When you come to Ottawa for your house hunting trip in mid-April you are not expecting an epic ice storm! That is exactly what happened on my client’s arrival date. All of Ontario was basically affected. Interestingly this ice storm played a drastic role in the house and location they ended up choosing.
On day 1 of the HHT which was a Sunday my client’s flight was delayed by a few hours so we had to condense an already packed schedule into fewer hours. We were flying through houses and then trying to navigate icy roads as the freezing rain was terrible. We ended up getting through most of the listings that day but still had some we needed to see on Day 2. Saying it was a busy afternoon is an understatement. Luckily we were one of the few brave enough to navigate the roads.
When we awoke on day 2 of the HHT the weather had gotten worse! The city was blanketed in ice. Power was out in many neighbourhoods. By late in the day the house we wanted to view for the second time lost power. The seller of that home refused our 2nd viewing till the power came back. They were likely to offer on this option in Riverside South but wanted to see it again. In the meantime, I showed them a beautiful house in Stittsville that was not really on their radar. They loved it! The challenge was that we saw it using flashlights as the power was off. The original plan was to offer on Day 2 but we had to wait until day 3 to see the houses again with the power on.
In the end, my clients offered on the Stittsville home because it needed less work and we believe it will re-sell easier down the road. They were such wonderful people to work with an I know they will be happy there until they get posted again. Buying a house in a few days is stressful enough but having the worst ice storm since 1998 can make things even more challenging!
I recently had a family get in touch me who were relocating from Vancouver. She took a new position with the government here in Ottawa. She was already living here with the family in a small rental and he was still in Vancouver. What they didn’t realize is how hot the detached house market was in their budget (under 550k) in Barrhaven and Riverside South neighbourhoods.
As soon as we even looked at something it would seem there was an offer on the table. Even houses that had been on the market for a long time. It took 3 offers to finally secure a great home for this wonderful family.
Relocations this year are going to be more challenging in Ottawa due to the hot market. I am hopeful we will have more inventory come to Springtime. If you are relocated this Spring with the military, RCMP, or government I may have some exclusive homes for you to look at. I am building a list for these clients to try and match them up with homes that are off the market.
If you are relocating to Ottawa keep us in mind. I can always be reached via email at chris@ChrisScott.ca or on my cell at 613-863-6999
We are always doing everything we can for our military clients. This year in Ottawa the real estate market is tight. We are putting together a list of off market homes this year for our military clients to look at. Many of these will be focused in the areas of Kanata and Stittsville. This is where many of our clients are looking on their house hunting trips. See video for more details.
Right now in early 2018, it is estimated that there are approximately 3500 employees working out of the new headquarters. The feedback from my clients that work there is extremely positive. For some, their transfer here will have to wait. In early January it was announced that the final phase of workers will not be transferred until March 21st, 2020.
The delay has not had any effect on where my military clients are looking. They continue their focus on west-end neighbourhoods. This is challenging because the inventory levels are very low right now. I am really hoping that we get more listings coming to market soon. It is challenging to buy on a HHT if you end up in multiple bidding wars. I am putting together a list of off-market homes together for my clients relocating to Ottawa. This will help give them some viable options when they come to town. If you want your house on the list or want more information please feel free to reach out.
I am sitting here at a home inspection with some military clients of mine. It is the first of which that won’t be automatically be taken care of by Brookfield. The client will have to pay for the inspection and get reimbursed at a later time. Each member on a relocation is supposed to get a prepaid Visa card for this purpose but it has not been delivered to the client in this case. This year might be a challenging time to get relocated. I have a feeling there will be some bugs to work-out with this new system. I am actively learning about the new programs. If you are relocated to Ottawa and need assistance with your military move please feel free to get in touch.
If you are relocating to Ottawa or have any questions, please get in contact with us. This is what we specialize in.
Thanks everyone for participating in our client draw. It is lots of fun to put these contests and events on throughout the year. I feel blessed and grateful to have such wonderful clients to work each year. This is a very small token of my appreciation. Hope the winners enjoy the gifts. I am sure the $500 shopping spree will come in handy this time of year.
Military clients are the backbone of my real estate business. I am so fortunate to have this speciality because I get to work with so many great people. As a small thank you for everything they do, my wife and I hosted an event exclusively for military clients. We leased out a full 100L suite on CF Appreciation night at the Ottawa Senators game exclusively for our military clients. What a fun night!
Here are some of the pictures:
If you find yourself posted to Ottawa please consider me a real estate resource. I have worked on 100’s of house hunting trips and understand the process more than most. We enjoy taking care of our clients!
We always track anything that is of importance to our military clients. This recent memo outlines a new direction in the delivery of the Brookfield relocation services. This will have an impact on anyone getting transferred into or out of Ottawa. It is still too early to know if these changes will offer a better user experience for CAF members using them. I am a bit reluctant to think that it will be better service. Especially in the beginning stages of the implementation. Only time will tell. Here is a direct link to this program:
Right now I am sitting at a home inspection as I type this. I am here with some great military clients who are relocating from Petawawa. We have secured a nice townhouse in the KANATA neighbourhood of Morgan’s Grant. It is about 10mins to the New DND headquarters at the Nortel campus. Securing this home has been a challenge.
The townhouse market right now in Barrhaven, Stittsville, and Kanata is as hot as it has ever been. Townhomes in these neighbourhoods over the past 2 months are selling in 6 Days for an average of $3,500 over asking. We have been competing against as many as 11 offers on previous offer attempts. I have never seen anything like it for this segment of the Ottawa real estate market. On a house hunting trip, this can make things very stressful and can be challenging to leave Ottawa with a house. These are the fall market conditions right now. I am really hoping that by the time our Spring House hunting trips begin there will be more inventory available.
I will be starting a database of CAF members who have a high probability of being transferred next Spring. My objective will be to have some off-market military listings that can be sold to other military buyers coming in on their transfer. Basically making it as easy as possible for both military buyers and sellers.
If you are relocating to Ottawa or have any questions, please get in contact with us. This is what we specialize in.
One of the most popular events in Ottawa each September is the Army Run. This year I will be participating and raising money to support our military troops and their families. I can’t wait for the big day! If you want to come out and support this great cause please see details here: http://armyrun.ca/
If you want to donate to this cause check out my pledge page. I will match dollar for dollar every donation that is made up to $1000. I will also donate a minimum of $500 for this wonderful cause. Just bought some new shoes for the race, now I just need to get in shape!
Working as a military relocations specialist in Ottawa has been one of the most rewarding decisions I have made. I get to work with such wonderful people who go out of their way to support my business. I am excited to be aligned with this group of people. My hope is that we can raise lots of money for this wonderful cause.
