Every year the Chris Scott Team helps as many CAF members as we can, with their relocation into or out of Ottawa. My name is Colin and I am part of the Chris Scott Team, I have personally helped many buyers with their military relocations. Military relocations are a huge focus for us, and a part of our business that we all thoroughly enjoy. Based on recent moves and current trends, these are my Top 5 areas for members to check out in 2021:
Fairwinds, Stittsville (west)- Affectionately known as CFB Fairwinds, this is a neighbourhood that our relocation clients continue to flock to! A newer community that has a focus on family living, Fairwinds is a popular choice for military moves. It offers homes from several well-known builders that come in an array of sizes, styles, and prices across the neighbourhood- which makes for a great selection of homes when you are moving in, and a large pool of Buyers when you are promoted to another city. The west end of Ottawa has remerged as a hotspot for cutting-edge tech industries, in addition to the recent opening of the National Defence Headquarters on Carling Ave.
Hunt Club Woods (central/south)- One of my favourite areas in Ottawa. Phenomenal access to highways in all directions, downtown in 20-25 minutes, and well- established neighbourhoods. Walk scores are sometimes a little low, yet there are several major shopping hubs within a short drive or bus ride. There is a hearty sense of community from many long-term homeowners, and more recently a new generation of families with young children.
Riverside South (south)- An area that is still developing, Riverside South has a lot to offer for some Buyers. Many homes and subdivisions are quite new, in an area that shows strong potential for growth over the next few years. Many homes are move-in ready and may not need any big-ticket upgrades before your next posting. Ideal for members working at CFS Leitrim, or those who do not have a daily commute to downtown. It has the same great access to major routes as Hunt Club, yet in the newer areas there are still some amenities that are lagging a bit behind the pace of home construction. The good news is that they are coming, along with future stages of the OC Transpo Light Rail System, so there are many reasons to expect value to continue increasing.
Avalon/Fallingbrook, Orleans (east)- For those looking for some relief on purchase price, the east end can sometimes be the answer. There are many similar neighbourhoods as in Kanata and Stittsville- yet without a home for Tech and DND, the longer commute has historically helped to temper the average sale price. With an increasingly gig-focused economy, Covid-19, Stage 1 of the LRT at Blair Station in Gloucester (with more track coming soon heading east), and new subdivisions under construction every day, Orleans has become a popular place for incoming members in this competitive market.
Kemptville/Carleton Place/Arnprior (south/west surrounding towns and cities)- With home prices consistently on the rise, and many members relocating from smaller markets, these outlying communities are often go-to areas to shop in during our HHTs. Distance to Ottawa means that property values are generally lower than in the city, although these areas are growing closer and closer to Ottawa every year, as new Industry and home prices drive Buyers away from the downtown core. These areas can also offer a bit of greenspace for Buyers who are giving up large lots in rural towns to move to Ottawa. There can be less competition from other Buyers, yet resale opportunity can also be a factor at the end of a posting.
Wherever you are most comfortable looking for a home in Ottawa, the Chris Scott Team has the knowledge and experience to help with your relocation- before, during, and after your HHT. Our mission is to turn every client into a Raving Fan!
This blog post was a contribution by our team member Colin.
I have been fortunate enough to work with military members for over 15 years on their relocation moves to Ottawa. It is my favorite part of real estate. The thrill of finding homes for people on tight timelines is always a fun challenge. April & May are always the busy house hunting trip months. We were geared up for another busy posting season when Covid-19 hit. The impacts on the market were immediate. With the exception of a few military members who sold their homes in their respective cities all booked HHT’s were cancelled or postponed. Many listings that were ready to go to the market got pulled. When HHT’s resume hopefully later this month this is what the new Ottawa market looks like:
Listing Inventory Down
Sales were down 56% in April. There are fewer listings available but still, lots of buyers looking. Prices have stabilized but I am starting to see more multiple offers in the past week or so. Our market is starving for more new listings. I believe that they will be coming in the next few weeks. Sellers have been waiting for the right time to put their homes on the market.
Virtual Showings
We have already completed our first virtual house-hunting trip. I think we will have more to follow this year as families do not want to travel. We are face-timing clients through homes and providing them with as much information to make an informed decision. It seems challenging to buy off a video tour and floorplan. However, most new homes are sold the same way. I think this will be part of our new normal in weeks and months ahead.
Spring Selling Season Delayed
The spring market is going to be delayed into the summer this year. I think there will a very active summer market. If you are coming late on your Ottawa HHT this year it will not be reflected in the market. August right now seems like a very popular closing month for many of my clients.
Obstacles Can Be Navigated
Our team is committed to our military clients having the absolute best experience possible. Last year we navigated dozens of CAF members through a very hot market. This year it is the Covid-19 crisis. No matter what is thrown at us we will make sure you find a suitable home.
If you want to chat more about the market or your own real estate needs my cell is 613-863-6999
3 Biggest Challenges Facing CAF Members on their HHT’s
Our team has specialized in helping military families buy & sell their Ottawa homes for over 15 years. It has always been the most enjoyable part of what we do. The current market conditions in Ottawa have created some real challenges for our military clients relocating the capital. It is a seller’s market and the absorption rate is at an all-time high. Here are the 3 biggest challenges facing our HHT clients in Ottawa:
1: Available properties to buy
In many neighbourhoods within the city there is not much inventory available. It is even more prevalent in the areas our military clients like to purchase. Kanata, Stittsville, and Nepean are all grappling with a shortage of available listings. These are historically low levels. The graph below illustrates this well. When supply is down and demand is strong it puts upward pressure on prices. It also tends to make house-hunting trips a bit more stressful!
