a segment of the housing market market targeted for those with the skills and determination to get a house to fix up for increased future value.  Some may be flippers and others are people looking for projects.  Buyers are getting more and more savvy, thanks to the shows on TV, about spotting a house that has been cosmetically improved but the basics were not touched.  No matter how wonderful the paint colours, most informed Buyers will have a house inspector ensure that the house is safe and sound.  As such, it is important for investment Buyers to priori... 02/15/2011

Happy Valentine's Day I am not normally happy with the effects that Picnik makes available.  However the dusting of hearts just seemed appropriated for this photo. I find that I use the traditional museum frame a lot and like to 'sign' the work.  In this case, with hearts galore, I kept away from the Valentine's Day special frames and looked for one that symbolized a sending from me to you - a stamp.  Hope you like it. 02/13/2011

As I watch CNN television this morning, it is all about what people have done or will be doing tomorrow on Valentine's Day.  I feel a little like Miss Rose.....  When I saw that the background had a colour, I decided it was time to go out and buy a light box for photographing small things.  This was done before I got the right equipment.  02/13/2011

It had been a slow weekend for Agent Valerie.  Her two Buyers were out of town and the Open House that she had scheduled for Sunday was cancelled when the house sold on Thursday.  Sunday was going to be truly a day of rest.  At 12:30 the phone rang.  It was Seller Mark.  He sounded anxious, maybe a bit angry, and wanted to see Valerie that afternoon.  He said he was fed up trying to sell his house on his own and had decided to concede on some of Valerie's points.   Valerie said she would meet with him at 3:00, at his home. Valerie collected the paperwork.  She printed off the comparable sales and current listings for homes in Mark's neighbourhood.  She printed blank copies of all the listing forms and a page with some people that she would be referring to Mark for work that may be requi... 02/12/2011

This is a photo, taken from my home office.  It was a little difficult to concentrate yesterday morning.  It was garbage day.  Also, the City had decided to do snow removal on the snow banks lining the streets in my area.  While we have not had a lot of snow, there has been a build up of snow banks so.....  Without further ado, I bring you .... Ottawa Snow Removal Day on my Street 02/11/2011

Sometimes it is not about real estate.  Sometimes it is just to get a giggle or a smile or even a smirk in the middle of the day that will have you telling this one at the table tonight.   What did the fish say when it hit the cement wall?             Wait for it......                "Dam" Photo credit: The Biggest Fish in the tank  @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/bogenfreund/2086574261/sizes/m/ 02/10/2011