Archive for the ‘Military Blog’ Category
Posted on: July 12th, 2019 by Chris Scott
Many CF members posted to Ottawa are not familiar with the city or surrounding places to live. During this posting season, Colin has been helping HHT clients secure homes all over the area. From Rockland to Renfrew to Finch to the Byward Market, Colin has had some excellent opportunities to expand his knowledge of the entire Ottawa region. Here’s a quick recap of where Colin has been lately with military clients- which one of these areas would you like to live in?
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Trigoria Crescent (Orleans)
These clients needed to be close to a couple of good schools to
accommodate their family situation and be able to easily commute to
work downtown on Cumberland Street. |
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Route 200 East (Casselman)
A predominantly rural area 30 minutes east of Ottawa, at first these
clients planned to buy land and build a custom home. Then we found this
slice of paradise so we switched gears and secured this instead. |
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Prescott Street (Kemptville)
Looking for access to both Ottawa and Kingston, these clients focused
their search southwest of Ottawa. This old farmhouse on a ½ acre lot is
great value in an area that is rapidly appreciating. |
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Stonewalk (Kemptville)
Fast-forward 100 years- this lovely home is in a new subdivision and will
be the final move for these retiring CF members. A good example of the
growth happening in the outlying areas around Ottawa. |
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Main Street (Finch)
Areas such as Finch and Chesterville are far enough from the big city to yet be affected by rising house prices and competitive offers, but not too far if you are posted at CFB Leitrim in the south end of Ottawa. Resale of this beautiful property could take a little longer here than in the city, which can often affect the areas military buyers are able to realistically consider. |
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Goshen Road (Renfrew)
For these clients, workshop space on a quiet country road was the focus.
A 45-minute commute to the west end Carling Campus, towns such as
Renfrew and Arnprior are beginning to see the positive effects of rising
population and house prices in Ottawa. |
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Grenon (Britannia)
This HHT focused on a 45-minute bicycle commute to Gatineau, a lower
sale price, and high walk score. This mature neighbourhood is close to
the Ottawa River and features lots of greenspace and walking/bike paths. |
Posted on: June 19th, 2019 by Chris Scott
Special thanks to all our 2019 Ottawa military clients who bought and sold with our team. Our house hunting trips took us to every corner of Ottawa and the surrounding area this year. Colin and I worked as a team to make sure everyone was well taken care of. It was a challenging Spring house hunting season in Ottawa but I am proud to say that everyone left with a house they were happy with. If you are relocating to Ottawa and need some assistance with your move always feel free to reach out.
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Arnprior
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Stittsville
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Tunney’s Pasture
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Findlay Creek
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Emerald Meadows
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Playfair Park
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Kemptville
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Orléans
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Fallingbrook
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Kemptville
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Fairfield Heights
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Stittsville
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Orléans
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Casselman
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Riverside South
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Stittsville
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Fairfield Heights
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Fallingbrook
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Half Moon Bay
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Renfrew
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Morgans Grant
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Avalon
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Posted on: June 18th, 2019 by Chris Scott
It is no secret that Ottawa is the hottest housing market in the country right now. In Ottawa, one of the most active segments is the $400,000 to $480,000 price range. Our team was engaged by Heather and Byron who were relocating to Ottawa. Unfortunately for them, they were in this HUNGER GAMES price range. This is their story!
Day 1
We spent all day looking through various neighbourhoods in the city. We found a great house in Chapel Hill. It was a bit underpriced and judging by the multiple showings during our visit we knew it was going to be competitive. In the end we were notified there was 11 offers on the table! Let the games begin.
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Offer 1
List Price $400,000
Our Bid $426,000
The winner was $451,000 with no conditions in the offer. 11 offers total. We were told our offer was in the top 1/3 of offers. |
Me learning the news:
Day 2
More viewings and a new listing came up in the afternoon that we are the very first buyers into see. Excited at potentially doing this quickly. It is a holiday Monday and we figure this gives us an advantage. Beauty house on Steeple Chase in Kanata. We have our offer in within hours of listing. Afterwards, 3 other offers come in that afternoon. We know we have to go high to secure it. We make a very strong offer.
