I love it when a positive comes from something so negative….such as the mistakes made in the Carp River development studies. The public’s access to information was very limited.

The city’s reaction has been a definite +. You can now log on to the City of Ottawa website, punch in “development application search” and get any and all information for all current development applications and supporting studies for everything from zoning changes that allow taller buildings to site-plan applications that show exactly how a building project will be laid out.  http://app01.ottawa.ca/postingplans/home.jsf?lang=en

When a developer makes application for development of any type they must also file an electronic application too.  Note though that online information is only available for development applications submitted on or after February 1, 2008, so you must still contact the City of Ottawa directly for ones made prior to that 613-580-2424.

Qudos to the City of Ottawa for this response.

Don’t you love it when you see your name on a list….particularly when it is at the top!!According to a study conducted by the magazine MoneySense, the following are ranked as Canada’s top cities to live in in Canada:

1. Ottawa
2. Victoria
3. Fredericton
4. Kingston
5. Levis, Quebec
6. Moncton, N.B
7. Winnipeg
8. Burlington, ON
9. Halifax
10. Vancouver

(by the way…….I have lived in three of these cities- Fredericton, Moncton & now Ottawa…so perhaps I bring good luck!)

For the complete list: http://list.canadianbusiness.com/rankings/bestplacestolive/2008/prosperity/Default.aspx?sp2=1&d1=a&sc1=6&sub=n1&df=bestcities

“….Ottawa benefits from a major employee that’s never going to go out of business: the federal government.  Household income is quite high, housing is very affordable, crime is low, lots of doctors compared to the rest of the country, low unemployment rate and so on”.

“People earning the average income would need 2.93 times their annual salaries to cover the sticker prices of homes in the nation’s capitol while Toronto buyers would need 4.94 times the average annual income.”

For a list of prices of housing throughout Canada & how long it would take you to save to buy one: http://list.canadianbusiness.com/rankings/bestplacestolive/2008/housing/Default.aspx?sub=n2&df=bestcities&sc1=3&d1=a&sp2=1&eh=ch 

For the full article and methodology go to http://list.canadianbusiness.com/rankings/bestplacestolive/2008/Default.aspx?sp2=1&d1=a&sc1=6

Just be glad if you are not a first-time home buyer out on the streets now! It is tough not having the equity built up in an existing home to use to obtain financing. And it is only going to get tougher as prices of houses go up (& they ARE going to be going up).

I get asked the question a lot as to “whether I should wait”.To get the answer one only has to do the math and look at the rate at which house prices are going up in the particular area that you are looking at. Is some miracle going to offset the increase in prices?

Read this Saturday’s Ottawa Citizen article in which I was interviewed about breaking into the market. http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/homes/story.html?id=7620929f-313b-4ddc-9bad-96e43fbfd120 

Another good reason why buyers should use a real estate agent. I have gotten to know now how to recognize a potential grow house just from the mls listing itself. Certain factors just jump off of the page at me. There have been times though that it has not been until I went through the house that I realized that it was a grow house operation. (it is an experience sometimes and makes for great conversation!!).

Then there is the history of the house, which is also invaluable!

So….if you hear of any friends looking directly at houses not on mls (a house on mls means that you have an agent with obligations of disclosure)  warn them that they need to be aware of the presence of many grow houses.

Words of wisdom!

It seems like yesterday that I had my two boys home, and this time of year meant, besides the obligatory raking of lawns and buying seeds etc, the planning of “free-time” in the summer. What an oxymoron as the time they spent certainly was not FREE.

Planning & registration time is here though and one can get started by downloading the “Summer Camps” guide at: http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/pdf/oc_summer_camp08.pdf

So….the big news yesterday was that Ottawa’s property taxes are not going to be going up as much as anticipated because of the provincial freeze on education taxes. Instead of going up 5.2% on urban properties and 6.1% on rural properties, the increase will be 4.1% & 4.5% respectively.  http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/city/story.html?id=0911fae7-a859-474c-aad6-9584842d9c83

I do the same thing after going on a great shopping spree. When Harry, my husband of 29 years (God bless him), asks me how much I have spent, I do the “shock routine”. I state double the amount spent and then after he picks himself up off of the ground after such a vicious blow I come in for the kill and share that I only spent half of that amount. Works every time!!

For additional details on Ottawa’s property taxes go to http://ottawa.ca/residents/proptaxes/index_en.html

Congratulations to Anna Melnyk for winning the tickets to tomorrow night’s playoff game……..the second of many more to come. Anna has promised us that she will inspire the team to win win win!!!

Playoffs are here! I have faith that they are going to be here for a long time, but just in case………….we decided to put up the hockey draw for this Wednesday’s game here in Ottawa.

Prize: 2 tickets for third level, third row, centre ice. Great seats! Plus parking.

How to enter:

In the comments section below enter your: 

•  
  • name       
  • phone numbers
  • best email to reach you at
  • and the word “Clients” if you are a current or past client. (in which case your name goes into the draw twice).
    
• Want another entry?
  • Go back to the Listings page on www.CaroleEvans.com & locate the red shoes in one of the current listing shots and tell us the name of the room they are in and address of the property. Add this to your comments and your name goes into the draw one additional time.

***NOTE: Your name & entry will not be visible on the public site****

The draw will be Tuesday, April 15th, at 7:00 pm and the winner’s name posted on the blog and notified.

GOOD LUCK! BOTH TO YOU AND THE SENATORS!!!

I felt like a Sherpa on the weekend as I deftly maneuvered country and city roads,  my vehicle embracing the flat surfaces of a road and shunning the mysterious black holes and what lie beneath. The knowledge gained from many hours spent on the roads the previous week was obvious as I anticipated the next pothole with ease.

BUT…….in this ever-changing world, nothing changes with such frequency as the road conditions in the winter-haven of Ottawa!  Like spam in my morning email inbox, they just keep appearing and reappearing.

Should you experience damage to your vehicle because of the ubiquitous spring potholes, there is hope! The City of Ottawa has a process of reimbursement. For details on filing for damages go to their website at www.Ottawa.ca  .

For tips on dealing with potholes here are some words of wisdom: Read the rest of this entry »

Congratulations to  The Spa Day Retreat  http://www.thespadayretreat.ca  located at 26 Castlefrank Rd. in Kanata, on their recent Ottawa Architectural Conservation Award for 2007-2008.

This project adapted an historic stone residence in former Kanata to a modern spa with an extensive range of facilities. The stone house was built c.1824 for William Hodgins and in 1912 it was purchased by George Henry Sparks. The Sparks family lived here until 2001. The building was gutted as part of an effort to convert it to a school and later damaged by fire. The Spa project involved restoration of the front porch, re-pointing of the stone walls which are exposed in select interior spaces, interior mill-work reproduced based on the 1920 period of the house and a sensitive addition at the south end. Read the rest of this entry »