2: Speed of Sales
Homes in Ottawa are selling at record speed. Before you arrive on your HHT the properties you may hope to see are sometimes sold. It is challenging when we have a full list of houses to look at, only to discover that many have been put under contract. It also means that when you are on the ground here the houses can sell quickly. Decisions on properties need to be made quicker than usual.
3: Multiple Offer Dates
This was the biggest hurdle for my military clients in 2019. Many sellers in Ottawa are not entertaining offers until a certain date and time. For instance, a house may come for sale on a Wednesday. Showings will begin but there will be no offers until the following Monday. Then on offer day, you may be competing against 3-5 other buyers for the house. I don’t have to explain the logistical concerns involved for clients coming in for a few days on their house-hunting trip. It is something that we had to overcome in 2019 for sure. All our HHT’s were successful last year.
Ok, so I have given you a few of the challenges that one might face. It is also important to know the solutions. Here are some of the solutions to tackle this challenging house hunting trip environment:
How to have a successful Ottawa HHT in a tough market
First let me say that 2019 was the most challenging posting season ever in Ottawa. In these extreme market conditions, we managed to secure over a dozen houses for our clients and nobody left empty-handed or even settling for a house. I think a reality show on my client’s HHT experiences this year would win an Emmy for best reality show!! We had some adventures for sure and it wasn’t always easy but we got the job done. Here are a few keys to success in this market:
Adaptability to Conditions:
We need to act fast in this market. Whether it is reorganizing a day of showings to get into a new listing first or having an offer prepared and ready the instant our clients need it. We had one client purchase only 3 hours after they landed because that is when the offers were being presented. Clients need to be adaptable too. In that particular case, our clients beat out 5 other offers and secured the house. They love the house and neighbourhood to this day! Trust was important for them. They needed to trust us that the house was a good value and a good fit. They got a perfect house because they were adaptable to the conditions and our team was prepared to act fast with them.
Exclusive off-market opportunities:
We plan our whole year around the HHT season. We are determined to find off-market properties for our incoming military families. Here is an example of a letter we sent out to over 20,000 households.
We do targeted Facebook ads and postcards for Kanata and Stittsville. Both areas have been very popular for our military clients. Each year we have many clients who buy our off-market opportunities. In many cases, they are outgoing military clients who love selling to incoming CAF members. It works out great! Our team is proactive in creating the best experience possible.
Experience:
Simply put, there is no team better equipped to handle house-hunting trips. We work together on our HHT’s and are extremely organized to make sure every detail is taken care of. There is no team that knows BGRS policies or can get quick information on them faster than us.
Adaptability to market:
Every HHT is different and requires the ability to adapt to different situations. Let me give you a quick example of this: In 2019 posting season Andrew and Liv were about to put an offer on a house they didn’t really love in multiple bids. On the morning of the offer date, we are getting a pre-inspection done to give us the best chance. We are sitting there and this perfect house comes to the market (send to us via email). We booked the appointment for the inspection. We raced to the house and we were in there 30 mins after it hit the market. The clients loved it!! I knew the other agent really well and we had an offer in the seller’s hand within an hour (we have Steph in the office coordinating things). It was accepted an hour later (we had a tight timeline). Interestingly, another offer came in just after ours was already accepted. We dodged a bullet for sure. The moral of this story is that we do what it takes to get our clients the best house possible. If it means switching gears completely then that is what we will do. Andrew/Liv got their dream house! We need to adapt to the market conditions that are presented to us.
Communication before you arrive in the city is also very important. If you want to connect with our team and talk about your real estate needs or have any general questions please feel free to reach out.
I recently had some clients in from Edmonton on their HHT. They thought they found the perfect house for their family. Unfortunately for them, the inspector discovered some serious issues and our clients walked away from the deal. We were fortunate to have the expertise and guidance of an industry leader. This is the kind of support we make sure our clients have when they come to Ottawa for their HHT. Our preferred inspector is on the approved list and uses an infrared camera inspection as part of his package. He is the best in the business.
Many Ottawa military house hunting trips are during the busy spring market. This is the time where inspectors are also hard to book, especially on short notice. As an extra service to our clients, we have our home inspector tentatively book us a time. We are one of the few teams he does this for because we work with him so often.
Other inspectors that we use on HHTs when needed:
Water Inspectors
Our guy will test the volume of the well, the water treatment equipment, and of course have the water tested.
Septic Inspectors
We want to test the system to make sure it is in working order. It is one of the most expensive home components so we want to make sure there are no unexpected costs coming up.
Pool Inspectors
If you have a pool it is a good idea to have this inspected prior to purchasing. We have a company that specializes in this.
Whatever your needs are on your Ottawa house hunting trip, our team has you covered! Call or text us anytime if you have any questions 613-863-6999.
Relocating to Ottawa? Fill out our HHT Buyer Criteria Form to start your Ottawa home search today.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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!
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!
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!
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.
CAF RP (RELOCATION PROGRAM) SERVICE DELIVERY – IMPROVEMENTS APS
UNCLASSIFIED
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
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.