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Offer 2
List Price $489,900
Our Bid $521,000
We felt very good about our offer. Unfortunately, they get a higher offer and we lose out again! The hunger games continue… |
Pretty sure this is what the seller looked like:
Day 3
Time is starting to play a factor here. We need to secure something. A listing comes on the market at 9:30 am in Stittsville. We are in the house at 10:30 am and can’t believe our luck! It is a beauty. It is grossly underpriced for today’s market. They basically priced it at last years numbers. We head back to the office to chat about it. Before we can do much the agent calls and they have an offer on the table already. An hour later they already have 4 offers. They are presenting that afternoon at 4:30 pm. This is a bit of a problem because another house we liked was presenting at 6:00 pm. What one do we choose? We ended up putting an expiry of our offer of 6:00 pm for the first one so if we lost we could pursue the next. We go way over asking on this one!
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Offer 3
List Price $439,900
Our Bid $476,000
Feeling a bit overconfident on this offer. Really strong but we ended up in second place! Luckily we found out just before 6:00 pm and bid on another home. |
A surprising loss, time for a drink!
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Offer 4
List Price $424,900
Our Bid $441,00
The house was really one of their favourites all along. We just didn’t want to overpay and felt our offer was a bit conservative. Funny that we were all not feeling overly confident on this one and then the call came in that the house was secured!! The hunger games were complete!! |
WINNER!
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The inspection was flawless and my clients went home happy.
Imagine all of the showings, paperwork, emotions, and stress of the 3 days above. It is not easy buying a house on any HHT let alone one in this market. At the end of the day, we got the job done and the clients are super happy with the process and the house they secured. That is what it is all about and why I love my job. It can be long days but it is hard to have a more rewarding feeling than making the call to let my clients know they have secured their dream home.
With our team the odds will always be in favour of our clients! |
Posted on: April 12th, 2019 by Chris Scott
The DND at the Nortel complex is starting to fill up with civil servants and military personnel on route to the estimated 9300 people that will eventually work there. This has created a parking shortage. There are only enough spots for about half of the employees that are expected to work there. In May of this year, all parking passes will be revoked and a new lottery system will be put in place. Essentially you will have to win your parking space (you still have to pay $35/month). It is designed to make it fair to everyone. This has angered some civil servants who feel that the location is remote and poorly served by bus routes. DND personal fired back that they have no obligation to provide parking and that having a space is a privilege, not a right.
If you carpool you will be able to get a pass much easier. DND is encouraging people to carpool and has even set up a site where people can sign up for it. This is the only sure-fire way to get yourself a parking pass.
Posted on: April 10th, 2019 by Chris Scott
Being posted to Ottawa this year could mean a fairly challenging house hunting trip. Statistics released from the board in March revealed that sales were down almost 12% over last year. This is due to the lack of houses available for sale. There are so many buyers just waiting for houses to get listed. The lack of supply and strong demand continues to put upward pressure on prices. It also brings a unique set of challenges for our military clients. Many homes this year are listing on one day and then holding offers for about 5 days. This is something to take into account when you are planning your Ottawa HHT. We could always do what’s called a bully offer whereby one submits a strong offer before the presentation date but many sellers might not go for it.
FaceTime showings?
I had a recent military client put an offer in, based on a FaceTime walkthrough we had. This strategy is not for everyone but can help narrow some houses down before you arrive for your Ottawa house hunting trip. We will do everything we can to make your HHT as smooth as possible.
Relocating to Ottawa? Fill out our HHT Buyer Criteria Form to start your Ottawa home search today.
Want to know what your Ottawa home is worth? Fill out details of your home below to receive a complimentary home evaluation.
Posted on: March 18th, 2019 by Chris Scott
Please see below for the text directly from the announcement.
