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.
Ottawa is increasingly becoming a city with a clear price differential between some of the East end suburbs when compared to the west. Nothing could have illustrated this more than a recent house hunting trip. My clients were looking in both Barrhaven and Orleans with a budget of under 500k. They had Barrhaven as their ideal location but were open to looking at other areas. After looking at 15-20 properties together It was clear that one could get more house/square footage in Orleans for the same price as something in Barrhaven. The bigger question for my clients was is the price difference enough change their mind on Orleans?
Price of a detached 2 storey home with a one car garage:
Orleans: $427,000 (YTD sales Jun 4/18)
Barrhaven $454,750 (YTD sales Jun 4/18)
In the end, my clients went with their preferred location. They (as do I) see the future of Ottawa being more West-centric. Especially for the military with its new DND location and the upcoming construction of the operational headquarters. My clients decided to pay a premium to be in the location they wanted. As a military Realtor, it is always good to look at future resale as well. I think because of the shift in DND jobs to west-end it will be a bit easier to resell in the future.
Orleans also has some great future prospects as well. Amazon just announced a new 1M square foot distribution centre and the LRT will extend out East in its next phase. The nice thing about buying in Ottawa is that no matter what location you choose, you cant go wrong! Our real estate market is one of the worlds most stable.
If you are in need of a military Realtor that knows Ottawa well and has experience with HHT’s please feel free to get in touch. This is what we specialize in.
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 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.
