With today’s announcement that there will be a new $80M DND high-tech headquarters built in Ottawa my first thoughts go to how the city will benefit AND which end of town will benefit the most. With Leitrim the suspected winner, the south-east end is the obvious winner. Combine that with the RCMP relocation to the old JDS campus near Barrhaven, and it does not take a lot of analysis to figure out that the Barrhaven, Riverside South, Manotick, Findlay Creek, Blackburn Hamlet, Orleans, Hunt Club area in general, Pineglen, Country Place will all benefit from the new build.

Quaint villages like Osgoode, Greeley & Metcalfe will encounter change and we all know how well change is accepted! Good areas for investment though.

This is great news for the local economy. A good way to start the rainy week off.

Minto, one of Ottawa’s largest new home builders, continues to fight for the right to build approximately 1,800 units in their new Mahogany community in the area bordered by Manotick’s Main St., First Line Rd. and Century Rd.

On one side we have Minto saying that their development follows the City of Ottawa’s City plan and on the other hand we have Manotick resident’s saying that it is too much, too fast and that the infrastructure cannot support such growth, that the inherent feel of the historic village will be lost.  http://http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/city/story.html?id=391e40bc-e789-4352-be60-5193f960b970

I will continue to follow this debate, so keep an eye out.

The front page of the Ottawa Citizen was an eye-opener to any Kanata resident this morning. http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=3df37c73-20b2-4d5e-94f4-00eb73a75188&k=13810“Kanata West put on hold”.  Residential & commercial development in areas near the Carp River (brook/stream/creek) have put on an indefinite hiatus with concerns being listened to about the potential flooding in the area with pending developments. Faulty research may have led to development plans that just should not happen.

Areas affected: North of the Queensway by the Carp River, South of the Queensway in areas around Scotiabank Place, AND Fernbank area developments in Stittsville.

How will that affect real estate in the area? The new housing developments that have been magically appearing for years have been like adding yeast to the flour mixture- it keeps things moving. (I could use some other analogies here but I won’t!) Housing prices in the city core are so prohibitive that first-time home owners find satisfaction by moving to the city’s periphery (Kanata, Barrhaven, Riverside South, Orleans) to find affordable housing.

So…I repeat the question: How will that affect real estate in the area? It will take a catalyst out of the equation in certain areas. BUT there is so much new building going on in other areas that I do not feel that the pinch will be felt. (Mattamy has just bought speculative property in the Richmond area, eyeing the village much the same as Manotick was eyed by developers.)

Looks like we may have more greenspace in the Kanata area around the Carp River.

Okay, so I, your classic baby-boomer, am getting older. So what else can I be blamed for? My children have graduated from school. The consequence of so many of the baby-boomer’s children leaving school at the same time is that the schools that had to be built to house them are now being under-utilized.

 Check carefully to see if your school is under review. Some schools may amalgamate or close. Boundary changes may also take place. Contact your local school-board to voice your concerns or get additional information. We will keep you up to date on changes on our blog as much as possible too.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/city/story.html?id=8df882fc-eb54-4cc3-b87a-abe70c751c28

Ottawa Schools under Review:

Ottawa Catholic School Board:

• St. Anthony School (Booth St.)
• St. George St. (Keyworth)
• St. Mary (Beech St.)

Ottawa-Carleton District School Board:

Orleans-

• Queenswood PS
• Fallingbrook Community ES
• Henry Larsen ES
• Dunning-Foubert ES
• Maple Ridge ES
• Trillium ES

West Carleton Area

• Fitzroy Centennial PS
• Stonecrest ES (which would probably receive students from the other schools)
• Torbolton PS (currently vacant but not officially closed)
• Huntley Centennial PS (the review would be looking at ways to grow/improve/inject $)

How does this affect real estate? The factor which is the largest catalyst is “change“.  Oh how we humans hate it. The unknown is always far worse than the result.

Boundary changes, for those families who refuse to leave a particular school because of how well it meets their child’s needs, means that they often move. I have seen this happen in many areas.

School closures  typically detract from an area, for a limited period of time though. The school usually is sold to a community group, a private school, or another school board and the community often benefits in another way from the building. But it is still change. That ugly 6-letter word.

It has been a wild week of warnings. The sky is falling!  RRSP’s- disheartening. Dow Jones- nearing its bottom. Housing costs- rising faster than incomes so don’t invest there either.  http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=5f7ee523-9b71-42d4-8d72-91a1c43ecc47&k=93853

CBC’s news flash today: 
The S&P/TSX composite index plunged more than 500 points, which amounts  to more than four per cent of its value, in the opening minutes of trading Monday. Every sector was down, led by resources and financials. While I certainly do not subscribe to the theory of investing in the bedroom mattress (hiding one’s money) I do believe that it is the time to indeed be cautious. Online investments are for the average person risky- I hire a professional. The same goes for buying a house. A huge part of my job as a real estate sales representative is to be acutely aware of what is going on in my community of Ottawa. (I LOVE having a business where dissecting the morning paper is a necessary part of my work day). I MUST know what developments are in the wind; what potential zoning changes are in the wind; what lies beneath a house. And if I don’t, I must be anxious to take the initiative to find out and more importantly know the resources where I can get the answer.It is a good time to buy a house…….. just make sure that you have a knowledgeable professional helping you.