The Great Refrigerator Roundup

Posted on February 22, 2012 by admin

Wow! We were shocked when we read OPA brochure and how much your old refrigerator is costing you in energy! We’ve reproduced the brochure here – have a look – just click on the link.  Your comments, Karen and Greg

refrgerator roundup0001

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VIVA VERADERO!

Posted on November 10, 2011 by admin

There’s Never Been More Reasons to Buy or Sell with the Scott Team!

Buy or Sell with the Scott Team and Chose the Vacation of your Dream!

For Seafarers!

Carnival Cruise for Two

4 Nights, 5 Days on a Fun Filled Carnival Cruise. Departs from your choice of LA or Florida. (Some restractions apply) Airfare and Port Taxes are additional.

 

New for Landlubbers!

VIVA VERADERO!

OLA! 7 Days/7 Nights at an all- inclusive beach front resort for two plus 1 Round trip Air Fare. Includes 3 meals a days, beverages and entertainment. ( One return airfare, plus taxes and vacation activation fee is extra) Some travel Restrictions apply.

 

 

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PLAN AHEAD TO MAKE PETS MORE COMFORTABLE DURING THE MOVE

Posted on October 13, 2011 by admin

Just like their owners, our furry friends get stressed during a move. But with a little extra care and consideration, you can help the process run smoothly and help ‘Fido’ settle into his new home.

  •  Remember to update your pets tags and information with your new address as quickly as possible
  • Contain all pets when the movers are present and while travelling to prevent injured or run away pets,
  • Visit your vet to get your pet’s history and a check up before the move

CATS

  • Before and after the move surround your feline with familiar objects – feeding and water bowls, toys, blankets, or their bed.
  • Since cats are very sensitive to their enviorment, gradually introduce them to their surroundings by restricting them to one or two rooms at first.

DOGS

  • Like cats, dogs, should be slowly introduced to their new suroundings. Then dogs should be leahed outside until they are comfortable with thei new area.
  • If you are unable to stay home for the first few days after a move, consider arranging for a friend or pet sitter to come for a couple of hours daily to relieve the dog’s anxiety.

FISH

  • Traveling is the most difficult part of the moving process for fish. Place fish in plastic bags with a mix of clean water from their aquaium and new water. The less the fish are crowded, the better. Put rubber bands around the top of the plastic bags and place the bags inside a dark, insulated cooler.
  • Let the filter run a few hours before putting the fish back into their tank, try to limit their time away from their normal habitat to less than 48 hours.

BIRDS

  • Make sure you have appropriate size containers for the bird and cover the bottom with a litter. Remember to secure the carriers with a clip outside. Keep the bird cool and protected from the sun or in winter, warm and protected from the cold.
  • Bring a supply of old food and water and gradually switch over to new supplies.

RODENTS

  • Small pets such as gerbils, hamsters, guinea pigs amd rts are senstive to drasic temperature changes. Take care to keep them out of direct sunliht and cold drafts.

 

 

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LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

Posted on October 12, 2011 by admin

These are the three most important factors to consider when shopping for a home:

The whole sujject of location is a personal choice. Establish which location is best for you by using our checklist.

  • Proximity to work: Are you willing to commute? Prior to purchasing do a test commute so you can accurately judge the amount of time it takes. Remember do this at the time of your actual commute as traffic patterns change during the day.
  • Proximity to Schools: Are there good schools in the neighbourhood? Even if you don’t have children, this could be important for re-sale.
  • Proximity to Other Amenities: Do you golf or use the gym regularly? Do your kids play hockey or take swimmming lessons. Check with your realtor about local facilities.
  • Public Transportation: Do you have transportation options?
  • Noise: Are you willing to live near an airport, or next door to a school or busy park? Is there alot of noise from traffic? Barking dogs?
  • Safety: are there crime factors in your neighbourhood? Is the area safe for children playing? Nightime walks?

 

 

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WHEN RENOVATIONS PAY YOU BACK

Posted on October 11, 2011 by admin

Approx. Cost vs. Approx. Return on Your Investment

Do-it-Yourself Renovations

  • Paint the Interior : $2000 Return: 50-100%
  • Replace Carpeting w/Laminate ( approx 1000 sq. ft.) $3000 Return: 50-75%
  • Install New Light Fixtures: $2000 Return 60-70%
  • Groom Exterior Landscape: $2000 Return: 25-50%
  • Replace Knobs, hardware: $2000 Return 75-100%
  • Update the Entryway: $3000 Return 50-75%
  • Replace Carpeting/Laminate w/ hardwood : $5000, Return 50-75%
  • Build a fence/deck: $5000 to $10,000 Return 50-75%

Renovations the Require a Contractor

  • Install a Main Floor Powder Room : Under $5000 Return: 80-100%
  • Reno Bathrooms: $5000 – $8000 Return 75-100%
  • Reno Kitchen: $12000 – $15000 Return 75-100%

 

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THE ‘WHYS’ AND ‘WHENS’ OF SELLING YOUR HOUSE

Posted on September 27, 2011 by admin

As realtors, we are often asked ‘Is now a good time to sell our home?… or should we wait till Spring?’ There is not one easy answer. Traditionally there have been four major reasons why and when people sell there homes. 1. Financial market conditions; 2. Employment Changes; 3. Family Matters and : 4. Lifestyle Changes.

Today’s market conditions are most greatly affected by one other leading condition – low interest rates. There is no ‘right or wrong’ month to sell your home, though traditionally the dead of January has a lower sales percentage. However, that is because there are are fewer homes listed during that time. Often, you are ahead of your competition by listing your home off season. As interest rates are expected to remain at record lows until at least 2013.  Sales statistics remain positive for the Ottawa market.