CANFORGEN 039/19 CMP 025/19 142012Z MAR 19
CAF RP (RELOCATION PROGRAM) SERVICE DELIVERY – IMPROVEMENTS APS
UNCLASSIFIED
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- BASED ON CAF MEMBERS’ AND THEIR FAMILIES’ FEEDBACK ABOUT THE BGRS RELOCATION SERVICES, THE CMP TEAM HAS IMPLEMENTED SERVICE DELIVERY AMENDMENTS TO IMPROVE THE RELOCATION EXPERIENCE
- THE MAJOR CONTRACT AMENDMENTS FOR APS 2019 ARE AS FOLLOW:
- INDIVIDUAL PLANNING SESSIONS WILL BE SCHEDULED WITH THE MEMBER. THE FIRST SESSION WILL TAKE PLACE WITHIN 5 BUSINESS DAYS OF REGISTRATION. THE BGRS AGENT WILL OUTLINE THE FUNDAMENTALS ON PROCESSES, WEBSITE NAVIGATION AND ADDRESS THE MEMBER S QUESTIONS AND CONCERNS. FOLLOW-ON SESSIONS ARE AVAILABLE AND CAN COVER HOUSE HUNTING TRIPS (HHT), TRANSPORT TO NEW LOCATION, CLAIM FINALIZATION OR OTHER SPECIFIC TOPICS AS REQUIRED/REQUESTED. TIMING IS SCHEDULED BY THE MEMBER. GENERAL INQUIRES MAY BE MADE DURING WORKDAYS FROM 0800-2000HRS EASTERN
- THIRD-PARTY SERVICE PROVIDER (TPSP) PAYMENTS. BGRS WILL NOW BE RESPONSIBLE TO PAY PARTICIPATING TPSP LIKE HOME INSPECTION, LEGAL FEES, APPRAISAL, REAL ESTATE COMMISSION AND RENTAL SEARCH ASSISTANCE FEE. THIS WILL REDUCE MEMBERS’ WORKLOAD AS NO ADVANCES OR CLAIMS ARE REQUIRED. MEMBERS MAY ALSO CHOOSE TO USE NON-PARTICIPATING TPSP (NOT LISTED IN THE DIRECTORY). IN THOSE CASES, THE MEMBER WILL HAVE TO REQUEST AN ADVANCE IF NECESSARY, PAY THE TPSP, AND CLAIM THE REIMBURSEMENT. THE MEMBER WILL ALSO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY NON-APPROVED FEES
- THE PAYMENT CARD HAS BEEN ELIMINATED. ALL FUNDS DUE TO THE MEMBER WILL BE RECEIVED THROUGH ELECTRONIC FUND TRANSFER
- THE SERVICES ARE NOW AVAILABLE THROUGH THE BGRS WEBSITE AND THE MOBILE APP
- TO HELP FACILITATE A SMOOTH RELOCATION FOR MEMBERS AND THEIR FAMILIES, MEMBERS WILL BE GIVEN TIME DURING THEIR WORK DAY TO ORGANIZE THEIR MOVES. SPECIFICALLY, FOLLOWING REGISTRATION WITH BGRS, THE CHAIN OF COMMAND IS TO PROVIDE EACH POSTED MEMBER A HALF DAY TO CONDUCT THEIR FIRST CALL WITH THEIR BGRS AGENT AND TO FAMILIARIZE THEMSELVES WITH THE ONLINE SERVICE. IF THERE IS STILL AN ISSUE UNDERSTANDING THE PROCESS, MEMBERS CAN CALL THEIR AGENT FOR CLARIFICATION. IN ADDITION, MEMBERS WILL BE GIVEN RELOCATION ADMINISTRATIVE TIME AS REQUIRED. THIS WILL BE CONDUCTED IN 1-2 HOUR BLOCKS, IN COORDINATION WITH THE MEMBER’S CHAIN OF COMMAND. FOR NEW MEMBERS WHO HAVE JUST COME OFF THE BTL THE CHAIN OF COMMAND IS TO ENSURE THEY HAVE ACCESS TO COMPUTERS
- MEMBERS WILL HAVE FURTHER DETAILS ON THE PROCESS IN THEIR POSTING MESSAGES, INCLUDING HOW TO ACCESS THE BGRS WEBSITE AND WHO TO CONTACT IN CASE OF ISSUES WITH THE SITE. MEMBERS CAN EXPECT THEIR CLAIMS TO BE SETTLED WITHIN 15 BUSINESS DAYS OF BGRS RECEIVING THE REQUIRED INFORMATION
- TO ENSURE THE PROCESS AND THE CHANGES ARE VERY CLEAR TO MEMBERS, WING AND BASE REPRESENTATIVES WILL MEET FOR A THOROUGH EXPLANATION ON 27 MARCH, IN OTTAWA
- IN CASE OF DIFFICULTIES, MEMBERS WILL BE ABLE TO CONSULT BGRS, THE CFIRP COORDINATOR OR DIRECTOR RELOCATION BUSINESS MANAGEMENT. THIS INFORMATION AND SPECIFIC DIRECTION FOR USING THE BGRS SERVICE HAVE BEEN INCLUDED IN EACH MEMBER S POSTING MESSAGE
- MEMBER S SATISFACTION WILL CONTINUE TO BE MEASURED VIA AN ANNUAL SURVEY RELEASED AFTER THE APS AND CAF WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR FEEDBACK FOR FUTURE RELOCATION EXPERIENCE IMPROVEMENTS
- COMMENTS AND CONCERNS CAN BE ADDRESSED TO DRBM POSITIONAL MAILBOX AT: DRBM2(UNDERSCORE)CFIRP-DGAR2(UNDERSCORE)DPRFC AT FORCES.GC.CA
Posted on: March 18th, 2019 by Chris Scott
This is an amazing cause that one of our clients has spearheaded. Worth the read.