Keep in touch with your real estate professional for the current market conditions.

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A LOOK AT RESIDENTIAL SALES IN THE PAST 50 YEARS!

Posted on September 23, 2011 by admin

Ottawa Residential Sales Comparison Chart  click here Continue reading →

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PRE-LISTING HOME INSPECTIONS

Posted on August 4, 2011 by admin

Deal with the problems before you sell!

You’ve heard of home inspections prior to purchasing, but if you’re selling a home that’s more than 20 years old, you would be wise to have a pre-listing inspection.

Why spend the money?  If your peace of mind isn’t reason enough, then consider dealing with small problems prior to your property going on the market so that a potential buyer doesn’t walk away from your sale after their own inspection.  If your buyer believes that you haven’t taken care of the small problems, they may fear that other unwanted surprises could be in store.

New environmental issues that home inspectors look for are signs of mould, asbestos in the blown-in attic insulation and around pipes.  Do you have dark discoloration on your basement walls?  Chances are that there’s dampness there and they should be checked before you go on the market.  Inspectors have meters that can even detect moisture through the walls.

We highly recommend a pre-listing inspection.  Consider it an investment even if you’re not planning to sell right away.  Give us a call and we will direct you to a qualified inspector.

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GETTING DOWN TO BUSINESS

Posted on July 13, 2011 by admin

Leaving Your Cottage Property to Your Offspring     Tax Implications – Can You Avoid Capital Gains?

What’s best for your family?

  • Co-ownership: Thinking of making your offspring co-owners of your cottage? The CRA views this as a taxable disposition of 50% of your property at fair market value. Capital Gains taxes on that portion are due right away.  The remaining 50% paid by your estate upon death of both Spouses. If you decide to buy a cottage with a child over 18 as joint owner and they marry, remember if there is a divorce the spouse may claim their share.
  • Give (GIFT) your cottage to your kids while you’re alive?  CRA now treats Gifting as a deemed disposition of property on the day the cottage was gifted and capital gains taxes are due at that time and gifted at fair market value determined by a tax or real estate valuator.
  • Principal Residence: Which one can I use? If you have lived in both your home in the city and your cottage in the country for at least a few weeks each year, you can elect either one as your principal residence. You may, however, only have ONE principal residence at a time. Thus, if your home had higher capital gains during the period of 1972 to 1986, and your cottage had higher capital gains during the period from 1986 to the present, you could claim your home as your principal residence during the earlier period and your cottage during the latter period to minimize your taxes. But the periods can’t overlap.
  • Pay taxes with life insurance: The bill on the capital gains can be huge, so you need to make sure your kids can afford it. If they inherit the cottage you could take out a last-to-die life insurance policy for you and your spouse. This money will then be used to pay the capital gains taxes due at the time of death. In some cases, children who stand to inherit the property may even be willing to pay the premium on the policy.
  • Put the cottage in trust for the kids: Unless you claim the cottage as your principal residence, you will still have to pay capital gains taxes. Probate fees, which range up to 1.5% of the value of the estate, are nothing compared to the capital gains taxes which can be as high as 47% of the taxable portion of the capital gain. While you may avoid probate by setting up a trust, be careful that you don’t spend more on lawyers than you would actually save on the probate fees. This should be looked into very carefully.
  • $100,000 Capital Gains Tax Exemption: If this option was not elected by 1994, it’s too late. Check with parents to see if they have already used the exemption and on what.

 

 (The contents of all articles are not warranted by the sender and must be discussed and verified with your own counsel).

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RESIDENTIAL TITLE INSURANCE FOR EXISTING PROPERTY OWNERS – WHY?

Posted on July 13, 2011 by admin

Mortgage Fraud Amounts To Approximately $1.5 Billion A Year Across Canada.

Insuring the ownership of your property (referred to as “title”) is just as important as insuring your property and its contents from physical loss or damage. Traditionally, title insurance was only available on “purchase” transactions and ordered by lawyers/notaries to save their clients money and protect their ownership or title against losses incurred as a result of undetected or unknown title defects.  Generally, the losses from real estate title or mortgage fraud are catastrophic with homeowners paying thousands of dollars in legal fees to defend their title, and lenders possibly losing the full amount of their mortgage.
Your lawyer would have conducted a pre-closing title search when you bought your property to find out if there were any issues that need to be resolved before closing can go ahead. Legal ownership in property is evidenced by the title to the property being placed into your name. Once this occurs, the government land registration records will reflect you as the owner and anyone searching those records will also recognize you as the owner.
Title insurance covers you for further issues that are not discovered during the title search process, but title insurance does not cover any problems with the title that are made known to the buyer prior to closing.

  • Encroachment-when any structure, such as a shed, fully or partially built on your neighbour’s property rather than your own
  • Existing Liens or work orders against the title-outstanding municipal utility charges i.e. taxes
  • Errors in the property’s survey or the public record
  • Title fraud, when someone uses forged or stolen information to have your property title transferred to them and may then take out a mortgage on your home and disappear 
  • Existing work orders, lack of legal access to the property and unmarketability of the land due to adverse matters that would have been revealed by an up to date survey/ RPR/ Building Location Certificate.

Title insurance is available for a low premium that is paid only once, and coverage is valid for the entire time you own your home. Your lawyer/notary  would be pleased to explain and go over the premiums with you, and order the policy on your behalf.  Don’t have a Lawyer?  Call us for some names.

For more information on Residential Title Insurance for Existing Property Owners visit the following website: www.stewart.ca  and http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/

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