‘Military spouse creates scuba diving program for Veterans healing a mental or physical injury’
https://www.cmfmag.ca/progs_services/military-spouse-creates-scuba-diving-program-for-veterans-healing-a-mental-or-physical-injury/
Posted on: March 8th, 2019 by Chris Scott
There is no sugarcoating that if you are posted to Ottawa this year, your HHT may be challenging. Our inventory is down 20% over last year and 40% over 2017 numbers. It is bordering a housing crisis, considering the insatiable demand. Prices are still affordable but buyers are competing and putting upward pressure on prices. I really believe this could be the last year or two of prices that fall within the affordability index with average income levels of the city.
As you may know, we work with dozens of military buyers who get transferred into and out of Ottawa each year. I have been proactive in building up a database of off-market listings. This weekend we have 2 properties that we are showing to a couple on their HHT that are exclusive listings. They will be contenders for them. As an example of our proactiveness, we have sent this letter to 10,000 households in the West end of Ottawa:
Our team is serious about making your house hunting trip in Ottawa successful. Please get in touch to discuss how we can be of service to you.
Posted on: February 12th, 2019 by Chris Scott
With DND now located in West Ottawa and the operational headquarters slated for Shirley’s Bay, military buyers have shifted as well. Many of my relocation clients still have Kanata, Barrhaven, and Stittsville at the top of their list. However, many others are starting to look at better value options in Carleton Place and Richmond. Here is a quick comparison of the two locations for you.
Richmond
Richmond is a quaint village that is just south of the Kanata/Stittsville area. There are about 4400 residents and lots of new development happening in the area. This will be a very fast growing community over the upcoming few years. What used to be a small farming village is now becoming a bustling place as new restaurants and amenities are coming in to satisfy the new demographics. The Richmond Fair is not to be missed. Nice small town community feel. Still part of the city of Ottawa.
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Distance: The commute to DND is about 21 minutes |
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Average Sale Price: $467,131
Based on MLS residential sales from Jan 1, 2018 to Dec 31, 2018 |
Carleton Place
Carleton Place has been growing at a record pace ever since the highway between it and Ottawa was extended to 4 lanes. It is now home to over 11,000 residents. Military buyers are attracted to this location because of the relatively affordable prices and the fact that Carleton Place now has all the big box stores and amenities that many buyers are looking for. Please note that unlike Richmond, Carleton Place is not part of the city of Ottawa. You do pay slightly higher property taxes on average.
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Distance: The commute to DND is relatively painless at about 28 minutes in no traffic |
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Average Sale Price: $326,781
Based on MLS residential sales from Jan 1, 2018 to Dec 31, 2018 |
Posted on: February 12th, 2019 by Chris Scott
Our team has just invested in a moving concierge program that will be a game changer for our clients. This new platform will assist our clients with everything from changing addresses, transferring home services, updating identification, and getting helpful advice. This can include anything from setting up short term Airbnb accommodations to organizing moving company quotes. Each client will have a dedicated concierge agent. We are completely committed to the client experience. We hope this new service will bring value to our clients and make the transition into the new home as easy as possible.
